Benedict XVI then added: "God's charity
is infinite, and the Lord asks us, or rather he requires us, to
expand our hearts so as to contain ever more love, goodness, and
understanding for our fellows and for the problems that involve not
only human coexistence but also the effective preservation and
protection of the natural environment, of which we are all a part.
"Our woods have
more life," added the Pope quoting from the Brazilian national
anthem. "Do not let this flame of hope go out. ... The environmental
devastation of the Amazon and the threat to the human dignity of its
people call for greater commitment in various fields of social
activity."
The Holy
Father then turned to the central theme of his homily, the dialogue
between Jesus and the rich young man as recounted in the Gospel of
St. Matthew, the central point of which is the question: "What must
I do to have eternal life?"
"This query,"
the Pope explained, "does not only concern the future. It does not
concern only the question of what happens after death. Quite the
contrary, there is a commitment in the present, here and now, that
must guarantee authenticity and consequently the future. In a word,
the query concerns the meaning of life and could therefore be
expressed thus: what must I do in order for my life to have
meaning?'."
Christ, "a
Master Who does not deceive, ... invites us to see God in all things
and all events, even where the majority of people see only the
absence of God. He encourages the rich young man "to keep the
Commandments ... at the foundation of which are grace and nature."
They "stimulate us to do something towards our own self-fulfillment.
To fulfil oneself through action is in fact, to become real."
"We hear talk
of the fears of today's youth. These fears reveal an enormous lack
of hope: fear of death; ... fear of failure for not having
discovered the meaning of life; and fear of exclusion in the face of
the bewildering pace of events and of communications. ... Yet when I
look upon you young people present here ... I see you as Christ sees
you: a gaze full of love and trust, in the certainty that you have
found the true path. You are the youth of the Church. ... Be
apostles to the young!"
"There exists,
in the final analysis, an immense field of action in which social,
economic and political questions are particularly important, so long
as their source of inspiration is always the Gospel and the Church's
social doctrine. The building of a more just and united, reconciled
and peaceful society; the commitment to halt violence; initiatives
aimed at promoting fullness of life, democratic order and the common
good and, especially, those that seek to eliminate certain forms of
discrimination that exist in Latin American society ... are not
grounds for exclusion but for mutual enrichment."
The Holy
Father called on young people to maintain "great respect for the
Sacrament of Marriage," and "to respect one another during the
period of courtship and engagement." He also highlighted how some of
them "are called to a total and definitive sacrifice, consecrating
themselves to God in the religious life ... and bearing witness to
the hope of the heavenly Kingdom among all men and women."
"Youth is a
form of wealth," said Benedict XVI returning to consider the
dialogue between Jesus and the rich young man, "because it leads to
the rediscovery of life as a gift and as a task." But the young man
of the Gospel, "at the moment of the great choice, did not have the
courage to wager everything on Jesus Christ, ... he realized that he
lacked the generosity and this prevented him from complete
fulfillment."
"Do not waste
your youth," Pope Benedict concluded, "do not seek to flee it. ...
Consecrate it to the ideals of faith and of human solidarity. You
young people are not just the future of the Church and of humanity,
as if you were trying to flee the present moment. On the contrary,
you are the existing youth of the Church and of humanity. You are
the young face ... without which the Church would be disfigured."
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