Pope Francis' 10 major
messages in Poland
The lives of hundreds
of thousands of young people have changed during this past week in Poland at World
Youth Day. The youth have witnessed others from around the world
striving to live out the faith, and have heard the demanding, but the
inspirational advice of Pope
Francis.
The first papal advice was in
his first Mass, with the country's patron saint, Our Lady
of Czestochowa. There he stated that God is no stranger to the lives
of people.
POPE FRANCIS
"The Lord does not
want to be feared like a powerful and aloof sovereign. He does not want to
remain on his throne in Heaven or in history books, but loves to come down to
our everyday affairs, to walk with us."
Each day after dinner, he
looked out this window, where he improvised intense speeches as a way
to close the day. One example was this speech about the volunteer who
died of cancer a few weeks before WYD began.
POPE FRANCIS
"The faith of this
man, our friend, who worked so much for this World Youth Day has led him to
Heaven, and is now with Jesus, and he watches over us all. This is a grace. A
round of applause for our companion!"
One afternoon in Krakow, Pope
Francis parked the Popemobile ... and traveled by tram. He
went to Blonia Park, where thousands of young people
were waiting to welcome him. He responded to them with this
advice.
POPE FRANCIS
"What do you want?
Empty thrills or the power of fulfillment? What do you want? I can hardly hear
you... Define fulfillment: to gain new strength, there is a way. It is a
response that cannot be bought or sold. It is not a thing or an object. It is a
person and He is alive and His name is Jesus Christ. A round of applause for
the Lord."
He also visited Auschwitz. It
was a visit without any words, yet the Pope's silence spoke louder than
any speech he could have given. He prayed in the cell where
Fr. Maximilian Kolbe was tortured and saluted the survivors who
experienced this horror.
In the afternoon, he
visited a pediatric hospital to greet terminally-ill children and their
families.
POPE FRANCIS
"I would like to draw
near to all children who are sick, to stand at their bedside, and embrace them.
I would like to listen to everyone here, even if for only a moment, and to be
still before questions that have no easy answers. And to pray."
As nightfall was approaching,
he presided over the Stations of the Cross. He said God is not
nonchalant about the pain and suffering of people, but has created men
and women so their generosity is the response to pain.
POPE FRANCIS
"In welcoming the
outcast who suffer physically and sinners who suffer spiritually, our
credibility as Christians is at stake. It's not in ideas, it's there."
As WYD revolved
around the theme of mercy, he could not miss a visit to the shrine of
Saint Faustina Kowalska, where he recalled that Jesus loves
humanity unconditionally.
POPE FRANCIS
"Let's never turn
away from Jesus, even if we think that our sins and our faults are the worst.
He prefers us as we are, as such His mercy pours out on us."
The big event of WYD was
the Saturday night prayer vigil. There, he urged young people
not to confuse happiness with being comfortable.
POPE FRANCIS
"We didn’t come into
this world to "vegetate,” to take it easy, to make our lives a comfortable
sofa to fall asleep on. No, we came for another reason: to leave a mark. It is
very sad to pass through life without leaving a mark."
That night, one million six
hundred thousand young people remained and slept on the "Field of Mercy.”
In the morning, the Pope returned to celebrate Mass and asked them to aim for
the best.
POPE FRANCIS
"Don’t let your soul
grow numb, but aim for the goal of a beautiful love which also demands
sacrifice. Say a firm "no” to the narcotic of success at any cost and the
sedative of worrying only about yourself and your own comfort.”
After Mass, the Pope invited
the youth to meet again in three years to celebrate another WYD, in a different
part of the world.
POPE FRANCIS
"That's why, I
announce with joy that the next World Youth Day, after the two held at the
diocesan level, will be in 2019 in Panama.”
With only a few hours before
the Pope was to leave, he made it a priority to first thank the volunteers and
prepare the crowd for the next encounter.
POPE FRANCIS
"I do not know if I
will be in Panama but I can assure you one thing: that Peter will be in Panama
and Peter will ask you if you have spoken with your grandparents, if you have
spoken to your elders in order to have memory; if you have had the courage and
bravery to face situations and plan things for the future. And you will
answer to Peter. Is that clear?”
So, with heavy rain falling
to the tune of "We are the Champions" by the rock
band, Queen, Poland said goodbye to Pope Francis.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét