Passing Love On To The Young

Today, looking forward to the World Youth Day which has brought me to Brazil, I too come to knock on the door of the house of Mary – who loved and raised Jesus – that she may help all of us, pastors of God’s people, parents and educators, to pass on to our young people the values that can help them build a nation and a world which are more just, united and fraternal. 

-Pope Francis, Mass at Aparecida Shrine

Like Blessed John Paul II, Pope Francis entrusted the youth of the world to the Blessed Mother. He also thanked his predecessor for the institution of World Youth Day, and all of the vocations that have blossomed from the gatherings.

With all of the excitement over World Youth Day Rio, let also thank our beloved Blessed John Paul II for the love he poured out to young people. For a reminder, check out these articles on World Youth Day Manila and World Youth Day Denver.

To The Youth Of The World

Blessed John Paul II, who always shared Christ’s love for young people, announced the institution of World Youth Day in 1985, during the United Nations’ first “International Youth Year.”  This announcement came after his celebration of the 1984 International Jubilee for the Young and the release of his 1985 Apostolic Letter, Dilecti Amici.

This letter to “The Youth of the World,” sheds light on the late Holy Father’s zeal for the young and the reasoning behind the great attention and guidance he gave to them during his pontificate.

In you there is hope, for you belong to the future, just as the future belongs to you. For hope is always linked to the future; it is the expectation of “future good things” (1).

The future of the Church rests in the hearts of the young, and so Blessed John Paul II encouraged them to “always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15). He does this by reflecting on the passage from the Gospel of Mark, about the young man who asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life.

These verses encourage young people to see their adolescence as a treasure, a time to ask the important questions about the meaning of life and to refer every single one of them to God. It is a time to grow in conscience, in morality, and most importantly, in the awareness of Christ’s love for them. It is a time to discover what it is God is asking each to give and how He is asking each to follow Him.

The Event To Last A Lifetime

Over at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops blog, Director of Media Relations Sr. Mary Ann Walsh reflects on her experience as director of communications for the 1993 World Youth Day in Denver.

With less than a month to go before WYD Rio, it is good to take a look back and see the fruitful effects of Blessed John Paul II’s mission to evangelize the youth.

Blessed John Paul II, pray for us!

Just 68 Days Until WYD!

But who’s counting?

The people over at xt3.com sure are. Check out their interactive countdown to World Youth Day Rio, 2013.

During his World Youth Day trip in 1989, Blessed John Paul II said:

It is more and more necessary that, even in the most remote parts of the world, there be witnesses, young witnesses of the Gospel, who without fear or dread of difficult situations or circumstances, are able to live out the demands of the faith…

World Youth Day responds to this necessity, nourishing young people, filling them with hope, and then sending them out into the world. Let us continue to pray for those planning the event in Rio and for all of those preparing to attend, including Pope Francis himself. 

Resources from the Pontifical Council for the Laity

Check out this Promo Trailer for World Youth Day 2013, in Rio! It can be found on the Pontifical Council for the Laity’s site, which includes other resources for young people, women, and those interested in Church and Sport.

Blessed John Paul II played a big part in promoting the Pontifical Council for the Laity, and he’s probably pleased to see the large role lay movements and communities are playing in the life of the Church and the New Evangelization.  

JPII, We Love You!

It has been exactly 10 years since Blessed John Paul II led his last World Youth Day in Toronto. The first international gathering in the twenty-first century drew 300,000 young people from countries all over the world, and many of the pilgrims were inspired by the aged pontiff—by his witness and his words:

You are young, and the Pope is old, 82 or 83 years of life is not the same as 22 or 23. But the Pope still fully identifies with your hopes and aspirations. Although I have lived through much darkness, under harsh totalitarian regimes, I have seen enough evidence to be unshakably convinced that no difficulty, no fear is so great that it can completely suffocate the hope that springs eternal in the hearts of the young. You are our hope, the young are our hope.

Do not let that hope die! Stake your lives on it! We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father's love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.

He reminded the young pilgrims of their mission and purpose and encouraged them all to do their part in building the civilization of love.

Blessed John Paul II passed from his earthy life on April 2, 2005. His World Youth Day tradition still lives on, though. The next is set to take place in Rio de Janeiro.

Will you be there?

World Youth Days Everywhere in 2012

On Palm Sunday, the Church celebrated a diocesan-level World Youth Day. The WYD theme for 2012 was inspired by St. Paul’s words in his Letter to the Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord always” (4:4).  In his message for the occasion Pope Benedict XVI defined what it means to rejoice, to experience Christian joy:

Christianity is sometimes depicted as a way of life that stifles our freedom and goes against our desires for happiness and joy. But this is far from the truth. Christians are men and women who are truly happy because they know that they are not alone. They know that God is always holding them in his hands. It is up to you, young followers of Christ, to show the world that faith brings happiness and a joy which is true, full and enduring. If the way Christians live at times appears dull and boring, you should be the first to show the joyful and happy side of faith. The Gospel is the “good news” that God loves us and that each of us is important to him. Show the world that this is true! 

Be enthusiastic witnesses of the new evangelization! Go to those who are suffering and those who are searching, and give them the joy that Jesus wants to bestow. Bring it to your families, your schools and universities, and your workplaces and your friends, wherever you live. You will see how it is contagious.

One way to experience this contagious joy is to attend World Youth Day 2013 in Rio de Janeiro. See here for an update on WYD Rio and how its co-patron, Blessed John Paul II, is inspiring those who are planning for the special event.

World Youth Day update

Last week Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, head of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, said that preparations for World Youth Day 2013 in Rio de Janeiro are going very well.

World Youth Day has “proved to be an instrument of evangelization of extraordinary power,” he said. “I’m sure that Rio will give a strong confirmation of this fact.”

For more check out this article on World Youth Day 2013’s official site.