Pope Francis joined 1.5 million young people in the WYD prayer vigil. The Pope urged them to help those who have fallen not to remain on the ground: “Do not be afraid, for a real failure is only when one does not have the strength to stand up again.”
(Vatican News Network) As night fell in Lisbon, about 1.5 million young people crowded the magnificent Tejo Park in Lisbon. In the afternoon, the youths had already settled down with mats, sleeping bags, thermal blankets and camping tents, ready to participate in the World Youth Day vigil. Established in 1998 for the Lisbon World Expo, the site is adjacent to the Tejo Estuary Nature Reserve.
The first part of the prayer vigil is a stage performance, and the second part is the adoration of the Eucharist. Speaking between these two moments, Pope Francis pointed out that life is about moving forward and that if you fall, you need help from others to get back up. It’s a constant exercise because nothing in this world is free except the love of Jesus.
Joy is contagious
In his speech, the Pope explained in depth the significance of the Virgin Mary “getting up and hastening to leave” in order to visit her cousin Elizabeth through dialogues with young people. The Pope emphasized that although Our Lady had just heard the Angel’s Annunciation, she was “focused on others rather than herself”, because “joy is contagious”, not for oneself, but for others. Pope Francis has repeatedly emphasized this point and called on young people to repeat: “Joy is contagious.” We must bring joy to others and remember those who prepare us to receive it. This includes those who have brought light in our lives: parents, grandparents, friends, priests, religious men and women, catechists, etc. The Pope asked young people to remember them in silence. They are the “roots of joy” because the joy that must be conveyed should not be fleeting or temporary, but should “root and grow.” This is not something that can be achieved by studying hard, but needs to be found and discovered through communication with others.
Help someone who falls to get back up
Another question the Pope posed to the young people in Tejo Park was whether they ever felt tired. There will be times when you want to “just let it go,” to do nothing, stop going, or even fall over. In life, however, failure is not the end. It’s important, as one mountain troop song goes, not to “fall down and never get up” and not let life lose hope. In such situations, we must help those who have fallen to get back up. This is a sentence that the Pope often repeats, and it is also a sentence that he hopes young people can remember and act on: the only time to look down on others from a height is to reach out and help them stand up again.
training to walk
In order to achieve all of the above, the Pope reiterated that we need to practice the same way we train to score in football. “There are no lessons that teach us how to move forward in life,” stressed Pope Francis. “We learn from our parents, grandparents, and friends, and walk hand in hand.” We need to move forward with purpose and exercise this ability every day in our lives, because “nothing is free, everything has a price”. “There is only one thing that comes for free” and that is the love of Jesus. The Pope therefore invites young people not to be afraid, but to seek their roots without fear.
two witnesses
During the prayer vigil we heard the moving story of two witnesses. The first was Fr. Antonio Ribeiro de Matos, who shared the eternal joy he found in the love of Jesus and his determination to bring this joy to others. He admitted that even when he was close to the church, his focus had always been on himself. However, a car accident caused by dozing off makes him realize that his past life “wasn’t worth it”. So he entered the seminary in 2019 and later became a priest. He discovered the love of Jesus and the Church in his own vulnerability and was determined to bring this experience to others.
Another witness, Marta, is from Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique. She and her family were forced to flee as the place has been the scene of terrorist atrocities in recent years. Even in difficult and difficult circumstances, she and her family never lost faith and hope, always asking God to help them remove evil from the world and change the lives of those who sparked war. In the midst of great suffering, they never lost hope of rebuilding their lives.
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2023-08-06 06:14:31
