Pope asks Lebanese youth to show Middle East coexistence between Christianity and Islam is possible
Bkerké (AsiaNews)
- Young Christians and Muslims "build together" the future of
Lebanon, because " the Middle East in general, looking at you, should
understand that Muslims and Christians, Islam and Christianity, can live side
by side without hatred, with respect for the beliefs of each person, so as to
build together a free and humane society. " This
afternoon's meeting with young people was one Benedict XVI had no intention of
missing, in fact these youth gatherings have become key event in all his
visits, anywhere in the world. And here they came, with choirs,
song and celebration.
Are
at least thirty thousand young people came to this meeting. In
front of the seat of the Maronite Patriarchate there were Christians of all
denominations as well as Muslims. And not only Lebanese. "I
understand, too, - said the Pope - that present among us there are some young
people from Syria. I want to say how much I admire your courage. Tell your
families and friends back home that the Pope has not forgotten you. Tell those
around you that the Pope is saddened by your sufferings and your griefs. He
does not forget Syria in his prayers and concerns, he does not forget those in
the Middle East who are suffering. It is time for Muslims and Christians to
come together so as to put an end to violence and war.. "
In
greetings to Pope Benedict XVI, young people spoke about their problems, which
are those of their peers from around the world, but not only. "We
young people of the Middle East - said a young man and woman - right now we are
immersed in a sea of difficulties, anxieties and fears," they spoke of "discouragement"
and "corruption." "Whether
they are related to situations of insecurity, or the political and economic
crises and inflation - they said - the difficulties facing the Christian family
are immense and include the loss of the meaning of the sacrament of marriage, contemporary
atheism, religious and social
discrimination, social scourges like drug addiction and alcoholism. "
"I am aware -
answered Benedict XVI - of the
difficulties which you face daily on account of instability and lack of
security, your difficulties in finding employment and your sense of being alone
and on the margins. In a constantly changing world you are faced with many serious
challenges. But not even unemployment and uncertainty should lead you to taste
the bitter sweetness of emigration, which involves an uprooting and a
separation for the sake of an uncertain future. You are meant to be
protagonists of your country's future and to take your place in society and in
the Church".
"The frustrations of the
present moment must not lead you to take refuge in parallel worlds like those,
for example, of the various narcotics or the bleak world of pornography. As for
social networks, they are interesting but they can quite easily lead to
addiction and confusion between the real and the virtual. Look for
relationships of genuine, uplifting friendship. Find ways to give meaning and
depth to your lives; fight superficiality and mindless consumption! You face
another temptation, too: that of money, the tyrannical idol which blinds to the
point of stifling the person at the heart. The examples being held up all
around you are not always the best. Many people have forgotten Christ's warning
that one cannot serve both God and mammon (cf. Lk 16:13). Seek out good
teachers, spiritual masters, who will be able to guide you along the path to
maturity, leaving behind all that is illusory, garish and deceptive. Bring the
love of Christ to everyone! How? By turning unreservedly to God the Father, who
is the measure of everything that is right, true and good. Meditate on God's
word! Discover how relevant and real the Gospel can be. Pray! Prayer and the
sacraments are the sure and effective means to be a Christian and to live
"rooted and built up in Christ, and established in the faith" (Col 2:7). The
Year of Faith, which is about to begin, will be a time to rediscover the
treasure of the faith which you received at Baptism. You can grow in knowledge
and understanding of this treasure by studying the Catechism, so that your
faith can be both living and lived. You will then become witnesses to others of
the love of Christ."
"The universal brotherhood which he inaugurated on the cross lights
up in a resplendent and challenging way the revolution of love." "Christ
asks you, then, to do as he did: to be completely open to others, even if they
belong to a different cultural, religious or national group. Making space for
them, respecting them, being good to them, making them ever more rich in
humanity and firm in the peace of the Lord. "
"Be heralds of the Gospel of life and life's authentic values - he repeated
- Courageously resist everything opposed to life: abortion, violence, rejection
of and contempt for others, injustice and war. In this way you will spread
peace all around you. Are not "peacemakers" those whom in the end we admire the
most? Is it not a world of peace that, deep down, we want for ourselves and for
others? سَلامي أُعطيكُم - My peace I give to you! (Jn
14:27), Jesus says. He overcame evil not with more evil, but by taking evil
upon himself and destroying it completely on the cross through a love lived to
the very end. Truly discovering God's forgiveness and mercy always enables us
to begin a new life. It is not easy to forgive. But God's forgiveness grants
the power of conversion, and the joy of being able to forgive in turn. Forgiveness
and reconciliation are the paths of peace; they open up a future".
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