July 28 - August 3" of Young People

In anticipation of the Jubilee of Young People, set within a yearlong celebration of hope, we remember the words of Pope Francis in his exhortation, Christus Vivit (CV):

Keep following your hopes and dreams. But be careful about one temptation that can hold us back. It is anxiety. Anxiety can work against us by making us give up whenever we do not see instant results. Our best dreams are only attained through hope, patience and commitment, and not in haste. At the same time, we should not be hesitant, afraid to take chances or make mistakes. Avoid the paralysis of the living dead, who have no life because they are afraid to take risks, to make mistakes or to persevere in their commitments. Even if you make mistakes, you can always get up and start over, for no one has the right to rob you of hope. (CV, no. 142)

In this passage, the Holy Father sympathized with young adults who feel overwhelmed by the clouds of loneliness, anxiety, isolation, depression, and fear, potentially causing them to lose hope. Hurtful realities faced within society and culture can further amplify young adult uncertainties.

And yet, Pope Francis calls on young adults to be “pilgrims of hope.” In fact, in one recent message, he said, “As young people, you are indeed the joyful hope of the Church and of a humanity always on the move” (Message of His Holiness for the XXXVIII World Youth Day,
November 23, 2023).

Despite the struggles that they face daily, the Holy Father believes young adults are called to something greater than whatever realities and hardships may be weighing heavily upon them. The occasion of this Jubilee Holy Year, rooted in hope, can be the opportunity for young people to renew their belief in a God who conquers the darkness and overcomes the pain, anguish, and concerns of the world.

Why should young adults place their hope in this? Simply put: Jesus Christ overcame the greatest despair of death through the Resurrection. Pope Francis elaborates further: “Because he lives, there can be no doubt that goodness will have the upper hand in your life. If we hold fast to him, we will have life.” (CV, no. 127) The Catholic Church is a faith community founded upon the Paschal Mystery, a series of moments and events in the life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension of the Lord, culminating in the sending of the Spirit at Pentecost. This great trajectory is filled with great hope. Christ shows us nothing is impossible with God.

The Holy Father encourages patience, too, in seeking this hope. He knows young adults live in a culture of instant results and immediate gratification, but the old adage still rings true: “good things come to those who wait.” Just like a pilgrimage, which takes time and hard work, the journey towards dreams and goals will often be extensive and arduous. However, God takes the long view of history and sees what lies far beyond our current vision toward eternal life. Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925), the worldwide patron of young adults whose long-awaited canonization will be celebrated as part of the Jubilee of Young People in summer 2025 (on the centenary of his entrance into eternal life), once noted, “I think peace will be a long time coming. But our faith teaches us that we must always keep on hoping we shall enjoy it one day” (Luciana Frassati, A Man of the Beatitudes: Pier Giogrio Frassati (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2001), 48). In short, if we have faith and trust in the Lord, we can also trust that goodness will always triumph in the end – for the world and for each one of us.

In this Jubilee moment, then, young adults are called to be pilgrims of hope for the Church and the world. They can show the way by witnessing and sharing not just immediate answers to their prayers, but also to the struggle of keeping hope alive in their hearts and souls, in the great expectation that God always provides.

Yet hope does not need to be an individual act. We need one another to support and strengthen us for the long road ahead. Pope Francis invites us to “journey together, young and old” with our eyes fixed on the future, “to nourish our enthusiasm, cause dreams to emerge, awaken prophecies, and enable hope to blossom” (CV, no. 199). Listening to and learning from one another, being inspired and motivated by one another, and working and witnessing the faith with one another (across generations, cultures, communities, and perspectives) are all ways that our hope can be sustained.

The Jubilee Holy Year is a celebration of the universal Church, where over a billion people come together in faith (united with billions more from centuries past). This worldwide expression of faith is a visible sign to the people of our planet of what happens when those of different languages, cultures, generations, and socio-political expressions can be united as one family of faith. What a great sign of hope for a fractured, divided world, especially when young adults are its heralds. Let us journey on together!

Prayers

Sons and Daughters Prayer

Gracious and Loving God, Help these young men and women to be a light for all the world to see, in all the places they live and work. Let their light shine for all peoples: for their families, for their church communities, for their cultures and societies, for the economic and political systems, for the whole world.

Coming into the room where the disciples were gathered after the resurrection, "Jesus, your son, said: Peace be with you!" (Jn 20:21). Make these men and women bearers of Christ's peace.

Teach them the meaning of what was said on the mountain: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons and daughters of God" (cf. Mt 5:9). Send them, Father, as you sent your son: to free their brothers and sisters from fear and sin. We ask this of you, in Christ's name. Amen.

(“Final Prayer,” from Sons and Daughters of the Light, USCCB © 1996, adapted from the papal homily by St. John Paul II for World Youth Day 1995 in Manila)

Christ the King Prayer

Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, to you we turn in humble prayer. Look with favor upon all young adults, bearers of hope for the Church and the world.

Jesus Christ, companion of young adults, bless the paths of discovery and discernment, through times of joy and experiences of hardship, with the constant love and support of your Church.

Jesus Christ, alive in the hearts of all your people, grant that we may “journey together, young and old… to nourish our enthusiasm, cause dreams to emerge, awaken prophesies and enable hope to blossom.”

Jesus Christ, Redeemer of all humankind, open our hearts to encounter all young adults, to accompany and be in community together, and as one Church, embark upon our holy mission.

Jesus Christ, in the company of the Father and the Holy Spirit, graciously hear our prayer and be with us forevermore. Amen.

(Adapted from “A Prayer for Youth and Young Adults,” from A National Pastoral Resource  Guidebook for the Global Celebration of Young  People: for the Annual Celebration of Youth and  Young Adults in the United States of America on the  Solemnity of Christ the King, USCCB © 2021;quotation within prayer from Pope Francis, Christus Vivit, no. 199) 

Pope Francis' Prayer for Young People

Lord Jesus… your Church turns her attention to all the young people in the world. We pray that they might boldly take charge of their lives, aim for the most beautiful and profound things of life and always keep their hearts unencumbered.

Accompanied by wise and generous guides, help them respond to the call you make to each of them, to realize a proper plan of life and achieve happiness. Keep their hearts open to dreaming great dreams and make them concerned for the good of others.

Like the Beloved Disciple, may they stand at the foot of the Cross, to receive your Mother as a gift from You. May they be witnesses to your Resurrection and be aware that you are at their side as they joyously proclaim you as Lord. Amen.

(Adapted from “Prayer for Young People, in view of the forthcoming Synod of Bishops 2018: Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment” by Pope Francis, Libreria Editrice Vaticana © 2017)