Angelus (17 June 1984)

On Sunday, 17 June 1984, the Holy Father led the faithful in the Angelus with the accompanying message on Mary's “openness of heart.” 

Dear brothers and sisters,

1. At the time of the Angelus on this Sunday of the Holy Trinity, I have almost reached the end of my pastoral visit to the Church in Switzerland.

It is therefore quite natural that I think of the motto chosen to characterize this apostolic journey:

" Open to the Spirit of Christ ."

Is not the Virgin Mary the model par excellence of opening the heart to the Holy Spirit?

2. Following a happy tradition of the Catholic Church, the Angelus recalls every day the dawn of our salvation: the proclamation to Mary, her response - her Fiat - and the Incarnation of the Son of God in her womb.

Her joyful "Fiat" in Nazareth bears witness to her inner freedom, all confidence and serenity. She did not know how the service of the Lord would be carried out, nor what the life of her Son would be like. But far from fear and anguish, she appears sovereignly free and available. Already then she reacts according to the grace of Christ, who "teaches us that the best use of freedom is charity which is realized in giving and service " ( Redemptor homini , 21). "Behold the handmaid of the Lord." The will of the Lord will be the light of her life, her peace in suffering and her joy. With the same heart she is the servant of the Lord and caring for her brothers.

In this way, by devoting himself to the service of his brothers and with particular attention to the poorest of them, man not only contributes to making our earth more welcoming and more just, but also succeeds in overcoming the anxieties and fears that follow the misuse of freedom. In the midst of so many men who are at the service of themselves instead of serving their neighbors, the Christian contemplates in Christ the One who became hungry in order to serve and in his Mother the servant of the Lord.

3. Mary's availability, her openness of heart, is the work of the Holy Spirit. "The Holy Spirit will come upon you." She has "espoused," so to speak, the Holy Spirit. From the first moment of the Incarnation, inspired by the Holy Spirit, she sings to the Lord in the "Magnificat," which expresses the longing for a new heart. In her, the prophecy of Ezekiel is splendidly fulfilled: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you" ( Ez 36:26). With her, dear brothers and sisters, we must constantly ask the Holy Spirit for a new heart, with a transparency that allows the Truth that makes free to penetrate and welcomes the Love of God to pour it out on the world toward all men whom God wants to be saved.

During my many meetings in Switzerland, we have often spoken of this openness of heart which moves each person to respect, consider, love and serve all his brothers and sisters of all nations ; and to love them to the point of doing everything possible so that they too may benefit from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In this too, Mary is our model and our mother. "On the morning of Pentecost, she presided with her prayer at the beginning of evangelization under the influence of the Holy Spirit. May she be the star of evangelization" ( Evangelii Nuntiandi , 82).

4. Beloved Catholic brothers and sisters of Switzerland, such devotion to the Virgin Mary, directed entirely towards Christ, must take its place in the life of each person, for example, in the prayer of each evening and, if possible, in every home. The time has come to greet and pray together to this Most Holy Mother, at the centre of this Sunday's journey. May she intercede for the priests ordained this morning and for all the ministers of Christ and for those preparing to become such; for all men and women who radically consecrate their lives to the Lord and to his Church; for all families, so that the love of God may permeate them and they may transmit the faith; for the young generations; for those who seek hope in the midst of misfortune; for all those who work for a life more worthy of their brothers; so that all Christians may seek unity in the truth of the Lord; for men of good will, who seek the meaning of their lives and peace in the world.

Angelus Domini...
 

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