The Portuguese Cardinal and librarian of the Vatican sent a message to the young people of Portugal on Easter Sunday  

«Young man, I say to you, get up!»  

Dear young people of Portugal, I am reminded of what Jesus said, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you” (Luke 22:15). Easter accelerates the desire (note what Jesus says “I have eagerly desired”) and exponentially intensifies the dream Jesus had for us and shows His avid desire for communion with us. “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you.” Only someone who loves us is capable of saying something like this. These words can only spring from an impetuously loving heart. Jesus said them in relation to the first disciples and says them now to each one of us, His disciples in the 21st century. Let us not be afraid. Today we are regenerated and generated by the will of Jesus. Easter is not just a celebration of past events. Easter is current and we have to look upon ourselves as Christ’s co-protagonists, as this is what He wishes. Pope Francis has urged young people to fall in love with the truth of these words: “Christ did not only come in the past, but He comes to you today and every day, inviting you to set out towards ever new horizons” (Christus vivit,125).  

This delay has done us good, it really has

We had a gathering scheduled in Rome at the Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle, when many of you were to come to witness Pope Francis handing over the Cross of World Youth Day. We know how conditions in the world have changed because of the pandemic, in such a short period of time, but Christians do not yield, and young Christians even less so. The new date of your meeting with the Holy Father has already been scheduled for next November. It will be a wonderful celebration. One of our poets, Camilo Pessanha, wrote a verse which lends itself to the experience we are currently all going through. It goes like this: That stop did us good, much good:/ It built up our failing courage…/Here are our walking sticks/ The sun is already rising: let’s move on”. Throughout this difficult period, not for one moment have we abandoned “our walking sticks”. Thank you, dear young people, for giving witness to your faith, for the way you have embraced these times as a family; communicating with each other so that no one is left alone; cooperating with so many volunteering initiatives and serving those who have experienced the greatest difficulties. Young people do not yield.

In the meantime, our friend, Bishop Americo Aguiar, challenged me to write this letter to you on Easter Sunday, to summarise the essence of the message I would have read to you in the catechesis of that first Saturday of April in Rome. I do so, as you will see, with utmost simplicity, but wanting to look each one of you in the eye, and I am appealing to your intelligence but even more so to your heart.

You are already well familiar with the theme, for it was chosen by Pope Francis. In fact, in his letter to young people of 11 February of this year, he confirms his choice of the city of Lisbon “as the destination of the next intercontinental pilgrimage in 2022”. In this letter, he also introduces the themes that will accompany our journey of preparation up to this great event. Thus, in the two years preceding WYD, we are called to reflect upon two biblical mottos: in 2020, “Young man, I say to you, get up! (Lk 7:14)”; and in 2021 “Get up! I appoint you as witness of what you have seen! (Acts 26: 2 16)”. As is known, the WYD motto in Portugal will be, “Mary arose and went in haste” (Lk 1: 39). The verb that is common to all three themes is “get up/arise “, which establishes an important connection to the Easter of Jesus. “Get up/Arise” is not only a description of a human act, a gesture that is so often repeated that it becomes trivial. This word also means to rise again. And that is our horizon. 

Allowing ourselves be surprised by Jesus

I will begin by proposing a simple task. The motto “Young man, I say to you, get up!” is part of an unforgettable episode in the life of Jesus, narrated by Saint Luke in Chapter 7 of his Gospel. Let’s revisit the full text of this narration together:

11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people; 12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. 15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. 16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. 17 And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about. 

As we can see, it is a short text, but it surprises us by the amount of transformations that take place there. What is the story? Jesus comes from Capernaum. It takes around eight hours on foot to get from Capernaum to Nain. But when Jesus finally arrives at the gates of the city to enter the village, a procession is on its way out. It is a funeral. At the time in Palestine, the dead were buried outside the perimeter of the cities to separate the world of the living from the world of the dead. Now Jesus could have simply continued on his way, since he did not know any of those people. But that is not His way of doing things. He quickly discovers that the deceased is the only son of a widowed mother. And as v.13 tells us: “And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.” It is the first sentence I would like us all to reflect on.

Jesus has style, right?

What does having style mean? It means having an attitude; it is to distinguish oneself by a particular and personal way of expressing oneself; it is to commit to a way of being oneself. As we read the Gospels, we soon realise that Jesus has a style. This is clear in the scene in Nain. Let’s think of the episode as if we were watching it in a film. The first main feature: Jesus sees that grieving mother. Sight is mentioned frequently in the Gospels and shows how attentive Jesus is to our humanity. We do not go unnoticed. He saw Peter repairing his nets, He saw Levi at the customs post, He saw Zacchaeus at the top of a sycamore tree, He saw Magdalene, Martha and Mary. He saw that rich young man who was restless, looking for meaning in his life and “felt affection for him” (Mk 10:21). The Gospel is full of references to Jesus’ gaze. And His gaze, let us have no doubt, also reaches us today; it also envelops us in affection; it also holds us responsible. In his message, Pope Francis asked us to reflect on the quality of our gaze: “What is my gaze like? Do I see with attentiveness, or do I see in the same way as when I flick through thousands of images on my mobile phone or on social media? Nowadays, how often are we eyewitnesses of countless events without ever experiencing them ourselves? Sometimes, our first reaction is to record the scene with our mobile phones, and we possibly forget to look into the eyes of the people involved.”

Let us move on to the second element: it is a verb which, in Portuguese, we translate as “being moved by profound compassion”. That is to say: Jesus felt a very strong emotion, something like a quiver, an intimate earthquake of love. It is interesting that the evangelist Luke only uses this expression three times, and on occasions that are particularly significant: in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:33), when he describes the emotion felt by the Samaritan upon seeing the poor Jew who had fallen alongside the road; in the parable of the Merciful Father (Lk 15:20), when the father sees his prodigal son returning  in the distance and runs to embrace him; and here in this marvellous episode (Lk 7: 13). We can see that in these three accounts, compassion does not emerge from a request. On the contrary, it is an initiative of love that flows freely, not because it has been requested. Jesus could have calmly walked past that funeral procession, but he didn’t, that is not His style. He breaks away and teaches us to break away from what Pope Francis refers to as »the dictatorship of indifference». Jesus creates empathy, He puts Himself in the place of others, He loves His neighbour. And without anyone asking, He takes the initiative of offering His love. In the same vein, the Holy Father praises and appeals to young people: « On many occasions, you, young people, show that you know how to be compassionate. We need only look at how so many of you generously donate when circumstances call for such action. There is no disaster, earthquake or flood where groups of young volunteers wishing to help cannot be seen. The great mobilization of young people in defence of the planet is also a sign of your ability to hear the cries of the Earth. Dear young people, don’t let this sensitivity be stolen from you».

Finally, let us look at the third element: Jesus says to that mother «Weep Not». This is not to prevent her from weeping or to suggest that her grief is of no use, but rather to console her. What an urgent task to put in practice! «When you can weep with those who weep, you will be truly happy» – the Pope ensures us. Nowadays, we are surrounded by hearts that cry out in consolation!  The author of The Little Prince, French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery, wrote: «It’s so mysterious, the land of tears!» It is true: let us think about the tears we have already wept and those, in the current situation, that are being wept by the world. The evangelist also tells a story of many tears. And Jesus Himself wept three times. He wept, for instance, upon the death of his friend Lazarus (Jn 11:35) and over the destruction of the holy city of Jerusalem (Lk 19:41). But tears are not enough for Jesus and He takes action.

I am talking to You

And what does Jesus do? There are four actions that call for a more in-depth analysis. The first is that described by the verb form «Avizinhar-se»(to draw close,  approach). This is one of the most frequent verbs in the Gospels, which is not surprising, as it expresses the meaning of the mystery of the Incarnation. « For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son» (Jn 3: 16). Jesus is not a spectator detached from our humanity: 4 He makes Himself an interlocutor on our path, unconditionally close, lovingly kindred. He is always willing to take a step in our direction.

Jesus’ next action is to touch. Let us think a little about the sense of touch. It is our oldest sense. The foetus reacts to touch from the second month of gestation. And when we were children, even before we could talk, we needed to touch everything around us to gain knowledge, while trying the patience of our parents. But touch gives us a sense of reality and connection. How powerful the contact is between two hands that hold onto each other! How sweet it is (and necessary!) to feel the caress or affection contained in a kiss. Touch expresses proximity and establishes a reciprocal élan. It is an absolutely vital sense.  We may even live deprived of our sight, hearing, taste or smell, but we cannot live without touch, as we would lose all our coordinates of perception. Jesus knows the importance of sharing touch. Just to give an idea: the Evangelists recount 9 scenes in which Jesus is touched by someone and 13 where He takes the initiative to touch. And beyond that, Jesus risks touching forbidden lives: the bodies of lepers, the eyes of the blind, the tongues of the mute and, as in the case of Nain, even the coffin in which the young man lay. There are no impediments to His love, and it is never too late. We must believe this. As with the disciples, laying on the ground and defeated by fear, Jesus approaches us, touches us and says: « Get up! Do not be afraid!» (Mk 17: 6- 7). Our beloved Pope Francis also comments on the touch of Jesus: «It is the touch of the Divine, which is also transmitted through real human love, and it opens unimaginable spaces of freedom, dignity, hope, and a new, full life. The impact of this gesture from Jesus is invaluable: he reminds us that a sign of proximity, even a simple sign, as long as it is concrete, can give rise to resurrection forces».

Jesus’ third and fourth actions are verbal. The initial part of the words of Jesus to a young man are usually translated as follows:  «Young man, I tell you». In fact, the original Greek text places even stronger emphasis on these words. We should perhaps translate them as « Young man, it is to you that I say». Jesus wants to reach us, no matter where we are. His discourse is neither abstract nor generic. It is to you that He speaks. Even if you feel barefoot and threadbare like the prodigal son. Even if you feel lost like the sheep that strayed from the flock. Even if you see yourself in the man alongside the road in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Even if you feel unworthy like Zacchaeus in the loneliness of the sycamore tree. Even if you think you are dead, like the young man of Nain. It is to you that Jesus speaks. He is the Lord of Life and History. And, «with all the power of His Resurrection» (Christus vivit, 20), He rests his gaze upon you and does not stop urging you: «Young man, it is to you that I say». 

The last action of Jesus represents the climax of the scene. Here also, as is often the case, the meaning depicted in the original text transcends that of its translation. In fact, Jesus does not simply say «get up» or «arise», as if it were the young man transforming his state alone. Our experience is witness of this: our own will is not enough most of the time to make things happen. We need a hand to hold, a boost to project us, a power that can overcome the weight of our weakness. Jesus is well aware that this is our reality. This is why he uses the passive voice when he speaks to the young man. What he says is: «Young man, it is to you that I speak: let yourself be lifted». It is not the man who saves himself. It does not matter if I have a lot of strength or little strength, greater or less ability. What matters is that I open my heart to Jesus and let myself be lifted by Him. As Pope Francis explains to us, «the word of Christ is a divine and creative word, the only word that can bring back life when it has been extinguished ». Let us trust.

 There is no confinement for the heart

This is an Easter we will remember. And our spirit is bombarded with all those reasons: the pandemic, quarantine, the several lockdowns, suspended life, hours spent on Zoom, closed churches, celebrations by streaming, loneliness, pain and death. But it cannot be just this for a Christian. In the Homily of Palm Sunday, Pope Francis went straight to the point: «The drama we are currently experiencing forces us to take what is serious seriously , not to get lost amidst things of little value; to discover that life serves no purpose if we do not serve others. Because life is measured by love». And he left this message for the young people of the world: «Dear friends, look at the true heroes that are emerging today: they are not the ones with fame, money and success but those who offer themselves to serve others. Feel called to risk your life. Don’t be afraid to lose it for God and for others! You will reap the reward…Because life is a gift that is received by giving. And the greatest joy of all is saying yes to love, no ifs or buts… Saying yes to love, no ifs or buts, as did Jesus for us ». I fully endorse the words of Saint Peter and I also ask you: please, dear young people, don’t let your heart be a prisoner of confinement. Now is not the time to make your heart small, you must make it grow. This is not the time to stop dreaming, but a season for great dreams. This is not the time to narrow our vision: this is the time to look at the lilies of the field. This is the secret of life: loving. And there is only one secret of love: serving.

On this Easter morning I pray to the Risen Lord, with the greatest hope, for each one of you, and I also ask you to pray for me. And I send you all a heartfelt, sincere embrace. 

Yours, 

Cardinal José Tolentino Mendonça Roma, 12 April 2020