Pope: young people be witnesses that with Jesus a new and different world is possible
Francis' message for the 36th World Youth Day. Some find "in the virtual environment and social networks the new battlefield, unscrupulously employing the weapon of fake news to spread venom and to wipe out their adversaries ". "Stand up and defend social justice, truth and righteousness, human rights, the persecuted, the poor and vulnerable, those who have no voice in society, immigrants."
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Pope Francis has asked young people so harshly tried by "depression, loneliness and addictions", consequences of the epidemic, to stand up and bear witness that the encounter with Christ "opens" you to a different family and social life, to overcoming even that digital reality that pushes some people to "find in the virtual environment and social networks the new battlefield, unscrupulously employing the weapon of fake news to spread venom and to wipe out their adversaries".
"Stand up. I appoint you as a witness of what you have seen" is the message of Francis for the 36th World Youth Day - to be celebrated at diocesan level on 21 November - published today.
The Pope takes his cue from the words that Jesus addresses to Saul on the road to Damascus, when he turns a persecutor into the Apostle of the Gentiles. It is a personal encounter, and "only a personal, not anonymous encounter with Christ changes one's life". "It is not enough to hear other people speak about Jesus; we need to speak to him ourselves, personally. Deep down, this is what prayer is all about. Prayer means talking directly with Jesus, even though our heart may still be confused and our mind full of doubts or even contempt for Christ and Christians". "How many times have we heard it said “Jesus yes, the Church no!”, as if one could be an alternative to the other. One cannot know Jesus if one does not know the Church. One cannot know Jesus apart from the brothers and sisters in his community. One cannot call oneself fully Christian if one does not live the ecclesial dimension of faith".
With Saul, "The Lord chose someone who was persecuting him, completely hostile to him and his followers. We see that, in God’s eyes, no one is lost. Thanks to a personal encounter with him, we can always start over again. No young person is ever beyond the reach of God’s grace and mercy. Of no one can we say: He’s too far gone… It’s too late… How many young people passionately rebel and go against the grain, while deep in their hearts they feel a need to be committed, to love with all their heart, to have a mission in life! In the young Saul, Jesus saw exactly that. Recognising his own blindness".
"Paul’s attitude prior to his encounter with the risen Jesus is not so strange for us. How much strength and passion also well up in your own hearts, dear young people! Yet the darkness around and inside you can prevent you from seeing things rightly. You can risk finding yourselves lost in fighting meaningless and even violent battles. Sadly, the first victims will be yourselves and those closest to you".
Today Christ speaks to you the same words that he spoke to Paul: Arise! Do not remain downcast or caught up in yourself: a mission awaits you! You too can testify to what Jesus has begun to accomplish in your lives. In Jesus’ name, I ask you: - Arise! Testify that you too were blind and encountered the light. You too have seen God’s goodness and beauty in yourself, in others and in the communion of the Church, where all loneliness is overcome. - Arise! Testify to the love and respect it is possible to instil in human relationships, in the lives of our families, in the dialogue between parents and children, between the young and the elderly. - Arise! Uphold social justice, truth and integrity, human rights. Protect the persecuted, the poor and the vulnerable, those who have no voice in society, immigrants. - Arise! Testify to the new way of looking at things that enables you to view creation with eyes brimming with wonder, that makes you see the Earth as our common home, and gives you the courage to promote an integral ecology. - Arise! Testify that lives of failure can be rebuilt, that persons spiritually dead can rise anew, that those in bondage can once more be free, that hearts overwhelmed by sorrow can rediscover hope. - Arise! Testify joyfully that Christ is alive! Spread his message of love and salvation among your contemporaries, at school and in the university, at work, in the digital world, everywhere. The Lord, the Church and the Pope trust you and appoint you to bear witness before all those other young people whom you will encounter on today’s “roads to Damascus”. Never forget that “anyone who has truly experienced God’s saving love does not need much time or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love. Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus”.
Concluding the message, the Pope invites "the youth of the world" to take part in "this spiritual pilgrimage" towards the World Youth Day in Lisbon in 2023. "I hope that all of us can experience these steps along the way as true pilgrims, and not merely as “religious tourists”! May we be increasingly open to God’s surprises, for he wants to light up our path. May we be more and more open to hearing his voice, also through the voices of our brothers and sisters. In this way, we will help one another to arise together and, at this troubled time in our history, we will become the prophets of a new and hope-filled future!
.png)
07/02/2019 17:28
02/08/2016 13:07
