Christ is Alive

A Message From Pope Francis to Youth

Happy Easter! As we celebrate Easter Week 2019 we would like to pass on just a few highlights from the Apostolic Exhortation on the young that Pope Francis released April 2, 2019. 

• Christ is alive and he want you to be alive! 
• He is in you, he is with you and he never abandons you. However far you may wander, he is always there, the Risen One. He calls you and he waits for you to return to him and start over again. When you feel you are growing old out of sorrow, resentment or fear, doubt or failure, he will always be there to restore your strength and your hope. 
• Samuel was still a young boy, yet the Lord spoke to him. Thanks to the advice of an adult, he opened hie heart to hear God's call: "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." 1 Sam 3:9-10
• King Davis was chosen while still a boy. 
• A Jewish servant girl of the foreign commander Naaman intervened with faith and helped him to be cured of his illness. 2 Kg 5:2-6
• The young Ruth was a model of generosity...Ru 1:1-18
• Jesus...insisted that "the greatest among you must become like the youngest." Lk 22:26
• ...young people are also urged "to accept the authority of those who are older" 1 Pet 5:5
• "Urge the younger men to be self-controlled" Titus 2:6
• Jesus stands before you...and with all the power of his resurrection he urges you: "Young man, I say to you, arise!" Lk 7:14
• The heart of the Church is also full of young saints who devoted their lives to Christ...
• Saint Sebastian
• Saint Francis of Assisi
• Saint Joan of Arc
• Blessed Andrew Phu
• Saint Kateri Tekawitha
• Saint Dominic Savio
• Saint Therese of the Child Jesus
• Blessed Isadore Bakanja
• Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
• Blessed Marcel Callo
• Blessed Chiara Badano (born in 1990)
• ...
• Dare to be more, because who you are is more important than any possession! 
• "God loves you." 
• "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you" Jer 31:4
• "For you are precious in my sight, and honoured, and I love you." Is 43:4
• When he asks something of you, or simply makes you face life's challenges, he is hoping that you will make room for him to push you, to help you grow. He does not get upset if you share your questions with him. He is concerned when you don't talk to him...
• ...Christ, out of love, sacrificed himself completely in order to save you. 
• Are you looking for passion? ..."Fall in Love!"..."nothing is more practical that finding God, thank falling in love in a quite absolute, final way." 
• Youth, as a phase in the development of personality, is marked by dreams which gather momentum, by relationships which acquire more and more consistency and balance, by trials and experiments, and by choices which gradually build a life project. At this stage in life, the young are called to move forward without cutting themselves off from their roots, to build autonomy, but not in solitude.
• Through our friends, the Lord refines us and leads us to maturity. Faithful friends, who stand at our side in times of difficulty, are also a reflection of the Lord's love..."there is nothing so precious as a faithful friend." Sir 6:15
• I hope you will be serious enough about yourselves to make an effort to grow spiritually...
• Becoming a saint means becoming more fully yourself...
• ...I know that your young hearts want to build a better world...
• ..."it is impossible for us to grow unless we have strong roots to support us and to keep us firmly grounded" 
• "Stand in the the assembly of the elders. Who is wise? Cling to him...If you see an intelligent man, visit him; let your foot wear out his doorstep." Sir 6:34, 36
• For one of the greatest joys that any educator can have is to see a student turn into a strong, well-integrated person, a leader, someone prepared to give. 
• To respond to our vocation, we need to foster and develop all that we are...It has to do with finding our true selves in the light of God...
• ..."the family continues to be the principal point of reference for young people..." 
• ...it is important for young adults to nurture a vision, learn how to work in a truly personal and life-giving way, and continue to discern God's call. 
• Work is an expression of human dignity, a path of development and social inclusion...it is an opportunity to give glory to God...

• Dear young people,...keep running,...The Church needs your momentum, your intuitions, your faith. 

Christus Vivit: Post-Synodal Exhortation