Pope to Catholic-school students:
‘Trust yourselves!’
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| Pope Francis greets students of a catholic school (Vatican Media) |
Pope Francis holds a Q&A session with the students of a
Catholic school in Padua, and tells them to find their main point of reference
in themselves, with the guidance of their priests, parents, and grandparents.
By Devin Watkins
“The most important point of reference for the choices we
must make is found in yourself, in your own conscience.”
That was the advice Pope Francis gave on Saturday to a
thousand-strong group of school-age children who attend the Barbarigo Catholic
School in the Italian city of Padua.
The Holy Father was responding to a question posed by Sofia,
a 13-year-old middle school student.
Who to trust?
Sofia asked the Pope how to find people in whom to trust,
saying it is not easy for young people to find adults worthy of being points of
reference.
Pope Francis invited Sofia and other students to trust in
themselves, as they find guidance in dialogue with their priests and family
members.
He invited them to speak often with their families,
especially with their grandparents, whom he said are the roots of society.
The Pope also said youth is “not passivity, but a tenacious
effort aimed at reaching important goals”. Youth, he said, means rejecting
compromises and mediocrity, while striving towards solidarity with all.
Where to find answers?
15-year old Aldo told the Pope that the Barbarigo Catholic
School teaches them to ask questions about truth, justice, and beauty. And he
wondered how to find answers to difficult questions regarding the faith.
Pope Francis told Aldo that his Catholic school offers its
students the wonderful opportunity to deal directly with the problems of life and
to seek meaning for their own lives.
“If you don’t go home with a new question for yourself, you
are missing something,” he said.
The Pope also encouraged students to get a part-time job
while they study, citing his own experience of working while in school.
Work, he said, “helped me, that is, the effort of waking up
early to catch the bus and go to work at 7 AM… Work is important.”
How to find my path?
Finally, 19-year-old Giovanni asked the Holy Father how he
could discover the plans God has for his life.
In response, the Pope told Giovanni to pray, and ask God
what He wants him to do.
“Pray with your heart, before the Lord. Dialogue with the
Lord,” he said. “True prayer is important in the moment before making a
choice.”
Pope Francis also told Giovanni not to make a choice “in a
laboratory”.
“Choices must be made with the language of the head, the
heart, and the hands.”
Pope Francis concluded by telling the young Catholic
students from Padua that life must be lived with passion.
“Don’t lose your passion!” he said.
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