Pope's homily for Teen Jubilee Mass
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis
presiding over a Jubilee Mass for Teens in St Peter's Square on Sunday told
them "the true friends of Jesus stand out essentially by the genuine love
that shines forth in their way of life." He also told the 13 to 16 year
olds that although love is the path to happiness, it is not an easy one and
requires effort. He also said, happiness has no price. "It cannot be
bought: it is not an app that you can download on your phones nor will the
latest update bring you freedom and grandeur in love."
Below find Pope Francis'
homily during Sunday's Jubilee Mass for Teens
“By this everyone will know
that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35).
Dear young friends, what an
enormous responsibility the Lord gives us today! He tells us that the
world will recognize the disciples of Jesus by the way they love one
another. Love, in other words, is the Christian’s identity card, the only
valid “document” identifying us as Christians. If this card expires and
is not constantly renewed, we stop being witnesses of the Master. So I
ask you: Do you wish to say yes to Jesus’ invitation to be his disciples?
Do you wish to be his faithful friends? The true friends of Jesus stand
out essentially by the genuine love that shines forth in their way of
life. Do you want to experience his love? Let us learn from him,
for his words are a school of life, a school where we learn to love.
Before all else, love is
beautiful, it is the path to happiness. But it is not an easy path.
It is demanding and it requires effort. Think, for example, of when we
receive a gift. It makes us happy, but receiving a gift means that
someone generous has invested time and effort; by their gift they also give us
a bit of themselves, a sacrifice they have made. Think too of the gift
that your parents and group leaders have given you in allowing you to come to
Rome for this Jubilee day dedicated to you. They planned, organized, and
prepared everything for you, and this made them happy, even if it meant that they
had to give up a trip for themselves. To love means to give, not only
something material, but also something of one’s self: one’s own time, one’s
friendship, one’s own abilities.
Look to the Lord, who is
never outdone in generosity. We receive so many gifts from him, and every
day we should thank him… Let me ask you something. Do you thank the
Lord every day? Even if we forget to do so, he never forgets, each day,
to give us some special gift. It is not something material and tangible
that we can use, but something even greater, a life-long gift. He offers
us his faithful friendship, which he will never take back. Even if you
disappoint him and walk away from him, Jesus continues to want the best for you
and to remain close to you; he believes in you even more than you believe in
yourself. This is very important! Because the biggest threat to
growing up well comes from thinking that no one cares about us, from feeling
that we are all alone. The Lord, on the other hand, is always with you
and he is happy to be with you. As he did with his first disciples, he
looks you in the eye and he calls you to follow him, to “put out into the deep”
and to “cast your nets wide” trusting in his words and using your talents in
life, in union with him, without fear. Jesus is waiting patiently for
you. He awaits your response. He is waiting for you to say “yes”.
Dear young friends, at this
stage in your lives you have a growing desire to demonstrate and receive
affection. The Lord, if you let him teach you, will show you how to make
tenderness and affection even more beautiful. He will guide your hearts
to “love without being possessive”, to love others without trying to own them
but letting them be free. There is always a temptation to let our affections
be tainted by an instinctive desire to “have to have” what we find
pleasing. Our consumerist culture reinforces this tendency. Yet
when we hold on too tightly to something, it fades, it dies, and then we feel
confused, empty inside. The Lord, if you listen to his voice, will reveal
to you the secret of love. It is caring for others, respecting them,
protecting them and waiting for them.
At this point in life you
feel also a great longing for freedom. Many people will say to you that
freedom means doing whatever you want. But here you have to be able to
say no. Freedom is not the ability simply to do what I want. This
makes us self-centred and aloof, and it prevents us from being open and sincere
friends. Instead, freedom is the gift of being able to choose the
good. The free person is the one who chooses what is good, what is
pleasing to God, even if it requires effort. Only by courageous and firm
decisions do we realize our greatest dreams, the dreams which it is worth
spending our entire lives to pursue. Don’t be content with mediocrity,
with “simply going with the flow”, with being comfortable and laid back.
Don’t believe those who would distract you from the real treasure, which you
are, by telling you that life is beautiful only if you have many possessions.
Be sceptical about people who want to make you believe that you are only
important if you act tough like the heroes in films or if you wear the latest
fashions. Your happiness has no price. It cannot be bought: it is
not an app that you can download on your phones nor will the latest update
bring you freedom and grandeur in love.
That is because love is a
free gift which calls for an open heart; it is a noble responsibility which is
life-long; it is a daily task for those who can achieve great dreams!
Love is nurtured by trust, respect and forgiveness. Love does not happen
because we talk about it, but when we live it: it is not a sweet poem to study
and memorize, but is a life choice to put into practice! How can we grow in
love? The secret, once again, is the Lord: Jesus gives us himself in the
Mass, he offers us forgives and peace in Confession. There we learn to
receive his love, to make it ours and to give it to the world. And when
loving seems hard, when it is difficult to say no to something wrong, look up
at Jesus on the cross, embrace the cross and don’t ever let go of his
hand. He will point you ever higher, and pick you up whenever you fall.
I know that you are capable
of acts of great friendship and goodness. With these you are called to
build the future, together with others and for others, but never against
anyone! You will do amazing things if you prepare well, starting now, by
living your youth and all its gifts to the fullest and without fear of hard
work. Be like sporting champions, who attain high goals by quiet daily
effort and practice. Let your daily programme be the works of
mercy. Enthusiastically practice them, so as to be champions in
life! In this way you will be recognized as disciples of Jesus. And
your joy will be complete.
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