Francis to young people: "Be united in an increasingly divided world"

The Pope meets the youth who participated in the International Youth Forum, organized by the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life.  Francis asks them to be "light in the night of so many peers who do not know Jesus".  The theme of WYD in Lisbon 2022 has been chosen: "Mary arose and went quickly"

 Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Young people "are a message of unity in a world of divisions".  Pope Francis said this when he received the young people who took part in the International Youth Forum a few days ago.  The theme of the meeting was "Young people, faith and vocational discernment".  Francis urged the youth "to be light in the night of so many of your peers who - he said - still do not know the joy of new life in Jesus".

The Pope then quotes the final document of the Synod of Youth.  Recalling the Gospel story of Emmaus, the pontiff says: "We too, one day, met the Lord on the road of our life. And, like the disciples of Emmaus, we are called to bring the light of Christ into the night of the world.  You, dear young people, are called to be light in the night of so many of your peers who do not yet know the joy of new life in Jesus ".

The need to make community, the joy of being together and then the nostalgia at the moment of greetings.  The disciples of Emmaus and the boys of the Forum have lived and live these phases but Francis remembers that Jesus "is not a treasure to be imprisoned, but a Mystery to be shared", "the more we bring it to others, the more we will feel it present in our lives"  .

And I am sure, he added, "that you will do it when you return to your places of origin. The text of Emmaus says that Jesus lit a fire in the hearts of the disciples. As you know, the fire must expand in order not to die out,  spread. Therefore nourish and spread the fire of Christ that is in you! ".

You, he concludes, "you are God's today, the Church's today! Not only the future but today. The Church needs you to be fully herself. As a Church, you are the Body of the Risen Lord present  "In the world. I ask you to always remember that you are members of one body. You are tied to each other and you will not survive on your own. You need each other to really make a difference in a world increasingly tempted by divisions."

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• WYD Lisbon