Holy Mass at the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Suyapa (8 March 1983)

On Tuesday, 8 March 1983, the Holy Father celebrated Holy Mass at the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Suyapa in Tegucigalpa  Honduras. In his homily, the Pope spoke of the presence of Mary, Mother of the Disciples, at the birth of the Church at Pentecost.

Beloved Brothers in the Episcopate,
dear brothers and sisters

1. Here, together with our common Mother, I first of all greet with affection the Pastor of this archiepiscopal see of Tegucigalpa, the other Brother Bishops, the priests, the men and women religious, the seminarians and the lay people of this beloved Nation. I bless you all from the bottom of my heart.

As my apostolic visit to the Church that lives in these nations of Central America, Belize and Haiti is about to conclude, I wanted to come as a pilgrim to this shrine of Our Lady of Suyapa, Patroness of Honduras, Mother of those who profess faith in Jesus Christ .

From the top of Tegucigalpa and this sanctuary, I contemplate the countries I visited united in the same Catholic faith, spiritually united around Mary, the Mother of Christ and the Church, a bond of love that makes all these peoples sister nations.

The same name, Mary, modulated with different titles, invoked with the same prayers, pronounced with identical love. In Panama she is invoked with the name Asunción; in Costa Rica, Our Lady of the Angels; in Nicaragua, Puríssima; in El Salvador as Queen of Peace; in Guatemala her glorious Assumption is venerated; Belize was consecrated to the Mother of Guadalupe and Haiti venerates Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Here, the name of the Virgin of Suyapa has the flavor of mercy on the part of Mary and recognition of her favors on the part of the Honduran people.

2. The biblical texts that have been proclaimed help us to understand the mystery and commitment that this presence of the Virgin Mother encompasses in each particular Church in each nation.

The Gospel of Saint John reminded us of Mary's presence at the foot of the Cross and the last words of Jesus' testament with which the Virgin, Mother of all his disciples, proclaims: "Woman, behold your son". Then she said to the apostle: "Behold your mother. And from that hour the disciple took her into his house" ( John 19:26-27)

In the hour of Jesus, the Mother and the Church, the Redeemer's words are solemn and fulfill what they proclaim: Mary is constituted mother of Christ's disciples, of all men. And he who accepts the Master's doctrine in faith has the privilege, the happiness, of receiving the Virgin as Mother, of receiving her with faith and love among his most beloved possessions. With the assurance that she faithfully fulfilled the word of the Lord, she lovingly accepted the task of always being the Mother of Jesus' followers. Therefore, since the dawn of faith and in each era of the preaching of the Gospel, at the birth of each particular Church, the Virgin occupies the place that corresponds to her as Mother of the imitators of Jesus who constitute the Church.

We were able to verify this in the text of the Acts of the Apostles: "All united by the same feeling, they devoted themselves assiduously to prayer, in the company of some women, including Mary, Mother of Jesus and His brothers" ( Acts 1, 14) . At the birth of the Church, at Pentecost, the Mother of Jesus' disciples is present, with the maternal ministry of bringing them together as brothers in the same spirit and strengthening them in hope, so that they receive the strength that comes from above, the Spirit of the Lord that animates and vivifies the Church of Jesus.

As the Fathers of the Church already warned, this presence of the Virgin is significant: "We cannot speak of the Church if Mary, the Mother of the Lord, is not present with his brothers" (cf. Cromatius of Aquileya , Sermo XXX, 7; S. Ch, 164, p. 134; Marialis cultus , 28). And so, every time the Church is born in a country, as can be seen on this continent, from Mexico to Chile and Argentina, passing through the Central American isthmus, or the Mother of God is present in a unique way, as in Guadalupe, or the followers of Jesus demand his presence and dedicate temples to his worship, so that the church always has the presence of the Mother, who is a guarantee of fraternity and acceptance of the Holy Spirit.

3. In Mary the Gospel is fully realized. Our Lady is a super-eminent member, type and perfect model for the Church (cf. Lumen gentium , 53). She is the first Christian, proclamation and gift of Jesus Christ her Son, fullness of the beatitudes, perfect image of the disciple of Jesus.

Because she is a synthesis of the Gospel of Jesus, that is why She is recognized among your people as Mother and educator of the faith; it is invoked in the midst of the struggles and fatigue that fidelity to the Christian message entails; She is the Mother who calls all her children — beyond the differences that may separate them — to feel protected in the same home, gathered around the same table of the Word and the Eucharist.

Only Mary could make Jesus' apostles, before and after Pentecost, one heart and one soul (cf. Acts 1, 14 and 4, 32). As if Christ wanted to indicate to us that he recommended to the maternal care of His Mother, the task of making the Church a single family, where love reigns and those who suffer are loved first. Yes, in Mary we have the model of a love without borders, the bond of communion of all who are, through faith and baptism, "disciples" and "brothers" of Jesus.

4. But the Virgin is also the "New Woman". In her, God revealed the characteristics of a maternal love, the dignity of man called to communion with the Trinity, the splendor of the woman who thus touches the apex of humanity in her supernatural beauty, in her wisdom, in her dedication, in active and responsible collaboration with which she becomes a servant of the mystery of redemption.

One cannot think of Mary, woman, wife, mother, without noticing the salutary influence that her feminine and maternal figure must have on the woman's heart, in promoting her dignity, in her active participation in society and in the Church.

If every woman can contemplate herself in the Virgin as in the mirror of her dignity and her vocation, every Christian would have to be able to recognize in the face of a girl, a young woman, a mother, an elderly woman, something of the mystery itself. of the one who is the new Woman; as a salutary reason for purity and respect, as a powerful reason to ensure to Christian women, to all women, the human advancement and spiritual development that allow them to reflect on their unique model: the Virgin of Nazareth and Bethlehem, of Cana and Calvary. Mary in the joy of her motherhood, in the pain of union with the crucified Christ, in the joy of her Son's resurrection, and now in glory, where she is the first fruits and hope of the new humanity.

5. Dear brothers and children of this people of Honduras, from which came precious initiatives of catechesis and proclamation of the Word, to bring the Gospel to the poor and simple to whom Jesus recognizes this wisdom that comes from the Father (cf. Lk . 10, 21 ): I would like to summarize for you in two words the lesson of the Gospel of Mary: the Virgin is Mother; the Virgin is a Model.

We cannot fully receive the Virgin as Mother without being docile to her words, which show us Jesus as the Master of the truth that must be listened to and followed: "Do whatever He tells you". This word is continually repeated by Mary, when she carries her Son in her arms or indicates Him with her gaze.

She wants to make us sharers in her same blessedness for having believed like her (cf. Lk . 1, 45), for having listened to and fulfilled the word and will of the Lord (cf. Lk . 8, 21). Listen and live the Word! Here is the secret of a devotion to the Virgin that allows us to fully participate in her maternal love, until She can form, in each of us, Christ.

That is why we must reject everything that is contrary to the Gospel: hatred, violence, injustice, lack of work, the imposition of ideologies that depress the dignity of men and women; and we must promote everything that is according to the will of the Father who is in heaven: charity, mutual help, education in faith, culture, the promotion of the poorest/ respect for all, especially the most needy, the who suffer most, the marginalized. Because you cannot invoke the Virgin as Mother while despising or mistreating her children.

For her part, the Virgin, faithful to the word of the Lord's testament, always assures you of her maternal affection, her powerful intercession, her presence in all your needs, her encouragement in difficulties. She, the "poor one of the Lord" (cf. Lumen gentium , 55) is close to the poorest, those who suffer most, supporting and comforting them with her example.

6. Maria is a Model. Model above all of those theological virtues that are characteristic of Christians: faith, hope and charity. Model of this faithful perseverance in the Gospel that allows us to travel with Her "the pilgrimage of faith" ( ibid ., 58). Model of an apostolic donation that allows us to cooperate in the spread of the Gospel and the growth of the Church ( ibid ., 65). Model of a life committed to God and men, to the plans of salvation and to fidelity to his people.

Invoking her with the words of the Angel and going through her evangelical life in the recitation of the holy rosary, you will always have before your eyes the perfect model of the Christian.

"Behold your Mother." The pilgrim Pope repeats to you the words of Jesus. Welcome her into your home; accept Her as Mother and Model. She will teach you the ways of the Gospel. It will make you know Christ and love the Church; he will show you the path of life; He will encourage you in your difficulties. The Church and the Christian always find in it a moment of consolation and hope, because "it shines here on earth as a sign of sure hope and comfort for the People of God on pilgrimage, until the day of the Lord arrives" ( ibid . , 68).

With this hope, as a sign of filial commitment on the part of everyone and as a manifestation of the trust we have placed in Mary, Mother and Model, I want to address this act of consecration of all the peoples of Central America that I visited on my trip to the Virgin Mary. apostolic:

Hail, full of grace, blessed among women, Mother of God and our Mother, Holy Virgin Mary.

A pilgrim through the countries of Central America, I arrive at this sanctuary of Suyapa to place under your protection all the children of these sister nations, renewing the confession of our faith, the unlimited hope that we have placed in your protection, the filial love for You, which Christ himself recommended it to us.

We believe that you are the Mother of Christ, God made man, and the Mother of Jesus' disciples. We hope to possess with you the eternal bliss of which you are a pledge and anticipation in your glorious Assumption.

We love you because you are a merciful Mother, always compassionate and forgiving, full of mercy.

I entrust all the countries in this geographical area to You. Make them preserve, as the most precious treasure, faith in Jesus Christ, love for You, fidelity to the Church.

Help them to achieve, through peaceful means, the cessation of so many injustices, the commitment in favor of those who suffer most, the respect and promotion of the human and spiritual dignity of all their children.

You who are the Mother of peace, make fighting cease, hatred end forever, violent deaths not be repeated. You who are a Mother, dry the tears of those who cry, of those who have lost their loved ones, of those in exile and of those who are far from their own home; It encourages those who can to provide their daily bread, culture and decent work.

Bless the Pastors of the Church, the priests, the deacons, the men and women religious, the seminarians, the catechists, the lay apostles and delegates of the Word. May they, through their own testimony of faith and love, be builders of this Church of which You are the Mother.

Bless families, so that they may be Christian homes where the life that is born, the fidelity of marriage, the integral education of children, open to consecration to God, are respected. I entrust to You the values ​​of the young people of these people; makes them find in Christ the model of generous dedication to others; it fosters in their hearts the desire for total consecration to the service of the Gospel.

In this Holy Year of Redemption that we are going to celebrate, grant to all who have strayed away, the gift of conversion; and to all the children of the Church, the grace of reconciliation; with fruits of justice, fraternity, solidarity.

As we renew our dedication of love to You, Mother and Model, we want to commit ourselves, as You committed Yourself to God, to be faithful to the Word that gives life.

We want to move from sin to grace, from slavery to true freedom in Christ, from the injustice that marginalizes to the justice that dignifies, from insensitivity to solidarity with those who suffer most, from hatred to love, from the war that sowed so much destruction, to a peace that renew and make our lands flourish.

Lady of America, poor and humble Virgin. Kind and kind Mother, You who are a reason for hope and consolation, come walk with us, so that together we may reach true freedom in the Spirit who spread His shadow over You; in Christ who was born from your maternal womb; in the Father who loved You. and he chose You as the first fruits of the new humanity. Amen.

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