Cardinal Sarah by Catholic Church England and Wales (Mazur/cbcew.org.uk) / Flickr
Cardinal Robert Sarah, archbishop emeritus of Conakry, Guinea, gave a stirring homily in France on the 400th anniversary of the apparition of St. Anne in which he urged the 30,000 gathered faithful to reject worldliness and sin and instead worship and adore God, especially amid the sufferings of life.
When St. Anne appeared to Yvon Nicolazic in Brittany, France, she directed him to rebuild a chapel — the first dedicated to her in the country — that had been in ruins for 924 years. The mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary told Nicolazic, “God wants you to come there in procession.”
Cardinal Sarah, who was sent as the special envoy of Pope Leo XIV for the occasion, gave the July 26 homily at that shrine, of Saint Anne d’Auray, according to the New Daily Compass, which published a transcript of the majority of the homily.
“Dear brothers and sisters, Saint Anne told Yvon Nicolazic, ‘God wills this place,’” Cardinal Sarah said. “He chose this land to make it holy. He wanted a part of your land, a part of your country — France — to be a sacred place, a place reserved for Him.”
Reflecting on why God chose that church specifically, Cardinal Sarah said that it is, for one, “to remind us that God comes first and that the glory of God precedes us and does not belong to us. God created us through an act of free love…. We did not deserve His love. He loved us first and we owe Him everything, because it is He who gives us life, movement and existence.”
“For us, His creatures and children, honoring God and giving Him glory is doing justice. Glorying God is not optional; it is a duty and a necessity,” Cardinal Sarah continued. “It is important to be aware of this, especially in Western societies, where God is often considered dead, useless or uninteresting.”
Further, he said, religion and spirituality should not be regarded as having a primarily humanitarian or self-help focus.
“All too often, religion is presented in the West as an activity that serves human well-being,” he said. “It is equated with humanitarian actions, such as acts of charity, welcoming migrants and the homeless, and promoting universal brotherhood and world peace. Spirituality is seen as a form of personal development that brings 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.”
He also said that in wealthy countries, people become forgetful of God because they focus solely on material goods and earthly life. But these material goods cannot save the world, he said: “It is the bread of God that saves the world.”
“God feeds man with the bread of God, and the bread of God is Christ himself,” Cardinal Sarah said. “The world will be saved when man kneels before God to worship and serve Him. God is not at our service. We are at His service. We were created to praise and worship God.
“It is through worshipping God that we discover our true dignity and the ultimate reason for our existence. It is only when we kneel before God that we discover our true greatness and nobility. If we do not worship God, we will end up worshipping ourselves.”
He urged the country to remember its Catholic history, saying that “God chose France to be a holy land reserved for him.”
“Do not desecrate France with barbaric and inhumane laws that advocate death when God wants life,” the cardinal added.
He spoke at length on the importance of sacred spaces — churches and the human soul — and emphasized that in worshipping God, “these places must not be profaned by activities other than prayer, silence and liturgy.”
Worship, he explained, requires appropriate dress, respect, and veneration, and, to be able to listen to God, silent in one’s heart.
“Our churches are not theaters, nor concert halls or venues for cultural or entertainment activities,” he said. “The church is the house of God. It is reserved exclusively for Him.”
Just as St. Anne said God wills for the church to be rebuilt so He could be worshipped there, so too does God will to be worshipped in the soul of each person.
“If the church of your soul is in ruins, then heed God’s call,” he said. “It is time to rebuild it, building on the solid foundation of rock on which we must base our lives and our hope… It is time to confess the sins you have committed in word or deed, night or day. Confess now during this favourable time, and on the day of salvation, receive the heavenly treasure.”
The faithful should prioritize silent prayer daily, too, he said.
“It is time to expel the idols of money, screens and easy, vulgar seduction,” the cardinal urged. “God wants your heart and soul, just as He wanted this land of Brittany.”
He emphasized that sin will not lead a person to become who he or she was made to be: “If you profane this inner sanctuary by leading a life dominated by sin and worldly entertainment, you risk missing out on life itself and never truly being yourself.”
Finally, St. Anne’s apparition brings with it a special message of hope and encouragement to those who are suffering, according to Cardinal Sarah. She worshipped God even in her trials, which included suffering from an intense longing for a child.
Before having Mary, Anne was advanced in age and likely wondered, “Is it my fault? Why such a trial?” Cardinal Sarah reflected.
“There are surely men and women among you who suffer from not having children,” he added. “There are surely parents among you whose hearts, like Saint Anne’s, are filled with suffering, anguish and worry for sick children, children who have abandoned the faith and seem to be drifting away from God, or for their families and their country, which seems to be in danger.”
Sometimes sufferings cause people to wonder if they should stop praying and going to Mass because God does not seem to listen — but St. Anne gives a strong example of what to do in these times of hardship: “She remains in adoration.”
“When confronted with evil, we have no easy answers; we have no answers that are purely human,” Cardinal Sarah said. “In the face of evil, adoration is our only response. Our only response to the mystery of evil is silent adoration. Evil is indeed incomprehensible, but through faith, we know that adoring trust in God is stronger than the absurdity of evil.”
Adoration of God is the only solution to despair and the only way to lasting peace amid suffering, he said.
“I address all of you who despair for your children, your parents or your country: look at Saint Anne. Like her, let us persevere in adoration,” Cardinal Sarah said. “Adoration of God will never disappoint us. It was the patient and silent adoration of Saint Anne that allowed Mary, the mother of the Saviour — the most beautiful, pure and holy of all creatures — to be born.
“Those of you whose hearts are filled with suffering and sorrow: your adoration will bear fruit in hope. Relentless adoration tears away the darkness and brings the light of hope.”
