Papal Intentions For September

Pope Francis during his visit to the Philippines earlier this year (CNS photo / Paul Haring)

As the month of September begins, let us remember Pope Francis’s intentions in our prayers.

His universal intention is for the young, that “opportunities for education and employment may increase for all young people.”

The Holy Father also asks us to pray for catechists, that they “may give witness by living in a way consistent with the faith they proclaim.”

So let us join Pope Francis this month, in praying for opportunities for the young and for all catechists.

Saint John Paul II, Pray for Us!  

So Much Depends On The Young

Saint John Paul II greets young people at World Youth Day Denver, 1993 (CNS Photo / Joe Rimkus Jr.)

Young people from every corner of the world, in ardent prayer you have opened your hearts to the truth of Christ’s promise of new Life. Through the Sacraments, especially Penance and the Eucharist, and by means of the unity and friendship created among so many, you have had a real and transforming experience of the new Life which only Christ can give. You, young pilgrims, have also shown that you understand that Christ’s gift of Life is not for you alone. You have become more conscious of your vocation and mission in the Church and in the world. For me, our meeting has been a deep and moving experience of your faith in Christ, and I make my own the words of Saint Paul: “I have great confidence in you, I have great pride in you; I am filled with encouragement, I am overflowing with joy” (2 Cor 7:4).

These are not words of empty praise. I am confident that you have grasped the scale of the challenge that lies before you, and that you will have the wisdom and courage to meet that challenge. So much depends on you.

-Saint John Paul II, World Youth Day Denver, 1993

The Pope's Last World Youth Day

A picture from our permanent exhibit, A Gift of Love.

During this week thirteen years ago, Saint John Paul II led his final World Youth Day in Toronto. The first WYD of 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.

St. 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 Poland.

Will you be there?

Much of the content for this post was taken from a piece published here in 2012.

A Second World Youth Day For Poland

Saint John Paul II greets young people at the 1993 World Youth Day in Denver
(CNS photo / Joe Rimkus Jr.) 

The young faithful of Poland celebrated with joy when Pope Francis announced that the 31^st World Youth Day would be held in Krakow. During the late summer months of 2016, thousands of young people will gather in Saint John Paul II’s beloved country in order to celebrate the Love that they all share.

Did you know that this will be the second time that World Youth Day is celebrated in Poland? The 6^th World Youth Day was hosted in Czestochowa, Poland back in 1991.

Led by the theme, “You have received a spirit of sonship” (Rom 8:15), Saint John Paul II said Mass for thousands of youth there on the solemnity of the Assumption. He noted the presence of those from eastern Europe, “a great gift of the Holy Spirit” after the fall of Communism (Weigel, Witness to Hope, 650-651). The patron saint of World Youth Days challenged those and others to work towards building a civilization of love.

In his message for the 6th World Youth Day, St. John Paul II said:

‘Young people, do not be afraid to be holy!’ Fly high, be among those whose goals are worthy of sons and daughters of God. Glorify God in your lives!

Let us join the sainted pontiff in praying for all of those young people preparing for the 31^st World Youth Day in Krakow, that they may glorify God with each day of their lives.

The Gigantic Task

Yours is the gigantic task of overcoming all evil with good, always trying amidst the problems of life to place your trust in God, knowing that his grace supplies strength to human weakness. You must oppose every form of hatred with the invincible power of Christ’s love.

-Saint John Paul II

Self-Gift In Toronto

Even during his last years on earth, when he suffered through illness and old age, Blessed John Paul II continued to give himself. Although travelling takes much energy and mobility, the late Holy Father continued to make his rounds throughout the globe, visiting his people and showing them his love.

One trip he didn’t miss was his pilgrimage to Canada for the 17^th World Youth Day. Here, through his witness and through his words, he encouraged young people to embrace their own character of giftedness and to live lives of service to God and to the world.

In his main homily, Blessed John Paul II said:

The world you are inheriting is a world which desperately needs a new sense of brotherhood and human solidarity. It is a world which needs to be touched and healed by the beauty and richness of God's love. It needs witnesses to that love. The world needs salt. It needs you - to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. 

… Salt seasons and improves the flavor of food. Following Jesus, you have to change and improve the "taste" of human history. With your faith, hope and love, with your intelligence, courage and perseverance, you have to humanize the world we live in, in the way that today's Reading from Isaiah indicates: "loose the bonds of injustice ... share your bread with the hungry ... remove the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil.... Then your light shall rise in the darkness" (Is 58, 6-10). 

The late Holy Father sheds light on the gifts that each of these young people possesses, and speaks of the necessity of their sharing these gifts with the world in order to make it more human. It is in sharing our gifts that we can add good taste and good flavor to human history, Blessed John Paul II says. 

The Patron Saint Of Young People

Today is a special feast day for those like Blessed John Paul II, who had a special place for young people in his heart. St. John Bosco, the saint we celebrate today, died in 1888 and was canonized in 1934 as the patron saint of young people. Blessed John Paul II especially admired the saint’s tireless efforts to educate and form young men, and he also repeated his words: “Young people should not only be loved, but should also know that they are loved.”

St. John Bosco, pray for us today on your feast, that our young people might know that they are loved.

These Young Friends

As we begin to wrap up Christmas decorations, finish those leftover cookies, and write the final thank you notes, many of us are grateful that the normal routine of Ordinary Time is here. Celebrating the Incarnation is something joyous that we all look forward to, but our celebrations carry with them much traveling, cooking, and work around the house. The adults are ready to move on.

Children, on the other hand, are less willing to wave goodbye to their favorite time of year. It’s not just going back to school that saddens them. Nor is it the fact that no gifts remain under the tree. There is something about the mystery, the comfort, and the joy of Christmas that they will miss singing in their hearts.

In his 1994 “Letter to Children,” Blessed John Paul II recognizes how special Christ’s birth is to young ones. It is “the feast day of a Child,” and so children know that it is their feast day too. He wrote:

In what happened to the Child of Bethlehem you can recognize what happens to children throughout the world. It is true that a child represents the joy not only of its parents but also the joy of the Church and the whole of society.

Camp Wojtyla Brings Youth Closer To God

Check out this story about a Catholic summer camp in the Rocky Mountains, named for Blessed John Paul II, the theologian of the mountain. 

Camp Wojtyla serves middle school and high school youth, drawing them away from the oppressive culture that they are growing up in and closer to the God who loves them.  This is something our patron would do often during his time in Poland, inviting young people to the mountains in order to pray with them and teach them things that would be lost in the valley. 

It is good that his mission continues to be carried out!