Ob sklepu mednarodnih salezijanskih iger je ljubljanski nadškof msgr. Stanislav Zore OFM daroval sveto mašo. Pri njej je mlade nagovoril in spodbudil, njegov nagovor pa objavljamo v celoti.

Dragi mladi prijatelji, spoštovani bratje salezijanci, spoštovani organizatorji tega športnega, prijateljskega in duhovnega dogodka, dragi prostovoljci. Iskreno vas pozdravljam na tem osrednjem dogodku letošnjih mednarodnih salezijanskih iger mladih. Tekmovanja potrebujejo samo še piko na i, da ugotovimo, kdo bo za spoznanje boljši od drugega in bo domov odšel s priznanjem, da je bil najboljši.

Res je, da je bila glavnina dogajanja v teh dneh namenjena športnim dogodkom, tekmam in merjenju moči. Le da je to merjenje moči potekalo pod geslom letošnjega srečanja: „Igrišče združuje“. Kar pomeni, da so bili tudi športni dogodki uglašeni nekoliko drugače, kot so običajno. Navadno beremo ali slišimo, da je nek klub igral proti drugemu klubu. Dve ekipi sta bili postavljeni druga proti drugi. Ena je zmagala, druga pa je bila poražena.

Na vaših igrah pa, dragi mladi prijatelji, kjer igrišče združuje, ekipi nista igrali druga proti drugi, nista bili postavljeni druga proti drugi, ampak sta igrali druga z drugo. Takšen način tekmovanja oziroma takšna miselnost na igrišču pa ne ustvarja poražencev, ampak so vsi zmagovalci. Igrišče nas združuje v tem smislu, da človek potrebuje človeka, da bi lahko rastel kot človek. Igralec potrebuje soigralca, ravno tako pa potrebuje tudi igralca, s katerim tekmuje, sicer ni igre. Igrišče nas združuje v zavesti, da potrebujemo drug drugega, da potrebujemo spretnosti drug drugega, da moramo napredovati v svojih spretnostih in v obvladovanju veščin, ki našo igro delajo bolj privlačno in jo odlikujejo z večjo lepoto.

In kot rečeno, smo sedaj pri osrednjem dogodku celotnega srečanja. Zbrali smo se okoli oltarne mize, na kateri se bo Gospod Jezus Kristus za nas daroval nebeškemu Očetu. On je središče našega srečanja. Z Njim ste se že srečali v adoraciji v sklopu duhovnega večera v četrtek zvečer. Prepričan sem, da se vas je večina z Njim srečevala v jutranjih in večernih molitvah, pa tudi v tolikih trenutkih preko dneva, ko se včasih samo mimogrede spomnite Nanj, ga počastite v srcu, mu pošljete tiho prošnjo ali se mu zahvalite za nekaj lepega, česar ste bili deležni.

To dopoldne se bomo srečali z Njim v izpolnjevanju njegove obljube, da bo ostal z nami vse dni do konca sveta. To obljubo izpolnjuje prav v daritvi svojega telesa in krvi. V tej daritvi se zgodi nekaj čudovitega. Mi mu darujemo sad zemlje in dela človeških rok, on pa to posveti in nam podari svoje telo in svojo kri, da bi mogli v Njem živeti. Ko bomo pri tej sveti maši Očetu prinesli sad zemlje in dela človeških rok, bomo zraven položili tudi vsa vaša prizadevanja na igriščih in povsod drugod. Naj tudi vas in vaše prizadevanje Jezus sprejme in ga posveti, da bo moglo biti po božje rodovitno v življenju vsakega izmed vas. Na ta način nas bo Jezus združil na veliko močnejši in veliko trdnejši način, kakor nas more združevati igrišče. Povezal nas bo v eno telo – združil na bo v svoje skrivnostno telo, v katerem vsi postajamo eno.

V berilu smo slišali apostola Pavla, ki je učencu Timoteju razodel svoje srce. „Izlivam se kot pitna daritev.“ Boji so izbojevani, teki so dokončani in vera je ohranjena. Zanj je pomemben samo še Gospod, ki mu je dajal moč. In moč je potreboval, zelo potreboval. Koliko morij je preplul. Trikrat je doživel brodolom in eno noč in en dan je preživel na odprtem morju. Koliko poti je prehodil. Koliko stisk je doživel. Trikrat so ga bičali, enkrat so ga kamnali. Nasprotovanja pa ni doživljal samo v odnosu, ki so ga imeli do njega ljudje ali v nenaklonjenih naravnih danostih. Tudi sam v sebi je moral izbojevati boj, dokončati tek. V sebi je čutil, da mu je bil dan v meso trn, satanov sel. Pravi, da je trikrat prosil Gospoda, da bi ga umaknil od njega, Gospod pa mu je odvrnil: „Dovolj ti je moja milost. Moč se dopolnjuje v slabotnosti“ (2 Kor 12,7-8). Vse je zmogel, ker je k njemu stopil Gospod in mu dal moč, da je dopolnil oznanjevanje.

Tudi vsi mi, dragi mladi prijatelji, smo kot Pavel poklicani in poslani, da oznanjamo. Ne z vzvišenostjo svojih dejanj, ne z naslovi, ki jih podedujemo ali si jih pridobimo, ampak z velikim zaupanjem, da je Bog zvest svojim obljubam, kajti sam sebi se ne more izneveriti. V njegovi zvestobi je naša moč. Tudi mi vse premoremo v njem, ki nam daje moč, kakor je dejal sveti Pavel.

Odlomek iz Lukovega evangelija, ki smo ga slišali, pa nas povabi v najpomembnejšo in najtršo tekmo našega življenja. Dva človeka sta šla v tempelj molit, farizej in cestninar. Farizej se je postavil na oder za zmagovalce. Poglej me, dragi Bog, poglej me in priznaj, kako sem dober. Vse zapovedi izpolnjujem in ni ga pod soncem, ki bi mi mogel očitati kakršnokoli slabost ali napako. In Bog se je ozrl proč. Ta človek je bil tako poln samega sebe, da je bil slep za Boga in za ljudi. Cestninar pa je vedel, da je grešnik, zato se je trkal na prsi in prosil:“ Bog, bodi milostljiv meni, grešniku.“ In Bog se je ozrl nanj, vstopil v njegovo srce in ga očistil. Domov je odšel opravičen.

In prav to je najtrša tekma našega življenja – biti pristen, biti iskren. Kako težko je priznati, da nismo popolni in da potrebujemo Boga in da potrebujemo njegovo odpuščanje. Najraje bi bili vsi najboljši, najpopolnejši, najsposobnejši, najlepši … Seznam naših želja po popolnosti je dolg, predolg. In prevečkrat na ta seznam gledamo, kot da je v marsičem že uresničen. Pri tem pa pozabljamo, da to, kar je popolno, ne more več rasti. Samo, kar je majhno, lahko še naprej raste. Kar je postalo veliko, je izpostavljeno samo še manjšanju, propadanju.

Zato je pomembno, da danes prosimo Jezusa, da nam po svojem Svetem Duhu odpre oči, da bomo sami sebe videli in sprejeli v vsej resničnosti. Takrat bomo doživeli čudoviti trenutek, v katerem bo Jezus postal naš gost in nam pomagal iti naprej, nam pomagal rasti. Pomagal nam bo preživeti naše brodolome in pomagal nam bo, da bomo zdržali v različnih oblikah bičanja in kamnanja, ki smo jih deležni. In naučili se bomo, kako lepo je z Jezusom dobojevati dober boj in dokončati tek.

Dragi mladi prijatelji. Ob vseh dosežkih letošnjih mednarodnih salezijanskih iger mladih vam želim, da bi nikdar ne odložili športne opreme duhovnega boja, v katerem se človek prekali v zvestobi. Naj vas v tem boju spremlja pomoč Jezusa Kristusa, ki je Pavlu rekel: „Dovolj ti je moja milost.“ Obenem pa prosim nebeško Mater Marijo, naj varuje vašo mladost in vaša prizadevanja, da se boste mogli veseliti sadov svojega življenja. Amen.

 

 

Salesian brothers. Organizers and Volunteers of this sports–friendship–spiritual event. My dear young friends. I wish to wholeheartedly welcome you to this central event of the Jubilee 30^th International Salesian Youth Games. This tournament now needs the final dotted I-s and crossed T-s in order to show who is noticeably better and will end up leaving with a certificate for being the best.

It is true these days have for the most part been directed toward sporting events and competition. However, the slogan of this year’s meeting and tournament is, “United by the field.” This means that the sporting events have been tuned a bit differently than usual. Ordinarily we read or hear that a club plays against another club. Two teams oppose each other. One of them wins and the other is beat.

Your games, my dear young friends, where you were united by the field, did not play two teams against each other but with each other. This kind of thinking and approach to tournament does not make losers but all turn out to be winners. The field unites us in the sense that a person needs another person in order to grow as a person. A player needs another player to play with or to compete with, otherwise there is no game. The field unites us in the awareness that we need each other and that we need each other’s abilities so that we can improve our own abilities and skills that make our games ever more attractive, refined and graceful.

At this point we have gathered for the central event of this meet, that is, we have gathered around the table of the altar where our Lord Jesus Christ will offer Himself for us to the Heavenly Father. He is the center of our meeting. You have spent time with Him already Thursday evening during adoration and spiritual reflection. I am sure most of you were meeting Him at morning and evening prayers as well as in many moments each day as you remembered Him, gave Him praise in your hearts, turned to Him with requests or thanked Him for something

beautiful in your lives.

This morning we shall meet Him as He keeps His promise to remain with us all the days until the end of the age. He is fulfilling this promise in His offering of His Body and Blood, when something wonderful happens. We offer Him fruit of the earth and work of human hands, whereas He consecrates these offerings and gives us His Body and Blood in return for us to live in Him. When we bring fruit of the earth and work of human hands to our Father at this holy mass we will include all your efforts in the field and everywhere else, so that Jesus accepts and blesses you and your efforts in order to be fertile in your lives. This way Jesus will unite us in a stronger and firmer way than the field. He will unite us into one body, into His mysterious Body, in which we all become one.

In the reading we heard the Apostle Paul reveal his heart to his disciple Timothy, “I am already being poured out like a libation.” He has competed well, finished the race and kept the faith. Only the Lord who has given him strength is still important to him. Paul needed strength very much. How many seas has he sailed? Three times shipwrecked and one day and night on the high seas. How many paths walked? How many tribulations? Three times scourged and once stoned.

He not only encountered opposition in relationships with people or unfavorable natural givens but also had to struggle and finish the race within himself, where he felt a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan. He writes he begged the Lord three times for this to leave him. The Lord replied to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor 12,7- 8). He was able to go through this because the Lord came to him and gave him strength to complete his mission.

We too, my dear young friends, are called and sent like Paul to proclaim the good news, not with some great acts or inherited or acquired titles, but with great trust in God’s faithfulness to His promises, as He cannot deny Himself. His faithfulness is our strength. We too can conquer through Him who gives us strength, as St. Paul has said.

The passage from the Gospel according to Luke we have just heard calls us to the hardest and most important contest of our lives. Two people came to pray in the Temple, a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisee mounted the winners’ steps, boasting, “Look at me, dear God, and tell me how good I am. I keep all the commandments and nobody under the Sun could reprove me for any weakness or fault.” And God turned His face away from him. This person was so full of himself that he was blind for God and for people. The tax collector knew he was a sinner, so he beat his breast and prayed, “O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” And God looked on him with favor, entered his heart and cleansed him. He went home justified.

The hardest contest of our lives is to be authentic and sincere. How difficult it is to admit that we are not perfect, that we need God, that we need His forgiveness. We would prefer to be the best, the most perfect, the most capable, the most beautiful… The list of our wishes for perfection is long, too long. And too often we thing that many of the wishes have come true. However, we forget that whatever is perfect can no longer grow. Only what is small can keep growing. What has become large is subject only to contraction and decay.

It is therefore important to ask Jesus today to open our eyes through His Holy Spirit in order for us to see and accept ourselves the way we really are. We shall then experience a beautiful moment of Jesus becoming our Guest and helping us grow and move on. He will help us survive our shipwrecks and get through the various forms of flagellation and stoning we are subjected to. We will learn how nice it is to complete the struggle and race with Jesus at our side.

My dear young friends, after all your accomplishments in these Jubilee 30th International Salesian Youth Games I wish you that you never take off your sporting outfits for the spiritual struggle that conditions you in fidelity and that the help of our Lord Jesus Christ, who said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you,” remain with you. I also pray to our heavenly Mother Mary to protect your youth and your efforts so that you can enjoy the fruits of your lives. Amen.

Foto: p. Ivan Rampre DJ.