Pope tells young people of Bangladesh to ‘seek God’s
wisdom’
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| Pope Francis soeaks during a visit to the Notre Dame College in Dhaka, Bangladesh.- REUTERS |
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis spoke to the young people
and students of Bangladesh at Dhaka's Notre Dame College on Saturday, inviting
them to seek out and live by God’s wisdom in Jesus Christ as handed down by
their grandparents.
The event marked the close of the Holy Father’s Apostolic
Visit to Bangladesh, after which he bid farewell to the Asian nation to return
to the Vatican.
In response to the testimonies of two students from Notre
Dame College, Pope Francis invited them to “journey” through life rather than
“wandering aimlessly”.
Youthful enthusiasm
A young girl named Upasana expressed the joy of her fellow
students, saying they were all “very enthusiastic” about his visit.
Confirming Upasana’s sentiment, the Holy Father praised the
intrepidness of the young in the face of difficulties.
“Young people are always ready to move forward, to make
things happen and to take risks. I encourage you to keep moving with this
enthusiasm in the good times and the bad times,” he said.
This means moving forward, he said, upon the right path and
not just any aimless movement.
“Our life is not without direction, it has a purpose given
to us by God.”
Wisdom born of faith
Anthony, a student at Notre Dame, said his is a generation
“growing up in a fragile world that cries out for wisdom.”
Pope Francis said the key to his distress is "wisdom
born of faith", which is "seen in the eyes of our parents and
grandparents who put their trust in God."
He said this means looking at the world and its problems
“with the eyes of God”, allowing us to “reject false promises of happiness”.
“We receive that wisdom when we start to see things with
God’s eyes, listen to others with God’s ears, to love with God’s heart, and to
judge things by God’s values,” he said.
The Holy Father said God’s wisdom requires us to open up to
others and not remain closed in our own “little world”.
“The wisdom of God opens us up to others. It helps us to
look beyond our personal comforts and the false securities which blind us to
those grand ideals, which make life more beautiful and worthwhile.”
Generational wisdom
Returning to the relationship with grandparents, Pope
Francis said God’s wisdom leads us to see the good of our own culture, which,
he said, in Bangladesh is a profound respect for the elderly.
“The elderly have the “charism of bridging the gap”, in that
they ensure that the most important values are passed down to their children
and grandchildren. Through their words, love, affection and presence, we
realize that history did not begin with us, but that we are part of an age-old
“journeying” and that reality is bigger than we are.”
Hope in Jesus
Pope Francis ended his warm words, as had Upasana and
Anthony, with an expression of hope.
He said Christians find in Jesus the solidarity of God, “who
constantly walks by our side.”
“The wisdom of God reinforces the hope in us and helps us to
face the future with courage,” he said.
The Pope’s final public words before leaving the country was
a blessing: “God bless Bangladesh! [Isshór Bangladeshké ashirbád korún!]”
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