(Vatican Radio) Celebrating the World Youth Day Holy Mass in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday,
Pope Francis told those present that it was time to go and to pass on this experience
to others.
Addressing a crowd of over 3 million people gathered on Copacabana
beachfront for the concluding Mass of the weeklong event, the Pope focused his message
on the very theme chosen to run through World Youth Day: “Go and make disciples of
all nations”.
Listen to the report…
To the millions
of young people gathered to be with him, Pope Francis offered three simple ideas:
“Go, do not be afraid, and serve”. Go – he said – during these days here in Rio
you have enjoyed a wonderful experience, meeting Jesus with others and sensing the
joy of faith. But this experience – he said – must not remain locked up in your life
or community, it must be shared and passed on so that everyone may know, love and
confess Jesus. And he pointed out that Jesus’ message of love is not just for some,
it is for everyone, and he urged the young people not to be afraid of bringing Christ
into every area of life, to the fringes of society, even to those who seem most indifferent. Pope
Francis galvanized the young people by telling them that Christ’s proclamation is
entrusted to them so that it may resound with fresh power. The Church needs you –
he said – your enthusiasm, your creativity and the joy that is so characteristic of
you. Do not be afraid – he repeated – Jesus never leaves you alone! And finally:
Serve. Just as St. Paul made himself a slave to all – the Pope explained – “evangelizing
means bearing personal witness to the love of God, it is overcoming our selfishness,
it is serving by bending down to wash the feet of our brethren as Jesus did.” If
you follow these three ideas – Pope Francis concluded – you will experience the joy
of faith. So: “go home and do not be afraid to be generous with Christ. He is counting
on you! The Church is counting on you! The Pope is counting on you!”
Please
find the full text of his homily below:
Brother Bishops and Priests, Dear
Young Friends,
“Go and make disciples of all nations”. With these words,
Jesus is speaking to each one of us, saying: “It was wonderful to take part in World
Youth Day, to live the faith together with young people from the four corners of the
earth, but now you must go, now you must pass on this experience to others.” Jesus
is calling you to be a disciple with a mission! Today, in the light of the word of
God that we have heard, what is the Lord saying to us? Three simple ideas: Go, do
not be afraid, and serve.
1. Go. During these days here in Rio, you have been
able to enjoy the wonderful experience of meeting Jesus, meeting him together with
others, and you have sensed the joy of faith. But the experience of this encounter
must not remain locked up in your life or in the small group of your parish, your
movement, or your community. That would be like withholding oxygen from a flame that
was burning strongly. Faith is a flame that grows stronger the more it is shared
and passed on, so that everyone may know, love and confess Jesus Christ, the Lord
of life and history (cf. Rom 10:9).
Careful, though! Jesus did not say: “if
you would like to, if you have the time”, but: “Go and make disciples of all nations.”
Sharing the experience of faith, bearing witness to the faith, proclaiming the Gospel:
this is a command that the Lord entrusts to the whole Church, and that includes you;
but it is a command that is born not from a desire for domination or power but from
the force of love, from the fact that Jesus first came into our midst and gave us,
not a part of himself, but the whole of himself, he gave his life in order to save
us and to show us the love and mercy of God. Jesus does not treat us as slaves, but
as free men, as friends, as brothers and sisters; and he not only sends us, he accompanies
us, he is always beside us in our mission of love.
Where does Jesus send us?
There are no borders, no limits: he sends us to everyone. The Gospel is for everyone,
not just for some. It is not only for those who seem closer to us, more receptive,
more welcoming. It is for everyone. Do not be afraid to go and to bring Christ into
every area of life, to the fringes of society, even to those who seem farthest away,
most indifferent. The Lord seeks all, he wants everyone to feel the warmth of his
mercy and his love.
In particular, I would like Christ’s command: “Go” to
resonate in you young people from the Church in Latin America, engaged in the continental
mission promoted by the Bishops. Brazil, Latin America, the whole world needs Christ!
Saint Paul says: “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!” (1 Cor 9:16). This continent
has received the proclamation of the Gospel which has marked its history and borne
much fruit. Now this proclamation is entrusted also to you, that it may resound with
fresh power. The Church needs you, your enthusiasm, your creativity and the joy that
is so characteristic of you. A great Apostle of Brazil, Blessed José de Anchieta,
set off on the mission when he was only nineteen years old. Do you know what the
best tool is for evangelizing the young? Another young person. This is the path
to follow!
2. Do not be afraid. Some people might think: “I have no particular
preparation, how can I go and proclaim the Gospel?” My dear friend, your fear is
not so very different from that of Jeremiah, a young man like you, when he was called
by God to be a prophet. We have just heard his words: “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do
not know how to speak, for I am only a youth”. God says the same thing to you as
he said to Jeremiah: “Be not afraid ... for I am with you to deliver you” (Jer 1:7,8).
He is with us!
“Do not be afraid!” When we go to proclaim Christ, it is he
himself who goes before us and guides us. When he sent his disciples on mission,
he promised: “I am with you always” (Mt 28:20). And this is also true for us! Jesus
does not leave us alone, he never leaves you alone! He always accompanies you.
And
then, Jesus did not say: “One of you go”, but “All of you go”: we are sent together.
Dear young friends, be aware of the companionship of the whole Church and also the
communion of the saints on this mission. When we face challenges together, then we
are strong, we discover resources we did not know we had. Jesus did not call the
Apostles to live in isolation, he called them to form a group, a community. I would
like to address you, dear priests concelebrating with me at this Eucharist: you have
come to accompany your young people, and this is wonderful, to share this experience
of faith with them! But it is a stage on the journey. Please continue to accompany
them with generosity and joy, help them to become actively engaged in the Church;
never let them feel alone! And at this point I would like to express my heartfelt
thanks to theYouth Ministery groups, to the Movements and the new Communities that
accompany the young people in their experience of being Church. They are so creative,
so audacious. Carry on and do not be afraid!
3. The final word: serve. The
opening words of the psalm that we proclaimed are: “Sing to the Lord a new song” (Psalm
95:1). What is this new song? It does not consist of words, it is not a melody,
it is the song of your life, it is allowing our life to be identified with that of
Jesus, it is sharing his sentiments, his thoughts, his actions. And the life of Jesus
is a life for others. It is a life of service.
In our Second Reading today,
Saint Paul says: “I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more” (1
Cor 9:19). In order to proclaim Jesus, Paul made himself “a slave to all”. Evangelizing
means bearing personal witness to the love of God, it is overcoming our selfishness,
it is serving by bending down to wash the feet of our brethren, as Jesus did.
Three
words: Go, do not be afraid, and serve. Follow these three words: Go, do not be afraid,
and serve. If you follow these three ideas, you will experience that the one who
evangelizes is evangelized, the one who transmits the joy of faith receives joy.
Dear young friends, as you return to your homes, do not be afraid to be generous with
Christ, to bear witness to his Gospel. In the first Reading, when God sends the prophet
Jeremiah, he gives him the power to “pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to
overthrow, to build and to plant” (1:10). It is the same for you. Bringing the Gospel
is bringing God’s power to pluck up and break down evil and violence, to destroy and
overthrow the barriers of selfishness, intolerance and hatred, so as to build a new
world. Jesus Christ is counting on you! The Church is counting on you! The Pope
is counting on you! May Mary, Mother of Jesus and our Mother, always accompany you
with her tenderness: “Go and make disciples of all nations”. Amen.