(This may bring back memories for some readers, of the apostolic visit of the great Pope from a by-gone era. Canada of 1984 was a very different place than it is now…But we may learn from the past, and, more to the point, from the Truth that is eternal, abiding in the Sacred Heart of Christ). Ed.
APOSTOLIC JOURNEY TO CANADA
(SEPTEMBER 9-20, 1984)
MASS DEDICATED TO THE HEART OF CHRIST
HOMILY OF POPE JOHN PAUL II
Abbotsford Airport (Vancouver)
Tuesday, 18 September 1984
“My soul, give thanks to the Lord, all my being, bless his holy name” (Ps. 103 (102), 1).
1. With these words of today’s liturgy, dear brothers and sisters, I wish to address myself, together with all of you, to the God of Love. And I wish to do so through the mystery of the Heart of Christ.
I choose these words because they speak of our human heart – what the Psalm refers to as “all my being”. It is precisely this that we have in mind when we speak of the “heart”: our whole being, all that is within each one of us. All that forms us from within, in the depths of our being. All that makes up our entire humanity, our whole person in its spiritual and physical dimension. All that expresses itself as a unique and unrepeatable person in its “inner self” and at the same time in its “transcendence”.
The words of the Psalm – “My soul give thanks to the Lord, all my being bless his holy name” – say that our human “heart” addresses God in all the unimaginable majesty of his divinity and his holiness and, at the same time, in his wonderful “openness” to mankind: in his “condescension”.
In this way “heart” meets “Heart”; “heart” speaks to the “Heart”.
2. In this spirit I wish also to greet all those taking part in our Eucharistic assembly – in this Votive Mass of the Sacred Heart – as well as all those who have come to express their good will and their respectful solidarity with this praying community.
I am deeply pleased that my visit to Canada has taken me to the City of Vancouver and this gathering place of God’s people. The city is indeed marvellously located between the mountains and the ocean, being the largest city of your Province, all of which is truly a land of splendour without diminishment: Splendor sine occasu!
The importance of your Province is certainly reflected in its forests, minerals, water, fruit and fishing, and in the beauty which attracts so many tourists. Of greater importance still are you, the people of this region. It is here that you live and work, striving to build a suitable human habitat and a just society. It is here that you struggle to solve the social problems that have become so much a part of the fabric of life in these parts. It is here that you continue your search for God and for the full meaning of human life, amid the struggle between good and evil. And to all of you today I offer the expression of my deep respect and fraternal love.
In particular I wish to greet all the Catholic faithful of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, under the leadership of Archbishop Carney. I am likewise deeply grateful for all who have made great efforts to come from other dioceses of British Columbia, Victoria, Kamploops, Nelson, Prince George, the Eparchy of New Westminster under the leadership of Bishop Chimy and the Pacific Northwest. And probably also from the United States. In the unity of the Eucharist I express my deep affection for all my brother bishops and for all the clergy, religious and laity of the Catholic Church.
In the charity of Christ I embrace all my fellow Christians who honour me by their presence today. I recall with sincere appreciation and respect the zealous efforts made last year in this city by the World Council of Churches to proclaim Jesus Christ to the world.
With fraternal esteem I also offer my warm greetings to the members of non-Christian religions and to all the citizens of this land who have no religious affiliation. Before all of you I attest to the Catholic Church’s deep interest and concern for the incomparable human dignity of every man, woman and child on this earth.
I am deeply grateful for the hospitality extended to me and for the invitation to celebrate this Eucharist. And it is in this context of public worship that I have come to you to proclaim Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God; to proclaim the invisible God whom he reveals; and to proclaim the divine love that he communicates to the world in the mystery of his Sacred Heart.
3. When we say “Heart of Jesus Christ”, we address ourselves in faith to the whole Christological mystery: the mystery of the God-Man.
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