Holy Mass for Representatives of the Lay Apostolate (12 September 1983)

On Monday, 12 September 1983, the Holy Father celebrated Holy Mass for Representatives of the Lay Apostolate and various ecclesiastical services, in Saint Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna. In his homily, the Pope said, “The evangelization entrusted to lay people takes place above all in their environment…. wherever you live as believing Catholics, confirmed in Baptism and Confirmation, there you are the authentic messengers of faith, with the task of freeing men through the truth” (cf. Jn 8:32).

1. Praise Jesus Christ!

I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ, because "there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men that can save us" ( Acts 4, 12).

I greet you in the Name of Mary , which today's Gospel highlights, and whose liturgical festival began here, three hundred years ago.

I greet all of you gathered here in the venerable Cathedral consecrated to Saint Stephen. It was built by the Diet community with sacrifices lasting dozens of years and, after its destruction in the Second World War, it was rebuilt with donations from the citizens and Provinces of Austria. As then, it represents the testimony of the Christian faith, the city center of Vienna and the Episcopate.

Today, on this festive occasion, the entire lay apostolate has gathered, in the persons of their own representatives, to celebrate Holy Mass with their Cardinal, the bishops, priests and deacons and with the successor of Saint Peter. We are all united by a common Christian past, which also includes the history of the liberation of your homeland. At the same time, we are united by a common mission : the mission of proclaiming Salvation in today's world.

2. Dear Brothers and Sisters! "The angel Gabriel was sent by God... to a virgin... The virgin's name was Mary" ( Luke 1, 26.27).

The description of the Annunciation according to Luke speaks of Gabriel's sending to Mary, the Virgin of Nazareth. At the same time, this excerpt reveals to us how the Son of God was sent : God, the Father, sends Him into the world by giving Him an earthly mother. The coming of the Son of God takes place in His becoming man. The Word, one with the Father, incarnates; in the womb of the virgin he becomes man through the Holy Spirit. Mary accepts the Angel's announcement with faith and pronounces her "Fiat", her yes: in this way she becomes the Mother of Christ.

This event is the culmination of the history of Salvation: the messianic work of Christ among men begins here. "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High... and his reign will have no end" ( Luke 1, 32, 33).

3. The mission of Christ, which is carried out on the cross at Calvary, and which is confirmed by the Father through the Resurrection, has its continuation . The resurrected Lord will say to the Apostles: "As the Father has sent me, so I send you" ( John 20, 21). He sends them as witnesses of the Gospel, witnesses of the cross and the resurrection. Send them as ambassadors for the kingdom of God. Send them to be able to operate, from then on, with their words, actions and hearts. Through the Holy Spirit the earthly mission of the Son of God was completed and accomplished; Through the same Spirit the Apostles must fulfill the mission entrusted to them.

The second reading of today's Liturgy shows us the Apostles gathered waiting for the Holy Spirit "in the company of some women, including Mary, mother of Jesus and His brothers" ( Acts 1, 14). "They were all gathered together in prayer," in prayer to the Holy Spirit.

Is this first nucleus of the primitive Church not already the image of the people of God, formed today by the bishops, successors of the Apostles, and lay Christians, men and women? In accordance with the will manifested by God and with its mission in history, the Church effectively knows two dimensions of the apostolate: the apostolate of service that derives from the apostolic succession of bishops and the apostolate of the laity that derives from the common calling of each Christian .

The Second Vatican Council effectively explained these two dimensions, in their authentic value, independent but in close relationship with each other. Here we find the constant theological foundation for each concrete realization of these two forms of apostolate in our days. The apostolate of religious and lay people are not in contrast, but are deeply integrated with each other. In the early Church, in Jerusalem, there was not a "Church that is above" and a "Church that is below": "in the company of some women, including Mary, mother of Jesus and His brothers, all the Apostles were gathered in 
prayer ."

4. Brothers and Sisters! This cathedral, where you can breathe the history and constant faith of your homeland, reminds us that once upon a time courageous men and women brought the Message of Jesus Christ to this country. Together with the Bishops, priests, men and women religious, countless lay people from all social classes and all economic conditions brought the Gospel, implemented it, took care of it and made it flourish. Only God knows how much faith, how much hope and how much love these men lived and awakened in others.

Today, too, the Church never tires of distributing the gift of God's mercy. At the same time, work tirelessly so that the arid land becomes fertile. For this to happen, you can make your contribution in your specific mission as lay people. The layman is at the same time a sign of salvation in the world and a bridge between the Church and the world. You are often in much closer contact with the living conditions, needs, hopes and spiritual contradictions of our time than priests and religious. Only with the generous apostolate of the laity, in union with the pastors of the Church, enlivened by sacramental Grace, is the Church truly Church (cf. Ad gentes , 21).

As Successor of Saint Peter, I would like to express to you my heartfelt gratitude for the service you provide in this mission, which the Son of the Father entrusted to His Church. You serve the gospel in different ways: each in their own field and in accordance with their own personal vocation — but all in close collaboration with each other. It was you who followed this vocation and made these commitments. At the same time, however, you were chosen by God and filled with his grace.

5. You are therefore aware that all your work in the lay apostolate is, after all, the service of announcing the Good News of Jesus Christ. This applies especially to those who are directly involved in the service of transmitting the faith . I am referring here to religion teachers in schools, and to all those who, in other fields, educate the faith, especially in preparation for Baptism, Confirmation, Confession and Communion and Marriage.

The Gospel of John reveals to us that in Jesus the divine Word became man ( John 1, 14). God is true; and it was granted to us to discover this truth in our lives, to repeat it, to disseminate it and this in our language, with our own words and phrases. Hence the Church's commitment to enunciating and disseminating the faith with clear Dogmas. This also corresponds to the nature of man, who has the regal gift of intellect to listen, reflect and learn. Many spiritual currents require instruction in catechesis: "by practicing the truth, we will grow in all things through charity" ( Eph . 4, 15) we respond with the Apostle Paul. Therefore, do not get tired of serving and teaching the truth, so that "the truth of the Gospel may endure for you" ( Gal . 2, 5). Holy Scripture calls God's enemy "the father of falsehood" ( John 8:44); On the other hand, he calls our collaboration "Spirit of Truth" ( John 4:23).

I know that your service in catechesis is full of obstacles. But let us trust that the Spirit of God lives in the Church with his truth and let us not allow those entrusted to us to live in the solitude of a subjective interpretation of faith. Let us try to use all fair methods, so that the truth is transmitted in an understandable way (cf. Col 3, 2). At the same time, however, let us keep in mind the Apostle's warning: "Preach the word, insist in season and out of season" ( 2 Tim . 4, 2).

The evangelization entrusted to lay people takes place above all in their environment . We rightly say that parents are the first catechists of their own children, that the worker is the first apostle of workers, that young people listen to their peers more easily than adults. Wherever you live as believing Catholics, confirmed in Baptism and Confirmation, there you are the authentic messengers of faith, with the task of freeing men through the truth (cf. Jn 8:32).

It will be a great help in this sense to create communities . The Church has always demonstrated inexhaustible strength, every time communities of spiritual life and apostolate have been created, along the secular path of its existence. Some are short-lived, others remain alive and vital over the centuries.

I salute all these communities! I know your commitment to the formation of social and religious life, which you have undertaken up until now and which is also required of you today. Strive, therefore, for a constant renewal of the sources, which come to us from the teaching of the Church and the example of holy men. The Eucharist must represent the fundamental point of reference, from which you must draw strength for your apostolate.

For a long time now, in your country, many people have been available to directly assist bishops and priests in the healing of souls. Especially the assistants in the healing of souls , they carried out pioneering work in a service that today, in communities, is increasingly recognized in the profession of Pastoral Assistant. I also think with gratitude of so many other men and women who serve the Kingdom of God in the Church full time: sacristans and organists, jurists and administrators. Above all, the collaborators of Catholic Caritas , and all those who, in a Christian spirit, provide their work in the various assistance organizations, are a reflection of the kind face and outstretched hand of Christ. All your actions will be proof of God's mercy towards the afflicted. Communion with those who suffer, in the name of Jesus, must be the reason for all the Church's social commitment.

For a timely coordination of all these services within the scope of the Church, there are also parish councils and similar institutions at a higher level in your country . All of these organizations highlight the reality of all of God's people. They collaborate so that priests and lay people can seek common paths for evangelization; allow the Church in your country to make its own voice heard better.

Finally, I would also like to name those who provide their service in silence . It is important that a church building is cared for and decorated with love; Whoever takes care of the parish is important; The spirit with which the various small tasks in a community are faced, which can be great in the eyes of God, is important. These things also open the way to the Gospel, if they are carried out with conviction and from the heart.

6. Dear brothers and sisters! For your work in the various fields of lay apostolate to be truly effective, you must be deeply convinced and animated by the Spirit of Christ. Therefore, I urge you to sanctify your lives . Saints lived and acted in your country whose memory is unforgettable. We think above all, here in Vienna, of Saint Clement Maria Hofbauer. There were among them priests and lay people, men and women, religious men and women. And also in more recent times there have been men to whom we look with gratitude and hope although they have not yet been elevated to the honors of the altars.

A Saint is, in life and death, the translation of the Gospel for his country and his time. Christ does not hesitate to call his disciples to succession and perfection (cf. Mt 5:48). The Sermon on the Mount is an exemplary teaching for holiness. Do not be afraid of this word, do not be afraid of the truth of a holy life! It is true that the Church needs your great institutions, structures and financial resources. The source of his life, however, is the Spirit of God, who wants to manifest himself concretely in man.

Therefore, have a habit of prayer, especially individual prayer. Many of your churches are magnificent works of art, but they should not become museums. The constant faith of the silent prayer of many men before the tabernacle makes these churches maintain their authentic purpose and dignity.

Give life again in your communities to the sacrament of confession. With the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (cf. Lk 18:10) the Lord clearly says with what attitude each person should enter the church. Without repentance, accusations increase and from these accusations enmity, unrest and even war are born. Our repentance before God not only serves for personal salvation, but also for the salvation of the world around us. In this way, we will become a living sign of hope among men, who deny their faults or are crushed by them.

Ask God to grant you the grace to be able to carry your Cross. Our lives are often in danger and many plans fail. There are many men — also in your country — who no longer find any meaning in their lives. May you, with your humble strength, give them new courage to carry their own cross. You will then be an example of liberation for them; in you they will see the way to arrive, together with our Redeemer, to the Mount of Olives and the Resurrection.

And to conclude: live your entire personal life with courage , even if it seems insignificant to you. The great teacher of small things, Therese of Lisieux, showed us in the short years of her life how great small and normal tasks are before God. We also want to remember Charles de Foucauld, who recognized the hidden life of Jesus in Nazareth as a great example. There is a very evident holiness in some men; but there is also the unknown sanctity of everyday life.

In all this, let Mary be your example. "When the Angel entered her house" he greeted her as "full of grace". " Ave Maria, gratia plena ", this is how the Church has greeted her throughout the centuries. The Lord is with Her. Yes, the Lord also be with you in the sanctity of your lives and in your apostolic service. This is the Pope's vow, and this is the priestly service of your bishops, priests and deacons, to your vocation.

7. To finish, I would like to return to the words of today's liturgy. The first reading, taken from the book of Sirach, speaks of the wisdom that "proceeded from the mouth of the Most High" (24, 2).

Dear brothers and sisters! Let us love this wisdom . Then we will find our friends in an apostolate that is at the service of this divine wisdom.

Thanks to this service of so many generations, wisdom "took root among a glorious people", "in the sharing of the Lord", in their "inheritance" (24, 16). Thanks to this service, the messengers of divine wisdom of the present generation can take root in today's world.

Let us cultivate this eternal desire for divine wisdom. Let us open our hearts to him. Let us transmit it to the men and things that surround us. Let us plan the path for morality and culture, for social, political and economic life.

Divine wisdom is the light that invades all creation.

Embrace in your love the Creator and creation, God and humanity.

Brothers and sisters! Let us walk along the path of this wisdom. Let us become their messengers! Let us serve the salvation that God himself gave to humanity in Jesus Christ. Amen.

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