Antananarivo, Madagascar: “Jesus has called you and has entrusted a mission to you,” said Pope Francis to an ensemble of young men and women, who attended a prayer vigil in Antananarivo, Madagascar on September 7, Saturday. “Through you, the future is coming to Madagascar and to the Church,” the Pope said in the diocesan Soa Mandrakizay field.
“The Lord is the first to trust in you, but he also asks you to trust in yourselves and your own skills and abilities, which are many,” he continued. Jesus “wants to change us and to make our lives a mission.”
As per reports, the vigil was one of the highly engaging gatherings, throughout the Holy Father’s six day visit to the African Subcontinent’s countries- Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius. The event saw attendees more than 1,00,000.
In his address, the Pope urged the youth to stay away from bitterness, as the young people are most likely to fall into temptation; especially in situations where they lack basic amenities like ability to pursue education or access to a good job.
He continued,”….the Lord is the first to tell you no! [Bitterness] is not the way to go. The Lord calls each of us by name and says: Follow me! He does not call us to run after mirages, but to become missionary disciples here and now. He is the first to reject all those voices that would lull you to sleep, make you passive, numb and apathetic, and thus prevent you from seeking new horizons. With Jesus, there are always new horizons to be sought.”
He insisted that Catholics aren’t expected to be silent and solicited. Instead, it’s the duty and manoeuvre of all christians as a whole, to stand up and respond to the atrocities laid out in the world, in all walks of life. He said, “……. must not keep still, complaining or looking inward. They need to be on the move, acting, committed, certain that the Lord is supporting and accompanying them.”
In his talk, the Holy Father reiterated that we all are ‘seekers’ and it is our inevitable human tendency to seek happiness from within, and that it can’t be taken away from us.
Responding to testimonials by few attendees, the Pope said,”that the light of hope not be extinguished (for Madagascar).”
Pointing out the presence and essence of Mother Mary in the lives of Catholics, he said, “She, Our Mother, looks at this great assembly of young people who love her and seek her in the silence of their hearts, despite the noise of the world and the chatter and distractions of the journey.”
“To Mary I entrust the lives of each of you, and those of your families and your friends. May you never lack the light of hope, and may Madagascar be increasingly the land the Lord has dreamt of.”
(Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/jesus-has-a-mission-for-youth-in-madagascar-pope-francis-says-60361)
