WYD: Pope tells youth to “put on Christ” who gifts them peace, tenderness, courage and joy
Rio de Janeiro (AsiaNews) - Young people need to, "put on" Christ in their life, to put their trust in Him and they will "never be disappointed." "To all appearances, nothing has changed; yet, in the depths of our being, everything is different. Peace, consolation, gentleness, courage, serenity and joy, which are all fruits of the Holy Spirit, find a home in our heart, and our very being is transformed; our way of thinking and acting is made new, it becomes Jesus' own, God's own, way of thinking and acting". This is the first message that Pope Francis addressed to the hundreds of thousands of young people - a million and a half, according to local estimates - who have converged on Rio de Janeiro from all over the world for the 28th World Youth Day.
It is the "Welcoming Ceremony" and the four kilometers of seafront of Copacabana are bubbling with the joy of the young people among which the white jeep passes at a snails pace for more than half an hour. Many camped out overnight on the beach, pardoned for a while 'from the incessant rain, which is marking this winter. Now following him on his tour of the beach, they shout happily waving the flags of 180 countries. The whole world really is here.
"In you I see the beauty of Christ's young face and I am filled with joy". Francis greets them. The message, the Pope's first to young people attending the WYD, is an invitation to overcome the temptation "to put ourselves at the centre, to think that we alone build our lives or that our life can only be happy if built on possessions, money, or power. But it is not so. Certainly, possessions, money and power can give a momentary thrill, the illusion of being happy, but they end up possessing us and making us always want to have more, never satisfied".
The "Celebration", which begins shortly after 18, is full of music, of a dance composed of 150 young people, depicting the daily life of the "Marvelous City" and the greeting of five others, representing the five continents.
But all have come here to see and hear the Pope. Once the songs and performances ends, a celebration of the Word begins, on the theme "Master, it is good for us to be here."
The Pope repeated: " "It is good for us to be here!", Peter cries out after seeing the Lord Jesus transfigured in glory. Do we want to repeat these words with him? I think the answer is yes, because here today, it is good for all of us to be gathered together around Jesus! It is he who welcomes us and who is present in our midst here in Rio. In the Gospel we have heard God the Father say: "This is my Son, my chosen one; listen to him!" (Lk 9:35). If it is Jesus who welcomes us, we too ought to welcome him and listen to his words; it is precisely through the welcome we give to Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, that the Holy Spirit transforms us, lights up our way to the future, and enables us joyfully to advance along that way with wings of hope (cf. Lumen Fidei, 7)".
"But what can we do? "Bota fé - put on faith". The World Youth Day Cross has proclaimed these words throughout its pilgrimage in Brazil. "Put on faith": what does this mean? When we prepare a plate of food and we see that it needs salt, well, we "put on" salt; when it needs oil, then you "put on" oil. "To put on", that is, to place on top of, to pour over. And so it is in our life, dear young friends: if we want it to have real meaning and fulfilment, as you want and as you deserve, I say to each one of you, "Put on faith", and your life will take on a new flavour, it will have a compass to show you the way; "put on hope" and every one of your days will be enlightened and your horizon will no longer be dark, but luminous; "put on love", and your life will be like a house built on rock, your journey will be joyful, because you will find many friends to journey with you. Put on faith, put on hope, put on love!".
" But
who can give us all this? In the Gospel we have just heard the answer: Christ. "This
is my Son, my chosen one. Listen to him!" Jesus is the one who brings God to us
and us to God. With him, our life is transformed and renewed, and we can see
reality with new eyes, from Jesus' standpoint, with his own eyes (cf. Lumen
Fidei, 18). For this reason, I want to insist with you today: "Put on Christ!"
in your life, and you will find a friend in whom you can always trust; "put on
Christ" and you will see the wings of hope spreading and letting you journey
with joy towards the future; "put on Christ" and your life will be full of his
love; it will be a fruitful life".
"Today, I would like each of us to ask sincerely: in whom do we place our
trust? In ourselves, in material things, or in Jesus? We are all tempted to put
ourselves at the centre, to think that we alone build our lives or that our
life can only be happy if built on possessions, money, or power. But it is not
so. Certainly, possessions, money and power can give a momentary thrill, the
illusion of being happy, but they end up possessing us and making us always
want to have more, never satisfied. "Put on Christ" in your life, place your
trust in him and you will never be disappointed! You see how faith accomplishes
a revolution in us, one which we can call Copernican, because it removes us
from the centre and restores it to God; faith immerses us in his love and gives
us security, strength, and hope. To all appearances, nothing has changed; yet,
in the depths of our being, everything is different. Peace, consolation,
gentleness, courage, serenity and joy, which are all fruits of the Holy Spirit
(cf. Gal 5:22), find a home in our heart, and our very being is transformed;
our way of thinking and acting is made new, it becomes Jesus' own, God's own,
way of thinking and acting. During the Year of Faith, this World Youth Day is
truly a gift offered to us to draw us closer to the Lord, to be his disciples
and his missionaries, to let him renew our lives".
"Dear young people: "Put on Christ" in your lives. In these days, Christ awaits
you in his word; listen carefully to him and your heart will be warmed by his
presence; "Put on Christ": he awaits you in the sacrament of Penance, to heal
by his mercy the wounds caused by sin. Do not be afraid to ask God's
forgiveness! He never tires of forgiving us, like a father who loves us. God is
pure mercy! "Put on Christ": he is waiting for you in his flesh in the
Eucharist, the sacrament of his presence and his sacrifice of love, and in the
humanity of the many young people who will enrich you with their friendship,
encourage you by their witness to the faith, and teach you the language of
charity, goodness and service. You too, dear young people, can be joyful
witnesses of his love, courageous witnesses of his Gospel, carrying to this
world a ray of his light".
"It is good for us to be here", putting on Christ in our lives, putting on the
faith, hope and love which he gives us. Dear friends, in this celebration we
have welcomed the image of Our Lady of Aparecida. With Mary, may we be
disciples and missionaries. Like her, may we say "Yes" to God. Let us ask that
her maternal heart intercede for us, so that our hearts may be open to loving
Jesus and making others love him. He is waiting for us, and he is counting on
us. Amen".
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