Pope Francis answers questions of young people in Assisi
(Vatican Radio) At the conclusion of his one day visit to Assisi on Friday, Pope Francis
met with over 20.000 enthusiastic young people gathered in front of the Basilica of
St Mary of the Angels, answering four questions about faith, family, vocations and
their fears for the future.
Responding to the first question from a young couple
with their new baby, the Pope said it takes courage to form a family, to build solid
and lasting relationships in our ephemeral and superficial environment. But the Holy
Spirit, he said, has inspired many new initiatives within the Church for young people,
for couples in crisis, or for parents and children in difficult situations.
Marriage
and the family, the Pope stressed, is a real vocation, but there are also others who
are called to the vocation of celibacy and commitment to the Kingdom of God. How can
we recognise this calling, a young man and woman had asked him? By listening to the
voice of God, he replied, in silence, in prayer, in the Sacraments. Having a living
relationship with Our Lord, he said, is like keeping an open window so that we can
hear God calling us and telling us what he wants us to do. Every calling is different,
he went on, but each one begins with an encounter with God that touches our hearts
and involves every part of our being.
Responding to the other two questions
about loss of hope in the future and how to participate in this Year of Faith, Pope
Francis urged the young people to listen to the voice of St Francis calling them to
be servants of the Gospel of Christ. This message of salvation, he said, must not
be mere empty words ,but must help us to transform the world through the witness of
our life and faith.