YOUNG PEOPLE, DARE TO DREAM - en-fr-es

 

Young people are very different from those of yesterday, because of the rapid social changes of recent decades.

Adults have the responsibility 

not to deprive them 

of the dimension of generativity,

 without which there is no future.

by Luciano Manicardi

 

While speaking of young people as those who "in themselves represent hope," Pope Francis pointed to the responsibility of adults toward them: "We cannot disappoint them... let us care for the younger generations" (Spes non confundit, 12). The hope of young people is also the responsibility of adults. And what adults must first become aware of, and know, is what Michel Serres, speaking precisely of young people, called the "birth of a new humanity."

 Today's young people, compared to their parents, have different life expectancies, different families, different suffering, different education—now monopolized by the media—different living spaces thanks to "omniconnectivity," different languages, different ways of thinking and relating to reality, different temporalities, different relationships with work, different bonds due to the precariousness of belonging (national, political, religious, gender). The primary responsibility of adults is to listen, to know, and to understand.

 Only now are we beginning to have some understanding of the effects that daily familiarity—practically from the cradle—with smartphones can have on children and adolescents. Jonathan Haidt, studying Generation Z (those born after 1995), noted the rise in anxiety, anguish, depression, self-harm, and suicide. Growing up immersed in the so-called virtual world certainly doesn't help children cope with the real world and severely impacts their social and neurological development. In his book, The Anxious Generation, after noting that a childhood centered on play has shifted to one centered on the phone, the author argues that overprotection in the real world and underprotection in the virtual world are at the root of this generation's "anxiety."

 But, above all, adults are responsible for instilling trust and making room for young people, not for comparing and judging. Only by instilling trust can hope be created. Social and cultural responsibility today is to recover the dimension of generativity, without which young people are robbed of their future: if the world of work, the economy, and politics become focused on the present, investing and focusing on only short- and very short-term goals, young generations suffer the consequences. Without trust in the future, young people are robbed of hope. The deficit in generativity is connected to the disappearance of initiation in Western societies. Initiations are ritualized passages of human existence that teach the initiate the value of living, instilling the ancient principle of "die and become."

 Unfortunately, in the West, institutions dedicated to accompanying the human growth of young people are lacking (or are in serious crisis). There is a need for emotional education that provides young people with the tools to recognize, name, and manage their emotions. Otherwise, it will increasingly happen that unrecognized emotions of anger become dysregulated into aggression, leading to violence; or that unrecognized emotions of sadness become dysregulated into depression. Likewise, training in thinking, solitude, silence, the work of self-knowledge, and the cultivation of interiority would be essential.

 And what is the responsibility of the young person? It is essential for a young person to learn to guard against the demon of easiness. Today, we encounter an abundant supply of comfort goods (enormously increased thanks to digital technology) that provide instant gratification, but then produce habituation, dependence, and, in the long run, boredom, not joy. Furthermore, they accustom us to a temporality of the all-at-once, contrary to the patient work—including waiting, corrections, and revisions along the way—typical of the work in progress that is building deep relationships. Relationships that constitute both the meaning and the happiness of a life.

 Brother Roger of Taizé wrote: "Only the humble gift of oneself makes us happy." So-called stimulating goods require toil, effort, and commitment and are less appealing, but only by embracing the dimension of toil and effort can we build a robust self and serious relationships. Stimulating goods are cultural and relational goods, pertaining to the social sphere (for example, volunteering), sports, and the spiritual sphere. But to commit effort and commitment, a young person must nurture a passion, because only this allows them to gather their energies and put them to work pursuing their goals. Any advice for young people?

Cultivate creativity and imagination. And be brave: dare yourself.

JEUNES, OSEZ RÊVER

 Les jeunes d'aujourd'hui sont très différents de ceux d'hier, en raison des rapides changements sociaux des dernières décennies.

Les adultes ont la responsabilité de ne pas les priver de cette dimension de générativité, sans laquelle il n'y a pas d'avenir.

 -Luciano Manicardi

 Parlant des jeunes comme de ceux qui « représentent en eux-mêmes l'espérance », le pape François a souligné la responsabilité des adultes à leur égard : « Nous ne pouvons pas les décevoir… prenons soin des jeunes générations » (Spes non confindit, 12). L'espérance des jeunes est aussi la responsabilité des adultes. Et ce que les adultes doivent d'abord prendre conscience, et savoir, c'est ce que Michel Serres, parlant précisément des jeunes, appelait la « naissance d'une nouvelle humanité ».

 Les jeunes d'aujourd'hui, comparés à leurs parents, ont une espérance de vie différente, des familles différentes, des souffrances différentes, une éducation différente – désormais monopolisée par les médias –, des espaces de vie différents grâce à l'« omniconnectivité », des langues différentes, des modes de pensée et de rapport à la réalité différents, des temporalités différentes, des rapports au travail différents, des liens différents dus à la précarité des appartenances (nationales, politiques, religieuses, de genre). La responsabilité première des adultes est d'écouter, de savoir et de comprendre.

 Ce n'est que maintenant que nous commençons à comprendre les effets que la familiarité quotidienne – pratiquement dès le berceau – avec les smartphones peut avoir sur les enfants et les adolescents. Jonathan Haidt, étudiant la génération Z (nés après 1995), a constaté une augmentation de l'anxiété, de l'angoisse, de la dépression, de l'automutilation et du suicide. Grandir immergé dans le monde dit virtuel n'aide certainement pas les enfants à faire face au monde réel et a de graves répercussions sur leur développement social et neurologique. Dans son livre, La Génération Anxieuse, après avoir constaté qu'une enfance centrée sur le jeu a basculé vers une enfance centrée sur le téléphone, l'auteur soutient que la surprotection dans le monde réel et la sous-protection dans le monde virtuel sont à l'origine de « l'anxiété » de cette génération.

Mais, par-dessus tout, les adultes ont la responsabilité d'instaurer la confiance et de laisser une place aux jeunes, et non de comparer et de juger. Seule l'instauration de la confiance permet de créer de l'espoir. La responsabilité sociale et culturelle actuelle consiste à retrouver la dimension de générativité, sans laquelle les jeunes sont privés de leur avenir : si le monde du travail, l'économie et la politique se focalisent sur le présent, investissant et se concentrant uniquement sur des objectifs à court et très court terme, les jeunes générations en subissent les conséquences. Sans confiance en l'avenir, les jeunes sont privés d'espoir. Ce déficit de générativité est lié à la disparition de l'initiation dans les sociétés occidentales. Les initiations sont des passages ritualisés de l'existence humaine qui enseignent à l'initié la valeur de la vie, inculquant le principe ancestral du « mourir et devenir ».

 Malheureusement, en Occident, les institutions dédiées à l'accompagnement du développement humain des jeunes font défaut (ou sont en grave crise). Une éducation émotionnelle est nécessaire pour leur donner les outils nécessaires pour reconnaître, nommer et gérer leurs émotions. Sinon, les émotions de colère non reconnues se dérègleront de plus en plus en agressivité, menant à la violence ; ou les émotions de tristesse non reconnues en dépression. De même, l'apprentissage de la réflexion, de la solitude, du silence, le travail de connaissance de soi et le développement de l'intériorité seraient essentiels.

 Et quelle est la responsabilité du jeune ? Il est essentiel qu'il apprenne à se prémunir contre le démon de la facilité. Aujourd'hui, nous sommes confrontés à une offre abondante de biens de confort (démultipliée grâce aux technologies numériques) qui procurent une gratification immédiate, mais engendrent ensuite accoutumance, dépendance et, à long terme, ennui, et non joie. De plus, ils nous habituent à une temporalité du tout-en-un, contrairement au travail patient – incluant l'attente, les corrections et les révisions en cours de route – typique du travail en cours qui construit des relations profondes. Des relations qui constituent à la fois le sens et le bonheur d'une vie.

 Frère Roger de Taizé a écrit : « Seul l'humble don de soi-même nous rend heureux. » Les biens dits stimulants exigent du travail, des efforts et de l'engagement et sont moins attrayants, mais ce n'est qu'en embrassant la dimension du travail et de l'effort que nous pouvons construire une personne solide et des relations sérieuses. Les biens stimulants sont les biens culturels et relationnels, relevant de la sphère sociale (par exemple, le bénévolat), du sport et de la sphère spirituelle. Mais pour s'engager, un jeune doit nourrir une passion, car seule cela lui permet de rassembler ses énergies et de les mettre au service de ses objectifs. Un conseil pour les jeunes ?

 Cultivez la créativité et l'imagination. Et soyez courageux : osez-vous.

JÓVENES, ATRÉVANSE A SOÑAR

 Los jóvenes de hoy son muy diferentes a los de ayer, debido a los rápidos cambios sociales de las últimas décadas.

Los adultos tienen la responsabilidad de no privarlos de la dimensión de la generatividad, sin la cual no hay futuro.

- Luciano Manicardi

 Al referirse a los jóvenes como aquellos que "representan en sí mismos la esperanza", el Papa Francisco señaló la responsabilidad de los adultos hacia ellos: "No podemos decepcionarlos... cuidemos de las nuevas generaciones" (Spes non confundit, 12). La esperanza de los jóvenes es también responsabilidad de los adultos. Y lo que los adultos deben primero comprender y comprender es lo que Michel Serres, hablando precisamente de los jóvenes, llamó el "nacimiento de una nueva humanidad".

 Los jóvenes de hoy, en comparación con sus padres, tienen diferentes expectativas de vida, familias, sufrimientos, educación —ahora monopolizada por los medios—, espacios vitales diferentes gracias a la omniconectividad, idiomas diferentes, formas de pensar y relacionarse con la realidad diferentes, temporalidades diferentes, relaciones laborales diferentes, vínculos diferentes debido a la precariedad de la pertenencia (nacional, política, religiosa, de género). La principal responsabilidad de los adultos es escuchar, saber y comprender.

 Solo ahora empezamos a comprender los efectos que la familiaridad diaria —prácticamente desde la cuna— con los teléfonos inteligentes puede tener en niños y adolescentes. Jonathan Haidt, al estudiar a la Generación Z (nacidos después de 1995), observó el aumento de la ansiedad, la angustia, la depresión, las autolesiones y el suicidio. Crecer inmersos en el llamado mundo virtual ciertamente no ayuda a los niños a lidiar con el mundo real y afecta gravemente su desarrollo social y neurológico. En su libro, La Generación Ansiosa, tras señalar que una infancia centrada en el juego ha pasado a una centrada en el teléfono, el autor argumenta que la sobreprotección en el mundo real y la desprotección en el mundo virtual son la raíz de la "ansiedad" de esta generación.

 Pero, sobre todo, los adultos son responsables de infundir confianza y dar cabida a los jóvenes, no de compararlos ni juzgarlos. Solo infundiendo confianza se puede crear esperanza. La responsabilidad social y cultural actual es recuperar la dimensión de la generatividad, sin la cual los jóvenes se ven privados de su futuro: si el mundo laboral, la economía y la política se centran en el presente, invirtiendo y centrándose únicamente en objetivos a corto y muy corto plazo, las jóvenes generaciones sufren las consecuencias. Sin confianza en el futuro, los jóvenes se ven privados de la esperanza. El déficit de generatividad está relacionado con la desaparición de la iniciación en las sociedades occidentales. Las iniciaciones son pasajes ritualizados de la existencia humana que enseñan al iniciado el valor de la vida, inculcando el antiguo principio de "morir y convertirse".

 Lamentablemente, en Occidente, las instituciones dedicadas a acompañar el crecimiento humano de los jóvenes son escasas (o se encuentran en grave crisis). Se necesita una educación emocional que proporcione a los jóvenes las herramientas para reconocer, identificar y gestionar sus emociones. De lo contrario, ocurrirá cada vez más que las emociones de ira no reconocidas se descontrolen y se transformen en agresión, lo que conduce a la violencia; o que las emociones de tristeza no reconocidas se descontrolen y se transformen en depresión. Asimismo, sería esencial la formación en la reflexión, la soledad, el silencio, el trabajo de autoconocimiento y el cultivo de la interioridad.

 ¿Y cuál es la responsabilidad del joven? Es esencial que aprenda a protegerse del demonio de la comodidad. Hoy en día, nos encontramos con una abundante oferta de bienes de confort (enormemente incrementada gracias a la tecnología digital) que proporcionan gratificación instantánea, pero luego producen habituación, dependencia y, a la larga, aburrimiento, no alegría. Además, nos acostumbran a una temporalidad de todo a la vez, contraria al trabajo paciente —que incluye esperas, correcciones y revisiones a lo largo del camino— típico del trabajo en progreso que construye relaciones profundas. Relaciones que constituyen tanto el sentido como la felicidad de una vida.

 El hermano Roger de Taizé escribió: «Solo el humilde don de uno mismo nos hace felices». Los llamados bienes estimulantes requieren trabajo, esfuerzo y compromiso, y son menos atractivos, pero solo abrazando la dimensión del trabajo y el esfuerzo podemos construir una identidad sólida y relaciones serias. Los bienes estimulantes son bienes culturales y relacionales, pertenecientes al ámbito social (por ejemplo, el voluntariado), el deporte y el ámbito espiritual. Pero para comprometerse y esforzarse, un joven debe cultivar una pasión, porque solo esto le permite reunir sus energías y ponerlas a trabajar para alcanzar sus metas. ¿Algún consejo para los jóvenes?

 Cultiven la creatividad y la imaginación. Y sean valientes: atrévanse.

THIRST FOR BEAUTY

 

-en - fr - es 

A generation that thirsts for beauty

 

-        

by Susanna Tamaro

 What a surprise the million young people who gathered at Tor Vergata the other evening! A still little-known Pope and a society in which the Church's presence seems to have evaporated, suggested a very different outcome.

 And what about their gazes? Extraordinarily lively and moving gazes, each one different from the other, as if the aesthetic cloning imposed by the media had never taken root in their lives. The spirit of the times—that of obsessive and bored scrolling—seemed to have rendered impossible that long period of attention, stillness, and silence that accompanied Eucharistic adoration. And yet it happened. It was as if the entire vast esplanade were holding its breath, staring with emotion at the Blessed Sacrament, which shone with light from its golden shrine on the altar.

 This vision took me back to my troubled adolescence, the 1970s, years steeped in an ideological fanaticism that left little escape. Born into a hyper-secular family, in a very secular city like Trieste, I harbored questions in my heart that no one seemed capable of answering. One of them: what made life truly worth living? So at 16, I hitchhiked to Assisi. There I knew there had been a restless boy like me who had rebelled against the fanaticism of his time, surrendering to a dimension of freedom he found fascinating. And what do restless hearts seek, if not this? A freedom that isn't the ability to do everything, but the ability to read everything in a larger dimension. A reading ability that prevents us from being swept away by the sometimes inextricable complexity of our times.

 But while my generation had to juggle ideological outbursts born in the twentieth century—outbursts that brought pain and death everywhere and whose mark is still visible in our society—the current generation is experiencing humanity's greatest anthropological transition. It's not a change in habits, but a genuine modification in brain development. Excessive smartphone use, especially in children and adolescents, reduces brain volume, especially in the subcortical regions, those regions that help regulate behavior and control emotions. The many, many incidents of senseless youth violence speak precisely to this inability to control.

 To escape this dangerous and disturbing drift, perhaps we need to return to contemplate the marvelous tree of evolution. The zoological name that defines us is Homo sapiens sapiens . Looking around, in these times of devastating wars and hatreds of all kinds, it's quite difficult to find this expression appropriate. Yet, in that sapiens lies the key. Sapiens derives from the Latin word sapere, of Indo-European origin, meaning: to have flavor, to be wise. We all know the difference between a bland and a salty food. Our age thrives on the cult of knowledge, but the knowledge offered to us is strictly technical and scientific, detached from any more subtle reality. Dante reminds us, however, that wisdom is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is therefore not something to be acquired through a program, but a mysterious emanation born from the heart.

 Those bright, attentive eyes speak to us of a generation that, despite having grown up in educational indolence and amid the remnants of twentieth-century nihilism, still has an unquenchable thirst for truth, beauty, and the building of relationships capable of withstanding the ravages of time, even learning to give up something—as the girl who posed one of the three questions to Pope Leo said—because human life acquires meaning not through consumption but through construction, which sometimes requires difficult choices. Human nature is strong and courageous, and when it draws on its resources, it doesn't need drugs, pills, or resilience courses.

 In the Jubilee of Hope, the vision of this million young people has opened a window onto a world we thought lost forever. The world of those who thirst, and are capable of setting out in search of quenching water. Perhaps what corrodes our affluent society is precisely our failure to understand the great thirst that pervades it.

 Corriere della Sera

 

*Une génération qui a soif de beauté*

 

-         par Susanna Tamaro

 Quelle surprise pour le million de jeunes réunis à Tor Vergata l'autre soir ! Un pape encore peu connu et une société où la présence de l'Église semble s'être évaporée laissaient présager un résultat bien différent.

 Et leurs regards ? Des regards extraordinairement vifs et émouvants, tous différents les uns des autres, comme si le clonage esthétique imposé par les médias n'avait jamais pris racine dans leurs vies. L'air du temps – celui du défilement obsessionnel et ennuyeux – semblait avoir rendu impossible cette longue période d'attention, d'immobilité et de silence qui accompagnait l'adoration eucharistique. Et pourtant, elle eut lieu. C'était comme si toute la vaste esplanade retenait son souffle, fixant avec émotion le Saint-Sacrement, qui rayonnait de la lumière de son écrin doré sur l'autel.

Cette vision m'a ramené à mon adolescence tourmentée, les années 1970, années imprégnées d'un fanatisme idéologique qui ne laissait guère d'échappatoire. Né dans une famille hyper-laïque, dans une ville aussi laïque que Trieste, je nourrissais en moi des questions auxquelles personne ne semblait capable de répondre. L'une d'elles : qu'est-ce qui rendait la vie vraiment digne d'être vécue ? Alors, à 16 ans, j'ai fait du stop jusqu'à Assise. Là, j'ai su qu'il y avait eu un garçon agité comme moi, qui s'était rebellé contre le fanatisme de son époque, s'abandonnant à une dimension de liberté qu'il trouvait fascinante. Et que recherchent les cœurs agités, sinon cela ? Une liberté qui n'est pas la capacité de tout faire, mais celle de tout lire dans une dimension plus large. Une capacité de lecture qui nous empêche de nous laisser emporter par la complexité parfois inextricable de notre époque.

 Mais alors que ma génération a dû jongler avec les explosions idéologiques nées au XXe siècle – des explosions qui ont semé la douleur et la mort partout et dont les traces sont encore visibles dans notre société –, la génération actuelle vit la plus grande transition anthropologique de l'humanité. Il ne s'agit pas d'un changement d'habitudes, mais d'une véritable modification du développement cérébral. L'utilisation excessive du smartphone, surtout chez les enfants et les adolescents, réduit le volume cérébral, notamment dans les régions sous-corticales, celles qui contribuent à la régulation du comportement et au contrôle des émotions. Les nombreux incidents de violence insensée chez les jeunes témoignent précisément de cette incapacité à contrôler.

 Pour échapper à cette dérive dangereuse et inquiétante, peut-être devrions-nous revenir à la contemplation du merveilleux arbre de l'évolution. Le nom zoologique qui nous définit est Homo sapiens sapiens . À bien y regarder, en ces temps de guerres dévastatrices et de haines de toutes sortes, il est bien difficile de trouver cette expression appropriée. Pourtant, c'est dans ce sapiens que réside la clé. Sapiens dérive du latin sapere, d'origine indo-européenne, qui signifie : avoir du goût, être sage. Nous connaissons tous la différence entre un aliment fade et un aliment salé. Notre époque prospère grâce au culte du savoir, mais le savoir qui nous est offert est strictement technique et scientifique, détaché de toute réalité plus subtile. Dante nous rappelle cependant que la sagesse est l'un des sept dons du Saint-Esprit. Elle ne s'acquiert donc pas par un programme, mais par une émanation mystérieuse née du cœur.

 Ces yeux brillants et attentifs nous parlent d'une génération qui, malgré une éducation indolente et les vestiges du nihilisme du XXe siècle, nourrit une soif insatiable de vérité, de beauté et de construction de relations capables de résister aux ravages du temps, voire d'apprendre à renoncer à quelque chose – comme le disait la jeune fille qui posait l'une des trois questions au pape Léon XIII – car la vie humaine acquiert un sens non pas par la consommation, mais par la construction, qui exige parfois des choix difficiles. La nature humaine est forte et courageuse, et lorsqu'elle puise dans ses ressources, elle n'a besoin ni de médicaments, ni de pilules, ni de cours de résilience.

 À l'occasion du Jubilé de l'Espérance, la vision de ce million de jeunes a ouvert une fenêtre sur un monde que nous croyions perdu à jamais. Le monde de ceux qui ont soif et sont capables de partir à la recherche d'une eau désaltérante. Ce qui ronge peut-être notre société d'abondance, c'est précisément notre incapacité à comprendre la grande soif qui l'habite.

 Corriere della Sera

  

*Una generación sedienta de belleza*

 

-         por Susanna Tamaro

 ¡Qué sorpresa para el millón de jóvenes que se reunieron en Tor Vergata la otra noche! Un Papa aún poco conocido y una sociedad en la que la presencia de la Iglesia parece haberse evaporado, sugerían un resultado muy diferente.

 ¿Y qué decir de sus miradas? Miradas extraordinariamente vivaces y conmovedoras, cada una distinta de la otra, como si la clonación estética impuesta por los medios nunca hubiera arraigado en sus vidas. El espíritu de la época —el del desplazamiento obsesivo y aburrido— parecía haber hecho imposible ese largo periodo de atención, quietud y silencio que acompañaba la adoración eucarística. Y, sin embargo, sucedió. Era como si toda la vasta explanada contuviera la respiración, contemplando con emoción el Santísimo Sacramento, que brillaba con la luz de su santuario dorado en el altar.

 Esta visión me devolvió a mi problemática adolescencia, los años setenta, años inmersos en un fanatismo ideológico que dejaba pocas escapatorias. Nacido en una familia hipersecular, en una ciudad tan secular como Trieste, albergaba preguntas en mi corazón que nadie parecía capaz de responder. Una de ellas: ¿qué hacía que la vida realmente valiera la pena? Así que, a los 16 años, hice autostop hasta Asís. Allí supe que había existido un chico inquieto como yo que se había rebelado contra el fanatismo de su tiempo, entregándose a una dimensión de libertad que le fascinaba. ¿Y qué buscan los corazones inquietos sino esto? Una libertad que no es la capacidad de hacerlo todo, sino la capacidad de leer todo en una dimensión más amplia. Una capacidad de lectura que nos impide dejarnos llevar por la complejidad, a veces inextricable, de nuestros tiempos.

 Pero mientras mi generación tuvo que lidiar con los estallidos ideológicos surgidos en el siglo XX —estallidos que trajeron dolor y muerte por doquier y cuya huella aún es visible en nuestra sociedad—, la generación actual está experimentando la mayor transición antropológica de la humanidad. No se trata de un cambio de hábitos, sino de una auténtica modificación del desarrollo cerebral. El uso excesivo de teléfonos inteligentes, sobre todo en niños y adolescentes, reduce el volumen cerebral, especialmente en las regiones subcorticales, las que ayudan a regular el comportamiento y controlar las emociones. Los numerosos incidentes de violencia juvenil sin sentido reflejan precisamente esta incapacidad de control.

 Para escapar de esta peligrosa y perturbadora deriva, quizá necesitemos volver a contemplar el maravilloso árbol de la evolución. El nombre zoológico que nos define es Homo sapiens sapiens . Mirando a nuestro alrededor, en estos tiempos de guerras devastadoras y odios de todo tipo, es bastante difícil encontrar esta expresión apropiada. Sin embargo, en ese sapiens reside la clave. Sapiens deriva del latín sapere, de origen indoeuropeo, que significa: tener sabor, ser sabio. Todos conocemos la diferencia entre un alimento insípido y uno salado. Nuestra época prospera gracias al culto al conocimiento, pero el conocimiento que se nos ofrece es estrictamente técnico y científico, desprendido de cualquier realidad más sutil. Dante nos recuerda, sin embargo, que la sabiduría es uno de los siete dones del Espíritu Santo. Por lo tanto, no es algo que se adquiera a través de un programa, sino una misteriosa emanación que nace del corazón.

 Esos ojos brillantes y atentos nos hablan de una generación que, a pesar de haber crecido en la indolencia educativa y entre los vestigios del nihilismo del siglo XX, aún tiene una sed insaciable de verdad, belleza y la construcción de relaciones capaces de resistir los estragos del tiempo, incluso aprendiendo a renunciar a algo —como dijo la niña que planteó una de las tres preguntas al Papa León— porque la vida humana adquiere sentido no a través del consumo, sino a través de la construcción, que a veces requiere decisiones difíciles. La naturaleza humana es fuerte y valiente, y cuando recurre a sus recursos, no necesita drogas, pastillas ni cursos de resiliencia.

 En el Jubileo de la Esperanza, la visión de este millón de jóvenes ha abierto una ventana a un mundo que creíamos perdido para siempre. El mundo de quienes tienen sed y son capaces de salir en busca del agua que los sacia. Quizás lo que corroe nuestra sociedad opulenta es precisamente nuestra incapacidad para comprender la gran sed que la impregna.

 Corriere della Sera

Immagine

 

 

 

ASPIRE TO GREAT THINGS

 

Pope at Youth Mass: The Lord is gently

 knocking at the window of your soul

During the Mass for the Jubilee of Young People at Tor Vergata, Pope Leo XIV reminds the young people that Jesus is our hope, and urges them to "adventure with the Lord toward eternity" as the Lord is "gently knocking" at the window of their soul.

 By Deborah Castellano Lubov

 Jesus is our hope, adventure with Him throughout your life, and let Him enlighten you...

Pope Leo XIV expressed this during the Mass for the Jubilee of Young People at Tor Vergata in Rome on Sunday morning.

The Holy Father introduced this by acknowledging in his homily that even if today’s liturgy does not mention the episode directly, it invites us to reflect on the encounter with the Risen One “Who transforms our lives and enlightens our affections, desires and thoughts.”

The Lord is knocking at window of our soul

He noted that the first reading, taken from the Book of Ecclesiastes, invites us, like the two disciples, to come to terms with the experience of our limitations and the fleeting nature of all things that pass away.

“We are not made for a life where everything is taken for granted and static, but for an existence that is constantly renewed through gift of self in love.” “This is why,” he said, “we continually aspire to something 'more' that no created reality can give us; we feel a deep and burning thirst that no drink in this world can satisfy." 

"Knowing this," he said, "let us not deceive our hearts by trying to satisfy them with cheap imitations!"  Rather, he suggested, "Let us listen to them!" 

"Let us turn this thirst," the Holy Father suggested, "into a step stool, like children who stand on tiptoe, in order to peer through the window of encounter with God.  We will then find ourselves before Him, who is waiting for us, knocking gently on the window of our soul." 

St. Augustine's wisdom

“It is truly beautiful, especially at a young age,” the Holy Father said, “to open wide your hearts, to allow him to enter, and to set out on this adventure with him towards eternity.”

Pope Leo XIV delivers homily at Mass for Jubilee of Young People   (@Vatican Media)

Saint Augustine, reflecting on his intense search for God, the Pope recalled, asked himself: 'What, then, is the object of our hope [...]?'

Asking whether our source of hope is the earth or something beautiful that comes from it, he argued that these items were not, but rather 'the One Who made them,' 'He is your hope.'

St. Augustine, Pope Leo reminded the young people, thinking of his own journey, prayed and said, “You [Lord] were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you […]  You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness."

Like Augustine’s search for meaning, the Pope acknowledged the young people at times ponder similar questions.

Things that are above

The Pope acknowledged, “There is a burning question in our hearts, a need for truth that we cannot ignore, which leads us to ask ourselves: what is true happiness?  What is the true meaning of life?  What can free us from being trapped in meaninglessness, boredom and mediocrity?"

In recent days, Pope Leo recalled the young people have had many beautiful experiences, adding that through all this, "you can grasp an important point," namely the fullness of our existence does not depend on what we store up or, as we heard in the Gospel, on what we possess. 

Rather, he reminded, fullness has to do with what we joyfully welcome and share.  "Buying, hoarding and consuming are not enough.  We need to lift our eyes, to look upwards, to the 'things that are above…’"

Jesus is our hope

"Dear young people, Jesus is our hope," Pope Leo insisted.

"It is He," as Saint John Paul II said addressing young people in the same place during the 2000 Jubilee, Pope Leo remembered, “who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives [...] to commit… to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal.”

Therefore, the Holy Father exhorted, “Let us remain united to Him, let us remain in His friendship, always, cultivating it through prayer, adoration, Eucharistic Communion, frequent Confession, and generous charity, following the examples of Blessed Piergiorgio Frassati and Blessed Carlo Acutis who will soon be declared saints.” 

Hence, he invited, “Aspire to great things, to holiness, wherever you are.  Do not settle for less.  You will then see the light of the Gospel growing every day, in you and around you.”

Finally, after entrusting the young people to the Blessed Mother, Pope Leo XIV concluded, praying that as they return home, they “continue to walk joyfully in the footsteps of the Savior, and spread your enthusiasm and the witness of your faith to everyone you meet!” 

 Vatican News

 

PILGRIMS OF HOPE FOR THE MISSION

 

WYD message: Hope in the Lord and you will not grow weary

Pope Francis releases his message for the 39th World Youth Day,

 and encourages young people to embrace life's challenges 

with hope and perseverance.

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By Francesca Merlo

 Pope Francis has addressed a message to young people around the world for the 39th World Youth Day. The message, entitled “Those who hope in the Lord will run and not be weary,” centres on the theme of hope and endurance, drawing inspiration from the words of the prophet Isaiah.

 In his message, Pope Francis encouraged young people to see life as a pilgrimage, a quest for happiness that is admittedly also tiring. It is precisely in this journey that hope must shine brightest, said the Pope.

 Those who hope in the Lord do not tire

In light of some of the difficulties young people face, Pope Francis encouraged them to persevere. He emphasised that hope is not simply a passive feeling but an active force, one that allows us to "press forward, for it is a gift received from God Himself."

 Pope Francis also addressed the fatigue that can come with life’s struggles. He noted that this weariness is common to all who embark on meaningful journeys and that the solution to such tiredness is not found in resting but in “becoming pilgrims of hope.”

 In his message, the Pope invited the young people to embrace life fully, warning against the stagnation, where people "stand still with no desire to move.”

 He emphasised how this apathy can often lead to a paralysing sense of futility. “I prefer the tiredness of those who are moving forward, not the ennui of those who stand still,” the Pope said.

 Eucharist is the highway to Heaven

The Pope went on to compare young people’s journey to the Biblical story of Israel’s journey through the desert.

 He reassured them that even in moments of crisis and despair, God does not abandon His people. Instead, like a loving Father, He nourishes them with His presence, just as He provided manna to the Israelites in the desert.

 In light of this, the Pope urged the young people to rediscover the profound gift of the sacrament of the Euchraist, by reminding them that "the Eucharist is the highway to heaven.”

 Not tourists but pilgrims

Looking towards the Jubilee of 2025, Pope Francis expressed his hope that the upcoming celebration would be an opportunity for young people to deepen their relationship with God and to experience His mercy and love.

 He extended an invitation to all, saying: "Do not set out as mere tourists, but as true pilgrims," reminding them that the journey towards the Jubilee is not only a physical one but also a spiritual one.

 Bringing his message to a close, Pope Francis encouraged the young people to be brave.

 “Take courage,” he said, before assuring them of his prayers and entrusting their journey to the Blessed Virgin Mary. With her example, he concluded, young people can “persevere in their journey as pilgrims of hope and love.”

 

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS

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GMG-WYD . GOD IS CALLING YOU BY NAME

Pope welcomes young people to WYD

Pope Francis leads the welcoming ceremony of the 37th World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, and reminds young people from across the globe that God calls each of us by name because He loves every person.

 

-         By Christopher Wells

 A vibrant spectacle of colour and sound greeted Pope Francis and hundreds of thousands of pilgrims at the Welcoming Ceremony for World Youth Day 2023.

 The festive character was intended as a celebration of the faith and a demonstration of the unity and diversity of a Church that combines tradition and modernity, and featured a cast of some 50 young people from 21 different countries, as well as the WYD choir and orchestra, and numerous other musicians showcasing the Portuguese culture.

 A notable addition to this year’s opening ceremony was the choreographic performance of the lyrics of the music in Portuguese sign language, promoting the participation of those with difficulties hearing.

 Following the arrival of Pope Francis, a group of young people read selections from letters produced by the cast, representing the thousands of letters the Pope receives each day. The letters highlighted the questions and concerns of youth from around the world, with many asking for advice and prayers for their families, countries, and local Churches.

The welcoming ceremony continued with the procession of flags from all the countries represented at World Youth Day, accompanied by an original song, “Um Dia de Sol” (“A Sunny Day”), composed by Héber Marques especially for the occasion. The song highlights the desire to celebrate faith in Jesus.

 The highlight of the Welcome Ceremony was a Liturgy of the Word, focusing on St Luke’s account of Jesus’ sending forth the seventy-two disciples.

 In his reflection on the Gospel reading, Pope Francis warmly welcomed the young people taking part in World Youth Day, reminding them that God has called them by name precisely because He loves each one of them. “At this World Youth Day,” the Pope said, “let us help one another to recognize this fundamental reality: May these days be vibrant echoes of God’s call of love.”

A community of the called

Christ’s Church, the Pope continued, is “the community of the called,” not a community of the best people; rather, we are all sinners, all called "as we are, with our problems and limitations.” We are, he said,  “a community of brothers and sisters of Jesus, sons and daughters of the same Father. I want to be very clear with you.”

 Pope Francis insisted, “There is room for everyone in the Church,” adding that Jesus expressed this clearly in the Gospels in parables where all are called: “the young and old, the healthy and the sick, the righteous and sinners: everyone, everyone, everyone, everyone!” And he invited the crowd to repeat after him, “Everyone, everyone, everyone!”

 God loves us

Insisting again and again that God loves them, the Pope told young people to never grow tired of coming to God with questions. “Asking questions is good,” he said, “it is often better than giving answers, because those who ask questions remain restless, and restlessness is the best remedy” for a routineness that can “anaesthetize the soul.”

 Pope Francis invited young men and women to reflect on how “beautiful” it is that God loves us. “God loves us as we are,” he repeated, “not as we would like to be or as society would like us to be.” Instead, we are called and loved as we are with our defects and limitations, but also “with our desire to move forward in life.”

 “This is what I wanted to tell you,” he said, in conclusion: “Don’t be afraid, have courage, go forward knowing that we are loved…” And he called on the young people to repeat with him: “God loves us.”

‘There’s a Rush in the Air’

The Pope’s address was followed by a Litany invoking the patrons of World Youth Day, including Pope St John Paul II, St John Bosco, Bd Pier Giorgio Frassati, and Bd Carlos Acutis, as well as Portuguese saints and blesseds, such as St Anthony, Bd Joan of Portugal, and Bd Maria Clara of the Child Jesus.

 The liturgical ceremony concluded with the recitation of the Our Father and the Pope’s final blessing.

 For the finale, the performers offered a choreographed presentation of an anagram inspired by the Gospel reading and addressed to all those present: “Go… I am sending you… the Kingdom of God has come near to you.”

 As the Holy Father left the stage at the conclusion of the opening ceremony, Lisbon’s Edward VII Park resounded with the strains of this year’s World Youth Day anthem, “Há Pressa no Ar” – “There’s a Rush in the Air.”

 

OFFER THE WORLD A NEW FACE FOR EUROPE

Pope Francis encourages young people gathered this week at the European Union Youth Conference in Prague to present to the world "a new face of Europe," one that is inclusive, educated, and not afraid to reject violence as "senseless" wars are fought around them.

 

-         By Deborah Castellano Lubov

 

Pope Francis has urged young people to present to the world a new face of Europe.

The Pope's words came in his message sent to the European Union Youth Conference, taking place 11-13 July in the Czech Republic's capital of Prague, in which he spoke about educating young people to create a better world.

New face of Europe

In particular, the Holy Father recalled the Global Compact on Education, launched in September 2019, and how the initiative promotes an alliance between educators around the world to educate the younger generations in fraternity, as a way to work toward a better continent.

"As young Europeans," he stressed, "you have an important mission. If in the past your ancestors went to other continents, not always for noble interests, it is now up to you to present the world with a new face of Europe."

In the message published on Monday, the Holy Father told young people to work toward excellence, but in a way that always considers helping and welcoming others and protecting the environment.

The Holy Father urged them to protect the environment, and encouraged them to read his 2015 encyclical Laudato sì.

He warned against institutions that keep the status quo, but may not work toward a true betterment of the world.

“Don’t let yourselves be seduced by the sirens that propose a life of luxury reserved for a small slice of the world. Instead, have that “broad outlook” that can take in all the rest of humanity, which is much bigger than our little continent. May you aspire to a life of dignity and sobriety, without luxury and waste, so that everyone in our world can enjoy a dignified existence.”

Conscientious objection' to 'senseless' war

Pope Francis also lamented the ongoing "senseless war" in Ukraine, following numerous wars fought on the continent. He recalled that the desire for a united Europe in the past led to a period of peace spanning some seven decades.

“Now we must all commit ourselves to putting an end to this dreadful war, where, as usual, a few powerful people decide and send thousands of young people to fight and die. In cases like this, it is legitimate to rebel!”

"Someone has said that, if the world were ruled by women, there would not be so many wars, because those who have the mission of giving life cannot make death choices," the Pope said.

In a similar vein, he added, "I like to think that if the world were ruled by young people, there would not be so many wars." Those who have their whole life ahead of them, the Pope suggested, do not want to ruin it and throw it away, but to live it to the full.

Blessed Franz Jägerstätter

"I would like to invite you to get to know the extraordinary figure of a young objector, a young European with “a broad outlook”, who fought against Nazism during the Second World War," the Pope said, noting, "His name was Franz Jägerstätter, and he was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI."

"Franz was a young Austrian who, because of his Catholic faith, made a conscientious objection to the injunction to swear allegiance to Hitler and go to war. As a boy, he was cheerful, likeable and carefree, but as he matured, thanks also to his wife, Franziska, with whom he had three children, he changed his life and developed profound convictions. When called to arms, he refused, because he felt it was unjust to kill innocent lives."

 

Blessed Franz's decision, the Pope acknowledged, "triggered harsh reactions" towards him from his community, the mayor, and even members of his family.

"A priest tried to dissuade him for the sake of his family.  Everyone was against him, except his wife Franziska, who, despite knowing the price to be paid, always stood by her husband and supported him to the end. Despite cajoling and torture, Franz preferred to be killed than to kill," the Pope said. 

"He considered the war totally unjustified. If all the young men called to arms had done as he did, Hitler would not have been able to carry out his diabolical plans," the Pope said.

"To triumph," he added, "evil needs accomplices."

Blessed Franz Jägerstätter, the Pope told the young people, was executed in the same prison where his contemporary, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young German Lutheran theologian and anti-Nazi, was also imprisoned and met the same tragic end.

The Pope noted that these two young men with a “broad outlook” were killed "because they remained faithful to the ideals of their faith to the end." 

Meaning of life comes from seeking the Truth

In his message, the Pope focused on different dimensions of education, including knowledge of oneself, of others and of creation, and lastly, of the beginning and end of all things. 

"Dear young Europeans," he said, "I invite you to look upwards and beyond, to keep seeking the real meaning of your life, where you come from and where you are going, and the Truth, because we cannot live authentically if we do not seek the Truth. Walk with your feet firmly planted on the earth, but with a broad gaze, open to the horizon, open to the sky."

The Holy Father encouraged them to read his post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christus vivit, addressed especially to young people, to help them in their endeavours.

Pope Francis concluded by calling on the young people to work toward a better society and world.

“May you be generative! Young people capable of generating new ideas, new visions of the world, of the economy, of politics, of social coexistence, but above of new paths to be travelled together. And may you also be generous in generating new lives, always and only as the fruit of love! The love of husband and wife, the love of family and children, but also love of Europe, so that it can be for everyone a land of peace, freedom and dignity.”

 MESSAGE FROM THE POPE

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