Holy Father’s General Intention for the month of April

(March 31, 2011) Evangelizing the New Generations: That through its compelling preaching of the Gospel, the Church may give young people, new reasons for life and hope.
Pope Benedict’s general intention for April echoes St. Peter’s exhortation that we always must be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks for a reason for our hope. We still proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ; we still maintain all the hope that is summarized in our Apostles’ Creed. But this month’s intention urges us to do more, to find compelling new ways to bring the hope of the Gospel to young people. Young people, who may be facing grimmer prospects than any previous generation, come with many questions. Commemorating the 25^th anniversary of World Youth Day, last year Pope Benedict said: “the rich young man asks Jesus: ’What must I do?’ You are making crucial choices about how you will live. So...ask yourselves: Am I satisfied with my life? Is there something missing?” The answer Jesus gives is that wealth, fame, power, and pleasure all fall short and will ultimately fail. They are illusions of the happiness Christ gives us. Because we are made in Love’s image, for God is Love, the true meaning of life lies in loving. Instead of grasping for things, we learn from the Gospel that to love is to give, as Jesus did at the Last Supper and on the Cross. The prayer attributed to St. Francis affirms: “It is in giving that we receive, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” That’s a message the Church must make compelling to young people today. We must present the old truth of the Gospel in new ways. We must learn to speak to youth in their own language, context, and media. Most of all, we must ourselves be living examples of life and hope. Let us pray that we, the Church, may successfully evangelize the new generations.