VISIT TO "CHIESA NUOVA"
DEDICATED TO SAINT MARY IN VALLICELLA

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II

26 May 1979

Beloved Brothers and Sisters!

I could not fail to visit this holy place, loved by the Romans, to venerate the one who was designated "The Apostle of Rome", St Philip Neri, the Joint Patron Saint of this noble City.

SOLEMNITY OF THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD

HOMILY OF JOHN PAUL II

24 May 1979

Dear sons and brothers and friends in Jesus Christ,

ON THIS SOLEMNITY of the Ascension of our Lord, the Pope is happy to offer the Eucharistic Sacrifice with you and for you. I am happy to be with the students and staff of the Venerable English College in this year in which you are celebrating your fourth centenary. And today, in a special way, I feel spiritually close to you, to your parents and families, and to all the faithful of England and Wales – to all who are united in the faith of Peter and Paul, in the faith of Jesus Christ. The traditions of generosity and fidelity that have been exemplified in the life of your College for four hundred years are present in my heart this morning. You have come to give thanks and praise to God for what has been accomplished by his grace in the past, and to find strength to go forward – under the protection of our Blessed Lady – in the fervour of your forefathers, many of whom laid down their lives for the Catholic faith.

VISIT TO THE CHURCH OF SAINT ANTHONY OF THE PORTUGUESE IN ROME

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II

22 May 1979

Lord Cardinal Patriarch and revered Brothers in the Episcopate,
Your Excellencies,
Beloved sons and daughters of "most faithful" Portugal,

May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all!

I greet you cordially with appreciation and gratitude for the joy of this meeting. And through you, particularly through the beloved bishops, my brothers, and the ambassadors, I greet the beloved Portuguese people.

SOLEMN CONCELEBRATION WITH THE POLISH BISHOPS
IN HONOR OF SAINT STANISLAUS

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II

20 May 1979

1.  The joy of the paschal period in today's liturgy dictates to the Church words of deep gratitude. Here they are: "The love of God was made manifest among us" (1 Jn 4:9); it was manifested in this way, that "God sent his only Son into the world" (1 Jn 4:9). He sent him "so that we might live through him" (1 Jn 4:9). He sent him "to be the expiation for our sins" (1 Jn 4:10).

VISIT TO THE POLISH CEMETERY OF MONTE CASSINO

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II

Monte Cassino, Italy
Friday,  18 May 1979

1.  "Come, let us go up to the mountain..." (Is 2:3; cf. Mic 4:2).

Let us listen today to this invitation of the Prophet and let us re-read it as an interior imperative: the imperative of conscience and the imperative of the heart. The day of 18 May morally obliges us to come up to this mountain; to stop, with prayer on our lips, before the graves of the soldiers who fell here; to look at the walls of the monastery which was then—thirty-five years ago—reduced to rubble; to remember those events; and to try, once more, to draw a lesson from them for the future.

SIXTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE ITALIAN EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II

15 May 1979

Revered and Beloved Confreres of the Italian Episcopate!

1. "Let not your hearts be troubled" (Jn 14:1).

Christ utters these words when he has to leave this world, for he says: "I go... I will come again" (cf. Jn 14:2-3). He utters them, aware that "the ruler of this world is coming" (Jn 14:30), while he himself will have to face the ordeal of the Cross. Far more than his disciples he is aware of what will happen to him, of the course events will take in the next few days, and of how the history of the Church and of the world will proceed. Yet he utters these words which contain an appeal for courage: "Let not your hearts be troubled". And almost in contrast with all of which he was deeply conscious, he precedes this appeal with a greeting of peace, with the assurance of peace: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you." (Jn 14:27).

VISIT TO THE CHURCH OF SAINT STANISLAUS IN ROME

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II

13 May 197

1. "Abide..."

The word that returns most often to the readings of the Fifth Sunday of Easter is precisely the word "Abide". With this word the Risen Christ, who had first been crucified, invites us to union with him. He presents this union to us, referring to a simile drawn from nature. The branches abide in the vine and for this reason they bear fruit. They cannot do so by themselves if this organic link with life is lacking. In this case, in fact, there remain only twigs and dry branches, which are gathered and thrown into the fire because they can be used as firewood. On the other hand, as long as the branches remain in the vine and draw vital sap from it, they continue to be real branches. They form one thing with the vine, and are even defined together with it with the same name "the vine". They also deserve careful attention on the part of the owner, the vine-dresser. He looks carefully at every vine and every branch.

VISIT TO THE ROMAN PARISH OF SAINT ANTHONY OF PADUA

EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II

6 May 1979

Beloved Brothers and Sisters!

Today, in the whole of the Catholic Church, the Day for priestly and religious Vocations is being observed. I am happy to keep it with you, here in Rome, in the centre of Christianity, and in your parish entrusted to the priests of the Congregation of "Rogationists", whom I greet cordially.

VISIT TO THE MARIAN SHRINE OF DIVINE LOVE

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II

1May 1979

Today, the first day of May, the Church shows us Christ, the Son of God, at the work bench in the house of Joseph of Galilee.