#AriseandGo: Pope asks young people to reject conformism and reach out to those in need
This weekend Pope Francis was in the Piedmont region, the birthplace of his parents, to visit family members, and from there he presided over today’s Mass, November 20, the Solemnity of Christ the King, the date on which the World Youth Day is celebrated at the diocesan level.
From the Cathedral of Asti, the Pope emphasized that, from the cross, Jesus embraces everyone, with poverty, weaknesses and miseries. Francis left a request that, like Jesus, we are not mere spectators, but “involved”, with the courage to look at ourselves and to the sufferings of the world.
“It’s up to us to choose whether to be spectators or involved. We see today’s crises, the decline of faith, the lack of participation… And what do we do? Do we limit ourselves to making theories, criticizing, or do we roll up our sleeves, commit ourselves in life, move from the “if” of apologies to the “yes” of prayer and service?”, Francis asked in his homily.
The Pope also recalled that, since 2021, World Youth Day has been marked on the Solemnity of Christ the King in all the dioceses of the world and left a special word to the young people present at the celebration and to young people from all over the world:
“Since last year, World Youth Day has been celebrated in the particular Churches precisely on the Solemnity of Christ the King. The theme, the same as the next WYD in Lisbon, for which I renew the invitation to participate, is “Mary got up and left in haste” (Lk 1,39).”
Francis reinforced that “the secret to staying young” is precisely in these two verbs – get up and leave. Addressing young people, he asked that “don’t stop thinking about yourselves, wasting your lives in search of comfort or the latest fashion”, but “hit the road, get out of your fears to extend a hand to those who need.”
“Today we need young people who are truly transgressors. Nonconformists. May they not be slaves to cell phones, but change the world like Mary, bringing Jesus to others, taking care of others, building fraternal communities with others, realizing dreams of peace”, said the Pope.
Starting from the words of Pope Francis himself, we remember the hashtag #AriseandGo launched by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, Caritas International and the Local Organizing Committee of WYD Lisbon 2023, in order to share all the initiatives that are taking place around the world on the occasion of World Youth Day and World Day of the Poor.