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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday morning celebrated Mass at the Jasna Gora Monastery in Czestochowa, Poland, to mark the 1050^th anniversary of the ‘Baptism of Poland.’

The full text of his homily is below

Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis

1050^th Anniversary of the Baptism of Poland

Czestochowa, 28 July 2016

            From the readings of this Liturgy a divine thread emerges, one that passes through human history and weaves the history of salvation.

            The apostle Paul tells us of God’s great plan: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent his son, born of a woman” (Gal 4:4).  But history tells us that when this “fullness of time” came, when God became man, humanity was not especially well-disposed, nor was there even a period of stability and peace: there was no “Golden Age”.  The scenario of this world did not merit the coming of God; indeed, “his own received him not” (Jn 1:11).  The fullness of time was thus a gift of grace: God filled our time out of the abundance of his mercy.  Out of sheer love he inaugurated the fullness of time.

            It is particularly striking how the coming of God into history came about: he was “born of a woman”.  There was no triumphal entrance or striking epiphany of the Almighty.  He did not reveal himself as a brilliantly rising sun, but entered the world in the simplest of ways, as a child from his mother, with that “style” that Scripture tells us is like a rainfall upon the land (cf. Is 55:10), like the smallest of seeds which sprouts and grows (cf. Mk 4:31-32).  Thus, contrary to our expectations and perhaps even our desires, the kingdom of God, now as then, “does not come in a way that attracts attention” (Lk 17:20), but rather in littleness, in humility.

            Today’s Gospel takes up this divine thread delicately passing through history: from the fullness of time we come to the “third day” of Jesus’ ministry (cf. Jn  2:1) and the proclamation of the “hour” of salvation (cf. v. 4).  Time shortens, God always shows himself in littleness.  And so we come to “the first of the signs that Jesus did” (v. 11), in Cana of Galilee.

There is no amazing deed done before the crowd, or even a word to settle a heated political question like that of the subjection of the people to the power of Rome.  Instead, in a small village, a simple miracle takes place and brings joy to the wedding of a young and completely anonymous family.  At the same time, the water that became wine at the wedding banquet is a great sign, for it reveals to us the spousal face of God, a God who sits at table with us, who dreams and holds communion with us.  It tells us that the Lord does not keep his distance, but is near and real.  He is in our midst and he takes care of us, without making decisions in our place and without troubling himself with issues of power.  He prefers to let himself be contained in little things, unlike ourselves, who always want to possess something greater.  To be attracted by power, by grandeur, by appearances, is tragically human.  It is a great temptation that tries to insinuate itself everywhere.  But to give oneself to others, eliminating distances, dwelling in littleness and living the reality of one’s everyday life: this is exquisitely divine.

God saves us, then by making himself little, near and real.  First God makes himself little.  The Lord, who is “meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29), especially loves the little ones, to whom the kingdom of God is revealed (Mt 11:25); they are great in his eyes and he looks to them (cf. Is 66:2).  He especially loves them because they are opposed to the “pride of life” that belongs to the world (cf. 1 Jn 2:16).  The little ones speak his own language, that of the humble love that brings freedom.  So he calls the simple and receptive to be his spokespersons; he entrusts to them the revelation of his name and the secrets of his heart.  Our minds turn to so many sons and daughters of your own people, like the martyrs made the defenseless power of the Gospel shine forth, like those ordinary yet remarkable people who bore witness to the Lord’s love amid great trials, and those meek and powerful heralds of mercy who were Saint John Paul II and Saint Faustina.  Through these “channels” of his love, the Lord has granted priceless gifts to the whole Church and to all mankind.  It is significant that this anniversary of the baptism of your people exactly coincides with the Jubilee of mercy.

Then too, God is near, his kingdom is at hand (cf. Mk 1:15).  The Lord does not want to be feared like a powerful and aloof sovereign.  He does not want to remain on his throne in heaven or in history books, but loves to come down to our everyday affairs, to walk with us.  As we think of the gift of a millennium so filled with faith, we do well before all else to thank God for having walked with your people, having taken you by the hand and accompanied you in so many situations.  That is what we too, in the Church, are constantly called to do: to listen, to get involved and be neighbours, sharing in people’s joys and struggles, so that the Gospel can spread every more consistently and fruitfully: radiating goodness through the transparency of our lives.

Finally, God is real.  Today’s readings make it clear that everything about God’s way of acting is real and concrete.  Divine wisdom “is like a master worker” and “plays” (cf. Prov 8:30).  The Word becomes flesh, is born of a mother, is born under the law (cf. Gal 4:4), has friends and goes to a party.  The eternal is communicated by spending time with people and in concrete situations.  Your own history, shaped by the Gospel, the Cross and fidelity to the Church, has seen the contagious power of a genuine faith, passed down from family to family, from fathers to sons and above all from mothers and grandmothers, whom we need so much to thank.  In particular, you have been able to touch with your hand the real and provident tenderness of the Mother of all, whom I have come here as a pilgrim to venerate and whom we have acclaimed in the Psalm as the “great pride of our nation” (Jud 15:9).

It is to Mary, then that we, who have gathered here, now look.  In her, we find complete conformity to the Lord.  Throughout history, interwoven with the divine thread, is also a “Marian thread”.  If there is any human glory, any merit of our own in the fullness of time, it is she.  Mary is that space, preserved free from sin, where God chose to mirror himself.  She is the stairway God took to descend and draw near to us.  She is the clearest sign of the fullness of time.

In the life of Mary we admire that littleness that God loves, for he “looked upon the humility of his servant”, and “lifted up the lowly” (Lk 1:48, 52).  He was so pleased with her that he let his flesh be woven from hers, so that the Virgin became the Mother of God, as an ancient hymn, sung for centuries, proclaims. To you who uninterruptedly come to her, converging upon this, the spiritual capital of the country, may she continue to point the way.  May she help you to weave in your own lives the humble and simple thread of the Gospel.

At Cana, as here in Jasna Góra, Mary offers us her nearness and helps us to discover what we need to live life to the full.  Now as then, she does this with a mother’s love, by her presence and counsel, teaching us to avoid hasty decisions and grumbling in our communities.  As the Mother of a family, she wants to keep us together.  Through unity, the journey of your people has surmounted any number of harsh experiences.  May the Mother, who stood steadfast at the foot of the Cross and persevered in prayer with the disciples in awaiting the Holy Spirit, obtain for you the desire to leave behind all past wrongs and wounds, and to build fellowship with all, without ever yielding to the temptation to withdraw or to domineer.

At Cana, Our Lady showed great realism.  She is a Mother who takes people’s problems to heart and acts.  She recognizes moments of difficulty and handles them discreetly, efficiently and decisively.  She is neither imperious nor intrusive, but a Mother and a handmaid.  Let us ask for the grace to imitate her sensitivity and her creativity in serving those in need, and to know how beautiful it is to spend our lives in the service of others, without favourites or distinctions.  May Mary, Cause of our Joy, who brings peace amid the profusion of sin and the turmoil of history, obtain for us the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and enable us to be good and faithful servants

            Through her intercession, may the fullness of time come about also for us.  The transition from before to after Christ means little if it remains a date in the annals of history.  May each one of us be able to make an interior passage, a Passover of the heart, towards the divine “style” incarnated by Mary.  May we do everything in littleness, and accompany others at close hand, with a simple and open heart.

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(Vatican Radio) The Holy Father has appointed Mons. Stephen Chirappanath, of the clergy of the eparchy of Irinjalakuda, as the Apostolic Visitor for the Syro-Malabar faithful living in Europe, elevating him to the episcopate and assigning him the Titular see of Slebte.

Msgr. Stephen Chirappanath was born December 26, 1961 at Puthenchira. After his philosophical and theological studies at St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary, Vadavathoor, he obtained a doctorate in moral theology at the Alphonsian Academy in Rome. He speaks Malayalam, English, Italian and German.

He was ordained a priest on December 26, 1987 and has also held the following positions: Priest in Padua Nagar; Tribunal ; Director of the Centers for Drug Rehabilitation; Rector of St. Paul's Minor Seminary, Irinjalakuda; Professor, and then Vice Rector of St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary in Vadavathoor. Since 2011 he is the procurator to the Major Archbishop in Rome and the coordinator for the Syro Malabar faithful in Italy, offices which he will continue to hold.

In recent decades, the emigration of Indians in the West has been growing significantly. Now there are Syro Malabar communities in different European countries: Italy, Austria, Denmark, France, Germany and Switzerland, as well as Ireland. The number of faithful varies from 11,125 in Italy to 7768 in Ireland, and only 30 in Denmark, with a total of about 30,000. There are 20 centers for the Celebration of ‘Qurbana’ (Liturgical Service) in Italy, 16 in Ireland, 10 in Austria and less in other countries, with about 35 priests. The Apostolic Visitor has the duty to visit the faithful of his Church living in Europe, interacting with the Ordinaries of the place to which they are entrusted, referring to the Apostolic See about their pastoral care.

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The Holy Father on Thursday, has erected the Eparchy of Great Britain of the Syro-Malabar Church based in Preston and has appointed Dr. Fr. Joseph (Benny Mathew) Srampickal, a member of the clergy of the Eparchy of Palai, until now Vice-Rector of the Collegio De Propaganda Fide in Rome, as the first bishop of the Eparchy.

Msgr. Joseph (Benny Mathew) Srampickal was born on May 30, 1967 in Poovarany, in the Eparchy of Palai. He entered the minor seminary and he studied philosophy at St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary, Vadavathoor, and theology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome, where he obtained a licentiate in biblical theology. He continued his studies at Oxford (England). He knows: Malayalam, English, Italian and German.

Ordained a priest on August 12, 2000, he has held the following positions: Professor at the minor seminary and Ephrem Formation Centre of Pala; Director of the Mar Sleeva Nursing College, Cherpumkal; Director of the Evangelization Programme; Secretary of the Bishop; Pastor at Urulikunnam. From 2013, he is Vice Rector of the Pontifical Urbaniana College of the Propaganda Fide, Rome.

The last thirty years have seen a growing influx of immigrants from India to the British Isles. More than 38,000 Syro Malabar faithful reside in England, Scotland and Wales. They are present in twenty-seven dioceses, concentrated mainly in the big cities: London, Birmingham and Liverpool. Twenty-three Syro Malabar priests are engaged in pastoral care, coordinated by Dr. Thomas Parayadiyil, MST, from 2013. In addition to the liturgical celebrations, training programs were established in the faith according to the Syro Malabar tradition for both, adults as well as children, with significant benefits for the involvement of the laity.

The See of the circumscription is in Preston, in the Diocese of Lancaster, where the Cathedral dedicated to St. Alphonsa is located, along with the Registry and the Residence of the new Bishop Joseph (Benny Mathew) Srampickal.

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(Vatican Radio) In an interview with Vatican Radio on the first day of the Pope’s Apostolic Voyage to Poland, Greg Burke, the deputy director of the Holy See Press Office, said Pope Francis has “a lot of the parish priest in him.”

Burke said the Pope’s meeting with Poland’s Bishops was kept private to maintain the atmosphere of “a family gathering,” offering the Holy Father to speak freely, in confidence, with the leaders of the local Church. But, he continued, “most of what the Pope says” in meetings with local Bishops revolves around common themes of Francis’ papacy. “It’s about being a pastor, being a father. One of the main things he talked about is being close to your people,” a theme he returned to more than once. Burke said the Pope is at his best when he speaks “off-the-cuff” – “It was very uplifting.”

Burke also noted that “two-pronged” nature of the Pope’s Apostolic Voyage, focusing on his visit to Poland and on the events of World Youth Day. In particular, Burke spoke about the legacy of St John Paul II, St Faustina, and the devotion to Divine Mercy, on the one hand; and, on the other, Pope Francis with the Jubilee of Mercy and his insistence on performing acts of mercy. With regard to young people, Burke said, “World Youth Day, I think, is just something that gets the Pope excited… He obviously gets very revved up with young people.”

Listen to the full interview of Greg Burke with Vatican Radio’s Lydia O’Kane: 

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(VATICAN RADIO) More than 2,000 refugees are arriving in Northern Uganda daily after fleeing the on-going threat of violence in war-torn South Sudan. 90% of the people crossing are women and children, including vulnerable mothers with newborn babies. Thousands are being relocated to camps and reception centres, and the number of new arrivals is expected to rise in the coming days.

Katie Ascough spoke with Justine Abenaitwe, Save the Children’s Ugandan Humanitarian Manager, who is currently working on the field, to find out more about what Save the Children is doing to help these refugee children.

Listen:  

Save the Children is deeply concerned about the increasing number of unaccompanied and separated children who have made the journey alone and are susceptible to neglect or abuse. Even without the risk of being killed in the conflict, South Sudan is statistically the worst place in the world to be a child; half of them are not in school.

Most refugees are coming from Eastern Equatoria state in addition to smaller numbers from Juba, with renewed sporadic fighting and hunger cited as the main reasons for flight. In the first five months of the year, the number of severely malnourished children admitted to Save the Children centres has tripled in comparison to the same period last year.

Ms. Abenaitwe said that these people only got a chance to leave South Sudan when civilian vehicles, which had been waiting in hiding, joined a secure convoy of the Uganda People’s Defence Force across the border. In a desperate attempt to abscond from their native land, lone travellers ran and hopped onto some of the trucks to make their grand escape. Not at all similar to a James Bond movie, many of these people were running away from their homes and their families, to find a new life with less terror and violence.

The daily average of refugees arriving into Uganda has increased nearly ten-fold from the usual 200–300 refugees who were crossing before the fighting escalated in South Sudan less than two weeks ago. One refugee told Save the Children that many South Sudanese men are staying in the country to fight, including boys as young as 13 years old.

For those who have managed to cross the border, Save the Children is currently working on the construction of Child Friendly Spaces where three to six-year-olds will come for school lessons. They are also providing the provision of clothes, blankets, hygiene kits, mosquito nets and basic cooking utensils, as well as the sensitisation of refugees regarding child protection issues, in addition to the registration programs and attempts to reunite families.

Through the work of honourable organisations like Save the Children, the suffering and the chaos for these South Sudanese refugees will be reduced. To follow their progress and donate toward their wonderful, life-changing (and saving) efforts, you can visit their website “Save the Children Uganda” by clicking here.

Even Pope Francis himself has gotten personally involved, sending a special envoy to South Sudan earlier this month. These refugees rely on our help.

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis makes a somber visit on Friday to the site of the former Nazi death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau where 1.1 million people were murdered, nearly all of them Jews. The Director of the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum, Piotr Cywinski, said the Pope’s visit to this “terrible” but very important place was highly significant, especially in our present world marked by so much conflict and crises. By looking and learning from the past, he said, we can better understand the dangers of “populism, anti-semitism and all kinds of zenophobia" that we see in our times. Cywinski was interviewed by our correspondent, Lydia O'Kane. 

Listen to the interview with Piotr Cywinski, Director of the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum: 

With his visit on Friday to the former Nazi death camp, Pope Francis becomes the third Pope to visit the site after his predecessors, Saint John Paul II, a Pole and Benedict XVI, a German. During his visit, the Pope will pray at an execution wall and in the cell of St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Franciscan friar who volunteered to die at Auschwitz in order to save the life of another prisoner, a man with a family.  He is also scheduled to meet a group of Auschwitz survivors as well as a group of Polish Christians who risked their lives during the war to help the Jews.   

Cywinski said a visit to the camp is “fundamental” for our understanding of the post-war era and the issue of human rights. He noted Pope Francis’ commitment to Catholic-Jewish dialogue and said his visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau is “a clear sign” of “the Church’s approach to the Shoah and to the tragedy of the concentration camps.”

Pointing to our present era with its new wars and conflicts, Cywinski said by looking and learning from the past we can better understand the “dangers of populism, anti-semitism and all kinds of zenophobia." He said an example of the latter, was “what is happening now in many countries in Europe” and their attitude towards the refugees and migrants who are fleeing to the continent to escape war and conflict in their home nations.

“When we see this fear of people who are just escaping a war area in order to survive” ….. “This is also a kind of zenophobia, this fear of the other,” Cywinski said.

Saying we have “a lot to do to change this situation," Cywinski called for “a more humanistic vision” when dealing with these issues in our present times.  

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(Vatican Radio) Young pilgrims from 187 different countries are in Poland this week to see Pope Francis and to take part in the World Youth Day celebrations. Lydia O’Kane caught up with some of them to find out what drives people from so many different backgrounds to come together for this six day event.

Listen to Lydia’s conversation with Julia, a Dominican sister from southern India, Jim, a youth group chaperon from Minneapolis in the United States, and Sommer, one of a large group of young people from all over Jordan. 

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(Vatican Radio) Millions of Vatican Radio listeners knew this voice and the man behind the voice: 

“This is Gordon Martin for Vatican Radio in Geneva”

Listen to the report by Christian Peschken:

On Wednesday, here at the UN Geneva we, his colleagues where saddened to learn from his wife, that Gordon had passed away the day earlier on Tuesday July 26, at 9PM in his Geneva home, following a heart attack.  

The President of the United Nations Correspondent  Association ACANU , Jan Dirk Herbermann:

“Gordon Martin was certainly one of our most esteemed colleagues; he was famous for his anecdotes, for his jokes, for his very good sense of humour. This is certainly a great loss for the Geneva press corps. He was also a personal friend as it is always sad to lose personal friends and esteemed colleagues like Gordon” he said.    

UN Geneva Director General Michael Moller in his official commemorative statement this morning acknowledged Gordon Martin’s - as he called it - considerable contributions to public knowledge of the crucial work carried out in International Geneva , and said that Gordon Martin’s death marks the end of an era.

Gordon Martin was the UN Geneva Correspondent for Vatican Radio for over 25 years.  Gordon retired in 2014 at the age of 87.     

The man with his 40 year old Remington typewriter, was known as “Mr Gordon” by many of his former colleagues, whether at the Palais des Nations or at the Swiss Press Club.         

Gordon Martin's journalistic life spanned over 59 years. He was a war correspondent in Afghanistan and also one of the top reporters with Reuters, the BBC, the Daily Telegraph and of course Vatican Radio. 

His farewell report for Vatican Radio was broadcast on September 30, 2014.

From all of us here at the UN Geneva, and Vatican Radio: “May You rest in Peace Gordon,  and who knows,  perhaps you hang out now with the patron saint of writers and journalists St. Francis de Sales… and your audio signature continues to echo in the Eternal Press Room upstairs”. 

Christian Peschken at the UN in Geneva for Vatican Radio 

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Krakow, Poland, Jul 28, 2016 / 03:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pilgrims from across the globe travel to World Youth Day by plane, train and automobile. But not Victor Jacquemont, Antoine Lescuyer, and Humbert Canot.

The three young men, all in their early twenties, traveled from Paris to Krakow by biking 1,134 miles.

Their 18-day journey – starting on July 4 – took them across France, Germany, Czech Republic, and Prague.

The men told CNA they had a small tent in tow but also asked for “hospitality” from local churches and met many people along the way.

Originally from Cergy, a suburb of Paris, the men said the idea was to bike from their school’s chapel to the international youth gathering in Poland. The three attend ESSEC, an international business school in Europe.

One of the reasons they chose to bike was because, “it’s not just a trip. It was kind of a pilgrimage,” Canot said.

He explained that they wanted to make some effort, “some physical effort,” and have time to think about their faith.

“The bike was kind of an ideal way of traveling for that.”

The men also mentioned that Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si had an impact on them.

Because it talked about “having an ecological way of living,” the men said, “we thought that traveling on bicycle would be a nice way to put that in practice.”

The pilgrims believe that the Virgin Mary protected them during the whole journey.

A woman who saw their journey on Facebook gave the men a small icon of Mary, just before their trip began. They said they “introduced it to (everyone) that we met on the way.”

The men also handed out small miraculous medals from the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, where the devotion originated.

“We gave it as a memory and as a token of friendship.”

Now that they have arrived in Krakow, the young men are marveling in the “very good atmosphere.”

Between people praying in their own languages and singing songs, the men said it is nice to see that “we are all united in Jesus, despite all of the political divisions there might be,” Jacquemont said.  

“The language barrier doesn’t exist anymore,” he added, “it doesn’t matter.”

This marks the first World Youth Day for Canot and Jacquemont, but Lescuyer said he attended the event when it was in Madrid in 2011.

The men said they will be meeting up with other pilgrims from their diocese and they plan on living this week to the fullest with Pope Francis.

“If we make enough noise, we might even meet him!”

 

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Czestochowa, Poland, Jul 28, 2016 / 04:44 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Those who embrace their own littleness become the “spokespersons” of God, Pope Francis said during Mass at the shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, celebrating the 1050 anniversary of Poland becoming a Christian nation. It was the first major event of the Pope's trip to the country for the 31st World Youth Day.

“To be attracted by power, by grandeur, by appearances, is tragically human,” the pontiff said in his homily. “But to give oneself to others, eliminating distances, dwelling in littleness and living the reality of one’s everyday life: this is exquisitely divine.”

“The little ones speak (God's) own language, that of the humble love that brings freedom,” he said. “So he calls the simple and receptive to be his spokespersons; he entrusts to them the revelation of his name and the secrets of his heart.”

According to official estimates, some 500,000 people attended the July 28 Mass with Pope Francis outside the Jasna Góra monastery, where the famous image of Our Lady of Czestochowa is housed.

The event at Poland's leading Marian marked the first public Mass during Pope's July 27-31 trip to the nation for WYD, which is taking place in Krakow.

The Mass was a celebration of the “baptism” of Poland, which became a Christian nation in 966 upon the baptism of its first historic ruler, Mieszko I.

Francis centered his homily for the Mass on the readings, starting with Paul's letter to the Galatians.

This reading speaks of Jesus coming at the “fullness of time” which, the Pope said, was “a gift of grace: God filled our time out of the abundance of his mercy. Out of sheer love he inaugurated the fullness of time.”

The pontiff noted the particular significance of God entering into history by being “born of a woman.”

“There was no triumphal entrance or striking epiphany of the Almighty. He did not reveal himself as a brilliantly rising sun, but entered the world in the simplest of ways, as a child from his mother,” he said.

Citing Saint Luke's Gospel, the Pope said: “Thus, contrary to our expectations and perhaps even our desires, the kingdom of God, now as then, 'does not come in a way that attracts attention,' but rather in littleness, in humility.”

Pope Francis turned his reflection to the day's Gospel which recounts Jesus' first miracle -- turning water into wine, at the request of his mother, during the wedding feast at Cana.

“Today’s Gospel takes up this divine thread delicately passing through history,” he said. “Time shortens, God always shows himself in littleness.”

This miracle was not an an “amazing deed done before the crowd” or a response to a “political question,” the pontiff observed. Rather, it was a “simple miracle” in a small village, one which “brings joy to the wedding of a young and completely anonymous family.”

Despite its “littleness,” the miracle is nonetheless “a great sign, for it reveals to us the spousal face of God, a God who sits at table with us, who dreams and holds communion with us,” the Pope said.

“It tells us that the Lord does not keep his distance, but is near and real. He is in our midst and he takes care of us, without making decisions in our place and without troubling himself with issues of power.”

The desire for power is a human temptation, the pontiff said. Unlike us, Jesus “prefers to let himself be contained in little things.”

“To be attracted by power, by grandeur, by appearances, is tragically human,” he said. “But to give oneself to others, eliminating distances, dwelling in littleness and living the reality of one’s everyday life: this is exquisitely divine.”

Pope Francis reflected on three ways in which God saves humanity. This is achieved by Jesus' littleness, by his closeness to his people, and by his concrete actions.

Reflecting on Jesus' “littleness,” the Pope noted his special love for “the little ones, to whom the kingdom of God is revealed.”

“The little ones speak his own language, that of the humble love that brings freedom. So he calls the simple and receptive to be his spokespersons; he entrusts to them the revelation of his name and the secrets of his heart,” he said.

He cited examples of this littleness, such as the martyrs who “defenseless power of the Gospel shine forth,” as well as ordinary people who witnessed “the Lord’s love amid great trials.”

The Pope also remembered the Polish saints, St. John Paul II and St. Faustina, describing them as “meek and powerful heralds of mercy.”

He also noted the significance of this significant anniversary of Poland's baptism falling during the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

Pope Francis then reflected on God's nearness to his people, and his desire “to come down to our everyday affairs, to walk with us.”

Reflecting on the 1050 years of Christianity in Poland, he said “we do well before all else to thank God for having walked with your people, having taken you by the hand and accompanied you in so many situations.”

“That is what we too, in the Church, are constantly called to do: to listen, to get involved and be neighbours, sharing in people’s joys and struggles, so that the Gospel can spread every more consistently and fruitfully: radiating goodness through the transparency of our lives.”

Finally, Pope Francis spoke of God in his reality, as manifested in the Word becoming flesh, “born of a mother.”

“The eternal is communicated by spending time with people and in concrete situations,” the Pope explained.

Addressing the people of Poland, the pontiff said: “Your own history, shaped by the Gospel, the Cross and fidelity to the Church, has seen the contagious power of a genuine faith, passed down from family to family, from fathers to sons and above all from mothers and grandmothers, whom we need so much to thank.”

Pope Francis indicated to the image of Our Lady of Czestochowa, and reflected on Mary as a sign of “the fullness of time.”

“In her, we find complete conformity to the Lord,” he said, adding that there is a “Marian thread” woven into history with the “divine thread.”

“If there is any human glory, any merit of our own in the fullness of time, it is she,” he said. Mary is that space, preserved free from sin, where God chose to mirror himself.”

“She is the stairway God took to descend and draw near to us. She is the clearest sign of the fullness of time.”

Reflecting on Mary's “littleness,” the Pope noted how God “was so pleased with her that he let his flesh be woven from hers, so that the Virgin became the Mother of God.”

The pontiff addressed the pilgrims who travel to the Shrine of Czestochowa, the “spiritual capital” of Poland.

“May she continue to point the way,” and help you to weave in your own lives the humble and simple thread of the Gospel.”

At the Jasna Góra shrine, like at Cana, Pope Francis said “Mary offers us her nearness, and helps us to discover what we need to live life to the full.”

Acting with a “mother's love,” Mary teaches us “to avoid hasty decisions and grumbling in our communities,” he said.

“As the Mother of a family, she wants to keep us together. Through unity, the journey of your people has surmounted any number of harsh experiences.”

Addressing the crowds, the pontiff prayed that Mary may “obtain for you the desire to leave behind all past wrongs and wounds, and to build fellowship with all, without ever yielding to the temptation to withdraw or to domineer.”

Pope Francis also spoke of the “great realism” which Mary demonstrated at the wedding in Cana, taking to heart the people's problems, and handling them “discreetly, efficiently and decisively.”

He encouraged the faithful to ask for the grace to be able to imitate Mary's “sensitivity” and “creativity in serving others,” and to know the beauty of serving others, “without favourites or distinctions.”

“The transition from before to after Christ means little if it remains a date in the annals of history,” Francis concluded. “May each one of us be able to make an interior passage, a Passover of the heart, towards the divine 'style' incarnated by Mary,” he said.

“May we do everything in littleness, and accompany others at close hand, with a simple and open heart.”

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