— Pope Benedict XVI to the young people gathered in Spain on August 16
With around two million participants last month, the World Youth Day held in Madrid ranks as the third most attended. In a world where so many young people are disaffected by religion, it is uplifting to see that there is a group that is looking for a personal encounter with Christ and for ways to serve the Church.
I have been working with one parish in Chihuahua, Mexico, that has small, faith-sharing groups of young adults that meet once a week to share the word of God, their faith experiences, and their efforts to practice what this faith implies. One young man wrote a song for his parish, and told me that he was very grateful to God for giving him the gift to write the song and the opportunity to share it with all of us. Some of these young adults belong to their church choirs and sing every Sunday at Mass. Others serve weekly as ministers of the word. There is also a group of young adults who collect food and deliver it to local nursing homes and hospitals.
These young people have the peace that Benedict spoke of at World Youth Day. They carry it in their hearts whenever they commit to serve the word of God, walk in the footsteps of Christ by their practice of charity, and grow in their love for Jesus through the reception of the sacraments. They embody the words of Benedict XVI and remain firm in their faith and proclaim it openly in their lives.
That is why we invite the youth of the world to use the gifts the Lord has given them and share their faith with others. As Pope Benedict also stated, “The world needs your faith.”
En un mundo donde muchos jóvenes se encuentran desinteresados de las cosas de Dios es reconfortante ver que hay otros que buscan un encuentro personal con Cristo, así como también servir a su Iglesia. En las diferentes parroquias donde se está llevando a cabo alguno de los procesos de RENEW existen grupos de adolescentes, de jóvenes adultos casados y solteros que reflexionando una vez por semana comparten la palabra de Dios, sus experiencias de fe, y la práctica que conlleva este aprendizaje. Algunos de ellos son ministros de la palabra, otros pertenecen al coro, asisten a los ancianos y enfermos de su parroquia y comparten la alegría de caminar en las huellas de Cristo. De una u otra manera ponen en práctica las palabras de Benedicto XVI: “que nadie os quite la paz”, los jóvenes buscan la paz, la llevan en sus corazones cada vez que se entregan al servicio de la Palabra de Dios, practicando la caridad y acrecentando su amor a Jesús por medio de la recepción de los sacramentos. Por eso te invitamos a ti, joven, a que no te avergüences del Señor y a que pongas en práctica los dones que de Dios has recibido. Y recuerda estas palabras “El mundo necesita de tu fe” Benedicto XVI JMJ 2011.
Alma is one of RENEW's Spanish presenters and works with lay leaders to successfully implement programs.
Cultural Mosaic appears monthly in both English and Spanish.
