/Fr Thomas Koys, M.A.,S.T.L./

World Youth Day 2018 represents another step in preparation for the international WYD due to take place in Panama in January 2019. This new stage of our pilgrimage falls in the same year that the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops will meet on the theme: Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment. This is a happy coincidence. The focus, prayer and reflection of the Church will turn to you young people, with the desire to receive and, above all, to embrace the precious gift that you are to God, to the Church and to the world.

As you already know, we have chosen to be accompanied on this journey by the example and intercession of Mary, the young woman of Nazareth whom God chose as the Mother of his Son. She walks with us towards the Synod and towards the WYD in Panama. If last year we were guided by the words of her canticle of praise – “The Almighty has done great things for me” (Lk 1:49) – teaching us to remember the past, this year we seek, together with her, to listen to the voice of God who inspires courage and bestows the grace needed to respond to his call: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God” (Lk 1:30). These are the words addressed by God’s messenger, the Archangel Gabriel, to Mary, an ordinary girl from a small village in Galilee.

1. Do not be afraid!

As is understandable, the sudden appearance of the angel and his mysterious greeting: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Lk 1:28), strongly disturbed Mary, who was surprised by this first revelation of her identity and her vocation, as yet unknown to her. Mary, like others in the Sacred Scriptures, trembles before the mystery of God’s call, who in a moment places before her the immensity of his own plan and makes her feel all her smallness as a humble creature. The angel, seeing the depths of her heart, says: “Do not be afraid”! God also reads our inmost heart. He knows well the challenges we must confront in life, especially when we are faced with the fundamental choices on which depend who we will be and what we will do in this world. It is the “shudder” that we feel when faced with decisions about our future, our state of life, our vocation. In these moments we are troubled and seized by so many fears.

And you young people, what are your fears? What worries you most deeply? An “underlying” fear that many of you have is that of not being loved, well-liked or accepted for who you are. Today, there are many young people who feel the need to be different from who they really are, in an attempt to adapt to an often artificial and unattainable standard. They continuously “photo-shop” their images, hiding behind masks and false identities, almost becoming fake selves. Many are obsessed by receiving as many “likes” as possible. Multiple fears and uncertainties emerge from this sense of inadequacy. Others fear that they will not be able to find an emotional security and that they will remain alone. Many, faced with the uncertainty of work, fear not being able to find a satisfactory professional position, or to fulfil their dreams. Today a large number of young people are full of fear, both believers and non-believers. Indeed, those who have accepted the gift of faith and seek their vocation seriously are not exempt from fears. Some think: perhaps God is asking or will ask too much of me; perhaps, by following the road he has marked out for me, I will not be truly happy, or I will not be able to do what he asks of me. Others think: if I follow the path that God shows me, who can guarantee that I will be able to follow it through? Will I become discouraged? Will I lose my enthusiasm? Will I be able to persevere for the whole of my life?

In moments when doubts and fears flood our hearts, discernment becomes necessary. It allows us to bring order to the confusion of our thoughts and feelings, to act in a just and prudent way. In this process, the first step in overcoming fears is to identify them clearly, so as not to find yourself wasting time and energy by being gripped by empty and faceless ghosts. And so, I invite all of you to look within yourselves and to “name” your fears. Ask yourselves: what upsets me, what do I fear most in this specific moment of my life today? What blocks me and prevents me from moving forward? Why do I lack the courage to make the important choices I need to make? Do not be afraid to face your fears honestly, to recognize them for what they are and to come to terms with them. The Bible does not ignore the human experience of fear nor its many causes. Abraham was afraid (cf. Gen 12:10ff), Jacob was afraid (cf. Gen 31:31; 32:7), and so were Moses (cf. Ex 2:14; 17:4), Peter (cf. Mt 26:69ff) and the Apostles (cf. Mk 4:38-40; Mt 26:56). Jesus himself, albeit in an incomparable way, experienced fear and anguish (cf. Mt 26:37; Lk 22:44).

“Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” (Mk 4:40). In admonishing his disciples Jesus helps us to understand how the obstacle to faith is often not scepticism but fear. Thus understood, the work of discernment identifies our fears and can then help us to overcome them, opening us to life and helping us to calmly face the challenges that come our way. For us Christians in particular, fear must never have the last word but rather should be an occasion to make an act of faith in God… and in life! This means believing in the fundamental goodness of the existence that God has given us and trusting that he will lead us to a good end, even through circumstances and vicissitudes which often bewilder us. Yet if we harbour fears, we will become inward-looking and closed off to defend ourselves from everything and everyone, and we will remain paralyzed. We have to act! Never close yourself in! In the Sacred Scriptures the expression “do not be afraid” is repeated 365 times with different variations, as if to tell us that the Lord wants us to be free from fear, every day of the year.

Discernment is indispensable when searching for one’s vocation in life. More often than not our vocation is not obvious or evident at first but rather something we come to understand gradually. Discernment, in this case, should not be seen as an individual effort at introspection, with the aim of better understanding our interior make-up so as to strengthen us and acquire some balance. In such instances the person can become stronger, but is still confined to the limited horizon of his or her possibilities and perspectives. Vocation, however, is a call from above, and discernment in this context principally means opening ourselves to the Other who calls. Prayerful silence is therefore required in order to hear the voice of God that resounds within our conscience. God knocks at the door of our hearts, as he did with Mary; he longs to establish friendship with us through prayer, to speak with us through the Sacred Scriptures, to offer us mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and to be one with us in the Eucharist.

It is also important to dialogue with and encounter others, our brothers and sisters in the faith who have more experience, for they help us to see better and to choose wisely from the various possibilities. When the young Samuel hears the voice of the Lord, he does not recognize it immediately. Three times he runs to Eli, the older priest, who in the end proposes the right response to give to the Lord’s call: “If he calls you, you shall say: ‘Speak Lord, for your servant hears.’” (1 Sam 3:9). In your doubts know that you can rely on the Church. I know that there are very good priests, consecrated men and woman and lay faithful, many of whom are also young, who can support you like older brothers and sisters in the faith. Enlivened by the Holy Spirit, they will help you to make sense of your doubts and understand the plan of your own vocation. The other is not only a spiritual guide, but also the person who helps us open ourselves to the infinite riches of the life that God has given us. It is important to create spaces in our cities and communities to grow, to dream and to look at new horizons! Never lose the enthusiasm of enjoying others’ company and friendship, as well as the pleasure of dreaming together, of walking together. Authentic Christians are not afraid to open themselves to others and share with them their own important spaces, making them spaces of fraternity. Dear young people, do not allow the spark of youth to be extinguished in the darkness of a closed room in which the only window to the outside world is a computer and smartphone. Open wide the doors of your life! May your time and space be filled with meaningful relationships, real people, with whom to share your authentic and concrete experiences of daily life.

2. Mary!

“I have called you by name” (Is 43:1). The first reason not to fear is the fact that God has called us by name. The angel, God’s messenger, called Mary by name. To God belongs the power to give names. In the work of creation, he calls into existence every creature by name. There is an identity behind a name, that which is unique in every single thing, in every single person; that intimate essence that only God truly knows. This divine prerogative was shared with man when God invited him to name the animals, the birds and also his own offspring (Gen 2:19-21; 4:1). Many cultures share this profound biblical vision; they recognize in a name the revelation of the profound mystery of life and the meaning of existence.

When God calls someone by name, he also reveals to the person his vocation, his plan of holiness and fulfilment, through which the person becomes a gift to others and is made unique. And when God wants to expand the horizons of life, he gives a new name to the person he is calling, as he did with Simon, whom he called “Peter”. From here comes the custom of taking a new name when entering a religious congregation, to indicate a new identity and mission. Since the divine call is unique and personal, we need the courage to disentangle ourselves from the pressure of being shaped by conforming patterns, so that our life can truly become an authentic and irreplaceable gift to God, to the Church and to all.

Dear young people, to be called by name is therefore a sign of our great dignity in the eyes of God and a sign of his love for us. God calls each one of you by name. All of you are the “you” of God, precious in his eyes, worthy of respect and loved (cf. Is 43:4). Welcome with joy this dialogue that God offers you, this appeal he makes to you, calling you by name.

3. You have found favour with God

The main reason why Mary need not be afraid is that she has found favour with God. The word “grace” speaks of love freely given, not owed. How much we are encouraged to know that we do not have to earn the closeness and help of God, by presenting a “Curriculum Vitae of excellence”, full of merits and successes! The angel says to Mary that she has already found favour with God, not that she will obtain it in the future. And the same formulation of the angel’s words helps us understand that divine grace is continuous, not something passing or fleeting; for this reason, it will never fail. Even in the future, the grace of God will always be there to sustain us, especially in moments of trial and darkness.

The continuous presence of divine grace encourages us to embrace our vocation with confidence; our vocation demands a commitment of faithfulness that needs to be renewed each day. Our vocational path is not without its crosses: not only our initial doubts, but also the frequent temptations that crop up along the way. The feeling of inadequacy accompanies Christ’s disciple to the end. Yet he or she knows the help of God’s grace.

The Angel’s words descend upon our human fears, dissolving them with the power of the Good News of which we are heralds: our life is not pure chance or a mere struggle for survival, rather each of us is a cherished story loved by God. That we have “found grace in his eyes” means that the Creator sees a unique beauty in our being and that he has a magnificent plan for our lives. The awareness of this certainty, of course, does not resolve all our problems nor does it take away life’s uncertainties. But it does have the power to transform our life deeply. The unknown that tomorrow holds for us is not a dark threat we need to overcome, but a favourable time given to us for living out the uniqueness of our personal vocation, and for sharing it with our brothers and sisters in the Church and in the world.

4. Courage in the present moment

From the certainty that God’s grace is with us comes the strength to take courage in the present moment: the courage to carry forward what God asks of us here and now, in every area of our lives; courage to embrace the vocation which God reveals to us; courage to live out our faith without hiding or diminishing it.

Yes, when we open ourselves to God’s grace, the impossible becomes a reality. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31). God’s grace touches the “now” of your lives, “takes hold” of you as you are, with all your fears and limits, but it also reveals his marvellous plans! You young people need to know that someone truly believes in you: please know that the Pope has confidence in you, that the Church has confidence in you! For your part, have confidence in the Church!

To the young Mary was entrusted an important task, precisely because she was young. You young people have strength as you go through a phase of your lives where energy is not lacking. Make use of this strength and this energy to improve the world, beginning with the realities closest to you. I want important responsibilities to be given to you within the Church; that there may be the courage to make space for you; and that you may be prepared to take on these responsibilities.

I invite you once again to contemplate Mary’s love: a caring, dynamic and concrete love. A love full of boldness and focused completely on the gift of self. A Church permeated by these Marian qualities will always be a Church going forth, one that goes beyond her own limits and boundaries to let the grace she has received overflow. If we allow ourselves to be truly touched by Mary’s example, we will live out authentically that charity which urges us to love God above all else and above ourselves, to love those with whom we share our daily life. And we will also love those who may seem hardly lovable in themselves. It is a love that is service and dedication, above all towards the weakest and poorest, love that transforms our faces and fills us with joy.

I would like to end with the beautiful words Saint Bernard used in a famous homily on the mystery of the Annunciation, words that express the anticipation of all humanity for Mary’s response: “You have heard, O Virgin that you will conceive and bear a son; you have heard that it will not be by man but by the Holy Spirit. The angel awaits an answer… We too, O Lady, are waiting for your word of compassion… In your brief response we are to be remade in order to be recalled to life… This is what the whole earth waits for, prostrate at your feet… Answer quickly, O Virgin” (Sermon 4, 8-9; Opera Omnia).

Dear young people, the Lord, the Church, the world are waiting for your answer to the unique call that each one receives in this life! As World Youth Day in Panama draws closer, I invite you to prepare yourselves for our gathering with the joy and enthusiasm of those who wish to participate in such a great adventure. WYD is for the courageous! Not for young people who are searching only for comfort and who withdraw whenever difficulties arise. Do you accept the challenge?

From the Vatican, 11 February 2018

VI Sunday of Ordinary Time
Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lourdes

The topic of celebrating the sacrament of marriage was something I encountered often through listening to various homilies. The priests would often remind that this sacrament was more than just a civil agreement initiated by a government official. Nevertheless, the message of what to do in order to celebrate or benefit from the sacrament of marriage was often unclear. We still try to learn more about these gifts, listening closely. It has to be said, however, that in church, few sermons are given on this topic. Given the importance and scope of the topic, discourse about marriage should be more widespread in parishes, during regular masses, not just on retreats for brothers contemplating monastic life. We need more priests, properly prepared in theology, to explain to the people what exactly the sacrament of marriage is. It is especially important to understand these things before marriage for better preparation, and in order to discover and deepen the marital bond between spouses. Today people seem too busy and overworked to make time to really discover the supernatural union between spouses. But the reality is that marriage, before God, is the gate to a supernatural reality; it is one of the many gates to sainthood. Helping each other during hard times, picking ourselves up after we fall, working together, are only possible through cooperation, the end goal being heaven. Our actions do not need to be spectacular or amazing, the act of living an everyday life with a mutual goal is of greater importance; cooking, cleaning, professional work, raising children, but also rest and spending time together. These everyday acts, seemingly devoid of spirituality, become acts of love and kindness when those intentions are attributed to them.

 Recently, a book written by to Jerzy Ciesielski by the name of “An Instance of Providence” found its way into my hands. Even though I read this book earlier, it was as if I rediscovered the meaning of the words, in which notes were written by a person whose social roles were very contemporary: a husband, father of three, scientist, and above all a Christian, who saw his path to sainthood in marriage.

 When he thought of his calling to marriage, he jotted down a note saying, “If marriage is to accomplish its goal, choosing a spouse is of great importance. This is a matter between the two people and God. The ability to make the right decision and accept responsibility is crucial. It is the joy of accomplishing things together, fear of unnecessary misunderstandings, putting your trust into the good will of a person, looking forward to God’s mercy, recognizing our faults and weaknesses. It is the choice of what kind of life you want to live and all the unknowns that come with it, experiencing the joy of perfection and the tragedy of shortcomings, recognizing our spiritual, mental, and physical attributes, sculpting our character, and adapting to hardships. This new life, rich in spiritual values, should be joyfully paired with fulfilling the will of God; a life that might cause sadness, pain, and the need to surrender to the will of God. Are we striving for perfection, or giving it lip service? What criteria do we use to make these decisions? These are matters that should be reflected upon when establishing the goals of marriage.”

The road to sainthood is traveled upon through everyday life. We must find joy in the dull parts of our life and discover the “bits of heaven” hidden around us. And lastly, we must always keep looking forward together…

Agnieszka Konik-Korn

The unity of two people in the sacrament of marriage is something special. God Himself created this, and through creating us in His image, gave us the ability to communicate and exchange love, which He Himself – as the Triune God is a source and model. Thus God has equipped us in many ways giving us the joy for all the methods of constructing unity – and this all happens “through Him, with Him and in Him.”

“Conjugal love involves a totality, in which all the elements of the person enter – appeal of the body and instinct, power of feeling and affectivity, aspiration of the spirit and of will. It aims at a deeply personal unity, a unity that, beyond union in one flesh, leads to forming one heart and soul; it demands indissolubility and faithfulness in definitive mutual giving; and it is open to fertility. In a word it is a question of the normal characteristics of all natural conjugal love, but with a new significance which not only purifies and strengthens them, but raises them to the extent of making them the expression of specifically Christian values” (CCC 1643)

 The goal of marriage is the salvation of both partners as well as leading their children to Heaven. Another goal is the covenant, the community of both people, which should lead them to a fuller personal growth and love in the image of the Persons of the Trinity. The likeness of men and women to God is thus shown in the Book of Genesis. Children then become the fruits of this deep personal union. The parenthood of the married couple also likens them to God – the Father of all creation. Thus the personal communion of the man and woman, which was in past ages characterized as “orders of marriage” demonstrate a practical path to holiness and Christian perfection

 The Gift, the Charism, and the Sacrament

In order to fully realize the call to holiness within marriage, both people must become people of deep prayer. Only through developing this ability will they be able to accept each other as gifts, since the Giver is Christ Himself. The married in Christ give and receive each other simultaneously. To do this, they need “eyes of the heart” and a well-developed ability to see each other spiritually. He created in us the ability to love, gave us emotions, senses, aspirations, instincts and the command to be fruitful. And, because “everything that lives praises Him,” we should return with all of our dimensions the love that He gives us. That is the will and the desire of God.

Any person’s dimension can be a channel to communicate love in marriage – and if the person becomes more holy by the act of Faith in God, they will in turn receive a particularly godly character and dignity. The King himself invites his children to a feast of love – touching first the heart, moving the feelings and emotions, turning the body into a joyful tool of service. Grace and blessings flow upon the invited, and openness to the gift of life is something natural and not causing fear.

 Joyfully married couples within Christ, filled with the experience of Grace, open to supernatural dimensions of their calling change into witnesses of active love, and the fire in their hearts pushes them into even more dynamic service. This demonstrates marriages to be a charism, a gift of Grace turned towards building a better community, to witnessing for love, with the marriage act raised to an even higher level, because they touch within it the mystery of God’s gift from the tree of life and God Himself blesses their love and trust. They become a sacramental sign of active grace. This way the married couple will discover His nearness and learn the necessary wisdom to go farther.

Roman Harmata

 “You are blessed, O God of our fathers; blessed too is your name for ever and ever. Let the heavens bless you and all things you have made for evermore.

You it was who created Adam, you who created Eve his wife to be his help and support; and from these two the human race was born. You it was who said, ‘It is not right that the man should be alone; let us make him a helper like him.’

And so I take my sister not for any lustful motive, but I do it in singleness of heart. Be kind enough to have pity on her and on me and bring us to old age together. ” Tb 8: 5-7

 The body, thoughts, emotions, will, feelings, abilities – they are the works and gifts of the Creator, “since it is in him that we live, and move.” (Acts 17:28 ) Within ourselves, each one of us can achieve this special encounter, spending time with God, through the acting of our faith. It is necessary to learn how to pass over the threshold of the temple within ourselves, where the eternity of the spirit is hidden. It is a monumental task and a mystery; it is a state, in which only a spiritual person can understand how “so our Savior, the spouse of the Church, now encounters Christian spouses through the sacrament of Matrimony.” Christ dwells with them, gives them the strength to take up their crosses and so follow him, to rise again after they have fallen, to forgive one another, to bear one another’s burdens, to “be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ,”(Eph 5:21) and to love one another with supernatural, tender, and fruitful love. In the joys of their love and family life he gives them here on earth a foretaste of the wedding feast of the Lamb: .”(CCC 1642)

 When the young man Tobiah was to marry his wife Sarah, the accompanying angel Raphael instructed him, that his first thought before uniting with her would be to direct his prayers to God and glorify Him. Only this type of stance – praise of God – is the opening of the marriage no the correct direction towards salvation of both partners. The abundance of the sacramental streams of grace flowing upon the married couple should lead them in unceasing chorus like Tobiah, “let all heavens and all your creatures praise you for all ages.” This is the highlighting of the most important direction of their further path.

 How to begin?

 It is best to start by looking in the mirror and to look at some photographs form the past. It will show us how quickly the time that is given to us by God passes. We must not delude ourselves – every tick of the clock counts down to the time of our lives’ reckoning. We will find ourselves in only two possible groups – those who won or those who lost their eternity. We do not have much time to complete this journey, but only for its duration can we collect the fruits necessary, about which Christ will ask us.

 It also is necessary to examine the fundamental truth: neither your husband, nor your wife, nor your children are your possessions – not even you are your own possession – although you right now can decide some things about yourself… “He is the image of the unseen God, the first-born   of all creation, for in him were created all things in heaven and on earth: everything visible and everything invisible, thrones, ruling forces, sovereignties, powers — all things were created through him and for him. He exists before all things and in him all things hold together and he is the Head of the Body, that is, the Church. He is the Beginning, the first-born from the dead, so that he should be supreme in every way; because God wanted all fullness to be found in him and through him to reconcile all things to him, everything in heaven and everything on earth, by making peace through his death on the cross.

(Col 1:15-20)

The main goal of your family life is neither gaining of social status, fame, power or the collection of wealth, nor is it any sort of state or thing of passing nature, but the realization that our salvation and working to save others is the only and final call of the family, and the real giving of glory to God. This attitude begets a necessary humility, a state of the soul, where only then can we enter into ourselves. “Humility is fundamental to spiritual life, because this is its beginning.”(Cardinal George Basil Hume) “Humility is not only the condition for authenticity and the realness of each virtue, but also the condition necessary for the Transformation in Christ. But it in itself has great value, for it gives the person an extraordinary beauty.” (Dietrich von Hildebrand)

Roman Harmata

“Only through faith you’ll be able to see, that in the meeting between spouses is hidden love reaching beyond death.
Only through faith and meditation you will be able to uncover the depths of the Temple present within your spouse.
Only through prayer you can receive the grace to see, that your spiritual temples are in union and complete each other with their manhood and womanhood.
Only in faith you will understand your humanity and gift of life.
Then the awe of the presence of Christ will astonish you”

 A couple years ago, my work schedule allowed me to attend mass during the week at a church in the suburbs of Chicago. An elderly couple, arm-in-arm, often sat in the pew adjacent to mine. Everything seemed ordinary except for the fact that the majority of people in the church, even the priest at times, treated them with exceptional respect. There was certain warmth emanating from this couple, characterized with simplicity and dignity. However, their attitude towards other people and themselves was even more surprising. Often times after Mass, a few people would approach the couple to ask them a question, wish them warm greetings, or thank them for something. Once I overheard them speaking something like this:, “…mutual love between spouses must grow in union with Christ. It becomes more and more spiritual, internal, joyous, and subservient, engaging and permeating every aspect of your humanity, introducing inner peace.”

The example given by this elderly couple was literally a testament to the words Blessed Pope John Paul II left for theologians and married couples to contemplate. He wrote, “The relationship between love and purity, as well as the relationship of love and purity with the grace of the Holy Spirit, which is the gift of devotion, is a little-known topic of the theology of the body, but calls for especial reflection.” – John Paul II, Man and Woman: He created Them, A Theology of The Body, Lublin 2001

 The Body as a Temple

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”

1 Cor 3:16-17

‘and there will be no one to say, “Look, it is here! Look, it is there!” For look, the kingdom of God is among you.’ Luke 17:21

You must discover your temple in order to, as St. Teresa of Avila states, “enter the depths.” Only this understanding will allow you to experience the presence of Christ in your temple. However, there are a few prerequisites, which will require effort and time. To meet Christ, you must purge from your heart all competing and fetishistic attachments and dependencies, so that it is free from vices and wholly pure, ready to meet with the Love of Jesus. Gaining experience in internal prayer, along with an understanding of patience and silence, is key. It is necessary to acknowledge that every dimension of your inner temple, spiritual, mental, emotional, rational, and physiological, are all the work of God and belong to Him. It is not possible to force this; you must wait for permission and submit to the workings of God’s saving love.

And so begins the longest journey in life, a journey from the depths of your temple to meeting Jesus himself. With this preparation, a person can begin to understand the greatness hidden in his or her spouse and be ready to accept the grace of unifying both temples into “one flesh” for“this is a great mystery.” Eph 5:32

Roman Harmata