Meeting with Young People Continued (24 February 1981)

On Tuesday, 24 February 1981, the Holy Father spoke again to young people of Japan in Budokan, touching on subjects such as language, hope, sport, music, love and peace.

Dear young brothers! 

After what I said at the beginning in your language, I would like to thank you again (I do it this time with the help of the interpreter) for all your preparation for today's meeting. I thank you and your Pastors, especially Bishop Hamao, who oversaw the preparations. In preparing for this meeting, you thought about what questions you could ask the person who would come from distant Rome and visit your homeland for the first time in history. I had the opportunity to appreciate all the richness of thought that is contained in these questions. And now, in accordance with the program of our meeting, I wish to respond to those that will be presented publicly here. 

1. Now therefore: You ask me, first of all, why I spoke in Japanese now. I did it - and I intend to continue to do so in some circumstances - to demonstrate my respect for your culture which, like the culture of every nation, is expressed among other things (indeed, first of all) in the language. Language is a form that we give to our thoughts, it is almost a dress in which we insert these thoughts. Language contains a particular trait of the identity of a people and a nation. And, in a certain sense, the heart of this nation beats in it, because in the language, in one's own language, what the human soul lives by in the community of a family, of the nation, of history is expressed. 

I think about these problems in this way on the basis of the experiences linked to my native language and the life of my nation (here I can also add that before discovering the priestly vocation in myself, I began to study the Philology and Letters of my homeland, which has greatly deepened my relationship with the topic you raised). 

Finally, one more thing: Christ, leaving his apostles at the end of his earthly activity, told them: "Go... and make disciples of all nations..." ( Mt 28.19). To be able to do this we need to know the language of the nation we are addressing. I had too little time to thoroughly learn your interesting language, starting with the mysterious writing. However, with the help of the Franciscan Father Fidelis, I managed to get to the point where I could at least read with some understanding some transcribed Japanese texts, in particular those of the Holy Mass. Thank you for accepting it indulgently... 

2. In order to implement this "linguistic" plan I had to let myself be guided by the thought that I would succeed, that I would achieve (at least in part) the goal I had set myself. I had to have some hope... 

And now I move on to your second question. which seems to me the most important. The question about hope. Very important question, even fundamental when it comes to human life. Man, in a certain sense, cannot live without hope. He must aspire to something, he must have a purpose in life – and the feeling of being able to achieve it. Hope, as you have rightly noted, is connected with the future. But at the same time it determines the state of our soul in the present. We now have hope of what we will achieve later. 

Furthermore, hope is always connected with a certain value, which we must obtain. I could say it in another way: with a value that we want to give to our life. And therefore the fundamental perception of the meaning of our life is expressed in hope. This perception of the meaning of life does not essentially depend on what we have, but on becoming clearly aware of the value of our humanity; of our human dignity. 

Reading the material you sent me, I noticed, on the one hand, bitter information about adolescent suicides and, on the other, the edifying testimony of a handicapped young man, who has a profound perception of the meaning of his life. 

You know that I come here in the name of Christ. Behold, I wish to tell you that Christ is precisely the teacher and educator of hope. He is the source of it. Listening to his words, living the life that he wants to share with every man, one finds the fullest meaning of life. 

Yes, Christ reveals to us the full meaning of human life. He also shows us its definitive future in God. This future surpasses the limit of human life on earth. The hope that Christ gives us is stronger than death. 

3. You also ask me a question about sport. I am very happy with this question which I can answer based on my personal experiences. I have always given (and continue to give) great importance to the ancient principle: "Mens sana in corpore sano". Physical effort, particularly sporting effort, must serve this purpose. An additional, but very important reason when it came to undertaking this effort (in its various forms), was always for me the love for nature: for the lakes, the woods, the mountains, both in summer and in other seasons, and in particular in winter, when tourism needs to be done using skis. 

I think that you and I would have quite a bit to tell each other about this, because I know that you too love nature very much, and try to read in it, as in a splendid book full of mysteries. 

4. The first of the questions, which I am asked in this part of our conversation, is very important. 

It is known that the Gospel, the teaching of Christ, proclaims love as the greatest commandment. “You will love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind... You will love your neighbor as yourself” ( Mt 22,37.39). These are the two commandments, which unite with each other and mutually condition each other. According to the teaching and example of Christ, we must love God above all things and our neighbor on a human scale. At the same time in the letter of Saint John we read: "For anyone who does not love his brother whom he sees cannot love God whom he does not see" (1 John4.20). Therefore the love of God is realized and, in a certain sense, finds its verification in the love of man, of our neighbor, who we must love as ourselves. And the neighbor is every man without exception; therefore Christ also speaks of the love of enemies. He says this: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” ( Lk 6:27-28). Moreover, He himself gave the example of such love when, during the crucifixion, he prayed for those who were putting him to death. 

At this point your question arises: how is it possible for man to love when he feels hated, and moreover when he himself feels he has within himself hatred or at least malice, let's say antipathy, towards some people? 

Indeed, from the point of view of our feelings there is a difficulty here, or rather "a contradiction": when I "feel" aversion or hatred, how can I simultaneously "feel" love? 

However, love isn't just about what we feel. It also has deeper roots in man, which are found in his spiritual "I", in his intellect and in his will. 

Wanting to fulfill the commandment of love (particularly when it comes to the love of enemies), we must go back to those deep roots. As a consequence of this, love perhaps becomes "more difficult", but it also becomes "bigger". In love we let ourselves be guided not only by the reaction of feelings, but by consideration of the true good. And in this way we learn to guide our feelings, we educate them. This requires patience and perseverance. Christ once said: “In patientia vestra possidebitis animas vestras” ( Lk 21,19). Well, only he who is capable of "possessing" his soul, possessing himself: possessing to become a "gift for others" knows how to truly and fully love. Christ teaches us all this not only with his word, but also with his example. 

5. Now, I will answer the further questions more briefly. The fact that men are brothers means first of all that despite everything that divides them - race, language, nationality, religion - they nevertheless resemble each other. Everyone is a man and everyone is a man. 

However, this first meaning must be completed with the second. We call brothers and sisters those who are children of the same parents, of the same fathers and of the same mothers. Men are brothers according to the teaching of Christ (and also according to the most common religious feeling) because God is their Father. Christ places this truth about the fatherhood of God at the center of his Gospel. When the disciples ask him to teach them to pray, he teaches a prayer that begins with the words: "Our Father..." ( Mt 6:9). 

This prayer helps us a lot regarding the love of our neighbor and in particular the love of malevolent men towards us. In it we say among other things: Father, “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” ( Mt 6:12). (Perhaps at the end of this meeting we will recite this prayer.) 

6. You also asked me questions about music. I don't know how to play any instrument. I have never actively dedicated myself to this field of art. Instead, I experience the beauty of music very deeply and I really like singing. I spent many hours (especially during holidays) singing together with young people. And even now, during the holiday period, various groups of young people come to Castel Gandolfo and sing. I have the hope that one day you too will want to come... even knowing that it is a long distance! 

As for the genre of music, I seem to feel the beauty of liturgical music (Gregorian!) in a particularly profound way, but I also love contemporary music: Gershwin, for example, Armstrong, Taki Rentaro, Toshiro Mayuzumi and others. Naturally Chopin or Szymanowski are close to me (I know that one of the first classified at the Seiyi Ozawa and Jwaki Hirojuki. 

7. Since our time is limited, you will forgive me if in this series of – very important – questions I try to be concise in my answers. Especially since on the topic of peace, I have the opportunity to express my opinion in other significant circumstances. One of the reasons for my coming to Japan was also to stop in Hiroshima, on the site of the explosion of the first atomic bomb, which constitutes a terrible warning for humanity. Reading the material sent by you, I noticed that the problem of peace, of true peace, troubles you very deeply, which is right and understandable especially after the experiences of 1945. You note in these statements of yours that peace cannot rely only on '"balance of armaments", that it cannot assume the prevalence of the strong over the weak, 

The Church thinks the same way and teaches the same way. This was demonstrated by the Second Vatican Council, Pope John XXIII in the encyclical Pacem in Terris , Paul VI in all his tireless activity in favor of peace, issuing among other things every year on January 1st a special message for peace. I try to continue this activity. Here are the themes of my peace messages: in 1979: "To achieve peace, educate for peace"; in 1980: “Truth, strength of peace”; in 1981: “To serve peace, respect freedom”. 

Above all, those who are responsible for international decisions must build peace. However, they must keep in mind - and the Church constantly tries to remind us - that "peace" means first of all a true order in relations between men and between nations. Therefore building peace from the foundations must mean the recognition and consequent respect of all human rights (both those that concern the material part as well as those that concern the spiritual part of his earthly existence) and respect for the rights of all Nations without exception: both large and small. Peace cannot exist if the great and powerful violate the rights of the weak! I have spoken on this topic many times: before the UN, before UNESCO. I would like to repeat this in Japan too. 

If the program of world peace is expressed in the formula "never again Hiroshima", then it certainly is also expressed in the formula "never again Oswiecim". 

8. So therefore the effort aimed at building peace in the world must be carried out at various levels. Peace does not mean stasis (as some of your opinions seem to express); it means an effort, an enormous effort, in which everyone has their part. Conscience and a sense of responsibility must be formed. We must stand in solidarity with those whose rights are violated. We must “voir – juger – agir”. 

So there is certainly a lot to do for you young people too, here in Japan tomorrow belongs to you. Reflect on all action programs in favor of peace, even those in which representatives of all religions express themselves. The first such conference took place in Japan in 1970 in Kjoto. 

Christ says: “Blessed are the peacemakers” ( Mt 5:9). Become peacemakers too! 

9. The Christian religion, the religion which in a certain sense begins with the words: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among men whom He loves" (Lk 2:14) brings to the cause of peace before all an ardent and incessant prayer to which he invites everyone. 

And then it brings the conviction that man - even contemporary man - is capable, with the help of divine grace, of overcoming the multifaceted evil that pushes him onto the paths of hatred, war and destruction. Man is capable of this. Men, societies and systems are capable of this... 

Christianity affirms this belief and works for its consolidation. In fact, it is animated by the word of Christ, who is the teacher and witness of hope! 

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