To the Clergy and Religious (22 February 1981)

On 22 February 1981, the Holy Father met with the clergy and religious in the Guam Cathedral, to whom he spoke of the Church's mission to evangelize, “its duty to pass on what it had received from the Lord.”

“We always thank God for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, continually mindful before God and our Father of your commitment to faith, your industriousness in charity and your constant hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess 1 : 2- 3). 

1. I make these words of Saint Paul my own and I want them to express the feelings of my heart as I give thanks to Almighty God for the testimony of your faith. Together with you in this cathedral dedicated to the name of Mary, I am happy to see so many indications of how your faith in Jesus Christ has appeared solid and true. 

How could we not be grateful when we see how quickly the faith was accepted by the people of Guam? What enormous love characterized the missionaries, men and women, whose efforts so greatly enriched the life of the Church on this island! Their preaching and teaching not only had the force of human persuasion, but rather bore the fruit of the power of the Holy Spirit. 

You who have gathered here today are the heirs of this rich tradition; you have inherited a living communion of faith, hope and love. Now, the bonds that bind us together must be constantly strengthened so that we can form an ever more perfect unity of brotherhood and service. 

2. Because the Church, in every time and in every place, is called by Christ to make many individuals into one people, united in "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Eph 4:5 ) . As one body, the Church must radiate the presence of her Lord in the world. Jesus Christ, therefore, is the reason for everything that the Church says and does! Jesus Christ is the focal point for that living communion which is constitutive of the Church! 

3. It is good for us to often return to the sacred narrative of the life of the early times of the Church, and reflect on those elements that built her ecclesial communion. We read in the "Acts of the Apostles": "They were assiduous in listening to the teaching of the apostles and in fraternal union, in the breaking of bread and in prayers" ( Acts 2:42). 

4. From the beginning, the Church recognized its duty to pass on what it had received from the Lord. The apostolic teaching enabled the disciples to be "of one heart and one soul" ( Acts 4:32). Thus the first Christians professed a common faith before the world, and no authentic communion would have been possible if fidelity to the apostolic tradition had failed. 

No less than then, today the Church is called to preserve in its integrity the message of Christ, whose word has not been entrusted to the Church to do with it as it wishes; rather, the Church is an instrument of evangelization, which spreads the message of Christ in its entirety, with all the richness of its content. 

5. At the same time, this evangelical message is not intended to be displayed as in a museum display case, where it can only be admired or studied. No, it must be participated in, spread, so that others can also listen to it, accept it, and be introduced into the community of the faithful. The service of the word is the model by which the apostolic faith is known; and it is a service that does not ask for any reward, other than the recognition of the love of Christ that makes him present in the world. 

In society there are many examples of love so manipulated that some people suspect that disinterested love does not exist. To these people we must demonstrate once again the spirit of altruism which was the example of the first Christians remembered in the "Acts of the Apostles": "No one said that what belonged to him was his property, but everything was in common between them" ( Acts 4 ,32). Where such an attitude of generous self-dedication is present, there a true community can flourish. 

6. But where does the community get the impulse to be a true communion? The Church finds this source in the "breaking of bread". The Eucharist is the culmination towards which the action of the Church tends and at the same time the source from which all her virtue emanates” ( Sacrosanctum Concilium , 10). 

In the Eucharist ecclesial communion is not only manifested, but is in fact achieved. “Since there is one bread, we, although many, are one body: in fact we all partake of the one bread” (1 Cor 10,17). 

It is therefore essential that our Eucharistic communion, founded on a common expression of faith, never becomes a cause of dissent or division in the community. Individual forms of expression must give way to the construction of ecclesial communion throughout the Church. 

7. Finally, the call to faith implies for every believer a continuous call to holiness nourished by prayer. Abandoned to his weaknesses, man does not possess the strength necessary to overcome the sin of the world. Only the Holy Spirit can ensure true and lasting unity, because, by virtue of his presence, each member of the community is transported towards more generous expressions of charity and mercy. Today the Church rejoices in the profound desire on the part of many to know the Holy Spirit better through prayer. I wholeheartedly encourage this interest, and pray that the Holy Spirit will instill in every industry that love of God and love of neighbor will be given priority over all other considerations. 

8. My brothers and sisters, let us love one another in Christ. Let the bonds of faith bind us ever closer in everything we do. Let our preaching and teaching be a clear reflection of the rich deposit of faith. Let us practice our communion of spirits with joyful hearts, and find in our Eucharistic celebrations a greater realization of that unity we share in faith. Let us try to be fervent in our prayer life and implore the Holy Spirit to guide us all, Bishops, priests, religious and lay people on the paths of true holiness. 

And finally, let us not stop looking at the example of Mary, whose faith was constant and persevering, and who is venerated in this place under the name of Our Lady of Camarin. Let us entrust ourselves to her protection and invoke her powerful intercession: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. 

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