MEETING
WITH YOUTH
MONTREAL,
QUEBEC
SEPTEMBER
11, 1984
My
dear young people,
As
part of my visit to Quebec, it is a great joy for me to be with you.
In a country that is alive, in a vibrant
Church, it is you who determine the shape of the future. And this
evening in
the Olympic stadium,
a
scene of human endeavour and accomplishment it is good to hear and see
you
express the faith and concerns, the hope and the questions of your
generation as you examine with great frankness all that constitutes your life.
You
have chosen that fundamental text that
begins the Gospel of John. And
so
you place our meeting under the sign of the life that is stronger than
death, under the sign of the light that darkness cannot
overcome, under the sign of the Word, the eternal Word of God, who
comes to
dwell among us in Christ. May
this act of
faith guide us, may this light permeate us as your questions
resound.
For
your questions are numerous. You have
just expressed some of the more
serious ones among them. They can be added to those which were sent to
me with confidence and simplicity by
several thousand of you before I even came to visit you. I would dare
to say to
you that these questions often seem to me to have been formulated in a
kind of
shadow zone where humanity
fears
its future, mapping its path without seeing the light which is
offered it, without recognizing the true light which enlightens
every one.
In
the passage of the Gospel which has been your inspiration this
evening, John tells us that Jesus is the Word, that he is the life and
that he is the light of men.
Certainly, no one has ever
seen God but the Son can
reveal him
to us (Jn 1,18). The Son is the Word who expresses perfectly the will of the Father, who
calls us all
to share the unparalleled beauty and purity of his infinite love
through the inexhaustible
generosity of his creation. In one
of the prayers of the Mass we say: "You, the God of goodness, the
source
of life, you have created
all
things... in order to lead all people to the joyful vision of
your
light."
(Eucharistic Prayer IV)
However,
there is darkness: when life disappoints us, when life wounds
us, when one does not find happiness,
when the heart hardens and when
brothers and sisters are divided and fight one another. Darkness overcomes
the light: humanity sets up, as it
were, a screen, and experiences in anguish the difficulties of life.
The world
no longer recognizes
the one who has called it
to life, a life that should blossom in a
universal fraternal union. Darkness brings a chilly closing in on oneself, it makes one incapable of
loving freely
and generously and truth is
lost in
falsehood. In the darkness, our blinded gaze can no longer perceive the Father, whose love
remains faithful,
in spite of the estrangement of his sons and daughters, in spite of all
breaches of friendship.
"In
him, there is no darkness." (1 Jn 1,5)
"The
light shines on in the darkness, a darkness that did not overcome it". The Word
was
"the true light which gives light to all men". "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us",
(cf. Jn
1,5,9,14)
In
regard to the dark side of your questions, I would like to say to you, "Stand
erect and
hold your heads high, for your deliverance is near at hand". (Lk 21,28). Jesus, the Son of
God, "true God from true
God, light from light", lives among us. "In him was life and the life
was the light of men".
These
words are the introduction to the whole of the Good News: Jesus of
Nazareth, the Son resplendent in the glory
of the Father, became one of us; he begins an amazing contest with the
forces
of darkness; a contest in which the powers of darkness cannot overcome
the
strength of Christ, which is of a totally different order, for he is
only
strong in the gift of himself
to his Father for his brothers and sisters. It is a struggle in which
he accepts to share our weakness and
our loneliness, to endure the hostility
of men to the point where he cries out: "It is now the hour of the
power
of darkness". (Lk 23,53). But the darkness will not overcome him;
he fights with the arms of peace.
Over
against the
excess of power, Jesus sets unselfishness: he chose to
be the Servant.
Over
against the
excess of pride, Jesus sets humility: "I am not seeking
my own will,
but the
will of him who sent me" (Jn 5,30).
Over
against hatred which rejects and kills,
Jesus sets forgiveness: "Father,
forgive them, they do not know what they are doing" (Lk 23,24).
Over
against the blind power of death, Jesus
sets the love of him who gives
himself: "No one takes my life from me, I lay it down freely" (Jn
10,18).
Over
against the absurd watch over his body in the tomb, Jesus
sets the freedom of the Resurrection. "The Son of man in his day will
be like the
lightning which flashes from one end of the sky to the other" (Lk 17,24).
To
those who despair of life
and experience the threat of nothingness, Jesus
offers the gift of new life: "This
is the will of my Father, that everyone
who looks on the Son
and believes in him shall have eternal life. Him I will raise up" (Jn
6,40).
My
friends, in the letters I have received from you, I see two series of
questions: on the one hand you say: "Speak to us of Jesus Christ, of hope
and of faith", and on the other hand
you write: "Help us to resolve the
difficulties that overshadow our personal, social and religious life".
I
wanted first of all to speak to you about the light of Christ, because it is as a witness to the
Redeemer that I
have come among you. The passage
of
the Gospel which you chose corresponded to this wish. Seek nowhere else
an
inspiration for answers to your questions. Listen to him who says to you: "I am the light of the
world.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness; he will have the
light of
life" (Jn 8,12).
You
must remember this in moments of doubt.
If you follow Christ, you will
develop your full potential. You will be seekers after truth because it
alone makes us free. I appeal to your inner
dynamism: you will know how
to
move toward the solution of your problems by listening to the whole Gospel,
by reflecting on it with your elders, and in your various
Christian youth groups. Mobilize
together
your energies: be clear about what constitutes
the foundation of your life; recognize the light of Christ: it will show you how to escape from the
circles in
which you might enclose yourselves.
With him, you will love life!
In
times of darkness, do not seek an escape. Have the courage to resist
the dealers in deception who make
capital of your hunger for happiness
and who make you
pay dearly for a moment of "artificial paradise" -
a whiff of smoke, a bout of drinking or
drugs. What claims to be a shortcut
to happiness leads nowhere. It turns you away from that intelligent
self-discipline which builds up
the person. Have the courage not
to
take the easy path; have the courage to reverse directions if you have
taken it. And know how to lend a helping
hand to those of your companions
who are haunted by despair when the darkness of the world is too cruel
for them.
Many
of you have been affected by unemployment.
Here it is the whole problem
of a changing society that touches you. There are economic solutions,
difficult and long-term: they
remain to be found. The leaders of
society must devote themselves to this issue with a primary concern
that the
condition of everyone be reasonably
acceptable and that there be observed the first demand of justice which
is
respect for the individual, however
destitute
however young. But as for you, do not allow the difficulties to
destroy
the resilience of your own personality; take your future in hand.
Ask
yourselves, too, what you expect from
professional life, you who are
preparing for it, you who
are already beginning it and you who are prevented
from blossoming in it. Be creative! Do not be conspicuous by your absence when the future of the
world is being
shaped! You already share
responsibility for it.
You
are often critical, and rightly so, of a society so hungry for
consumer goods that it destroys
nature and
lays waste its resources. But you
ask yourselves what value you put on gain, on the possession of riches.
Are you free in regard to
money? How far are you
prepared to share? Remember
Jesus the
day he went into Zaccheus' house: his presence transformed an entire life-style; not
only did Zaccheus rediscover
justice in promising to repay the money he had acquired
unjustly, but he
also discovers generosity in sharing his wealth.
Broaden
your vision beyond your usual milieu and your own country.
Your brothers and sisters in
vast regions
of the world are without even the necessities
of life, wounded in their dignity and oppressed in their freedom and their faith. Christ loves
all his own
and he identifies lovingly with the poorest. May he share with you his
love for
all his brothers and sisters! May he help you to live in that true
solidarity which crosses
frontiers and overcomes prejudices!
You
are citizens of a country that enjoys peace but you are
concerned about the future of
humanity. You
long for peace from the depths of your heart.
Let this longing reverberate! I want your concern for world peace to make of you workers for peace. Begin
with where
you are. Repeat with sincerity
the
prayer of Francis of Assisi, a builder of peace in his own
city.
"Lord, make me
an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let
me bring love ..."
And, as Madame Jeanne Sauvé said recently, "Peace must
become a state of soul - a way of being
and of working".
Before
evoking some other questions that you asked me, I would like to return
to the Gospel passage which is our
inspiration this evening. "He came
unto his own ...
to all those who received him, to those who
believe in
this name,
he gave power to become children of God!"
It
is an unimaginable, unhoped-for
relationship with the living and true God that Jesus makes possible
because he
is near us. "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us". In giving his
life for the many, he promises to remain
among us for all generations. Faithful to his mission, he became one
of us and remains present, a light which
enlightens all people, "the way, the truth and the life" (Jn 14,16).
For
the majority of you, the intimate meeting
with Christ was consecrated
through baptism. Jesus has offered us the riches of life in God.
Peter said: "He has called us from
darkness into his marvelous light"
(1 P 2,9).
Today,
often enough do not find it easy to take your place in the community of the baptised [sp].
Some of you
say that you do not see the Church as the place where it is natural to
be
united with one another by the Christ
of the Gospel. The building seems to you to be too big, built by others
in a
style different from your own. The "light that enlightens", you find it blocked by too many
shadows.
It
is true that the community is still far from being the perfect mirror that would reflect the whole
face of
Christ. It is true that unity remains
a goal too often contradicted. It is true, in a word, that the Church called by our Saviour to be
assembled in
him, is on the path of conversion and that there is still a long way to
go.
Nevertheless,
you the young, remember that
Jesus asked us not to set ourselves
up as judges (cf. Mt 7, 1-5). Do not remain either on the threshold, or
outside. Do not let yourselves be tempted to expect the Church
to be just a reflection of yourselves.
As baptised [sp] persons, you are members of the Body of
Christ. Only
the whole Body will be able to reflect for
humanity the luminous face of Christ.
You
rightly expect your elders to accept with you tolerance and to
respect you for what you are. You
must do
the same for them.
The
Church is the community in which we
inherit the gifts given to the apostles
and handed on by them without interruption to us: the one, holy, Catholic
and apostolic Church. It is for
everyone the place to encounter him
who
dwells among us; it is the place of the gift of the Spirit and of his
grace; it
is the place where we are given a rule of life - it is the place where all are called to share, to
give thanks, to join in the Eucharistic offering of the life
given by
Christ, to receive the gift of forgiveness, to accept the mission of
proclaming
[sp] the truth and spreading love.
Take
your place in the life of this body, however imperfect it remains. Bring to it your exigency,
your
enthusiasm. Contribute to the expression
of faith and prayer, with your poetic gift and your desire to commit yourself.
And
if there should arise in you the desire
to consecrate your life
to the
service of God and of your brothers and sisters in the ministry of the
Church,
in the religious life, know how to recognize in it the call of Christ
and
respond with the boundless generosity of youth.
Take
the time necessary to discern
your vocation, allow it to be tested
by
prayer and reflection, consecrate yourselves to a solid formation.
Speak with
confidence to the pastor and superiors whose duty it is to confirm your
call.
You will know the joy of serving in the footsteps of Christ in the
Church in
which he lives, of surrendering your life, in freedom and
poverty, to
share his love for his brothers and sisters.
There
is one last point that I wish to
address, because you are deeply interested
in it. It concerns your questions about marriage and about the
love
of a couple and love in marriage.
In
reading your letters I have been impressed in seeing that they express much pain. Too many of you
suffer because
of the breakdown of family life, because of separation and
divorce; and
you have been wounded to the point of sometimes doubting whether a
faithful and
lasting love is possible.
It
is not ours to judge those who have been hurt by the upheaval affecting morals and society. But I say
to you: do
not doubt; you can build a home on the rock of fidelity,
because you can
count totally on the fidelity of God, who is love.
Prepare
yourselves for the worthwhile and true commitment of marriage.
React against false illusions and
do not
confuse a premature experience of pleasure
with the giving of oneself in love, deliberately consented to, and for ever. When, as man and woman, you
bind your
lives together, decide to do so with complete generosity, each
one
desiring first the well-being of the
other,
together desiring to communicate life and to ensure the welfare of
your
children. Prepare yourselves for the one commitment that is worthy of human love, the commitment of
marriage, in
order to build something that deserves
and requires the whole of one's life. And for this, too, may the words
of
Christ give you light: "A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends"
(Jn
15:13).
Dear
young people: in all the questions that deeply interest you, there
is a dark side that worries you - and there is a light of
hope. This hope - and you have
shared it
with me - rightly leads you to question yourselves about your
future,
about the future of the world and the future of
the Church.
In
the name of Christ,
I ask
you: when you are overcome by weariness or
seized by doubt, break
out of the bonds of your loneliness, find him who is
the light of all people,
join with your brothers and sisters
in order to walk
together,
seek the
support of your
elders.
Quebec,
like
your powerful
river, you are a country with a generous nature.
You know how to channel your rivers. Do you know how to channel the
energies of your youth for the service
of the whole human person and of all
humanity loved by God?
Turn,
my dear young friends, at each stage
of your journey towards him in
whom
dwells the fullness of God (cf. Col 2,9). Following Peter, put your
trust in him: "Lord, to whom shall
we go? You have the words of eternal
life" (Jn 6,68).
Conférence des évêques
catholiques du
Canada