It is a Church “committed to integral development, in taking care of the sick, the poor and the marginalized”, “not attached to material values, but to the service of God and of the men and women of our society”, as explained by the Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, archbishop of Luxembourg, the one the Pope meets in the cathedral. Pay attention to young people, to their pastoral care and to ensuring that abuses are not repeated. In which particular attention is paid “to the elderly, the sick, refugees, prisoners, the homeless”, as Christine testifies Christine Bubhardt, vice-president of the diocesan pastoral council, but above all in which one works in multilingual and multicultural contexts. Here, where 47.4 percent of the inhabitants are not Luxembourgers and where 214 thousand cross-border workers come to work every day, “diversity is experienced as a daily challenge and as an asset”, insists Maria Perpétua Coelho Dos Santos, who speaks in representation of the liturgical communities. We speak Luxembourgish, Portuguese, French, Italian, English, Cape Verdean, Ukrainian and Polish, Vietnamese, Filipino… And “everyone, everyone, everyone” finds their place. «Everyone», resumes Diogo Gomes Costa, «as you made us repeat during the WYD in Lisbon». Pope Francis speaks a little off the cuff and a little while reading and immediately underlines how the motto chosen for the visit “To serve” is in harmony with the Marian Jubilee with which the Luxembourg Church remembers four centuries of devotion to Mary Consoler of the afflicted, Patron Saint of the country.
“Consoling and serving, in fact, are two fundamental aspects of the love that Jesus gave us, which he entrusted to us as a mission and which he indicated to us as the only way to full joy”, says the Pope. For this reason shortly, in prayer opening of the Marian Year, we will ask the Mother of God to help us to be “missionaries, ready to bear witness to the joy of the Gospel”, conforming our hearts to hers “to put ourselves at the service of our brothers””.
In a packed cathedral the faithful waited for hours praying and playing music, listening to testimonies. Even the Grand Duke and his wife, well before the arrival of Francis, gave their contribution to meditation. Despite the rain, all around the building the crowd gathers to participate, even if from a distance, in the event.
The Pontiff, who at the end of the meeting also greets the faithful gathered outside, focuses on three words and, also taking inspiration from the ballet of the Laudato si’ group, speaks of service, mission and, above all, joy.
Service, following the example of Francis of Assisi, means embracing the leper and healing his wounds. The Pontiff underlines the urgency of welcome. «I do it here, among you, in a particular way, because your country has and keeps alive, in this field, a centuries-old tradition, as Sister Maria Perpetua reminded us, and as has emerged several times, also in other testimonies, in I shout: “todos, todos, todos!”, “everyone, everyone, everyone!”, repeated on various occasions. Yes, the spirit of the Gospel is a spirit of welcome, of openness to all, and does not allow any type of exclusion. I encourage you, therefore, to remain faithful to this legacy, continuing to make your country a friendly home for anyone who knocks on your door asking for help and hospitality.”
The Pope speaks of a duty of “justice even before charity” and encourages, as John Paul II did before him, the young people of Luxembourg to chart the path for “a Europe not only of goods and assets, but of values , of men and hearts”, in which the Gospel is shared “in the word of the announcement and in the signs of love”.
And then the mission, which also means thinking about how the Church evolves in a secularized society, how it matures, how it grows. «She doesn’t turn in on herself, sad, resigned, resentful; rather, it accepts the challenge, in fidelity to the values of all time, to rediscover and re-evaluate the ways of evangelization in a new way, increasingly moving from a simple approach of pastoral care to that of missionary proclamation. And to do this it is ready to evolve: for example – as Christine reminded us – in sharing responsibilities and ministries, walking together as a community that announces and making synodality a “lasting way of relating” between its members”.
He praises the young people «who performed, a short while ago, some scenes from the musical Laudato si’. Well done! Thank you for the gift you have given us! Your work, the fruit of a community effort that involved many in the Archdiocese, is a doubly prophetic sign for all of us! It reminds us, first of all, of our responsibilities towards the “common home”, of which we are guardians and not despots. But then it also makes us reflect on how this mission, lived together, constitutes in itself a wonderful choral instrument to tell everyone the beauty of the Gospel. And this is important for us: what drives us to the mission, in fact, is not the need to “make up numbers”, to do “proselytism”, but the desire to make as many brothers and sisters as possible aware of the joy of meeting with Christ”.
And regarding the third word, Francis insists on the experience he had in Lisbon, during the WYD, «the happiness felt on the eve of the celebration, in awaiting, together with peers of every origin and nation, the moment of our meeting, as well as the emotion of waking up the next morning surrounded by many friends; and also the enthusiasm felt during the preparation we did together in Portugal and the joy, after a year, in reuniting with the others here in Luxembourg. Do you see? Our faith is like this: it is joyful, “dancing”, because it tells us that we are children of a God who is a friend of man, who wants us happy and united, and who is happier with nothing than our salvation.” Dancing is also a Luxembourg tradition. Francis recalls «the spring procession – Springprozession -, which takes place in Echternach at Pentecost, in memory of the tireless missionary work of Saint Willibrord, evangelizer of these lands. The entire city pours out dancing through the streets and squares, together with many pilgrims and visitors who come, and the procession becomes a huge, unique dance. Adults and children, everyone dances together towards the Cathedral – this year even in the rain, I learned – testifying with enthusiasm, in memory of the holy Shepherd, how beautiful it is to walk together and find ourselves all brothers around the table of our Lord”.
Finally, amidst the emotion of those present, he opens the Marian Jubilee, after having gathered in silence in front of the statue of the Consoler of the afflicted, with a prayer that he entrusts to the whole community:
«Holy Mary, Mother of God», it recites,
«Mother of mercy and goodness,
look at your children who take refuge under the mantle of Your protection and Your maternal care;
You know them and they never cease to choose You as Mother and Patroness.
Over the centuries you have manifested yourself to those who implored you in the night of their history and in the
tribulations of their life as a refuge and Mother.
Here we are on the threshold of the fourth centenary of Your veneration as Consoler of the afflicted by
this people who love you.
May the Jubilee that I open today be an opportunity for the faithful for a sincere conversion to Your Son, Christ
Jesus.
May they renew their baptismal commitments to become ever more missionary disciples, ready to
witness the joy of the Gospel.
Holy Mary, Patroness of the city and country of Luxembourg, Servant of the Lord, we pray to you:
consoled by your prayer of intercession, conform our heart to yours to place ourselves at the service of our brothers and sisters and thus praise your Son, Christ, our Lord. Amen”.