The beatification of John Paul II on 1st May is a cause of great joy and gratitude to the Lord for all of us. The 26th World Youth Day which will take place in Madrid in August 2011 will include him among its patrons. He will be a special patron as he, with love and determination, was the founder of WYD.
We all know how fond Pope Wojtyla was of young people. He called himself “the young people’s friend”, although he also said that he was “a demanding friend”. John Paul II loved young people, and he liked to be with them and listen to their questions, doubts and concerns. At the same time, he did not hesitate to challenge them with demanding goals. We recall his words in Czestochowa: “Fly up high”, or those in Santiago de Compostela, “Do not be afraid to become saints!”
World Youth Day was one of his inspirational insights. It was back in the nineteen-eighties when the Church seemed to be unable to speak to the new generations that John Paul II decided on this way of reaching the hearts of young people. He proclaimed Christ to them, and he urged them to build their lives on Christ the rock. He was convinced that only Jesus Christ is the way of truth, goodness and happiness for young people.
I believe that John Paul II’s beatification will be an important milestone on the road that will lead so many young people to Madrid. I am certain that he will not fail to prepare the way for Benedict XVI and to lend a hand so that the youth will open their hearts and minds to the words of the present pontiff.
