WYD Rio: 2 million throng prayer vigil with Pope Francis
(Vatican Radio) Two million young people carpeted Rio de Janeiro’s Copacobana beach
on Saturday, joining Pope Francis in a huge outdoor evening prayer vigil as part of
World Youth Day celebrations in Brazil. The centerpiece of the vigil was a Eucharistic
procession. The event featured litanies and hymns, as well as the testimonies of four
different young people.
In his remarks to the youthful pilgrims, Pope Francis
focused on the image of the field of faith – the name of the venue at which the vigil
was originally to have taken place, before the week’s inclement weather rendered it
unusable: the field as a place to sow seed and raise crops; the field as a place of
training; the field as construction site.
The Holy Father also had words of
encouragement for the many young people around the world – and especially in Brazil,
who in recent days and weeks have taken to the streets to call for the betterment
of their societies in a spirit of greater brotherhood. “I encourage them,” he said,
“in an orderly, peaceful and responsible manner, motivated by the values of the Gospel,
to continue overcoming apathy and offering a Christian response to social and political
concerns present in their countries.” Our correspondent in Rio, Sean Patrick
Lovett was there and filed this report:
A ritual devotion
marking the eve of a holy day. A religious exercise involving silence, waiting and
expectation. A keeping watch while others are sleeping. These are some of the ways
we try to explain the term “vigil”. I said “try”. While all of them could easily be
applied to the event that involved over two million young people on Copacabana Beach
on Saturday night, none of them quite does it justice.
So what kind of a “vigil”
was it?
It was part musical spectacle, part theatrical presentation, part religious
celebration. Apart from that, it was also a dialogue between Pope Francis and his
young listeners. Constantly encouraging them to be “protagonists of history”, “overcoming
apathy” and remaining in the forefront of change – he insisted they repeat out loud
his 3-point formula for being effective and living stones in Christ’s Church: “Prayer.
“The Sacraments. Helping others”. Two million voices dutifully yelled out in Spanish
(the language the Pope used throughout his discourse): “Oración. Sacramentos. Ayuda
a los demás”. It wasn’t a sound one hears very often. But he also insisted on moments
of silence, interrupting their applause (at least three times) and inviting them to
reflect on Christ’s personal call for each one of them. It was more like a very personal
catechesis rather than a formal papal discourse.
Moments of spectacular creativity
alternated with moments of prayerful reflection. From the symbolic building of a huge
wooden church (the dismantled pieces of which will be distributed among different
Rio parishes) – to the solemn Eucharistic adoration that brought the evening to a
meditative close. In fact, probably the most moving moment of the entire celebration
was the deafening silence of two million young people, punctuated only by the sound
of the wind and waves.
Silence. Watching. Waiting. It was a “vigil” alright
– in the very deepest sense of the word. SPL
*************************************************** Below,
we publish the full text of Pope Francis' remarks to young people at the Copacobana
Prayer Vigil:
Dear Young Friends,
We have just recalled the
story of Saint Francis of Assisi. In front of the crucifix he heard the voice of
Jesus saying to him: “Francis, go, rebuild my house”. The young Francis responded
readily and generously to the Lord’s call to rebuild his house. But which house?
Slowly but surely, Francis came to realize that it was not a question of repairing
a stone building, but about doing his part for the life of the Church. It was a matter
of being at the service of the Church, loving her and working to make the countenance
of Christ shine ever more brightly in her.
Today too, as always, the Lord
needs you, young people, for his Church. Today too, he is calling each of you to
follow him in his Church and to be missionaries. How? In what way? Well, I think
we can learn something from what happened in these days: as we had to cancel due to
bad weather, the realization of this vigil on the campus Fidei, in Guaratiba. Lord
willing might we say that the real area of faith, the true campus fidei, is not
a geographical place - but we, ourselves? Yes! Each of us, each one of you. And missionary
discipleship means to recognize that we are God’s campus fidei, His “field of faith”!
Therefore, from the image of the field of faith, starting with the name of the place,
Campus Fidei, the field of faith, I have thought of three images that can help us
understand better what it means to be a disciple and a missionary. First, a field
is a place for sowing seeds; second, a field is a training ground; and third, a field
is a construction site.
1. A field is a place for sowing seeds. We all know
the parable where Jesus speaks of a sower who went out to sow seeds in the field;
some seed fell on the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns, and could not
grow; other seed fell on good soil and brought forth much fruit (cf. Mt 13:1-9).
Jesus himself explains the meaning of the parable: the seed is the word of God sown
in our hearts (cf. Mt 13:18-23). This, dear young people, means that the real Campus
Fidei, the field of faith, is your own heart, it is your life. It is your life that
Jesus wants to enter with his word, with his presence. Please, let Christ and his
word enter your life, blossom and grow.
Jesus tells us that the seed which
fell on the path or on the rocky ground or among the thorns bore no fruit. What kind
of ground are we? What kind of terrain do we want to be? Maybe sometimes we are
like the path: we hear the Lord’s word but it changes nothing in our lives because
we let ourselves be numbed by all the superficial voices competing for our attention;
or we are like the rocky ground: we receive Jesus with enthusiasm, but we falter and,
faced with difficulties, we don’t have the courage to swim against the tide; or we
are like the thorny ground: negativity, negative feelings choke the Lord’s word in
us (cf. Mt 13:18-22). But today I am sure that the seed is falling on good soil,
that you want to be good soil, not part-time Christians, not “starchy” and superficial,
but real. I am sure that you don’t want to be duped by a false freedom, always at
the beck and call of momentary fashions and fads. I know that you are aiming high,
at long-lasting decisions which will make your lives meaningful. Jesus is capable
of letting you do this: he is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6). Let’s
trust in him. Let’s make him our guide!
2. A field is a training ground.
Jesus asks us to follow him for life, he asks us to be his disciples, to “play on
his team”. I think that most of you love sports! Here in Brazil, as in other countries,
football is a national passion. Now, what do players do when they are asked to join
a team? They have to train, and to train a lot! The same is true of our lives as
the Lord’s disciples. Saint Paul tells us: “athletes deny themselves all sorts of
things; they do this to win a crown of leaves that withers, but we a crown that is
imperishable” (1 Cor 9:25). Jesus offers us something bigger than the World Cup!
He offers us the possibility of a fulfilled and fruitful life; he also offers us a
future with him, an endless future, eternal life. But he asks us to train, “to get
in shape”, so that we can face every situation in life undaunted, bearing witness
to our faith. How do we get in shape? By talking with him: by prayer, which is our
daily conversation with God, who always listens to us. By the sacraments, which make
his life grow within us and conform us to Christ. By loving one another, learning
to listen, to understand, to forgive, to be accepting and to help others, everybody,
with no one excluded or ostracized. Dear young people, be true “athletes of Christ”!
3. A field is a construction site. When our heart is good soil which receives
the word of God, when “we build up a sweat” in trying to live as Christians, we experience
something tremendous: we are never alone, we are part of a family of brothers and
sisters, all journeying on the same path: we are part of the Church; indeed, we are
building up the Church and we are making history. Saint Peter tells us that we are
living stones, which form a spiritual edifice (cf. 1 Pet 2:5). Looking at this platform,
we see that it is in the shape of a church, built up with stones and bricks. In the
Church of Jesus, we ourselves are the living stones. Jesus is asking us to build
up his Church, but not as a little chapel which holds only a small group of persons.
He asks us to make his living Church so large that it can hold all of humanity, that
it can be a home for everyone! To me, to you, to each of us he says: “Go and make
disciples of all nations”. Tonight, let us answer him: Yes, I too want to be a living
stone; together we want to build up the Church of Jesus! Let us all say together:
I want to go forth and build up the Church of Christ!
In your young hearts,
you have a desire to build a better world. I have been closely following the news
reports of the many young people who throughout the world have taken to the streets
in order to express their desire for a more just and fraternal society - (and here
in Brazil), they have gone out into the streets to express a desire for a more just
and fraternal civilization. These are young people who want to be agents of change.
I encourage them, in an orderly, peaceful and responsible manner, motivated by the
values of the Gospel, to continue overcoming apathy and offering a Christian response
to social and political concerns present in their countries. But the question remains:
Where do we start? What are the criteria for building a more just society? Mother
Teresa of Calcutta was once asked what needed to change in the Church. Her answer
was: you and I!
Dear friends, never forget that you are the field of faith!
You are Christ’s athletes! You are called to build a more beautiful Church and a
better world. Let us lift our gaze to Our Lady. Mary helps us to follow Jesus, she
gives us the example by her own “yes” to God: “I am the servant of the Lord; let it
be done to me as you say” (Lk 1:38). All together, let us join Mary in saying to
God: let it be done to me as you say. Amen!