YOUNG PEOPLE: POPE IDENTIFIES WITH YOUR HOPESVATICAN CITY JUL 28, 2002 (VIS) - This morning at 9:30 a.m. local time,
John Paul II presided at the Eucharistic Concelebration which concluded
World Youth Day in Downsview Park. Four hundred bishops and 1,000 priests
concelebrated with the Pope. Eight hundred thousand young people attended
the Mass, celebrated in French, English, Inuktikut and in the languages of
the diverse participants. The Pope's homily was dedicated to the theme of the 17th World Youth Day:
'You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world.' The Pope quoted the gospel passage in which Jesus' disciples, close to
the Lake of Galilea, were listening to his "voice, gentle and urgent ... as
a call to choose between life and death, between truth and falsehood." "Today," he continued, "he is speaking the same words to you, the young
people ... His words tell you who you are as Christians. They tell you what
you must do to remain in his love. ... Jesus offers one thing, and the
'spirit of the world' offers another. The 'spirit of the world' offers many
false illusions and parodies of happiness. There is perhaps no darkness
deeper than the darkness that enters young people's soul when false
prophets extinguish in them the light of faith and hope and love. The
greatest deception, and the deepest source of unhappiness, is the illusion
of finding life by excluding God, of finding freedom by excluding moral
truths and personal responsibility. The Lord is calling you to choose
between these two voices." "The world you are inheriting is a world which desperately needs a new
sense of brotherhood and human solidarity. ... It needs you - to be the
salt of the earth and the light of the world. Salt seasons and improves the
flavor of food. ... You have to change and improve the 'taste' of human
history. ... You have to humanize the world we live in." "If you love Jesus, love the Church! Do not be discouraged by the sins
and failings of some of her members. The harm done by some priests and
religious to the young and vulnerable fills us all with a deep sense of
sadness and shame. But think of the vast majority of dedicated and generous
priests and religious whose only wish is to serve and do good!" "You are young, the Pope is old and a bit tired," he said, as he was
interrupted by participants who were exclaiming: "It's not true, the Pope
is young." John Paul II then responded, improvising: "To be 82 or 83 is not
the same as 22 or 23." Returning to his homily, he emphasized: "But he
still fully identifies with your hopes and aspirations. Although I have
lived through much darkness, under harsh totalitarian regimes, I have seen
enough evidence to be unshakably convinced that no difficulty, no fear is
so great that it can completely suffocate the hope that springs eternal in
the hearts of young." When the Mass was over, John Paul II prayed the Angelus with the young
people. Before the Marian prayer, the Pope entrusted the fruits of World
Youth Day to Mary, Mother of the Redeemer, so that "in time, with her help,
they may flourish." "I wish formally to announce that the next World Youth Day will take
place in 2005 in Cologne, Germany. In the great Cathedral in Cologne the
relics of the Magi, the Wise Men from the East who followed the star which
led them to Christ, are honored. As pilgrims, your spiritual journey to
Cologne starts today."
To share this story with a friend, click on one of the share icons at the top of this page. |
HOME
- EWTNews
- FAITH
- TELEVISION
- RADIO -
LIBRARY
- MULTIMEDIA WHAT'S NEW - GENERAL - RELIGIOUS CATALOGUE - PILGRIMAGES - ESPA�OL
|