Pope Benedict in Malta - Discourse 4 Meeting with Young People on the Waterfront
(18 Apr 10 - RV) Below we publish the full text of Pope Benedict XVI's address to
the young people of Malta on Valetta Waterfront:
Żgħażagħ Maltin u Għawdxin,
jien kuntent ħafna li ninsab maghkom, What a joy it is for me to be with you today
on your native soil! On this significant anniversary, we thank God for sending the
Apostle Paul to these islands, which were thus among the first to receive the Good
News of Our Lord Jesus Christ. I warmly greet Archbishop Cremona, as well as Bishop
Grech whom I thank for his kind words, and all the bishops, priests and religious
who are here. Most especially, I greet you, young people of Malta and Gozo, and I
thank you for speaking to me of the matters that concern you most deeply. I appreciate
your desire to seek and find the truth, and to know what you must do to attain the
fullness of life. Saint Paul, as a young man, had an experience that changed him
for ever. As you know, he was once an enemy of the Church, and did all he could to
destroy it. While he was travelling to Damascus, intending to hunt down any Christians
he could find there, the Lord appeared to him in a vision. A blinding light shone
around him and he heard a voice saying, “Why do you persecute me? … I am Jesus, whom
you are persecuting” (Acts 9:4-5). Paul was completely overcome by this encounter
with the Lord, and his whole life was transformed. He became a disciple, and went
on to be a great apostle and missionary. Here in Malta, you have particular reason
to give thanks for Paul’s missionary labours, which spread the Gospel throughout the
Mediterranean. Every personal encounter with Jesus is an overwhelming experience
of love. Previously, as Paul himself admits, he had “persecuted the church of God
violently and tried to destroy it” (Gal 1:13). But the hatred and anger
expressed in those words was completely swept away by the power of Christ’s love.
For the rest of his life, Paul had a burning desire to carry the news of that love
to the ends of the earth. Maybe some of you will say to me, Saint Paul is often
severe in his writings. How can I say that he was spreading a message of love? My
answer is this. God loves every one of us with a depth and intensity that we can
hardly begin to imagine. And he knows us intimately, he knows all our strengths and
all our faults. Because he loves us so much, he wants to purify us of our faults
and build up our virtues so that we can have life in abundance. When he challenges
us because something in our lives is displeasing to him, he is not rejecting us, but
he is asking us to change and become more perfect. That is what he asked of Saint
Paul on the road to Damascus. God rejects no one. And the Church rejects no one.
Yet in his great love, God challenges all of us to change and to become more perfect.
Saint John tells us that perfect love casts out fear (cf. 1 Jn 4:18).
And so I say to all of you, “Do not be afraid!” How many times we hear those words
in the Scriptures! They are addressed by the angel to Mary at the Annunciation, by
Jesus to Peter when calling him to be a disciple, and by the angel to Paul on the
eve of his shipwreck. To all of you who wish to follow Christ, as married couples,
as parents, as priests, as religious, as lay faithful bringing the message of the
Gospel to the world, I say, do not be afraid! You may well encounter opposition to
the Gospel message. Today’s culture, like every culture, promotes ideas and values
that are sometimes at variance with those lived and preached by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Often they are presented with great persuasive power, reinforced by the media and
by social pressure from groups hostile to the Christian faith. It is easy, when we
are young and impressionable, to be swayed by our peers to accept ideas and values
that we know are not what the Lord truly wants for us. That is why I say to you:
do not be afraid, but rejoice in his love for you; trust him, answer his call to discipleship,
and find nourishment and spiritual healing in the sacraments of the Church. Here
in Malta, you live in a society that is steeped in Christian faith and values. You
should be proud that your country both defends the unborn and promotes stable family
life by saying no to abortion and divorce. I urge you to maintain this courageous
witness to the sanctity of life and the centrality of marriage and family life for
a healthy society. In Malta and Gozo, families know how to value and care for their
elderly and infirm members, and they welcome children as gifts from God. Other nations
can learn from your Christian example. In the context of European society, Gospel
values are once again becoming counter-cultural, just as they were at the time of
Saint Paul. In this Year for Priests, I ask you to be open to the possibility
that the Lord may be calling some of you to give yourselves totally to the service
of his people in the priesthood or the consecrated life. Your country has given many
fine priests and religious to the Church. Be inspired by their example, and recognize
the profound joy that comes from dedicating one’s life to spreading the message of
God’s love for all people, without exception. I have spoken already of the need
to care for the very young, and for the elderly and infirm. Yet a Christian is called
to bring the healing message of the Gospel to everyone. God loves every single person
in this world, indeed he loves everyone who has ever lived throughout the history
of the world. In the death and Resurrection of Jesus, which is made present whenever
we celebrate the Mass, he offers life in abundance to all those people. As Christians
we are called to manifest God’s all-inclusive love. So we should seek out the poor,
the vulnerable, the marginalized; we should have a special care for those who are
in distress, those suffering from depression or anxiety; we should care for the disabled,
and do all we can to promote their dignity and quality of life; we should be attentive
to the needs of immigrants and asylum seekers in our midst; we should extend the hand
of friendship to members of all faiths and none. That is the noble vocation of love
and service that we have all received. Let it inspire you to dedicate your lives
to following Christ. La tibżgħux tkunu ħbieb intimi ta’ Kristu. Dear young people,
as I take my leave of you, I want you to know that I am close to you and I remember
you and your families and friends in my prayers. “Selluli għaż-żgħażagħ Maltin
u Għawdxin kollha.”