Young People!!!!

“Young people can help to awaken us out of our slumber in the faith. … The important thing is … that we begin a serious commitment to prayer.”

I am so thankful and happy that I was able to come to World Youth Day in Sydney. I must admit that, at first, it did seem a bit daunting to travel all the way to Australia for the events. However, being here, I am reminded of the youthfulness and vitality of the Church, especially manifested in the young, but present in all of us. The Church is ever young.

We can believe in the beautiful truths of our faith, but sometimes they lie dormant within us. World Youth Day reminds us that the Gospel resonates in our hearts as freshly today as it did in the hearts of those who heard the Sermon on the Mount two thousand years ago. The Words of Jesus lead us to faith in Him, and to conversion of heart. Why else would over half a million gather in Australia for the closing Mass of WYD?

Pope Benedict told the young people, “She [the Church] needs your faith, your idealism and your generosity, so that she can always be young in the Spirit.”

All the members of the Church have gifts that the Church needs. All have a role and a part to play. Young people can help to awaken us out of our slumber in the faith.

Remember our generosity in the beginning. Maybe we had a conversion experience, maybe a particular moment when we felt close to the Lord, and we responded and gave ourselves to Him without measure. Then, after a while, something grew cold within us. But, as a Cardinal Pell put it the other day, “there are embers in the ashes.”

WYD reminds us of the fullness of the Church and the gifts that the young possess. It is staggering to see such a gathering of people joined in faith and charity. Tonight, I spoke with an elderly woman who said that WYD has been good for Sydney itself. She said that the smiles of the young people have blessed the city. There is a wonderful atmosphere here of friendship and warmth.

The closing Mass was beautiful. There were pauses in the Mass for silent meditation, and it was astonishing to see the entire place in silence. After the homily and after communion, a period of silence was announced to foster prayer.

Pope Benedict said in his homily, “In the power of His Spirit, Jesus is always present in our hearts, quietly waiting for us to be still with Him, to hear His voice, to abide in His love, and to receive ‘power from on high,’ enabling us to be salt and light for our world.”

Pope Benedict mentioned a “quiet sense of despair” in many societies today. Communion with God is a way to combat this despair. The Holy Father recommends quiet prayer, prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, and liturgical prayer.

The important thing is not so much the kind of prayer we choose, but that we begin a serious commitment to prayer. God wants to work an interior transformation in our lives and radiate His goodness to the world around us.

Editor’s Note: Father Mark will write one more World Youth Day 2008 blog about some of the more interesting moments at this celebration of faith in Sydney, Australia.