Pope Francis Tells Youth "Remember that for God you are not a digital profile... turn off the TV and open the Gospel – is this too much? – leave your cell phone and meet people!"
.png)
VISIT OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS TO VENICE - MEETING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE
SPEECH OF THE HOLY FATHER
Square in front of the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute (Venice) with about 1,500 youth
V Sunday of Easter Time, 28 April 2024
_________________________________________
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning! Even the sun smiles!
It's nice to see you! Being together allows us to share, even just through a prayer, a look and a smile, the wonder that we are. In fact, we have all received a great gift, that of being beloved children of God, and we are called to realize the Lord's dream: to witness and experience his joy. There is nothing more beautiful. I don't know if you've had some experiences that were so beautiful that you couldn't keep them to yourself, but felt the need to share them. We all have this experience, an experience so beautiful that one feels the need to share it. We are here today for this: to rediscover in the Lord the beauty that we are and rejoice in the name of Jesus, a young God who loves young people and who always surprises. Our God always surprises us. Have you understood this? It is very important to be prepared for God's surprises!
Friends, here in Venice, the city of beauty, we are experiencing a beautiful moment of encounter together, but tonight, when everyone is at home, and then tomorrow and in the days to come, where do we start again to welcome the beauty that we are and nourish it, from where shall we set off again to capture this beauty? I suggest two verbs to start again, two practical verbs because they are maternal: two verbs of movement that animated the young heart of Mary, Mother of God and ours. To spread the joy of the Lord and help those in need, she "got up and went" (Lk 1:39). Get up and go. Don't forget these two verbs that Our Lady lived before us.
First of all, get up. Get up from the ground, because we are made for Heaven. Getting up from sadness to look up. Rise to stand facing your waist, not sitting on the couch. Have you thought, imagined, what is a young man all his life sitting on the sofa? Have you imagined this?
Imagine this; and there are different sofas that take us and don't let us get up. Getting up to say “here I am!” to the Lord, who believes in us. Standing up to welcome the gift that we are, to recognize, before anything else, that we are precious and irreplaceable. “But father, Pope or Mr. Pope, no, it's not true, I'm ugly, I'm ugly…”. No, no, no one is ugly and each of us is beautiful, she is beautiful and has a treasure inside her, a beautiful treasure to share and give to others. Do you agree with this or not? Yes? And this, listen carefully, is not self-esteem, no, it's reality! Recognizing this is the first step to take in the morning when you wake up: get out of bed and welcome yourself as a gift. You get up and, before diving into things to do, recognize who you are by thanking the Lord. You can tell him: “My God, thank you for life. My God, make me fall in love with my life." Recognize who you are and thank the Lord. You can tell him: “My God, thank you for life. My God, make me fall in love with life, with my life. My God, You are my life. My God, help me today for this, for that... You know, my God, I'm in love, I'm in love, help me, help me make this love grow and then end up in a happy couple." Many beautiful things can always be said to the Lord. Then you pray the Our Father, where the first word is the key to joy: you say "Father" and you recognize yourself as a beloved son, a beloved daughter. Remember that for God you are not a digital profile, but a son, that you have a Father in heaven and that therefore you are a son of heaven. “But, father, this is too romantic!”. No, it's reality, dear or dear, but we have to discover it in our life, not in books, in life, our life.
Yet we often find ourselves fighting against a negative force of gravity that brings us down, an oppressive inertia that wants us to see everything grey. Sometimes this happens to us. How to do? To get up - let's not forget - we must first let ourselves get up again: let ourselves be taken by the hand by the Lord, who never disappoints those who trust in Him, who always lifts up and forgives. “But I – you might say – am not up to par: I perceive myself as fragile, weak, a sinner, I often fall!”. But when you feel like this, please, change your "framing": don't look at yourself with your own eyes, but think about the look with which God looks at you. When you make mistakes and fall, what does He do? He stands there, next to you and smiles at you, ready to take your hand and get you up. This is a very beautiful thing: he is always there to lift you up.
I'll tell you something that this suggests to me. Is it nice to look down on a person? Is it beautiful or not beautiful? No, it's not nice. But when can you look down on a person, when? To help her get up. The only time we can look down on a person with beauty is when we help them lift themselves up. And so Jesus does with us, when we have fallen. He looks down on us. That's beautiful. Do not you believe it? Open the Gospel and see what he did with Peter, with Mary Magdalene, with Zacchaeus, with many others: wonders with their fragility. The Lord works wonders with our fragility.
And a bit en passant: do you read the Gospel? I'll give you some advice. Do you have a small pocket Gospel? Always carry it with you and, at any time, open it and read a short passage. Always with you the small pocket Gospel. Agree? [they answer: “Yes!”] Come on, courage!
God knows that, in addition to being beautiful, we are fragile, and the two things go together: a bit like Venice, which is splendid and delicate at the same time. She is beautiful and delicate, she has some fragilities that need to be taken care of. God does not blame our mistakes: "You did this, you did...". He doesn't bind himself to this but he extends his hand to us. “But, father, I have many, many things of which I am ashamed.” But don't look at yourself, look at the hand that God holds out to you to lift you up! Don't forget this: if you feel burdened by conscience, look at the Lord and let Him take you by the hand. When we are down, He sees children to lift up, not evildoers to punish. Please, let's trust the Lord! This is getting a bit long, are you bored? [they reply: “No!”] You're polite, that's fine!
And, once we get back up, it's our turn to stay standing. First get up then stand, "stay" when you feel like sitting down, letting go, letting go. It's not easy, but it's the secret. Yes, the secret to great achievements is consistency. It's true that sometimes there's this fragility that pulls you down, but consistency is what carries you forward, it's the secret. Today we live with fast emotions, momentary sensations, instincts that last moments. But you don't get far that way. Sports champions, as well as artists and scientists, show that great goals cannot be achieved in an instant, all at once. And if this applies to sport, art and culture, it applies even more to what matters most in life. What matters in life? Love, faith. And to grow in faith and love we must have perseverance and always move forward. Instead, here the risk is to leave everything to improvisation: I pray if I feel like it, I go to Mass when I feel like it, I do good if I feel like it... This doesn't give results: we need to persevere, day after day. And do it together, because togetherness always helps us move forward. Together: “do it yourself” doesn't work in big things. This is why I tell you: don't isolate yourself, look for others, experience God together, follow group paths without getting tired. You might say: "But around me everyone is on their own with their cell phones, addicted to social media and video games." And you, without fear, go against the current: take life in your hands, put yourself on the line; turn off the TV and open the Gospel – is this too much? –, leave your cell phone and meet people! The cell phone is very useful, to communicate, it is useful, but be careful when the cell phone prevents you from meeting people. Use your cell phone, that's fine, but meet people! You know what a hug, a kiss, a handshake is: people. Don't forget this: use your cell phone, but meet people.
I seem to hear your objection: "It's not easy, father, it seems like we're going against the grain!". But you cannot say this here in Venice, because Venice tells us that only by rowing consistently can you go far. If you are a Venetian citizen, learn to row consistently to go far! Of course, rowing requires regularity; but perseverance pays off, even if it costs effort. So, boys and girls, this is getting up: letting God take you by the hand to walk together!
And after getting up, go. Going is giving yourself a gift, giving yourself to others, the ability to fall in love; and this is a beautiful thing: a young person, a young man who does not feel the ability to fall in love or to be loving towards others, he is missing something. Go towards, walk, move forward.
Dear brothers, dear sisters, I'm finishing, don't worry!
Let's think about our Father, who created everything for us, God gave us everything: and we who are his children, for whom do we create something beautiful? We live immersed in man-made products, which make us lose our amazement at the beauty that surrounds us, yet creation invites us to be creators of beauty in our turn. Please don't forget this: to be creators of beauty, and do something that wasn't there before. That's beautiful! And when you are married and have a son, a daughter, you will have done something that wasn't there before! And this is the beauty of youth, when it becomes motherhood or fatherhood: doing something that wasn't there before. This is beautiful. Think within yourselves about the children you will have, and this must push us forward, do not be professionals of compulsive typing, but creators of innovation! A prayer made from the heart, a page you write, a dream you come true, a gesture of love for someone who cannot reciprocate: this is creating, imitating the style of God who creates. It is the style of gratuitousness, which takes us away from the nihilistic logic of "I do to get" and "I work to earn". This must be done – I do to have and work to earn – but it must not be the center of your life. The center is gratuitousness: give life to a symphony of gratuitousness in a world that seeks profit! Then you will be revolutionaries. Go, give of yourself without fear!
Young man who wants to take charge of your life, get up! Open your heart to God, thank him, embrace the beauty that you are; fall in love with your life. And then go! Get up, fall in love and go! Go out, walk with others, look for those who are alone, color the world with your creativity, paint the streets of life with the Gospel. Please paint the streets of life with the Gospel! Get up and go. Let's all say it together, for each other! [they repeat: “Get up and go!”] I didn't hear… [they repeat loudly: “Get up and go!”] I like it! Jesus extends this invitation to you. He, to many people whom he helped and healed, said: "Get up and go" (see Luke 17:19). Listen to this call, repeat it within yourself, keep it in your heart. And what was it like? [they repeat: “Get up and go!”] Thank you!
***
After the speech, some young people bring the Pope a gift.
Priest:
My voice, Holy Father, I believe is very little compared to the emotion of these young people...
Pope Francesco
Thank you! And, I forgot: what was it like?
Young:
Get up and go!
Pope Francesco
Well done!
Priest
You always ask us to pray for you, Holy Father. These young people have asked to do it for you today too, and therefore we ask for that time to ask God the Father to bless his life, his ministry as a father and to allow us to be docile sheep leading him. For the intercession of the Virgin who guards this diocese of ours and who teaches us to pray, this minute of silence.
[Ave Maria]
[Blessing]
Priest
The gesture that is given to you is this forcola, a fundamental element for a rowing boat: it is the conjunction between the boat and the oar, it wants to symbolize our young people, the dynamism of driving, of putting their energy, their strength , but also to let themselves be guided by you. They represent all the dioceses.
SPEECH OF THE HOLY FATHER
Square in front of the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute (Venice) with about 1,500 youth
V Sunday of Easter Time, 28 April 2024
_________________________________________
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning! Even the sun smiles!
It's nice to see you! Being together allows us to share, even just through a prayer, a look and a smile, the wonder that we are. In fact, we have all received a great gift, that of being beloved children of God, and we are called to realize the Lord's dream: to witness and experience his joy. There is nothing more beautiful. I don't know if you've had some experiences that were so beautiful that you couldn't keep them to yourself, but felt the need to share them. We all have this experience, an experience so beautiful that one feels the need to share it. We are here today for this: to rediscover in the Lord the beauty that we are and rejoice in the name of Jesus, a young God who loves young people and who always surprises. Our God always surprises us. Have you understood this? It is very important to be prepared for God's surprises!
Friends, here in Venice, the city of beauty, we are experiencing a beautiful moment of encounter together, but tonight, when everyone is at home, and then tomorrow and in the days to come, where do we start again to welcome the beauty that we are and nourish it, from where shall we set off again to capture this beauty? I suggest two verbs to start again, two practical verbs because they are maternal: two verbs of movement that animated the young heart of Mary, Mother of God and ours. To spread the joy of the Lord and help those in need, she "got up and went" (Lk 1:39). Get up and go. Don't forget these two verbs that Our Lady lived before us.
First of all, get up. Get up from the ground, because we are made for Heaven. Getting up from sadness to look up. Rise to stand facing your waist, not sitting on the couch. Have you thought, imagined, what is a young man all his life sitting on the sofa? Have you imagined this?
Imagine this; and there are different sofas that take us and don't let us get up. Getting up to say “here I am!” to the Lord, who believes in us. Standing up to welcome the gift that we are, to recognize, before anything else, that we are precious and irreplaceable. “But father, Pope or Mr. Pope, no, it's not true, I'm ugly, I'm ugly…”. No, no, no one is ugly and each of us is beautiful, she is beautiful and has a treasure inside her, a beautiful treasure to share and give to others. Do you agree with this or not? Yes? And this, listen carefully, is not self-esteem, no, it's reality! Recognizing this is the first step to take in the morning when you wake up: get out of bed and welcome yourself as a gift. You get up and, before diving into things to do, recognize who you are by thanking the Lord. You can tell him: “My God, thank you for life. My God, make me fall in love with my life." Recognize who you are and thank the Lord. You can tell him: “My God, thank you for life. My God, make me fall in love with life, with my life. My God, You are my life. My God, help me today for this, for that... You know, my God, I'm in love, I'm in love, help me, help me make this love grow and then end up in a happy couple." Many beautiful things can always be said to the Lord. Then you pray the Our Father, where the first word is the key to joy: you say "Father" and you recognize yourself as a beloved son, a beloved daughter. Remember that for God you are not a digital profile, but a son, that you have a Father in heaven and that therefore you are a son of heaven. “But, father, this is too romantic!”. No, it's reality, dear or dear, but we have to discover it in our life, not in books, in life, our life.
Yet we often find ourselves fighting against a negative force of gravity that brings us down, an oppressive inertia that wants us to see everything grey. Sometimes this happens to us. How to do? To get up - let's not forget - we must first let ourselves get up again: let ourselves be taken by the hand by the Lord, who never disappoints those who trust in Him, who always lifts up and forgives. “But I – you might say – am not up to par: I perceive myself as fragile, weak, a sinner, I often fall!”. But when you feel like this, please, change your "framing": don't look at yourself with your own eyes, but think about the look with which God looks at you. When you make mistakes and fall, what does He do? He stands there, next to you and smiles at you, ready to take your hand and get you up. This is a very beautiful thing: he is always there to lift you up.
I'll tell you something that this suggests to me. Is it nice to look down on a person? Is it beautiful or not beautiful? No, it's not nice. But when can you look down on a person, when? To help her get up. The only time we can look down on a person with beauty is when we help them lift themselves up. And so Jesus does with us, when we have fallen. He looks down on us. That's beautiful. Do not you believe it? Open the Gospel and see what he did with Peter, with Mary Magdalene, with Zacchaeus, with many others: wonders with their fragility. The Lord works wonders with our fragility.
And a bit en passant: do you read the Gospel? I'll give you some advice. Do you have a small pocket Gospel? Always carry it with you and, at any time, open it and read a short passage. Always with you the small pocket Gospel. Agree? [they answer: “Yes!”] Come on, courage!
God knows that, in addition to being beautiful, we are fragile, and the two things go together: a bit like Venice, which is splendid and delicate at the same time. She is beautiful and delicate, she has some fragilities that need to be taken care of. God does not blame our mistakes: "You did this, you did...". He doesn't bind himself to this but he extends his hand to us. “But, father, I have many, many things of which I am ashamed.” But don't look at yourself, look at the hand that God holds out to you to lift you up! Don't forget this: if you feel burdened by conscience, look at the Lord and let Him take you by the hand. When we are down, He sees children to lift up, not evildoers to punish. Please, let's trust the Lord! This is getting a bit long, are you bored? [they reply: “No!”] You're polite, that's fine!
And, once we get back up, it's our turn to stay standing. First get up then stand, "stay" when you feel like sitting down, letting go, letting go. It's not easy, but it's the secret. Yes, the secret to great achievements is consistency. It's true that sometimes there's this fragility that pulls you down, but consistency is what carries you forward, it's the secret. Today we live with fast emotions, momentary sensations, instincts that last moments. But you don't get far that way. Sports champions, as well as artists and scientists, show that great goals cannot be achieved in an instant, all at once. And if this applies to sport, art and culture, it applies even more to what matters most in life. What matters in life? Love, faith. And to grow in faith and love we must have perseverance and always move forward. Instead, here the risk is to leave everything to improvisation: I pray if I feel like it, I go to Mass when I feel like it, I do good if I feel like it... This doesn't give results: we need to persevere, day after day. And do it together, because togetherness always helps us move forward. Together: “do it yourself” doesn't work in big things. This is why I tell you: don't isolate yourself, look for others, experience God together, follow group paths without getting tired. You might say: "But around me everyone is on their own with their cell phones, addicted to social media and video games." And you, without fear, go against the current: take life in your hands, put yourself on the line; turn off the TV and open the Gospel – is this too much? –, leave your cell phone and meet people! The cell phone is very useful, to communicate, it is useful, but be careful when the cell phone prevents you from meeting people. Use your cell phone, that's fine, but meet people! You know what a hug, a kiss, a handshake is: people. Don't forget this: use your cell phone, but meet people.
I seem to hear your objection: "It's not easy, father, it seems like we're going against the grain!". But you cannot say this here in Venice, because Venice tells us that only by rowing consistently can you go far. If you are a Venetian citizen, learn to row consistently to go far! Of course, rowing requires regularity; but perseverance pays off, even if it costs effort. So, boys and girls, this is getting up: letting God take you by the hand to walk together!
And after getting up, go. Going is giving yourself a gift, giving yourself to others, the ability to fall in love; and this is a beautiful thing: a young person, a young man who does not feel the ability to fall in love or to be loving towards others, he is missing something. Go towards, walk, move forward.
Dear brothers, dear sisters, I'm finishing, don't worry!
Let's think about our Father, who created everything for us, God gave us everything: and we who are his children, for whom do we create something beautiful? We live immersed in man-made products, which make us lose our amazement at the beauty that surrounds us, yet creation invites us to be creators of beauty in our turn. Please don't forget this: to be creators of beauty, and do something that wasn't there before. That's beautiful! And when you are married and have a son, a daughter, you will have done something that wasn't there before! And this is the beauty of youth, when it becomes motherhood or fatherhood: doing something that wasn't there before. This is beautiful. Think within yourselves about the children you will have, and this must push us forward, do not be professionals of compulsive typing, but creators of innovation! A prayer made from the heart, a page you write, a dream you come true, a gesture of love for someone who cannot reciprocate: this is creating, imitating the style of God who creates. It is the style of gratuitousness, which takes us away from the nihilistic logic of "I do to get" and "I work to earn". This must be done – I do to have and work to earn – but it must not be the center of your life. The center is gratuitousness: give life to a symphony of gratuitousness in a world that seeks profit! Then you will be revolutionaries. Go, give of yourself without fear!
Young man who wants to take charge of your life, get up! Open your heart to God, thank him, embrace the beauty that you are; fall in love with your life. And then go! Get up, fall in love and go! Go out, walk with others, look for those who are alone, color the world with your creativity, paint the streets of life with the Gospel. Please paint the streets of life with the Gospel! Get up and go. Let's all say it together, for each other! [they repeat: “Get up and go!”] I didn't hear… [they repeat loudly: “Get up and go!”] I like it! Jesus extends this invitation to you. He, to many people whom he helped and healed, said: "Get up and go" (see Luke 17:19). Listen to this call, repeat it within yourself, keep it in your heart. And what was it like? [they repeat: “Get up and go!”] Thank you!
***
After the speech, some young people bring the Pope a gift.
Priest:
My voice, Holy Father, I believe is very little compared to the emotion of these young people...
Pope Francesco
Thank you! And, I forgot: what was it like?
Young:
Get up and go!
Pope Francesco
Well done!
Priest
You always ask us to pray for you, Holy Father. These young people have asked to do it for you today too, and therefore we ask for that time to ask God the Father to bless his life, his ministry as a father and to allow us to be docile sheep leading him. For the intercession of the Virgin who guards this diocese of ours and who teaches us to pray, this minute of silence.
[Ave Maria]
[Blessing]
Priest
The gesture that is given to you is this forcola, a fundamental element for a rowing boat: it is the conjunction between the boat and the oar, it wants to symbolize our young people, the dynamism of driving, of putting their energy, their strength , but also to let themselves be guided by you. They represent all the dioceses.
Comments