VATICAN CITY, APRIL 17, 2011 (Zenit.org).- The youth catechism just presented in Rome is a «great miracle» that seeks to help Christ speak to the young people of today, says Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi.
The director of the Vatican press office offered this evaluation of «Youcat» when he spoke about the little yellow book on the most recent episode of Vatican Television’s «Octava Dies.»
Youcat will be distributed to participants at World Youth Day this August in Madrid.
“The great Catechism of the Catholic Church, composed at the request of John Paul II under the guidance of Cardinal Ratzinger, already was a ‘miracle,’ because few people thought it possible to arrive at a common, unitary, systematic and complete formulation of our faith during this time of rapid development of mentalities and languages, of explosive variety and cultural fragmentation,» Father Lombardi reflected.
“The miracle of the unity of faith in the tempestuous journey of history,” he added, “[is the] miracle of a centripetal force that draws [us] toward Christ despite the countless centrifugal forces that act to disperse us in the Babel of the world.”
“But this one faith,” Father Lombardi continued, “must be spoken in languages capable of reaching the mind and the heart of today’s youth. It must be articulated in answer to the questions that they pose every day. If this isn’t done, it will gradually become more and more irrelevant to life.»
Translating faith
Father Lombardi spoke of the need to study the Catechism with young people and make it accessible to them.
«We must translate the book of faith so that Jesus Christ might speak again today to young people, and not only to the young people of one country, but to those of many different countries, who have not only music and fashion in common, but also share the perennial decisive questions,” he said.
“Marvelous adventure! Most courageous undertaking!» the spokesman said. «Youcat was not born perfectly, but it is a great miracle that we have in our hands.
«Together we must improve it and make it grow, in pace with new generations, with the passion of the unity of faith that responds to their profound desire for community and hope.
«Bon voyage, Youcat, as you teach young people the road to happiness!”
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On the Net:
Youcat: http://www.ignatius.com/Products/YOUCAT-P/youcat.aspx
