Saint Henry's Day Mass 19th January, 2002
Rome, Santa Maria supra Minerva
Sermon: Samuel Salmi, Bishop of Oulu
Text: Jn. 4:34-38
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
The traditional St. Henry mass celebrated in this church year by year is a source of joy for
us Christians. We have travelled a long way separated from each other, without visible
signs that we are going in the same direction. It is for this reason that today there is once
again cause for thanksgiving. Humbly we confess that we are still travelling, but our
destination is the same. It inspires us and challenges us once again to study the basis of
our hope and faith.
This church is for us Finns a visible symbol of hope. At times when there is no real joint
worship here, we are, however, gratified by the awareness that here in Rome, in the heart
of this Lord's house, there is a sign that we belong together. By providing space in the
heart of this church building for a chapel set aside for use by our church you here in Rome
desire to tell of our common roots, of the work of sowing the seed which has continued
from century to century. At the same time we rejoice in the message of the universal
Church of Christ. You here in Rome and we far away in Finland represent a common
reality which belongs to all peoples.
A visible reason for celebrating a joint mass in this church is provided by the remembrance
of St. Henry. Today we may celebrate his commemoration day following the rites of our
church. St. Henry's life's work has in a sense become manifest in the fact that in the Jubilee
Year 2000 our church officially adopted a new service book which includes St. Henry's
Day. This day is the only commemoration day which is dedicated to a person who lived
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after Bible times. The service book states as follows: " Bishop Henry, teacher of faith and
martyr, is the main figure of our church's sanctorale. We aim to remember him in
accordance with the principal confession of our church: "We may publicly remember the
saints, so that we might each learn in accordance with our calling to imitate their faith and
good works.." Today we remember St. Henry's labour of sowing the seed and the blessing
which his life's work has brought. We do not in fact know very many precise historical
facts about this important figure in the story of our church. As in the case of many other
great men, mythical elements have been associated with the person of St. Henry. They tell
of respect and of the blessings of the work of sowing the seed. Thus even the mythical
elements of the story have their own value. Today on his commemorative day we may,
however, declare that this missionary bishop, who died a martyr's death in 1156, is still an
inspiring example to the Church's apostolic work in the North. In this we follow the
teaching of the Letter to the Hebrews: "Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word
of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever." Just as in the heart of this church
there is a chapel dedicated to the life of our church, it reminds us of the central thing that
unites us: St. Henry's person and work are in many senses a symbol of Christian
fellowship and an inspiration to our hearts on the path of unity.
The traditional gospel lesson for St. Henry's Day, from John's Gospel, takes us to the feet of
the Lord of the Church. There he speaks to us, us who are so easily full of the importance
of our own work and ministry. We hear his voice in the familiar gospel reading: "For here
the saying holds true, "One sows and another reaps." I sent you to reap that for which you
did not labour. Others have laboured, and you have entered into their labour." It is the
subject of this passage that was the reason for linking this teaching of our Lord with the
remembrance of St. Henry. We build on the foundation laid by the hard work, faith and
faithful prayers of those fathers and mothers who lived before us. If the sower once
rejoiced, we may enter into the joy prepared for us. Salvation and new life have come
down among us in advance of our work and concern. We only need to enter the joy of the
children of God.
We live in a day when we can repeatedly hear our Western culture whispering in our ears:
carpe diem, seize the moment. This means: "Live for today, enjoy life now, while you still
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can. Don't throw away your opportunities, think of your career and the only life you
have." The burden of this egocentric way of thinking our Lord throws on his shoulders,
and he speaks words that go against our contemporary culture, calling us to live on the
terms of the giver of life: "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete
his work." Feverish self-fulfilment is thus transformed into a prayerful attitude towards
life. The realization that one's life does not go to waste, that one's heart and whole being is
fully nourished, comes from connecting one's little life to God's plan. This plan of his
kingdom is in a fascinating way individually tailored for everyone, and it shows respects
for and is consistent with God's work of creation.
St. Henry's calling was to sow the seed. He was also strongly committed to the Lord's will
as the guiding star of his life. In following it he did not shrink from facing danger. He
entrusted the plan of his life into his Lord's hands. In the fruits of his work we hear an
echo of the familiar words: "in giving we receive, in losing we find, in dying we shall rise
to eternal life."
St. Henry's Day falls annually during the ecumenical week of prayer, which ends with the
feast of the conversion of St. Paul on January 25th. When on St. Henry's Day we think of
the unity of the Church in faith and love, we may remember the words of Pope Paul VI in
the decretal on ecumenism of the Second Vatican Council: "True ecumenism does not exist
without inner conversion, for the desire for unity begins and matures in renewal of mind,
self-denial and in abundantly flowing love. Therefore we must pray the Holy Spirit for the
grace of honest selflessness, humility and patient service, and for a brotherly and generous
attitude towards others. The Apostle to the Gentiles says, "I therefore, the prisoner in the
Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all
humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every
effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Eph. 4:1-3) ... Let all the
faithful remember that the more enthusiastically they seek to lead a pure life in accordance
with the Gospel the better they will promote and even achieve Christian unity. The
stronger the bond uniting them to the Father, the Word and the Spirit, the more deeply
and easily they will be able to strengthen brotherhood between them." (Unitatis
redintegratio 7).
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Today, as we rejoice in the reality of the roots of our common faith, our eyes turn naturally
to St. Henry's legacy and work. In our minds is strengthened the realization of how
prayers and blessing have accompanied our path to this moment. Faithfulness to church
history and tradition also oblige us, as Pope Paul VI taught, to bear in mind the sources of
true unity. They can be appreciated only through renewal of one's mind. On the way
ahead we will still need bold visions, prayer and self-denying humility, so that God might
seize our moments and make them one of the building blocks of the visible Church of
Christ.