A touch of God's grace... Silent Procession Amsterdam
H. Mass in 'Krijtberg', Amsterdam
Every year in Amsterdam we celebrate the Eucharistic miracle that happened there with a silent procession, the "Stille Omgang". This year there were two programs for young people. one in English, one in Dutch and English. I started this special night of the silent procession with the English celebration in Saint Francis Xavier's church, popularly called "De Krijtberg". But also in Kraków every year there is a silent procession, participants there join us in the spirit. Here you find both the letter I wrote to those in Kraków and the homily of the English celebration.
Living stones
In the Krijtberg there were around 250 young people to participate in the programme organized by the Living stones, an international group of young people animating the church and providing cultural-religious tours of the church. Both the Living Stones and the cantor of the church sung the Mass.
From everywhere...
It was nice aso to meet the young people afterwards. They came from all parts of the country. I spoke with students and young professionals from Eindhoven, Maastricht, Leiden, The Hague, Delft and of course Amsterdam.
LETTER To the participants in the Silent Procession of Kraków
Haarlem, the 28th of February 2025
Dear friends, dear participants in the Silent Procession,
Thank you very much for your connection - through your Silent Procession - with the Eucharistic Miracle that took place in 1345 in Amsterdam and is commemorated every year with meetings, silent adoration, Holy Masses and the famous Silent Procession.
This year, the city of Amsterdam is celebrating its 750th anniversary. We look back on the history of the city in which this miracle played such an important role. And, of course, in the catholic church we celebrate a holy year in which we are invited to be pilgrims of hope.
The theme of this year's silent procession in Amsterdam is: "Because of the Miracle": Listening to God's voice, accepting his call.
This theme refers to Eucharistic miracle and the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: when you kneel before the Blessed Sacrament, when you become silent and listen, you will hear the voice of God. How can you hear it? It happens because we feel in our hearts the direction in which Jesus wants us to go. If we pray in silence and are with Him, He will inspire us, He Himself will show us the direction, where to go. Often we talk too much ourselves, but the depth, meaning and direction for our lives comes from listening. The Silent Procession is an invitation to listen to the voice of God on our journey through life.
Then, of course, comes the next step: accepting God's call for your life! Sometimes the path He shows us may seem difficult. But don't be afraid! He who places something beautiful in our hearts will also give us the grace and help to make it fruitful in our lives.
I wish you all a blessed and beautiful silent procession. May God bless you all!
+Johannes Hendriks, Bishop of Haarlem-Amsterdam
HOMILY
‘Because of the miracle: listen to the voice of God, accept His call’
Climbing a mountain
I am happy to celebrate the Holy Eucharist with you tonight.
It is a special evening,
the night of the Silent Procession the “Stille Omgang”
with which we want to honour
the Eucharistic Miracle of Amsterdam.
In the gospel we heard
about three disciples
who climbed the mountain with Jesus
and were able to see Him in all His glory.
Afterwards they had to climb back down
to continue on their way:
the journey to Jerusalem,
where Jesus would suffer and die.
Heights and depths...
Pilgrim of hope
We can interpret
everything that happens to us, joys and sorrows,
in different ways.
For some people, the glass is always half full,
for others it is usually half empty;
perhaps you see more of the darkness,
perhaps you always see the bright side of life,
but whatever the case:
whether you are at the top
or in a valley,
God loves you
and He has a plan for your life!
So you are invited
not only tonight and tomorrow
but every day of your life
to be a pilgrim of hope!
That is the theme of this Holy Year 2025.
Moving forward without losing strength
Some people are able
to see the hand of God
in everything that happens to them.
If you can see the hand of God,
if you can hear His voice
in what happens to you,
then you can move forward
safely and with inner joy.
But how can you do that?
How can you move forward so safely and calmly?
How can you be salt of the earth
and light of the world without losing your strength?
Toronto
I remember the World Youth Days in Toronto.
They were the last World Youth Days
of saint Pope John Paul II;
he was already old and suffering from Parkinson's disease.
You might have been babies at the time
because it was in 2002.
The great final mass was in Downsview Park
with 800,000 young people
who had spent the night before on the field.
But it had rained quite a bit that night
and everyone had gotten very wet.
When the pope arrived
it started to drizzle again,
but the Mass began
and the physically weak and old pope
called out across that big field:
‘Remember your baptism, remember your baptism.’
Then he looked to the heavens
and, really, it stopped raining,
even the sun began to shine.
A little later in the Mass, it started to blow,
quite a bit of wind started to blow.
And the pope again called out across that field:
‘Remember your confirmation, remember your confirmation.’
You have the gift of the holy Spirit.
What Saint John Paul taught us...
That is how pope John Paul taught us all
to see the love of God,
to see it even through our sufferings,
through what you may experience as a setback:
see the love of God,
to keep going, to persevere.
Don't just see the rain, don't just see the wind,
but open yourself to the blowing of the Spirit,
believe that He can bring a change,
He can change your state of mind.
Are you in trouble?
Look forward to the coming of the Lord.
Are you sad?
Give your sadness to Jesus, as a kind of gift.
Think of His suffering.
Ask for strength for the cross you have to carry,
strength to see and accept the mission
that lies in what happens to you.
Salt and light
Carry on, persevere, be steadfast
with faith, hope and love.
Pope John Paul called on the young people in Toronto
to be salt and light in this world:
"With your faith, hope, and love”, he said,
“With your intelligence, strength, and perseverance,
you must humanise the world in which we live”.
A touch of God
The power to do that,
to be salt and light,
comes from an experience,
from a touch of God's grace
that has remained within you.
Many have received such a touch of God
at some time in their lives,
it makes you feel joy and peace, fulfilment.
Sometimes it is in small things
and you can easily forget those moments
for example if you are overwhelmed by fear or sadness
or by worldly desires
or simply if you are very busy, too busy.
But try not to forget these experiences,
write them maybe even down, those moments of grace,
because it was the Lord who touched you
and they form the beautiful, sure source for your life,
for your actions and words.
We often forget...
It is not self-evident
that you can hold that experience in your heart
and that you can feel the strength
from which you can continue
to live and act as a Christian,
be salt and light.
Most people have had a sign of Gods presence
at some point in their lives,
a special experience, a word, an event,
which brought clarity to their hearts
and light and strength.
But we often forget.
Because, when God lets you experience
something beautiful,
trials will follow,
which are a kind of test for your life.
Will you remain faithful?
With God's help, you can pass the test.
They were weak, too
That is how it was for the apostles.
They saw the glory
of Jesus their Lord.
Then they had to move on,
suffering came their way,
they were weak, they fell,
they ran away, they were afraid, they gave up.
In fact, this is a comfort to all of us:
you are not the only one
who has been discouraged at times
and you can get back up again
if you have failed,
Jesus wants to touch your soul again
with His love,
it is the love He gives us
above all in the Holy Eucharist.
And time and again we hear that same invitation
which is the theme of our Silent Procession:
Listen to the voice of God,
accept His call...
