Pope to youth in Thailand: rooted
in faith through friendship with Jesus
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| Pope Francis at the Mass for young people in Bangkok's Assumption Cathedral (AFP) |
Pope Francis celebrates Mass for young people Friday evening
in Bangkok’s Cathedral. A strong faith based on a deep friendship with Jesus,
he says, will see them through life’s difficulties, as their elders testify.
By Robin Gomes
Pope Francis is asking the young people of Thailand to be
deeply rooted and anchored in their faith by cultivating a friendship with
Jesus, saying it will provide them with the oil needed to light up the path of
their life and those of others around them.
“The Lord knows that through you, young people, the future
is coming into this land and the world, and he is counting on you to carry out
your mission today,” the Pope told the youth at a Mass in the Cathedral of the
Assumption in Bangkok.
He reflected on the day’s Gospel of the Parable of the Ten
Virgins, saying it can happen to any Christian. “Full of excitement and
interest,” he explained, “we hear the Lord’s call to be a part of His kingdom
and share His joy with others.”
But often, he noted, in the face of problems and obstacles
like the suffering of our loved ones, or our own helplessness before apparently
hopeless situations, unbelief and bitterness can take over and silently seep
into our dreams, making our hearts grow cold, causing us to lose our joy and to
arrive late, like the five foolish virgins in the parable.
The Pope thus offered his advice to young people how to keep
alive the fire that keeps them burning brightly amid darkness and difficulties,
how to answer to the Lord’s call and how to obtain the oil that can keep them
moving forward, seeking the Lord in every situation.
Wisdom of the elders
For this, they need to be deeply rooted in the faith of
their ancestors: their parents, grandparents and teachers.
Amidst life’s many trials and much suffering, the Pope said,
our elders discovered that the secret to a happy heart is the security we find
when we are anchored, rooted in Jesus: in his life, in his words, in his death
and resurrection.
Rooted in faith
The Pope said it is impossible for us to grow unless we have
strong roots to support us and to keep us firmly grounded.
Without this firm sense of rootedness, young people can be
swayed by the “voices” of this world, leaving them only empty, weary, alone and
disenchanted, slowly extinguishing that spark of life that the Lord once lit in
the heart of each of us.
Friendship with Jesus
The Pope regards Thailand’s young Catholics as a new
generation, with new hopes, dreams and questions, and surely some doubts as
well, yet firmly rooted in Christ.
“Friendship cultivated with Jesus,” the Pope said, “is the
oil needed to light up your path in life and the path of all those around you:
your friends and neighbours, your companions at school and work, including
those who think completely unlike yourselves.”
Pope’s word of thanks
Friday’s evening Mass was the last major event of Pope
Francis in Thailand before he flies to Japan Saturday morning, on the second
leg of his 32nd foreign Apostolic Journey.
Hence, at the end of the Mass, the Pope thanked all who made
his visit to Thailand possible, and “those who worked together to bring it to
fruition”.
In particular, he expressed his gratitude to His Majesty
King Rama X, the government and the other authorities of the country, for their
warm reception.
He also thanked the country’s bishops, especially Cardinal
Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij, as well as the priests, men and women
religious, and lay faithful, and in especially the young people.
The Holy Father also had words of gratitude for the
volunteers and also all those who accompanied him with their prayers and
sacrifices, especially the sick and those in prison.
While invoking the Lord’s consolation and peace on them, the
Pope asked them not to forget to pray for him.
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