At 12:30pm today, in the Consistory Hall at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in Audience a representative group of youth from Catholic Action Italy (ACR) and exchanged with them his good wishes for Christmas.
Dear young people,
It is always good for me to meet with you when Christmas draws near, to exchange with you our mutual greetings. Thank you for the cake! With great affection, I welcome you and, through you, I want to send my greetings and my Christmas and New Year's wishes to all those who are Catholic Action Youth, or, as you prefer to say, the A.C.R.
There are many children and young people who, thanks to your Association, now have the possibility of knowing Jesus more closely; you help them to live the gospel in their families, in school, in their parishes, in sports .... By participating in the A.C.R., they feel more involved in the Church, they feel that Jesus is not far away, in fact he is very close, among us, and this makes us all happy! You are able to better participate in catechesis and at mass, learning how to read and to follow the gospel, and slowly, very slowly, you also become missionaries - capable of sharing Jesus with others.
I have heard that this year, the motto for your catechesis is Jourenying toward You. This is very beautiful! It's true: we are all on a journey toward the Lord, but many people don't think about it! However, you are seeking to experience this journey fully. What does it mean to journey toward the Lord? It means following the path of good, not the path of evil; the path of forgiveness, not the path of vindication; the path of peace, not the path of war; the path of solidarity, not the path of egoism.
In this regard, it is very good to see the charitable initiatives that you are doing, with the help of God, to help migrants in the diocese of Agrigento. May the Lord bless this work, which is lending a helping hand to the community that is involved in an exemplary way in welcoming so many of our brothers and sisters who are arriving, filled with hope but also wounded and very needy, in search of peace and food. Yesterday, in the General Audience, I met the parents of a coloured child, a five-month-old child; they told me: This child was born on a boat off the coast of Sicily ... Many, many ... Many children manage to arrive safely, others don't. Everything that you are doing for these people is good; thank you for doing it. You can give a special contribution to this initiative, with your enthusiasm and your prayer, which I suggest you also accompany with some sacrifice, in order to share the necessities with other children who are in need. In regard to sacrifice, I want to ask you something, but I want you young people to answer, not the adults. If you have two candies and a friend of yours, standing beside you, has none, what do you do? What do you do? (A child responds: Give him one) Give him one. And if you only have one candy, and he has none, what do you do? (A child responds: Break it in half) In half! Very good! That's very good.
I see that there are some adults with you, adults from Catholic Action Italy. I greet them very cordially and I thank them for the commitment with which they dedicate themselves to your Christian education.
With all my heart, I wish you all a happy and holy Christmas. Please share these wishes with your families and with all of Catholic Action, in all the dioceses of Italy. May the Lord bless you and may Our Lady protect you. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Now, all together, let's pray to Our Lady.
Hail Mary ...
Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
addressed to members of Catholic Action Italy
Dear young people,
It is always good for me to meet with you when Christmas draws near, to exchange with you our mutual greetings. Thank you for the cake! With great affection, I welcome you and, through you, I want to send my greetings and my Christmas and New Year's wishes to all those who are Catholic Action Youth, or, as you prefer to say, the A.C.R.
There are many children and young people who, thanks to your Association, now have the possibility of knowing Jesus more closely; you help them to live the gospel in their families, in school, in their parishes, in sports .... By participating in the A.C.R., they feel more involved in the Church, they feel that Jesus is not far away, in fact he is very close, among us, and this makes us all happy! You are able to better participate in catechesis and at mass, learning how to read and to follow the gospel, and slowly, very slowly, you also become missionaries - capable of sharing Jesus with others.
I have heard that this year, the motto for your catechesis is Jourenying toward You. This is very beautiful! It's true: we are all on a journey toward the Lord, but many people don't think about it! However, you are seeking to experience this journey fully. What does it mean to journey toward the Lord? It means following the path of good, not the path of evil; the path of forgiveness, not the path of vindication; the path of peace, not the path of war; the path of solidarity, not the path of egoism.
In this regard, it is very good to see the charitable initiatives that you are doing, with the help of God, to help migrants in the diocese of Agrigento. May the Lord bless this work, which is lending a helping hand to the community that is involved in an exemplary way in welcoming so many of our brothers and sisters who are arriving, filled with hope but also wounded and very needy, in search of peace and food. Yesterday, in the General Audience, I met the parents of a coloured child, a five-month-old child; they told me: This child was born on a boat off the coast of Sicily ... Many, many ... Many children manage to arrive safely, others don't. Everything that you are doing for these people is good; thank you for doing it. You can give a special contribution to this initiative, with your enthusiasm and your prayer, which I suggest you also accompany with some sacrifice, in order to share the necessities with other children who are in need. In regard to sacrifice, I want to ask you something, but I want you young people to answer, not the adults. If you have two candies and a friend of yours, standing beside you, has none, what do you do? What do you do? (A child responds: Give him one) Give him one. And if you only have one candy, and he has none, what do you do? (A child responds: Break it in half) In half! Very good! That's very good.
I see that there are some adults with you, adults from Catholic Action Italy. I greet them very cordially and I thank them for the commitment with which they dedicate themselves to your Christian education.
With all my heart, I wish you all a happy and holy Christmas. Please share these wishes with your families and with all of Catholic Action, in all the dioceses of Italy. May the Lord bless you and may Our Lady protect you. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Now, all together, let's pray to Our Lady.
Hail Mary ...
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