On the evening of Saturday, August 5, the World Youth Day vigil was held in Tagus Park, Lisbon. With songs and ovations, the Pope was welcomed by 1.5 million people. young people. He invited them to rise from their failures to become “missionaries of joy” and, clinging to their roots, move forward in hope.
Jean-Charles Putcolu, Jānis Evertovskis – Vatican
In the Tagus Park, which is located on the right bank of the river, PJD members gathered already early Saturday afternoon. The vigil began with the arrival of the procession in a boat, which brought the PJD cross and the “Salus Populi Romani” icon of the Mother of God. When the Pope, who had been driving between the sectors for a long time in an open car, arrived at the esplanade, he was greeted by one and a half million young people waving the flags of many countries of the world, as well as two Portuguese Air Force planes that flew over the city. Lisbon became the “capital” of the world’s youth this evening.
The first part of the vigil was rhythmic. During it, a choir of 200 people sang, an orchestra played and a choreographic ensemble consisting of 21 young people of different nationalities performed. The music and the noise stopped as the words “I’m talking to you” appeared on the giant screens in several languages.
Lord, what do you want me to do?
The first testimony was given by Antonio, a 33-year-old young Portuguese priest. His life changed after a car accident. “I realized I could have died,” he admitted. “I realized that if my pilgrimage on earth had ended at this moment, my life would have no meaning”. Then he asked God, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” From that moment on, his heart began to be filled with the joy of meeting Christ and the desire to bring this joy to others. He returned to the seminary he had previously left, and after two years he became a priest to bring others the joy of meeting Christ, of having been found by Christ. Antonio added that this is not a passing pleasure. This is the joy that Heaven gave him.
After the testimony, the words “Stand Up” appeared in the sky of Lisbon made by drones and the songs started playing again until the moment of the second performance.
Our village was attacked by terrorists
Marta Louise is from Mozambique. She is 18 years old. The girl comes from the poor area of Cabo Delgado. When terrorists attacked her village twice (this happened in April and October 2021), Martha and her family hid in the forest, constantly praying to Mary and Jesus to prevent the worst from happening. They had neither food nor water. Marta testified about the several-day march: “In the midst of so much suffering, we never lost faith and hope that one day we will restore our lives.”
At that moment, the choir and the orchestra began to play the antiphon: “On the way I found You, Your power raises me up again”. The drones continued to light up the sky while the dancers bowed before the cross and the icon of Our Lady. There was silence. The Pope’s address followed.
Sharing the joy
The Holy Father acknowledged that these young people are here to share the joy of the Lord. The Virgin Mary hastened to her cousin Elizabeth to bring her what is most precious: this joy. “How beautiful to see you!” he began. “Thank you for traveling, coming here! The Virgin Mary also traveled to get to Elizabeth: “She got up and left in a hurry” (Lk 1, 39) – it is said in the Gospel of this World Youth Day.
In this regard, the Pope immediately raised the question of why Maria gets up and hurriedly goes to her cousin. She had, of course, just learned that Elizabeth was expecting a mother, but she was also expecting a mother. So why is she going if no one asked her to? Maria does what no one had asked or told her to do. Mary goes because she loves – replied the Holy Father. Instead of thinking about herself, she thinks about the other person. Why? Because “joy is a missionary” – explained the Pope. We receive joy to share it and build another. Will you, who are here, who have come here to hear the message of Christ, to search for the meaning of life, keep this joy for yourself or bring it to others? – asked the Pope. He reiterated that it is a joy to be a missionary and invited the young people to look back and see what they have received.
The roots of joy
We all have such people who were like “rays of light” in our lives – the Pope continued. They were parents, grandparents, priests, nuns or brothers, catechists, teachers, etc. “They are the roots of our joy,” said the Holy Father. At that moment, he invited everyone to remain silent for a moment and think about those who have given something in life and have been a kind of “roots of joy”. Now it will be the turn of young people to be missionaries of joy and roots for other people. To do this, you will have to get up and search, because “joy is not kept locked in a library”. This will need to be discovered in dialogue with others.
Go together
Francis pointed out that we are called to walk with others. What does it mean? This means that if a member of the group falls down and is tired, we have to help them up. Those who, having fallen, remain on the ground, have already said goodbye to life and closed themselves to hope. What should we do when we see a friend fallen? We have to lift him up – emphasized the Pope, adding that the only moment when it is permissible to look down on another person is this moment of help – when we help him stand up again.
Get up and go
The Bishop of Rome expressed his belief that there is a question of training here. Sometimes we don’t want to walk, we don’t want to make an effort. In this context, he admitted that he likes football and asked the youngsters if they liked it too. Then Francis continued: “What is behind the goal? Lots of training”. Behind every success is a huge amount of work. So after every fall, we have to get back up or let someone help us up, and then we have to go again, move towards the goal and practice every day. “Nothing in life is free”, he reminded. “Everything has to be paid for. There is only one thing for nothing. This is the love of Jesus. Let’s walk in hope, look at our roots and move forward without fear. Don’t be afraid!”
The Pope’s address was followed by the exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. During this, a deep silence fell on the square, where there were one and a half million young people. Tears of joy rolled down the cheeks of some of those present. The worship of the Lord ended with the chant “Soul of Christ, make me holy; Body of Christ, save me….”.
2023-08-05 23:11:08
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