Pope Benedict XVI speaks to seminarians at Almudena Cathedral

“In order to liken yourselves to the Lord in this as well, your heart must mature while in seminary, remaining completely open to the Master.”

These words were spoken during the Homily by Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday morning during the Mass for Seminarians at Our Lady of la Almudena Cathedral, part of the 26th World Youth Day taking place in Madrid, Spain.

As the Mass for Seminarians was also a votive Mass celebrating the High Priesthood of Christ, the priesthood of the Son of God coupled with emphasis on the Cross of Jesus were twin messages that rang out loud and clear in front of 4 566 seminarians gathered from the world over.

Prior to the Mass and even to the Pope’s arrival at la Almudena, the morning began with the celebration of Lauds or Morning Prayer.

In order to share without hesitation the gifts of divine wisdom, one must learn the way of suffering which our Lord endured on the Cross to save us. Salvation cannot be had without the cross, and the point was made, often subtly, yet repeatedly during the Mass for Seminarians that the joy of the Resurrection cannot be detached from the suffering of the Lord’s Passion.

This recognition of the salvific nature of the Cross entails solidarity with the poor and suffering of today’s world. To show this solidarity, the last of the Prayers of the Faithful was offered in Arabic by a seminarian from war-torn Iraq. Other prayers were offered for the Holy Father, as well as for peace in the world, and for the poor, the lonely, and the sick.

The Holy Father had other challenging words for those preparing for the priesthood. Pope Benedict XVI urged seminarians to listen with open ears but also with open hearts to God and to those entrusted with preparing seminarians for priesthood. Such listening enables the seminarian to find his proper calling in life, a discernment that “demands courage and authenticity,” the Pope said. He went on to say boldly: “Approach the priesthood only if you are firmly convinced that God is calling you to be his ministers, and if you are completely determined to exercise it in obedience to the Church’s precepts.”

The Pontiff ended his homily by commending the discernment of seminarians to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to the 34th and newest Doctor of the Church, St. John of Avila, “patron saint of the diocesan clergy of Spain.” A Doctor of the Church is a saint particularly recognized for his or her contributions to theological teaching and to the cause of furthering the Gospel. This is the second time that the announcement of a new Doctor of the Church has been made at a World Youth Day. The first was in 1997 at World Youth Day in Paris, when Pope John Paul II announced that he would proclaim St. Thérèse of Lisieux the 33rd Doctor of the Church the following October, on the hundredth anniversary of the death of the French Carmelite nun.

The Mass for Seminarians was only the beginning of a gruelling weekend for the 84-year-old Pontiff. Pope Benedict then went on to meet with the organizing committee of WYD at the Apostolic Nunciature and with disabled youth of the San José Foundation before presiding over the prayer vigil and Eucharistic adoration with youth at Cuatro Vientos airfield.