"Dear friends: Bom dia e obrigado!

Thank you to the Patriarch of Lisbon for his words, to Bishop Aguiar and to all of you for having worked so hard and so well, you have made these days unforgettable. You have worked for months, discreetly, without noise or prominence, so that we could all be here singing together: "Jesus lives and does not leave us alone: we will not stop loving". Not only that, you have been an example of a team working together. And you, more than a work, it has been a service, thank you. The service that the Virgin Mary did when she got up and left without delay to serve her cousin Elizabeth, feeling the urgency to share the joy in service. Sharing joy and service. Joy in service. Let us think of Zacchaeus, who climbed up the tree to see Jesus and quickly climbed down (cf. Lk 19:6). Something had touched him, he wanted to meet Jesus and to receive him in his house. Let us think of the women and the disciples, who at Easter ran from the upper room to the tomb, and then returned to tell the others that Christ had risen (cf. Jn 20:1-18)" Whoever loves does not stand idly by, whoever loves serves and runs to serve. He runs to give himself in the service of others.

And you have run. You have run a lot in these months. I was able to see the end, nothing more. During these days, as you responded to a thousand needs, sometimes with faces marked by fatigue, sometimes a little overwhelmed by the urgencies of the moment, but always, I noticed one thing, that your eyes were luminous, luminous, luminous with the joy of service. Thank you. You made this world youth meeting possible. You did great things, but with small gestures, like offering a bottle of water to a stranger, and that creates friendship. You ran a lot, but not in the frantic and aimless race that our world sometimes demands; no, you ran in a different way, you ran a race that leads to an encounter with others, to serve others in the name of Jesus. And you came to Lisbon to serve and not to be served! Thank you. Thank you very much. And now, I would like to be the amplifier, so that what the testimonies have said will resonate. The testimonies of Chiara, Francisco and André. You told us about a special encounter with Jesus. You have reminded us that the most beautiful encounter, the driving force behind all the others, the one that makes us walk in earnest, that carries life forward, is with Jesus. It is the most important encounter of our life. To renew every day the personal encounter with Jesus is the centre of the Christian life. And it must be renewed every day to keep it fresh. Not only in the head but also in the heart. We experience that a small yes to Jesus can be life-changing. But also the yes, said to others, does good, when they are for service. In a moment of tiredness you were encouraged and kept on saying yes to serve others. Thank you for this.

And you, Francis, you said that here you have found something you needed and were not even looking for. Walking, working, praying with others, you understood that you could not let yourself be imprisoned by the chaos, by the "unmade beds" of the past, nor live with your heart tormented by feelings of imperfection, but that, with the help of Jesus and the brothers, you were given the opportunity to rearrange "the room of your life". This is very beautiful, this Day is so useful, so helpful in reordering our life. Why? Because of the Day? No, because of Jesus who is close to us and shows it. To put order in life, things, distractions and money are of no use, it is necessary to dilate the heart. And if you dilate your heart, you will put your life in order. Don't be afraid, dilate your heart.

And finally, Filipe, among the many beautiful experiences you have shared, you have shared one that I would like to underline: you have said that you have experienced a double encounter here, an encounter with Jesus and an encounter with others. An encounter with Jesus and an encounter with others. This is important. The encounter with Jesus is a personal, unique moment that can be described and recounted only to a certain extent, but it always comes thanks to a journey made in company, made with the help of others.

To meet Jesus, and to meet him in the service of others.

Friends, to conclude, I would like to leave you with an image. As many of us know, north of Lisbon there is a place, Nazaré, where you can admire waves that reach up to thirty metres high and are a world attraction, especially for the surfers who challenge them. In these days you too have faced a real wave; not of water, but of young people, young people like yourselves, who have flooded this city. But, with God's help, with a lot of generosity and supporting each other, you have braved the big wave. You have braved this great wave. See how brave you are. Look at yourselves. Thank you, obrigado. I want to tell you to keep it up, keep staying on the waves of love, on the waves of charity, be "surfers of love"! Be "surfers of love"! And this is like a task that I entrust to you at this moment. May the service that you have done at this World Youth Day be the first of many waves of good; and each time you will be carried higher and higher, closer and closer to God, and this will allow you to see from a better perspective to see your way.

Thank you all, have a good journey! And I ask you to pray for me. Thank you."