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Pope Benedict XVI - World Youth Day 2008 |
"If
You Wish to Remain Young, Seek Christ"
Message of the Holy Father Benedict XVI
To Australia and Youth Pilgrims
July 4, 2007
The following is the message H.H. Benedict XVI wrote ahead of his
trip to Australia to the people of the nation and the young pilgrims
who will take part in World Youth Day, to be held in Sydney from
July 15 to 20.
"You
will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and you
will be my witnesses" (Act 1:8)
The grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be
with all of you! In a few days from now, I shall begin my Apostolic
Visit to your country, in order to celebrate the Twenty-Third World
Youth Day in Sydney. I very much look forward to the days that I
shall spend with you, and especially to the opportunities for prayer
and reflection with young people from all over the world.
First of all, I want to express my appreciation to all those who
have offered so much of their time, their resources and their
prayers in support of this celebration. The Australian Government
and the Provincial Government of New South Wales, the organizers of
all the events, and members of the business community who have
provided sponsorship – all of you have willingly supported this
event, and on behalf of the young people taking part in the World
Youth Day, I thank you most sincerely. Many of the young people have
made great sacrifices in order to undertake the journey to
Australia, and I pray that they will be rewarded abundantly. The
parishes, schools and host families have been most generous in
welcoming these young visitors, and they too deserve our thanks and
our appreciation.
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and
you will be my witnesses" (Act 1:8). This is the theme of the
Twenty-Third World Youth Day. How much our world needs a renewed
outpouring of the Holy Spirit! There are still many who have not
heard the Good News of Jesus Christ, while many others, for whatever
reason, have not recognized in this Good News the saving truth that
alone can satisfy the deepest longings of their hearts. The Psalmist
prays: "when you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you
renew the face of the earth" (Ps 104:30). It is my firm belief that
young people are called to be instruments of that renewal,
communicating to their peers the joy they have experienced through
knowing and following Christ, and sharing with others the love that
the Spirit pours into their hearts, so that they too will be filled
with hope and with thanksgiving for all the good things they have
received from our heavenly Father.
Many young people today lack hope. They are perplexed by the
questions that present themselves ever more urgently in a confusing
world, and they are often uncertain which way to turn for answers.
They see poverty and injustice and they long to find solutions. They
are challenged by the arguments of those who deny the existence of
God and they wonder how to respond. They see great damage done to
the natural environment through human greed and they struggle to
find ways to live in greater harmony with nature and with one
another.
Where can we look for answers? The Spirit points us towards the way
that leads to life, to love and to truth. The Spirit points us
towards Jesus Christ. There is a saying attributed to Saint
Augustine: "If you wish to remain young, seek Christ". In him we
find the answers that we are seeking, we find the goals that are
truly worth living for, we find the strength to pursue the path that
will bring about a better world. Our hearts find no rest until they
rest in the Lord, as Saint Augustine says at the beginning of the
Confessions, the famous account of his own youth. My prayer is that
the hearts of the young people who gather in Sydney for the
celebration of World Youth Day will truly find rest in the Lord, and
that they will be filled with joy and fervour for spreading the Good
News among their friends, their families, and all whom they meet.
Dear Australian friends, although I will only be able to spend a few
days in your country, and I will not be able to travel outside
Sydney, my heart reaches out to all of you, including those who are
sick or in difficulties of any kind. On behalf of all the young
people, I thank you again for your support of my mission and I ask
you to continue praying for them especially. It remains only for me
to renew my invitation to the young people from all over the world
to join me in Australia, the great "southern land of the Holy
Spirit". I look forward to seeing you there! May God bless you all.
From the Vatican, 4 July 2008
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
© Copyright 2008 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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