practical way in this work of your own evangelization and
education and that of your companions which is so impor-
tant.
But here in very simple terms I want to give you some
suggestions to reflect on in the generosity of your hearts.
Above all I invite you to cultivate as a fundamental atti-
tude: the will to walk together towards a shared goal, with
a deep spirit of communion, with the convinced desire for
synergy, with a mature ability to plan together. We have
received the great gift of Salesian Youth Spirituality which
constitutes the source of our communion and the energy
for our mission which we need to understand more deeply
and share more and more.
Our common mission, our shared goal is the world of
youth. For this reason, dear friends, we need to be part of
the youth scene. Jesus is sending you together with the
whole Salesian Movement to the world of today’s young
people, with its lights and shades, with its anxieties and
hopes, with its moments of joy but also its suffering, with
its irrepressible life, but also with its deserts where only
the bitter herbs of loneliness grow. I am thinking of the
world of the school, of the university, of work; I am think-
ing about the places for free time and entertainment; I
am thinking, in particular, about the desperate places of
youth deprivation. It’s a question of being actively present
in all these places fostering a better quality of life, better
and deeper interpersonal communication and sharing to
overcome so much individualism and so much loneliness
in which many young people are living, bearing witness
to the positive values that give meaning and flavor to life,
and above all, making the person of Jesus Christ the source
of the fullness of humanity, of life and of joy present
among the young.
Here is another suggestion: make the voice of the
young heard, in particular that of the many who don’t
have a voice and no one listens to; make their needs and
their expectations known, defend their rights and support
them in their demands. Above all make this voice of the
young heard among your own companions, who often
don’t know about these situations of marginalization and
hardship; make it heard by the groups of the Salesian Fam-
ily. Like Dominic Savio who took Don Bosco to the person
sick with the plague and left on his own, you too ought to
take the Salesian Family by the hand so that it takes care
of today’s sick people. If you don’t go there among your
peers, perhaps no one else will in your place.
But also together, as a Movement, you ought to be
the voice of the young speaking to society and also to the
Church: with a spirit of creativity promote initiatives that
make their plight known, their problems, hardships, their
expectations and hopes. The many good things too that
are already taking place in the world of youth need to be
made known, the many positive initiatives for which often
no space is found in the media; in this way foster a posi-
tive view of the world of the young among adults, infecting
them with your enthusiasm and drive.
We are being called to go together to the heart of life,
accepting the challenges arising from its cultural and social
complexity. The family, school, social communication,
culture, and politics - all require new forms of solidarity.
The response is to be found in living as active citizens for
the common good, which, for the Salesian Family means
promoting a shared commitment with regard to the great
challenges: of life, of poverty in all its forms, of evangeliza-
tion, of peace, of human rights. For you, young people,
civilian, social and missionary voluntary service constitutes
a possible vocation of significance and of great commit-
ment which the Movement ought to promote.
Another area to be considered as a Movement is mis-
sionary commitment. In these last few years in the mis-
sionary expeditions there have always been some young
people who are devoting some years of their lives to
spreading the Gospel; but also in your own countries you
can set up net-works of collaboration and support which
sustain the missionary work of the Salesian Family and of
the Church.
Be ready and willing to opt for demanding and gener-
ous forms of service even to the extent of accepting the
gift of God who calls you to a vocation of special consecra-
tion.
Strengthen your own Salesian Youth Movement pro-
moting contacts and knowledge about each other be-
tween the various groups in the same Salesian center or in
the same local area, encouraging the sharing of ideas and
resources, collaboration in joint projects in the service of
the great causes of life and of solidarity. Open up the SYM
to other Movements in the local Church, collaborate with
institutions and organizations in civil society, especially
those which are working among the young and in the field
of youth in straightened circumstances. Make the Sale-
sian presence, as a Movement, visible in the Church and
in society by taking part in joint projects, offering your re-
sources and capabilities in support of initiatives on behalf
of the young, encouraging forms of collaboration that are
multifaceted, flexible, directed towards the same goal, and
can be repeated…
And now the final suggestion which I think it is impor-
tant that I make. The Salesian Movement was born from
the apostolic heart of Don Bosco, enflamed with char-
ity for the salvation of the young. For this reason we will
build the Salesian Movement if we are present among the
young with hearts centered on Christ. We are being called
to model our heart, poor and sometimes even sinful on
that of Jesus, in whom God revealed Himself to the world
as the One who gives life, so that man might find happi-
ness and have life to the full (cf. Jn 10,10). What is needed
is a faith that constantly grows stronger, nourished by the
Word of God and by the Eucharist, which is often im-
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