Russian Catholic Youth Days will take place in St. Petersburg from August 23 to 27. On August 25, Pope Francis addressed their participants via video message. He expressed his joy at being able to share this moment of faith and hope.
Inese Steinert – Vatican
Guided by the motto of the Youth Days, “Mary rose and walked quickly”, Francis offered three ideas that young people could develop further. The first idea: “God calls and goes out to man”. God calls us to go, He sends us to go out and go,” said the Pope. He added that each of us, like Mary, is chosen and called by God from the very beginning of life, called even before our talents and merits, before our injuries and moments of spiritual darkness.
What did Elizabeth, who was barren, and Mary, a virgin, testify to? The Pope replied that they bore witness to God’s transforming power. It is an experience of God’s infinite love that cannot be shared. This is why Mary got up and went immediately. “You have to get up in a hurry. When God calls, we cannot remain seated,” said Francis to the young people of Russia, “we must stand up, because the world, the brother, the sufferer, the one who is next to us and does not know God’s hope, longs to receive it, longs to receive God’s joy.
The Pope formulated the second idea as follows: “God’s love is for everyone and the Church is for everyone”. The Holy Father explained that we know God’s love by hospitality. God always accepts, He creates space for everyone and sacrifices Himself for others. He is attentive to the needs of others. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months, helping her with her needs. Both women created space for the new lives – John the Baptist and Jesus. However, they also created space for each other, they shared with each other. “The Church is a mother with an open heart, she knows how to receive, especially those who need more care,” Francis said. The Church is a loving mother because it is the home of those who are loved and the home of those who are called. The Pope admitted that he dreams of a Church that accepts, where no one is superfluous and called not to allow the Church to be like a “customs house”, where it is decided who to let in and who not. The Bishop of Rome added that everyone should be aware of who they are before God. This is what teaching and the Sacraments are for.
The third idea “Openness of young and old people to each other”. Sharing this idea, Francis noted that when meeting with old people, young people have the opportunity to learn from their life experiences. On the other hand, old people, meeting with young people, find in them the promise of a hopeful future. The Pope pointed out that it is important to have a dialogue with old people, with your grandparents, to listen to their experiences, which go beyond the experiences of parents. Both the young and the old dream. The ability to dream, the vision of tomorrow is what unites generations. “Old people dream of democracy, of the unity of nations…, but young people are called to be guardians of the environment and forgers of peace,” noted the Bishop of Rome, addressing the participants of the Russian Youth Days.
In a video message, the Holy Father called on Russian Christian youth to be bridge builders – to build bridges between generations, recognizing the dreams of those who have gone before them. “Friendship between generations keeps a nation’s history and culture alive,” Francis said and wished young people to be peace builders amid the many conflicts and polarizations that surround the world from all sides. “I invite you to be sowers, to sow seeds of reconciliation, small seeds that will not sprout immediately in the frozen ground in this winter of war, but will bloom next spring,” the Pope said. As in Lisbon, he encouraged the courage to replace fear with dreams and to dare to dream big.
At the end of the video message, Francis invited the young people gathered in St. Petersburg to look to Mary, to find the Lord, to take Him in their hearts and quickly bring Him to those who are far away, to those who need Him.
2023-08-26 13:28:13
#Pope #addresses #participants #Russian #Catholic #Youth #Days #Vatican #News
