Dear Young Friends,
At the conclusion of this celebration I turn to you directly and
I greet you warmly. You have come here in great numbers from all
over the country and from neighbouring countries; you camped
here yesterday evening and you spent the night in tents, sharing
an experience of faith and companionship. Thank you for your
presence here, which gives me a sense of the enthusiasm and
generosity so characteristic of youth. Being with you makes the
Pope feel young! I extend a particular word of thanks to your
representative for his words and for the wonderful gift.
Dear friends, it is not hard to see that in every young person
there is an aspiration towards happiness, sometimes tinged with
anxiety: an aspiration that is often exploited, however, by
present-day consumerist society in false and alienating ways.
Instead, that longing for happiness must be taken seriously, it
demands a true and comprehensive response. At your age, the
first major choices are made, choices that can set your lives on
a particular course, for better or worse. Unfortunately, many of
your contemporaries allow themselves to be led astray by
illusory visions of spurious happiness, and then they find
themselves sad and alone. Yet there are also many young men and
women who seek to transform doctrine into action, as your
representative said, so as to give the fullness of meaning to
their lives. I invite you all to consider the experience of
Saint Augustine, who said that the heart of every person is
restless until it finds what it truly seeks. And he discovered
that Jesus Christ alone is the answer that can satisfy his and
every person's desire for a life of happiness, filled with
meaning and value (cf. Confessions, I.1.1).
As he did with Augustine, so the Lord comes to meet each one of
you. He knocks at the door of your freedom and asks to be
welcomed as a friend. He wants to make you happy, to fill you
with humanity and dignity. The Christian faith is this:
encounter with Christ, the living Person who gives life a new
horizon and thereby a definitive direction. And when the heart
of a young person opens up to his divine plans, it is not
difficult to recognize and follow his voice. The Lord calls each
of us by name, and entrusts to us a specific mission in the
Church and in society. Dear young people, be aware that by
Baptism you have become children of God and members of his Body,
the Church. Jesus constantly renews his invitation to you to be
his disciples and his witnesses. Many of you he calls to
marriage, and the preparation for this Sacrament constitutes a
real vocational journey. Consider seriously the divine call to
raise a Christian family, and let your youth be the time in
which to build your future with a sense of responsibility.
Society needs Christian families, saintly families!
And if the Lord is calling you to follow him in the ministerial
priesthood or in the consecrated life, do not hesitate to
respond to his invitation. In particular, in this Year of
Priests, I appeal to you, young men: be attentive and open to
Jesus's call to offer your lives in the service of God and his
people. The Church in every country, including this one, needs
many holy priests and also persons fully consecrated to the
service of Christ, Hope of the world.
Hope! This word, to which I often return, sits particularly well
with youth. You, my dear young people, are the hope of the
Church! She expects you to become messengers of hope, as
happened last year in Australia, during World Youth Day, that
great manifestation of youthful faith that I was able to
experience personally, and in which some of you took part. Many
more of you will be able to come to Madrid in August 2011. I
invite you here and now to participate in this great gathering
of young people with Christ in the Church.
Dear friends, thank you again for being here and thank you for
your gift: the book of photographs recounting the lives of young
people in your dioceses. Thank you also for the sign of your
solidarity towards the young people of Africa, which you have
presented to me. The Pope asks you to live your faith with joy
and enthusiasm; to grow in unity among yourselves and with
Christ; to pray and to be diligent in frequenting the
sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Confession; to take
seriously your Christian formation, remaining ever obedient to
the teachings of your Pastors. May Saint Wenceslaus guide you
along this path through his example and his intercession, and
may you always enjoy the protection of the Virgin Mary, Mother
of Jesus and our Mother. I bless all of you with affection!
* * *
[The Holy Father then greeted the youth in various languages.
Here is a Vatican translation of his words:]
[I extend a warm welcome to the pilgrims who have come from
Slovakia, especially the young people. Dear young people, dear
brothers and sisters, I thank you for your presence at today's
celebration. Do not forget: let the love of God be your
strength! I gladly bless you and your loved ones. May Jesus
Christ be praised!]
[I address a word of greeting to the Poles here present, and
especially to the young who have come to join their Czech
brothers and sisters in a spirit of warm friendship. Support one
another by a joyful testimony of faith, growing in Christ's love
and in the power of the Holy Spirit, so as to reach the fullness
of humanity and holiness. May God bless you!]
[I offer warm greetings to the young people and to all the
pilgrims who have come from neighbouring German-speaking
countries. Thank you for your presence! Your participation in
this feast of faith and hope is a sign that you are seeking
answers to your questions and inner desires in Jesus Christ and
in the community of the Church. Christ himself is the way, the
truth and the life (cf. Jn 14:6). He is the foundation that
truly supports our life. On this firm basis, Christian families
can be raised and young people can respond to their vocation to
the priesthood and the consecrated life. Personal friendship
with Christ fills us with genuine, lasting joy and makes us
ready to put into effect God's plan for our life. To this end, I
invoke upon all of you the assistance of the Holy Spirit.]
[Dear young friends, your enthusiasm for the Christian faith is
a sign of hope for the Church that is present and active in
these lands. In order to give a fuller meaning to your youth,
follow the Lord Jesus with courage and generosity as he knocks
on the door of your hearts. Christ asks you to welcome him as a
friend. May the Lord bless you and bring to fulfilment every
good plan that you make for your lives!]
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