The archbishop called on the pilgrims to have the courage to talk to their children about God’s deeds in their lives. “Have the courage to show faith, but not just as a tradition. Also listen to your children, because even through them God can speak to you,” said the Archbishop of Prague to the faithful in Levoča.

The archbishop also pointed out that some people seek with great interest various private apparitions. “Notice that in none of them do we hear anything greater than what Mary said at the wedding in Cana of Galilee: “Do whatever Jesus tells you” (Jn 2:5).

He also pondered whether our priority in life is to get to heaven and whether God comes first. “When I’m in a hurry to catch a train, I don’t waste time talking to my neighbor or looking at window displays. When I have a goal, I can arrange things accordingly. Can I arrange my life so that I can reach heaven? Is it my priority?” asked Jan Graubner at the end.

Full text of Archbishop Graubner’s homily

Dear brothers in the episcopal, priestly, and deacon ministry, dear sisters, dear brothers, dear pilgrims, we have come to Levoča from many places, and we feel here at Maria as at home with our mother.

We all belong to the great Marian family. How did it happen that we belong to her family? When Christ redeemed us by his death on the cross, he gave up everything. He gave his spirit to the Father and gave his Mother as our mother.

That’s when she accepted us as her children. A loving Mother gathers her children. Even though they are scattered around the world, they return to their mother with joy. And that’s why we came today. We come to our mother to open our hearts to her, to experience the joy of family.

We sing to her. We praise her. Each of us brought her a gift. But we also came to her to listen to her. It is good to listen to the voice of the loving Mother because she is the Mother of Incarnate Wisdom.

We find only a few of Mary’s words in the Gospel. At the moment of the annunciation, she said her clear YES to God: Let it be done to me according to your word. When visiting Elizabeth, he sings a hymn for the celebration of God. In the temple, he talks to the twelve-year-old Jesus. The Gospel has preserved only one of her advice: Do everything that Jesus tells you (Jn 2, 5).

Maria’s words are few… However, she does not only teach with her words, but with everything she does. She was a good listener of the divine Master. She kept all his words in her heart. She stood faithfully under his cross.

When the Holy Spirit was sent, she stayed awake with the disciples in prayer. This is what Mary teaches us today: have the courage to always say “yes” to God. Not only when you like it, when it’s convenient, when you understand it, when it’s to your liking.

Say “yes” to God even when his demands exceed you, when you don’t understand them, when it costs you a lot, when someone condemns you for it.

Then you will feel the strength and power of God’s word, then you will experience that the Word becomes flesh, a reality. You will become a visible sign of God’s action for the surrounding world. Thanks to you and through you, God will again enter this world, which is moving away from God.

Be realists who see the needs of the world and people. But don’t just show empathy, but real compassion that effectively helps. As Maria went to help Elžbeta in her difficult moment, you too put your hands to good work and do not waste time with unnecessary criticism and vain lamentations.

Don’t talk about scandals or bad examples that the world is having fun with. Rather, talk about the great deeds of God that have a place in your lives, and praise and glorify God like Mary in the Magnificat.

Talk to your children like Mary. Talk to them about God and his works in your life. Have the courage to show faith, but not just as a tradition. Also listen to your children, because even through them God can speak to you. Do not be afraid when the child who has heard God’s call says to you: Did you not know that my place is in my father’s house? (Luke 2, 49).

Accept your child’s vocation to the priesthood or to consecrated life as a great honor. We live in a world that is complex. There is a war with our neighbors, to which we cannot close our eyes and pretend that it does not concern us.

War is fought not only with weapons but also with false news. He who seeks Christ, who is the truth, cannot spread lies. Many are tired of politics and want to hide in their shell. Believe that God wants to enter history even here in Slovakia and today through those who willingly say “yes” to him like Mary.

He speaks through St. Paul: “Hate evil, cling to good, do not slacken in your zeal, think alike and bless everyone, even those who are against you.” You show the power of healing love (cf. Rom 12:9).

“War is fought not only with weapons, but also with false news. Whoever seeks Christ, who is the truth, cannot spread lies.”

Building peace requires a love from us that can love even those who do not love us, forgive and love the enemies or the homeland of others as our own. To eliminate the danger of war, it is necessary to eliminate the spirit of aggression, exploitation and selfishness from which war originates. We must listen to conscience as God’s voice in the heart.

Some people seek various private revelations with great interest. Notice that in none of them do we hear anything greater than what Mary said at the wedding in Cana of Galilee: “Do whatever Jesus tells you” (Jn 2:5). This is the basis of a healthy Marian piety: to be open to God’s word and to rejoice in the fact that we can fulfill God’s will. Therefore, a true Marian devotee often opens the Holy Scriptures and listens to what God tells him.

He lets himself be guided by God’s wisdom and keeps God’s word in his heart like Mary so that at the right moment he can live according to it. He does not let himself be trampled by everyday worries and troubles, because he knows how to entrust himself to God with the trust of a child. After all, he is powerful enough to take care of what belongs to him.

When the Lord Jesus fulfilled his mission on earth, he went to heaven “to prepare a place for us there. He will come again and take us to himself, so that we too may be where he is” (cf. Jn 14:13).

That is the goal of our life. The apostle Paul writes about it: “For as all die in Adam, so all shall be made alive in Christ.” But each in the order that belongs to him: the first fruits is Christ; then, after his coming, those who belong to Christ” (1 Cor 15, 22-23). The first to enter his glory was the one who had the strongest bond with Christ, the Mother of Jesus and our Mother.

Dear brothers and sisters, today we came to Levoča to visit our Mother, who is already in heaven and is waiting for us there. Do we also long to meet her in heaven? This is not just a rhetorical question to which I would expect your pious assent. It is an extremely serious matter. Let’s look at our life. What are my priorities? What do I spend the most time on? What wins me over so much that I give it priority over God?

When I’m rushing to catch a train, I don’t waste time talking to my neighbor or looking at window displays. When I have a goal, I can arrange things accordingly. Can I arrange my life so that I can reach (obtain) heaven?

Is it my priority? We ask for something on every pilgrimage. Today, let’s ask for the courage to say “yes” to God like Mary and to bring people the love of God that is in us so that one day we can all gather around the Virgin Mary.

Together we are on an important mission: Protecting conservative values,