With the young people of Hungary, almost in a preview of the WYD Lisbon, the Pope was clear and enthusiastic (cf. Speech at the Papp László Budapest Sportaréna, 29-IV-2023). He did not fail to speak to them about their roots (condition of life) and, above all, about Christ. Pope Francis told the young people of Hungary that ready-made answers are useless. That "Christ is God in flesh and bloodHe is the living God who comes close to us; He is the Friend, the best of friends; He is the Brother, the best of brothers; and He is very good at asking questions. In the Gospel, in fact, He, who is the Teacher, asks questions before giving answers".
To those who desire great things, young and not so young, he teaches that "one does not become great by passing over others, but by lowering oneself to others; not at the expense of others, but by serving others (cf. Mk 10:35-45)".
Jesus teaches us to riskto aim high; but also to train. A teaming up without closing in in a group of friends and on a cell phone. Pope Francis also wanted to tell young people: "Do not be afraid to go against the current, to find a time of silence every day to stop and pray". Although today everything seems to push us to be efficient like machines, we are not machines. At the same time, it is true that we often feel as if we are running out of gas, and for this reason we need to to collect ourselves in silence.
For the Pope, "Silence is the ground on which we can cultivating profitable relationshipsbecause it allows us to confide to Jesus what we are living, to bring Him faces and names, to place our anxieties in Him, to think of our friends and to pray for them".
In addition, "silence gives us the possibility of read a page of the Gospel that speaks to our lifeWe are also the place to adore God, thus finding peace in our hearts".
But Pope Francis adds to the young people that perhaps "silence allows you to choose a book that you are not obliged to read, but which helps you to read the human heart; a observing nature not to be only in contact with man-made things and thus discover the beauty that surrounds us".
But, beware, the Pope remarks very strongly to all young people: "Silence is not for staying glued to your cell phone and social networks. No, please don't. Life is real, not virtualLife doesn't happen on a screen, life happens in the world! Please do not virtualize life. I repeat: do not virtualize lifeThat's concrete. Got it?"
It is this a call of Pope Francis to realismrealism that needs, as we can see, silence; because "...".Silence is the door to prayer, and prayer is the door to love.". In prayer, Francis advises, "do not be afraid to bring to Jesus everything that happens in your inner world: affections, fears, problems, expectations, memories, hopes, everything, even sins. He understands everything. Prayer is a dialogue of life, prayer is life".
Realism and life. The danger today, warns Pope Francis to young people, is to be ".fake peoplewho trust too much in their own abilities and at the same time live by appearances in order to look good; they distance God from their hearts because they are only concerned with themselves. On the other hand, as we see in the Gospels, the Lord does great things with us if we are authentic, if we recognize our limitations and go forward fighting against our sins and defects.
And to conclude, Pope Francis encourages young people to ask themselves: "What do I do for others?What do I do for society, what do I do for the Church, what do I do for my enemies, do I live for my own good or for the good of others, do I live for the good of others? I take a risk for someone(...) Let us ask ourselves about our gratuitousness, about our capacity to love, to love according to Jesus, that is, to love and serve. Like the young man in the Gospel who trusts Jesus. Y gives what little he had for lunch. And then Jesus performs that miracle of the multiplication of food (cf. Jn 6:9)".
Ramiro Pelliterocourtesy of the blog Church and new evangelization, 21-V-2023.
