There is a widespread conviction in our times that Christianity is something that always says “no” to people’s deepest desires. They could not be more mistaken. Christ and his Gospel are really a huge “yes” that God has addressed to human beings, and they are the most sure guarantee of our true freedom and happiness. That is why faith is a very reasonable choice to make. Faith is not an option worn like an accessory. It is a determining factor in our lives that gives ultimate meaning to human existence. WYD summarises it as “To be Christian is a good thing! To follow Christ in our lives is something good and worthwhile!”
Christ is at the centre of every World Youth Day – like a centre of gravity. It is Christ whom the young people want to find at WYD, especially through the person and words of the Successor of Peter, in the catecheses given by the bishops, in the Masses, in the silent eucharistic adoration, in the sacrament of reconciliation, and also in the joy of being together as brothers and sisters. For the young pilgrims, WYD is a time to renew their option for Christ as Teacher and Lord, and as Friend and Mentor to whom they can entrust their lives.
In addition to their discovery of Christ, they discover the Church. To follow Jesus in faith is to journey with him in the communion of the Church. We cannot separate Christ from the Church. That is why each WYD is a practical lesson in ecclesiology for many young people. It is a concrete experience of the universal Church, of the global nature of faith in Christ.
In Europe we are experiencing a widespread crisis of faith, even within the Church. The Holy Father calls it a “tired Christianity” that is feeling discouraged. This is a cause of great concern. In this context, the Pope calls World Youth Day “a powerful remedy against faith fatigue”, “a new, more youthful form of Christianity”, “new evangelization put into practice”. Before the 2005 WYD in Cologne, a journalist asked Benedict XVI: “Your Holiness, what is the most important thing you are going to say to all of these young people from all over the world who are arriving in Cologne at this moment?”. The Pope gave a short incisive reply: “I would like to convince these young people that it is a beautiful thing to be Christian”. To discover the beauty of being Christian and the joy of being Christian – this is what the new evangelisation is all about. Sad Christianity is a contradiction. It is the task of young people to give witness to the joy and beauty of being Christian and to help others to make this discovery. In this sense, World Youth Day has an important role to play in our times. The Pope said: “Faith makes one happy from deep within. That is one of the wonderful experiences of World Youth Days”.[1] It is thanks to the “WYD generations” that we can see today this “new way of being Christian” for which Benedict XVI is calling.
Each WYD is a precious seed of the Word of God. However, the land where the seed is sown has to be cultivated with care if it is to produce a harvest. Participation in World Youth Day signifies acceptance of responsibility for the outcome of this seed. Several months have passed since WYD in Madrid, and I am sure that a great deal of good fruit has grown in the lives of many of those who took part in the event.
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[1] Benedict XVI, Christmas greetings to the Roman Curia, 22 December 2011.
