“Seeking a Higher Purpose: Pope Francis Inspires Young People in Budapest”

(Vatican News Network)“Pursue with all your might the great goals of life! Then train yourself by talking to Jesus, who is the best coach.” In his final public event on the second day of his pastoral visit to Hungary, Pope Francis encouraged young people to They “seek a higher purpose” in life, overcome their fears and move forward, always in dialogue with their best friend and brother – Jesus.

The event, attended by about 12,000 people, was chaired by Msgr. Ferenc Palánki, head of the Hungarian youth pastoral ministry, and four young people spoke: Bertalan and Dora, two high school students. (Dóra), Tódor, a young Greek Catholic, and Krisztina, a college student.

who dares to win
Pope Francis started with the first testimony, reminding those present that “Jesus wants us to achieve great things in life” and “never underestimate our expectations”.

“Jesus doesn’t want us to be lazy ‘couch potatoes’; he doesn’t want us to be silent and timid,” said the Pope; instead, he wants us to be dynamic, active and responsible. Jesus would approve of one of your proverbs, which I wish I pronounced Correct: Aki mer az nyer (those who dare, win the prize).”

“But how do we win in life?” asked the Pope. “As in sports, there are two basic steps,” he said. The first step is to “pursue a higher purpose”, to “use” our talents well, to invest our talents in “the great purpose of life”. “We achieve great things by serving others, not trampling them down!”

talk to jesus
The second step is to train yourself by speaking with Jesus, “He is the best trainer”. In fact, “Jesus encourages you, trusts you” and “constantly invites you to be part of a team, to be with others in church, in community, to share your experiences with others”.

The Pope went on to point out that another important element of training is silence, which was mentioned in Christina’s testimony. In a world of “an information explosion that requires us to be fast, efficient, and almost machine-like perfect,” “we must learn to stop, fill our gas tanks, and recharge our batteries,” but not wallow in “emotional or apprehensive” troubles.

Silence, the pope explained, “does not mean staring at your phone or being addicted to social media”, but “the soil on which we cultivate good relationships”. Silence “let us give Jesus our feelings…, share our difficulties, remember our friends, pray for them”.

Silence is thus “the door to prayer”, a “conversation with Jesus”, in which we share our vulnerability without reservation, “without hiding or feigning anything”. “Prayer is not boring, it is an encounter with Christ.”

God wants real people
In fact, “the Gospel tells us that God does not use extraordinary people to accomplish great things, but ordinary people”. Those who rely on their own abilities and who are always eager to appear good to others, “close the door on God,” the Pope said. “Jesus loves you for who you are.”

Helping the world live in peace by serving others
Pope Francis went on to reflect on the words of Todor, a young Greek Catholic, who mentioned in his testimony that enthusiasm for mission “may be dulled by living in security and comfort”, not far from us. where “war and suffering are everyday realities”. “This is the real challenge: that we take control of our lives and help bring peace to our world by serving others generously and selflessly, as Jesus taught us,” the Pope commented.

faith begins with giving
Faith “begins with giving freely, passionately and generously, overcoming our fears and going forward!” So emphasized Pope Francis at the end of his speech, recalling the miracle of the loaves and fishes in the Gospel of John, in which A young man shared with Jesus what little bread and fish he had to feed the multitude.

The Pope said: “We must learn to leave things to Jesus. Each of you is precious to Jesus, and so to me! Remember that no one can take your place in the history of the Church and the world, no one People can do things that only you can do.”

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