Jesus gives you the true joy that no one can take away from you….
Jesus loves you…
Rediscovering the call to be Jesus’ friends, to know Him increasingly well and to encounter Him every day in prayer…
These truths were at the heart of Pope Francis’ words to the boys and girls of Italian Catholic Action (Azione Cattolica) on December 20, 2018, in the Consistory Hall of the Apostolic Palace, for the exchange of Christmas wishes.
The Jesuit Holy Father recalled that this year their formative path is centered on the theme of the encounter between Jesus and the two sisters Martha and Mary of Bethany, as it is narrated by the evangelist Luke.
This episode helps therefore to grow spiritually and get to know Jesus better.
He encouraged them in «rediscovering the call to be Jesus’ friends, to know Him increasingly well and to encounter Him every day in prayer, to be able to be His missionaries.» The Pontiff noted that this means transmitting a «beautiful proclamation, a message of salvation to your peers, and also to adults.»
«What is this message?» he asked: «That we are all beloved by the Lord: this is the true, great, good news that God has given to the world with the coming of His Son Jesus in our midst. We are all loved by the Lord. He loves us! All together and one by one. This is beautiful!»
The Pope then offered an invitation: «Dear young people, at Christmas, once again, Jesus wishes to be born among us, in your heart, to give you the true joy that no-one can take away from you.»
The Holy Father encouraged them to be for all people, generous “channels” of goodness and acceptance, to build a more fraternal, more Christian world of solidarity.
Pope Francis concluded, wishing them a happy and holy Christmas to them, their families and to all of Catholic Action, saying: «I bless you from the heart and ask you, please, to pray for me. Do not forget, please. Thank you!»
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On ZENIT’s Webpage:
Full Text: https://zenit.org/articles/pope-welcomes-italian-catholic-action-youth-2/
