Eucharistic Celebration on the Meadow in Front of the House of the Holy Brother Klaus (14 June 1984)

On Thursday, 14 June 1984, in Flueli, the Holy Father celebrated Holy Mass in the meadow before the house of “the Holy Brother” Nicholas. In his homily, the Pope praised this Saint, who “over five hundred years ago, from this place, from the silence of prayer and closeness to God in Ranft, his message of peace went out, which brought the divided and quarreling Swiss back to unity at the Diet in Stans and ushered in a new chapter in your history.”

Dear brothers and sisters!

“The name of Jesus be your greeting!”

With this greeting from your country's father, I am allowed to come into your midst here in Flüeli. This is where the holy Brother Klaus lived and worked. Here he and his wife Dorothea led a happy family life for 23 years and raised their ten children. Here, after a difficult inner struggle, he made the decision to leave his brothers, sisters, wife and children, fields and house for the sake of Christ ( Matthew 19:29) in order to serve God alone. Here in Ranft, on his own land, he led a hermit's life for 20 years, secluded from the world and yet open to the needs of the world and his homeland.

In the name of Jesus, I greet the Swiss citizens who live in these communities today and who cherish the precious memory of this extraordinary saint; as well as all the faithful who have come from near and far to join us, their bishops and priests, in this Eucharistic celebration. I also extend a respectful greeting to the representatives of state and society who are present, who are entrusted with the care of the citizens of the cantons and for whom the work of St Nicholas of Flüe for peace and justice can be a special example and an obligation today.

1. "The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" ( Rom 14:17), we just heard in the reading from the Epistle to the Romans. The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the community of Rome in a specific context of the time. Today we would like to interpret them with a view to this country and this saint, who is a symbol for the country and people: Nicholas of Flüe and Switzerland.

This truth of the Kingdom of God was carried to its ultimate conclusion in the life of Nicholas, far beyond normal human standards. He is a man who abstained from food and drink for many years of his life in order to bear witness to the Kingdom of God.

In the life and work of Brother Klaus in Switzerland, the Kingdom of God proved to be "justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit". Over five hundred years ago, from this place, from the silence of prayer and closeness to God in Ranft, his message of peace went out, which brought the divided and quarreling Swiss back to unity at the Diet in Stans and ushered in a new chapter in your history. Here in Flüeli, where the figure of Brother Klaus is still vividly before our eyes, we believe we can still hear his voice today, calling us to peace, to peace in our own country, to responsibility for peace in the world, to peace in our own hearts.

2. Even today, your country's father calls for peace in his own country. "My advice is that you should be amicable in these matters, because one good thing leads to another. But if it cannot be settled amicably, then let the law be the best," wrote Brother Klaus to the mayor and council of Constance in 1482.

Goodness and benevolence are the first and fundamental conditions for peace, in the life of a community as well as in the life of each individual. "Cloth yourselves with sincere compassion, with kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another," is how Saint Paul admonishes the baptized ( Col 3:12-14). So that this admonition does not remain a mere pious ideal in the harsh political and social reality of a country, we must see how it can be implemented in public life. The history of the Stans event can show us that it is important to accept one another despite all our differences and to be able to forego the enforcement of some even legitimate demands.

3. Today, this acceptance of one another is faced with new challenges. The gap between the generations has grown. Young people must accept adults, adults must accept young people, and both must accept the older generation. This is precisely where a great deal of "kindness and friendliness" is needed today: understanding the problems of the other generation in friendship, recognizing their legitimate concerns, and working together to find new solutions. Do not let your efforts to achieve mutual understanding become discouraged!

Up to now, you have accepted one another in your country as fellow citizens of different languages, different cultures and different faiths; today, this acceptance of one another must extend to people with completely different ways of thinking and living, and perhaps also completely different religions, who seek work and protection from you by offering you their services - and their humanity! A difficult task, to be sure, but no more difficult than the integration of the Confederation and its diverse groups of people that has been achieved so far. See in your guests, first and foremost, people who are deeply connected with you in the fundamental joys and worries, wishes and hopes, and who share your own human fate!

4. However, acceptance of one another cannot always be achieved in pure "kindness and friendship"; often there is a lack of understanding, often there is a lack of mutual contact. Therefore, the further advice of St. Brother Klaus applies: "But if it cannot be settled in friendship, then let the law be the best". Peace is based on friendship, but even more fundamentally on justice. The protection of human rights and the commitment to peace necessarily go together. Your state prides itself on being a constitutional state. But a constitutional state today cannot rely solely on the law that has been formulated so far; in line with rapidly changing circumstances, new law must also be created, a law that defends above all the unprotected and the marginalized: the unborn, the young and the old, foreigners, exploited nature. Take these urgent tasks in hand with courage and try to solve them with the wisdom of which Brother Klaus says: "Wisdom is the most beloved of all because it starts all things for the best".

5. Brothers and sisters! Nicholas of Flue also reminds us of our responsibility for peace in the world. It is already part of the fundamental mission of the Church to proclaim the Kingdom of God, which is a kingdom of "justice, peace and joy". The Church proclaims this Gospel of peace with particular emphasis today, in view of the global threats of our day.

Political and ideological tensions, hunger and poverty, the excessive indebtedness of many states, and a wide range of human rights violations: these sources of fear and despair are having an impact worldwide today and are not leaving even the better-off peoples unaffected. All peoples must face these challenges together and seek humane, just solutions. In the messages for the annual World Peace Day, in a wide range of peace initiatives and in contacts with politicians, diplomats and scientists, the UN is tirelessly trying to promote the idea that in the current situation there is no alternative to dialogue, balancing interests and just agreements.

6. As far as Switzerland and its relations with other states are concerned, according to tradition, Brother Klaus gave his fellow citizens this advice: "Don't make the fence too wide . . . Don't get involved in other people's affairs." This principle ultimately led to your recognized and certainly meritorious neutrality. Under its protection, little Switzerland has become an economic and financial power today. As a democratically organized community, keep a close eye on all the goings-on in this powerful world of money! The financial world is also a human world, our world, subject to all our consciences; ethical principles also belong to it. Above all, make sure that with your economy and your banking system you serve the world in the interests of peace and do not - perhaps indirectly - contribute to war and injustice in the world!

Swiss neutrality is a valuable asset; continue to make full use of its possibilities to grant asylum to refugees and to promote aid projects that are only possible in a neutral country. Quite a few of my own countrymen have found refuge in your country at various times - for example in a camp here in Flüeli - and one always hears with gratitude of the Swiss's rapid and generous help in times of disaster. Yes, "don't make the fence too wide", but don't be afraid to look beyond the fence, make the concerns of other peoples your own and offer a helping hand across borders, and do this at the level of your state bodies and financial resources. The international organizations based in Geneva represent an honorable obligation for the whole of Switzerland and for every single Swiss citizen.

7. Dear brothers and sisters! Nicholas of Flue urges us to have peace in our own country and in the world, and above all to have peace in our own hearts. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus does not simply praise those who make peace, but those who make peace, those who use their whole being to "make peace". Peace must be worked for, suffered for and prayed for.

But a person who is at odds with himself, who lives in inner strife, cannot create peace. That is why Brother Klaus points us to the deepest source of all peace when he writes to the Council of Bern: "Peace is always in God, for God is peace." God in the unity of his three persons is the archetype and source of all peace; he gives us this peace as the first gift of redemption, as the beginning of God's rule on earth, as the gift of the Holy Spirit: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, . . . faithfulness" ( Gal 5:22). "The kingdom of God . . . is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" ( Rom 14:17). We must thank the Spirit for his peace and ask him to deepen his work in us. Then the peace that God works in us can radiate from the innermost part of our being and convince others. In the peace of Jesus Christ, which the world cannot give ( John 14:27), we ourselves can become true peacemakers.

It is with this spirit that we have made a pilgrimage to Saint Nicholas of Flue today. We want to ask for this peace "in the Holy Spirit" through his intercession! The words of today's liturgy were fulfilled in a wonderful way in Brother Klaus: "Cast your cares on the Lord, he will uphold you; he will never let the righteous be moved" ( Ps 55:23). And in the responsorial psalm we hear our saint praying: "Teach us (O God) to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. . . . Let your servants see your ways, and their children your glorious deeds!" ( Ps 90:12, 16). Yes, the holy man sees the "glorious deeds" of God wherever true peace is established. The angels brought this message on the night of the Lord's birth. Brother Klaus received it on Swiss soil. He combined his work for peace with an impressive testimony to the glory of God, which he has presented to his countrymen for generations to this day.

8. In today's Gospel, Christ says to Peter and the other Apostles: "When the world is created anew and the Son of Man sits on the throne of glory, you who have followed me will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left brothers and sisters, father and mother, children, lands and houses, for my name's sake will receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life" ( Mt 19:28, 29).

Look, this is Nicholas of Flüe, your fellow countryman! 517 years ago he left his wife, his children, his house, his fields for the sake of his calling: he took the words of the Gospel literally! His name has become ingrained in the Swiss cantons: he is a true witness of Christ! A man who lived the Gospel to the last word. Let us also honor his wife Dorothea: in a decision she suffered to release her husband. In the eyes of many, she rightly carries the heroic testimony of Brother Klaus.

Thus the holy people remain in the people of God as a living example of the way, the truth and the life which is Christ himself.

But the saints are also judges: "You will judge the twelve tribes of Israel," says the Gospel. Yes, they judge our hearts, our consciences, our actions. They judge our ways of life and our customs. They judge the generations: above all the generations of the land from which Christ called them.

Sons and daughters of Switzerland! Take the example of Brother Klaus, submit yourselves to his judgment! The history of your country should advance under his example and judgment. For so many generations there has been a spiritual presence among you of a man who, with his whole earthly life, affirmed the reality of eternal life in God. Look at him! And look at this reality of God! Make room for it once again in your consciousness, in your behavior, in your conscience, in your heart!

"Teach us (O God) to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom! . . . Let your servants see your rule, and their children your glorious deeds": May the heavenly Father grant us this as a special inheritance from Saint Brother Klaus, the patron of your fatherland. Amen.

© Copyright 1984 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Copyright © Dicastero per la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana