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Pope
Benedict XVI - Homilies |
"Religion Is ... a Guarantee of Authentic
Liberty and Respect"
Homily at Bellahouston Park
H.H. Benedict XVI
September 16, 2010
www.zenit.org
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
"The Kingdom of God is very near to you!"
(Luke 10:9). With these words of the Gospel
we have just heard, I greet all of you with
great affection in the Lord. Truly the
Lord’s Kingdom is already in our midst! At
this Eucharistic celebration in which the
Church in Scotland gathers around the altar
in union with the Successor of Peter, let us
reaffirm our faith in Christ’s word and our
hope – a hope which never disappoints – in
his promises! I warmly greet Cardinal
O’Brien and the Scottish Bishops; I thank in
particular Archbishop Conti for his kind
words of welcome on your behalf; and I
express my deep gratitude for the work that
the British and Scottish Governments and the
Glasgow city fathers have done to make this
occasion possible.
Today’s Gospel reminds us that Christ
continues to send his disciples into the
world in order to proclaim the coming of his
Kingdom and to bring his peace into the
world, beginning house by house, family by
family, town by town. I have come as a
herald of that peace to you, the spiritual
children of Saint Andrew and to confirm you
in the faith of Peter (cf. Luke 22:32). It
is with some emotion that I address you, not
far from the spot where my beloved
predecessor Pope John Paul II celebrated
Mass nearly thirty years ago with you and
was welcomed by the largest crowd ever
gathered in Scottish history.
Much has happened in Scotland and in the
Church in this country since that historic
visit. I note with great satisfaction how
Pope John Paul’s call to you to walk hand in
hand with your fellow Christians has led to
greater trust and friendship with the
members of the Church of Scotland, the
Scottish Episcopal Church and others. Let me
encourage you to continue to pray and work
with them in building a brighter future for
Scotland based upon our common Christian
heritage. In today’s first reading we heard
Saint Paul appeal to the Romans to
acknowledge that, as members of Christ’s
body, we belong to each other (cf. Romans
12:5) and to live in respect and mutual
love. In that spirit I greet the ecumenical
representatives who honour us by their
presence. This year marks the 450th
anniversary of the Reformation Parliament,
but also the 100th anniversary of the World
Missionary Conference in Edinburgh, which is
widely acknowledged to mark the birth of the
modern ecumenical movement. Let us give
thanks to God for the promise which
ecumenical understanding and cooperation
represents for a united witness to the
saving truth of God’s word in today’s
rapidly changing society.
Among the differing gifts which Saint Paul
lists for the building up of the Church is
that of teaching (cf. Romans 12:7). The
preaching of the Gospel has always been
accompanied by concern for the word: the
inspired word of God and the culture in
which that word takes root and flourishes.
Here in Scotland, I think of the three
medieval universities founded here by the
popes, including that of Saint Andrews which
is beginning to mark the 600th anniversary
of its foundation. In the last 30 years and
with the assistance of civil authorities,
Scottish Catholic schools have taken up the
challenge of providing an integral education
to greater numbers of students, and this has
helped young people not only along the path
of spiritual and human growth, but also in
entering the professions and public life.
This is a sign of great hope for the Church,
and I encourage the Catholic professionals,
politicians and teachers of Scotland never
to lose sight of their calling to use their
talents and experience in the service of the
faith, engaging contemporary Scottish
culture at every level.
The evangelization of culture is all the
more important in our times, when a
"dictatorship of relativism" threatens to
obscure the unchanging truth about man’s
nature, his destiny and his ultimate good.
There are some who now seek to exclude
religious belief from public discourse, to
privatize it or even to paint it as a threat
to equality and liberty. Yet religion is in
fact a guarantee of authentic liberty and
respect, leading us to look upon every
person as a brother or sister. For this
reason I appeal in particular to you, the
lay faithful, in accordance with your
baptismal calling and mission, not only to
be examples of faith in public, but also to
put the case for the promotion of faith’s
wisdom and vision in the public forum.
Society today needs clear voices which
propose our right to live, not in a jungle
of self-destructive and arbitrary freedoms,
but in a society which works for the true
welfare of its citizens and offers them
guidance and protection in the face of their
weakness and fragility. Do not be afraid to
take up this service to your brothers and
sisters, and to the future of your beloved
nation.
Saint Ninian, whose feast we celebrate
today, was himself unafraid to be a lone
voice. In the footsteps of the disciples
whom our Lord sent forth before him, Ninian
was one of the very first Catholic
missionaries to bring his fellow Britons the
good news of Jesus Christ. His mission
church in Galloway became a centre for the
first evangelization of this country. That
work was later taken up by Saint Mungo,
Glasgow’s own patron, and by other saints,
the greatest of whom must include Saint
Columba and Saint Margaret. Inspired by
them, many men and women have laboured over
many centuries to hand down the faith to
you. Strive to be worthy of this great
tradition! Let the exhortation of Saint Paul
in the first reading be your constant
inspiration: "Do not lag in zeal, be ardent
in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope,
be patient in suffering and persevere in
prayer" (cf. Romans 12:11-12).
I would now like to address a special word
to the bishops of Scotland. Dear brothers,
let me encourage you in your pastoral
leadership of the Catholics of Scotland. As
you know, one of your first pastoral duties
is to your priests (cf. "Presbyterorum
Ordinis," 7) and to their sanctification. As
they are alter Christus to the Catholic
community, so you are to them. Live to the
full the charity that flows from Christ, in
your brotherly ministry towards your
priests, collaborating with them all, and in
particular with those who have little
contact with their fellow priests. Pray with
them for vocations, that the Lord of the
harvest will send labourers to his harvest
(cf. Luke 10:2). Just as the Eucharist makes
the Church, so the priesthood is central to
the life of the Church. Engage yourselves
personally in forming your priests as a body
of men who inspire others to dedicate
themselves completely to the service of
Almighty God. Have a care also for your
deacons, whose ministry of service is
associated in a particular way with that of
the order of bishops. Be a father and a
guide in holiness for them, encouraging them
to grow in knowledge and wisdom in carrying
out the mission of herald to which they have
been called.
Dear priests of Scotland, you are called to
holiness and to serve God’s people by
modelling your lives on the mystery of the
Lord’s cross. Preach the Gospel with a pure
heart and a clear conscience. Dedicate
yourselves to God alone and you will become
shining examples to young men of a holy,
simple and joyful life: they, in their turn,
will surely wish to join you in your
single-minded service of God’s people. May
the example of Saint John Ogilvie,
dedicated, selfless and brave, inspire all
of you. Similarly, let me encourage you, the
monks, nuns and religious of Scotland to be
a light on a hilltop, living an authentic
Christian life of prayer and action that
witnesses in a luminous way to the power of
the Gospel.
Finally, I would like to say a word to you,
my dear young Catholics of Scotland. I urge
you to lead lives worthy of our Lord (cf.
Ephesians 4:1) and of yourselves. There are
many temptations placed before you every day
-- drugs, money, sex, pornography, alcohol
-- which the world tells you will bring you
happiness, yet these things are destructive
and divisive. There is only one thing which
lasts: the love of Jesus Christ personally
for each one of you. Search for him, know
him and love him, and he will set you free
from slavery to the glittering but
superficial existence frequently proposed by
today’s society. Put aside what is worthless
and learn of your own dignity as children of
God. In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks us to
pray for vocations: I pray that many of you
will know and love Jesus Christ and, through
that encounter, will dedicate yourselves
completely to God, especially those of you
who are called to the priesthood and
religious life. This is the challenge the
Lord gives to you today: the Church now
belongs to you!
Dear friends, I express once more my joy at
celebrating this Mass with you. I am happy
to assure you of my prayers in the ancient
language of your country: Sìth agus
beannachd Dhe dhuibh uile; Dia bhi timcheall
oirbh; agus gum beannaicheadh Dia Alba.
God’s peace and blessing to you all; God
surround you; and may God bless the people
of Scotland!
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