"Too often in the West, religion is presented as an activity that serves human well-being. Religion is equated with ... acts of charity, ... promoting universal brotherhood and world peace."
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From Aleletia
By Mathilde De Robien
In a forceful homily on the 400th anniversary of the apparitions of Saint Anne in Auray, France, Cardinal Robert Sarah put life and suffering in perspective.Cardinal Robert Sarah, Prefect Emeritus of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, was the special envoy of Pope Leo XIV to preside over the celebrations of Sainte-Anne-d'Auray (France) on July 25 and 26.
He didn’t mince his words during his homily at the pontifical Mass on Saturday, July 26. Before nearly 30,000 faithful gathered in front of the outdoor altar of the Breton shrine, the Guinean cardinal strongly urged them to return to the path of faith and Eucharistic adoration.
He strongly encouraged the faithful to put God first, both in their private and political lives.
“Do not profane France with your barbaric and inhuman laws that advocate death when God wants life,” he said, referring to the current debate surrounding the euthanasia bill.
True spirituality is not defined by humanitarian projects but is nourished first and foremost by worship. Borrowing an insight dear to the Desert Fathers, he urged people to take care of their souls, the inner place where God speaks to each of us.
Lastly, Cardinal Sarah had a special thought for all couples hoping for a child, and more broadly for all the faithful facing suffering. He encouraged them to turn to Saint Anne, chosen to be the mother of the Virgin Mary.
Here are some excerpts from his homily (translation by Aleteia, with titles and emphasis added).
The history of the shrine
In this place, 400 years ago, Saint Anne appeared to Yvon Nicolazic to say to him: “Yvon Nicolazic, Me zo Anna, mamm Mari (”I am Anne, mother of Mary," in Breton, editor's note). Yvon, fear not, I am Anne, mother of Mary. Tell your rector, your priest, that on the land called Bocenno — that is, this place where we are now — there once stood a chapel dedicated in my name, the first in the whole country. It has been in ruins for 924 years and 6 months, and I wish for it to be rebuilt as soon as possible and for you to take care of it because God wants me to be honored there, God wants you to come there in procession."
God comes first
There is a great mystery here that we must meditate on. There were many other churches available, there were many other possible places, but he chose this one. Why? First, to tell us that God is first, that God's glory precedes us and does not belong to us. God created us out of a free act of love; all creation is the work of his hands, the free gift of his love. […]
We did not deserve his love; he loved us first, and we owe him everything because it is to him that we owe our life, our movement, and our very being. For us who are his creatures and his children, to honor God and give him glory is to do justice. Giving glory to God is not an optional choice, it is a duty, a necessity. It is very important to be aware of this, especially in your societies, which tend to consider God as dead, useless, and uninteresting.
The false Western view of religion
Too often in the West, religion is presented as an activity that serves human well-being. Religion is equated with humanitarian actions, acts of charity, welcoming migrants and the homeless, promoting universal brotherhood and world peace. Spirituality is seen as a form of personal development, there to bring a little relief to modern man, who is focused on his usual political and economic activities.
While these issues are important, this view of religion is false. Religion is not about food or humanitarian actions. In the desert, this was the first temptation that Jesus rejected. To redeem humanity, we must overcome the misery of hunger and poverty, which is what the devil offers the Lord. But Jesus replies that this is not the path to redemption. He makes us understand that even if all men had enough to eat, if prosperity extended to all, humanity would not be redeemed.
Religion is not primarily about humanitarian actions
We see how precisely in countries of comfort, wealth, and abundance, man destroys himself, self-destructs, because he forgets God and thinks only of his wealth and earthly well-being. What saves the world is the bread of God.
He feeds man with the bread of God, and the bread of God is Christ himself. What will save the world is man kneeling before God to worship and serve him. God is not at our service. We are at his service.
The reason for our existence is worshiping God
We were created to praise and worship God. It is in the worship of God that we discover our true dignity, the ultimate reason for our existence. It is on our knees before God that man discovers his true greatness and nobility. And if we do not worship God, we will end up worshipping ourselves. [...]
Do not desecrate France with your barbaric and inhuman laws that advocate death when God wants life. [...]
And our first activity is to worship and glorify God. This is the highest expression of our gratitude to God and the most beautiful response of our lives to the exceptional love He has for us. To worship God, we must set ourselves apart in silence.
Sacred places, special care
Come here in the silence of your heart to listen to God. This is what we call entering into a sacred attitude. There are sacred places, places reserved for God, chosen by God. These places cannot be profaned by activities other than prayer, silence, and liturgy.
Our churches are not theaters, concert halls, or venues for cultural activities or entertainment. The church is God's house. It is reserved exclusively for Him. We enter it with respect and reverence, dressed appropriately because we tremble before the greatness of God. We do not tremble with fear but with respect, awe, and admiration.
[...] The external effort you make to dress up is only a sign of the internal effort you make to present yourselves to God with a pure soul, washed by the sacrament, adorned by prayer and the spirit of adoration.
Sacred places do not belong to us, they belong to God. The liturgy has as its goal the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful, and sacred music is a privileged means of facilitating the active and fully conscious participation of the faithful in the sacred celebration of the Christian mysteries. […]
Rebuilding the church of one's soul
God comes to tell each one of us today, “I have chosen your soul. I have chosen your heart as a sacred place to be worshipped.” Your baptized soul is a sacred place; do not profane it by giving it over to disordered passions and the spirit of the world. Do not profane it by stealing God's first place.
If the church of your soul is in ruins, then hear God's call. It is time to rebuild it and rebuild it on the rock, the solid foundation on which we must build our lives and our hope.
Yes, it is time to rebuild the church of our soul, it is time to confess, confess the sins you have committed in word or deed, night or day, confess in this favorable time and on the day of salvation receive the heavenly treasure.
“Above all, watch over your soul,” Saint Cyril of Jerusalem tells us. It is time to take care of it by setting aside time each day for true, intense, silent prayer. It is time to cast out the idols of money, screens, and easy and vulgar seduction. God wants your heart; God wants your soul [...].
Let us not steal from God the sacred shrine of our soul.
Your soul is a sacred place. Take care of it. It is only there, in the sacred shrine of your soul, that God can speak to you, console you, and bring you back to him through a radical conversion. It is only in this inner shrine that you will be able to hear his call to be holy, to be a worshipper. “Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.”
It is in this inner and sacred place that you, young man, will be able to hear his call to be a priest or religious. May you, young woman, hear his call to give yourself to him in religious life by consecrating your body, your heart, and all your capacity to love. [...]
My beloved brothers and sisters, let us not steal from God the sacred shrine of our soul. God created it, and God redeemed it. Let us not profane our bodies. Our body is the Temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in us. [...] God has entrusted it to us so that we may take care of it and worship Him in silence. God wants it, God wants you.
Saint Anne’s suffering, and ours
[...] There is no other place in the world where Saint Anne appeared. What a privilege! What a grace! What a mystery! Saint Anne brings a special message to this place — she who, together with Joachim, had no children because of her advanced age. Her heart must have been full of sorrow and anxiety. What suffering for the heart of a woman who longs to become a mother and sees her wait prolonged.
How much Saint Anne must have wondered: Is it my fault? Why such a trial? Surely there are men and women among you who suffer from not having children. Surely there are parents among you whose hearts, like those of Saint Anne, are filled with suffering, anguish, and worry for sick children, for children who have abandoned the faith and seem to be drifting away from God, or for their families, or for their country, which seems to be in danger.
Our trials and sufferings sometimes leave us in a state of profound incomprehension. Why the death of a child? Why the suffering of the innocent? Why war? Why betrayal? Why, Lord?
We sometimes feel abandoned by Him. God seems to be no longer there, and for Europe, God is dead. Should we rebel? Should we believe that God has become indifferent to us? Should we abandon our religious practice because He does not listen to our prayers? Should we stop praying and going to Mass on Sundays?
St. Anne’s answer: adoration
Let us look at Saint Anne and listen to her voice. What is she doing? Is she rebelling against God? Is she turning away from God? No, she remains in adoration. God is greater than our incomprehension, greater than our doubts. God is greater than our hearts.
In the face of evil, we have no ready-made answers, we have no human answers. In the face of evil, we have only one answer: adoration. Our only response to the mystery of evil is silent adoration. Yes, evil is incomprehensible, but we know through faith that adoring trust in God is stronger than the absurdity of evil.
Saint Anne came here to tell [...] people of all countries and all places that adoration is the only remedy for despair. Faith in God and adoration of God are the only remedies that can guarantee people a solid and lasting peace. […]
Persevere in adoration
All of you who suffer, I address you, look at Saint Anne, all of you who despair for your children, your parents, your country, look at Saint Anne. Like her, let us persevere in adoration. The adoration of God will never disappoint us.
The patient and silent adoration of Saint Anne allowed Mary, the mother of the Savior, the most beautiful, the purest, and the holiest of all creatures, to be born. All of you whose hearts are filled with suffering and sorrow, your adoration will bear fruit in hope. Persevering and relentless adoration tears away the darkness and brings the light of hope. […]
When everything seems dark, we can always say, with our beloved Pope Leo XIV, that evil will not triumph, evil will not prevail. God, our God, is infinitely good, infinitely beautiful, infinitely great. [...] “Come, let us worship the Lord, come, let us worship him, let us bow down before him, let us kneel before the Lord our Creator, for he is our God. Amen.”
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