In the suggestive square in front of the Basilica della Salute overlooking the Venetian lagoon, meeting the youth world, Francis urges the new generations to go against the current, to trust in God “who always lifts and forgives”. And while “today we live with fast emotions, momentary sensations”, the Pontiff invites today’s children not to isolate themselves. “Go out, walk with others, look for those who are alone, color the world with your creativity, paint with the Gospel the streets of life”
Tiziana Campisi – Vatican City
Francis uses simple but effective words, addressing the young people of the 15 dioceses of the Triveneto. He encourages them to get involved, to go against the grain, to give less space to social media, to turn off the TV and open the Gospel, leave their cell phones and meet people, “get up and go” he repeats to them several times, so much so that he makes it a motto which echoes in the voices of the 1,500 kids who listen to him. In the square in front of the Basilica della Salute, lapped by the waters of the Grand Canal, the Pope arrives, after leaving the island of Giudecca on board a motorboat, welcomed by the hymn of the 2000 WYD “Emmanuel”, then, in a mini-car electricity passes along the avenues created by the cordoned off areas reserved for those participating in the meeting. In the spectacular setting of the Venice lagoon, “city of beauty”, Francis urges us to rediscover another beauty: being “beloved children of God”. And to rejoice – “in the name of Jesus, the young God who loves the young” and who always surprises and reserves us surprises for which we must be prepared -, to be such and “called to realize the Lord’s dream: to bear witness to and live his joy”. A gift of which we are often unaware.
We live immersed in man-made products, which make us lose our amazement at the beauty that surrounds us, yet creation invites us to be creators of beauty ourselves, please don’t forget this: be creators of beauty and do something which wasn’t there before.
The Pontiff offers the example of parenthood, bringing “a son, a daughter” into the world, this is doing “something that wasn’t there before”. Thinking about the children you will have is something beautiful, he remarks, “and this must carry on”, he reiterates, recommending dedicating more time to socializing.
Don’t be professionals of compulsive typing, but creators of new things!
The gondoliers’ homage to the Pope during the Pope’s crossing of the Venetian lagoon to reach the Basilica della Salute
Imitate God’s style of generosity and creativity
It is enough to “imitate God’s style”, is the Pope’s suggestion, “create”, make a prayer from the heart, make a dream come true or make “a gesture of love for someone who cannot reciprocate”. In practice “it is the style of gratuitousness, which takes us away from the nihilistic logic of ‘I do to get’ and ‘work to earn'”, which yes, must be done, but must not be the center of one’s life, “the center is the gratuitousness”. And then we must be “creative with gratuitousness”, insists the Pontiff, give “life to a symphony of gratuitousness in a world that seeks the useful”, because in this way we can be “revolutionaries”.
Go, give of yourself without fear! Young man who wants to take charge of your life, get up, get up! Open your heart to God, thank him, embrace the beauty that you are; fall in love with your life. And then go! Get up, fall in love and go. Go out, walk with others, look for those who are alone, color the world with your creativity, paint the streets of life with the Gospel. Please paint the streets of life with the Gospel. Get up and go.
Francis on a motorboat towards the Basilica della Salute
Get up and go like Mary
But how to start again after “a nice moment of meeting”, once we return home “and then tomorrow and in the days to come?
I suggest two verbs, practical because maternal: two verbs of movement that animated the young heart of Mary, Mother of God and ours. To spread the joy of the Lord and help those in need, “she got up and went”. Get up and go. Don’t forget these two verbs that Our Lady made before us.
The Pope in a minicar while greeting young people
First thing to do in the morning
First of all, we need to “get up from the ground, because we are made for Heaven”, explains the Pope, who also encourages us to “get up from sadness to look up”, to “stand in front of life, not sit on the sofa” – “and there are different sofas that take us and don’t let us get up” – to “say ‘here I am!’ to the Lord, who believes in us”, to “welcome the gift who we are, to recognize, before anything else, that we are precious and irreplaceable”, because “each of us is beautiful” and “has a treasure within us, a beautiful treasure to share and give to others”. Therefore, in daily life, the first thing to do, in the morning, as soon as you wake up, is to welcome yourself “as a gift”, this is Francis’ recipe, to thank God for your life, and then to confide your emotions to God, as when you fall in love, ask him for help, pray the Our Father and recognize ourselves as beloved children, remember that for God we are not “a digital profile”, but children, and we are children of heaven because we have a Father in heaven. All this is not “too romantic”, says the Pontiff, no, it is the reality to be discovered in our lives.
Yet we often find ourselves fighting against a negative force of gravity that brings us down, an oppressive inertia that wants us to see everything as grey. Sometimes this happens to us and what should we do? To get up – let’s not forget – we must first let ourselves get up again: let ourselves be taken by the hand by the Lord, who never disappoints those who trust in Him, who always lifts up and forgives.
Francis speaking to young people
God sees us as children to be raised up, not evildoers to be punished
And if you feel fragile, weak and fall often, the remedy is not to look at yourself with your own eyes, continues the Pope, but to think “of the gaze of God”, who when we fall is close to us, takes us by the hand, lifts us up. , helps us and “does wonders with our fragilities”. And then read the Gospel, to always keep with you, in a pocket size, so you can open it at any time.
God knows that, in addition to being beautiful, we are fragile, and the two things go together: a bit like Venice, which is splendid and delicate at the same time. That is, she is beautiful and delicate, she has some fragility that needs to be taken care of. God doesn’t blame our mistakes – you did it like this, you did it… -. He doesn’t bind himself to this, but he holds out his hand to us.
The square in front of the Basilica della Salute
The secret of consistency
It is up to us to “stay on our feet” and “stay when we feel like sitting down, to let go, to let go”, which is not easy, Francesco acknowledges, but “the secret” is “consistency”. While “today we live with fast emotions, momentary sensations, instincts that last moments”, which do not allow us to go far, “sports champions, as well as artists and scientists, show that great goals are not achieved in just a moment, you can’t achieve everything right away”, and the same goes for what matters most in life: love, faith. Precisely to grow in faith and love it is necessary to “have constancy”, continues the Pontiff, “and always move forward”.
Here the risk is to leave everything to improvisation: I pray if I feel like it, I go to Mass when I feel like it, I do good if I feel like it… This doesn’t give results: we need to persevere, day after day. And do it together. Because together we help each other, always moving forward. Together: “do it yourself” doesn’t work in big things. This is why I say to you: do not isolate yourselves, do not isolate yourself, seek others, experience God together, follow group paths without getting tired.
Some young people present at the meeting with the Pope
Go against the grain
Go against the grain, without fear: this is the Pope’s invitation to young people, even when the others “are all on their own with their cell phones, hooked on social media and video games”, to take “life into their hands”.
The cell phone is very useful for communicating, it is useful but be careful when the cell phone prevents you from meeting people. Use your cell phone, that’s fine, but meet people! You know what a hug, a kiss, a handshake is: people. Don’t forget this: use your cell phone but meet people.
It’s not easy to go against the current, Francesco admits, but “only by rowing consistently can you go far”, because “consistency is rewarding, even if it costs effort”.
A moment of meeting with young people
Give yourself a gift
After letting ourselves be “taken by the hand by God to walk together”, we then need to “go”, that is, “give ourselves a gift”, concludes the Pope, who ends his speech by once again inviting young people to get up, to go along the streets of the world walking in the wake of the Gospel.
