Today marks the final day of the 31st international celebration of World Youth Day (WYD) in Kraków, Poland (July 25-31). More than two million people from around the world were expected to take part in the celebration which was launched by St John Paul II in 1985 and which takes place every two or three years.
The theme this year is dedicated to the theme of the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7). In his WYD Message, Pope Francis reminds us that this event is taking place in the heart of the Holy Year of Mercy. He invited young people of the world to become instruments of mercy to those around them: “When we open our hearts with humility and transparency, we can contemplate God’s mercy in a very concrete way” (Pope Francis).
We pray for those who travelled to Poland to attend WYD that they will return to T&T and inspire us all to be merciful.
In his Lenten message this year, Pope Francis reminded us that in the Christian life “the corporal and spiritual works of mercy must never be separated. . .In the corporal works of mercy we touch the flesh of Christ in our brothers and sisters who need to be fed, clothed, sheltered, visited. In the spiritual works of mercy – counsel, instruction, forgiveness, admonishment and prayer – we touch more directly our own sinfulness.”
At the end of his WYD message, the Holy Father said: “Mercy is the only way to overcome evil. Justice is necessary, very much so, but by itself it is not enough. Justice and mercy must go together. . .Jesus is waiting for you. He has confidence in you and is counting on you! He has so many things to say to each of you. . .Do not be afraid to look into his eyes, full of infinite love for you. Open yourselves to his merciful gaze, so ready to forgive all your sins. A look from him can change your lives and heal the wounds of your souls. His eyes can quench the thirst that dwells deep in your young hearts, a thirst for love, for peace, for joy and for true happiness. Come to Him and do not be afraid! Come to him and say from the depths of your hearts: ‘Jesus, I trust in You!’ Let yourselves be touched by his boundless mercy, so that in turn you may become apostles of mercy by your actions, words and prayers in our world, wounded by selfishness, hatred and so much despair. Carry with you the flame of Christ’s merciful love – as Saint John Paul II said – in every sphere of your daily life and to the very ends of the earth.”
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This year’s theme applies to us adults also. If we seek God’s mercy, then we have to be merciful. What are we doing to empower our youth; to promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental, and physical development of our youth in our educational institutions and in society? Are we meeting the needs of our youth with special educational needs?
Between 2014 and 2015 there have been 56,744 cases of domestic violence brought before our magistrates’ courts. We cannot ignore the plight of the children in families that experience such violence.
And what about the countless cases of child abuse and murders of our children? How much longer are we to stand idly by and watch our disaffected and disenfranchised youth kill each other and adults with impunity?
Gaudium et Spes reminds us that: “Everyone must consider every neighbour without exception as another self, taking into account first of all their life and the means necessary to living it with dignity…”
Do we have a national youth policy? If so, how effective is its implementation? And while many of our youth languish in remand yard or at YTC, we seem to turn a blind eye to the deficiencies of the criminal justice system, our education system, etc.
The principle of Catholic solidarity demands that we move out of our comfort zones and act to save our youth. As St Pope John Paul II said in his 1987 encyclical, Sollicitudo rei socialis (On Social Concern), solidarity “is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far. On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all.”
Mercy! Mercy! is the silent cry of our youth. Are we listening?
