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Pope Benedict XVI - World Youth Day 2008 |
On
God's Marriage Proposal
"In Our Name, Mary Said Yes"
Angelus Message after the Closing Mass for World Youth Day 2008
His Holiness Benedict XVI
Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia
July 20, 2007
Dear Young Friends,
In the beautiful prayer that we are about to recite, we reflect on
Mary as a young woman, receiving the Lord's summons to dedicate her
life to him in a very particular way, a way that would involve the
generous gift of herself, her womanhood, her motherhood. Imagine how
she must have felt. She was filled with apprehension, utterly
overwhelmed at the prospect that lay before her.
The angel understood her anxiety and immediately sought to reassure
her. "Do not be afraid, Mary .... The Holy Spirit will come upon you
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you" (Lk 1:30, 35).
It was the Spirit who gave her the strength and courage to respond
to the Lord's call. It was the Spirit who helped her to understand
the great mystery that was to be accomplished through her. It was
the Spirit who enfolded her with his love and enabled her to
conceive the Son of God in her womb.
This scene is perhaps the pivotal moment in the history of God's
relationship with his people. During the Old Testament, God revealed
himself partially, gradually, as we all do in our personal
relationships. It took time for the chosen people to develop their
relationship with God. The Covenant with Israel was like a period of
courtship, a long engagement. Then came the definitive moment, the
moment of marriage, the establishment of a new and everlasting
covenant. As Mary stood before the Lord, she represented the whole
of humanity. In the angel's message, it was as if God made a
marriage proposal to the human race. And in our name, Mary said yes.
In fairy tales, the story ends there, and all "live happily ever
after". In real life it is not so simple. For Mary there were many
struggles ahead, as she lived out the consequences of the "yes" that
she had given to the Lord. Simeon prophesied that a sword would
pierce her heart. When Jesus was twelve years old, she experienced
every parent's worst nightmare when, for three days, the child went
missing. And after his public ministry, she suffered the agony of
witnessing his crucifixion and death. Throughout her trials she
remained faithful to her promise, sustained by the Spirit of
fortitude. And she was gloriously rewarded.
Dear young people, we too must remain faithful to the "yes" that we
have given to the Lord's offer of friendship. We know that he will
never abandon us. We know that he will always sustain us through the
gifts of the Spirit. Mary accepted the Lord's "proposal" in our
name. So let us turn to her and ask her to guide us as we struggle
to remain faithful to the life-giving relationship that God has
established with each one of us. She is our example and our
inspiration, she intercedes for us with her Son, and with a mother's
love she shields us from harm.
[After leading the Angelus, prayed in Latin, there were farewell
addresses from Cardinals George Pell of Sydney and Stanislaw Rylko,
president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Then, the Holy
Father greeted the youth in five languages. Finally, the Pontiff
said:]
The time has come for me to say good-bye - or rather, to say
arrivederci! I thank you all for your participation in World Youth
Day 2008, here in Sydney, and I look forward to seeing you again in
three years' time. World Youth Day 2011 will take place in Madrid,
Spain. Until then, let us continue to pray for one another, and let
us joyfully bear witness to Christ before the world. May God bless
you all.
© Copyright 2008 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Look at the One they
Pierced!
This page is the work of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and
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