40 YEARS SINCE THE COUNCIL

by Pascual Chávez Villanueva

REJUVENATING

THE FACE

YOUNG PEOPLE…AND SAINTS

“Now I tell you, says God, there is nothing more beautiful in the whole world than the child who falls asleep saying his prayers” (Charles Péguy).

_IIIconclude this year in which I have presented the Church to you through those who have lived their lives under her gaze as the Mother of their faith, by speaking about young saints. Last year on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the canonisation of Dominic Savio and the centenary of the death of Laura Vicuña, I introduced you to a gallery containing the precious fruits of the action of the Holy Spirit and of the preventive system. Now I want to do something similar from the wider point of view of the Church, considering some boys and girls who knew how to make the face of Christ shine out in their lives and have rejuvenated the Church. Rhoda, the girl who recognised the voice of Peter as he knocked on the door after being freed from prison (Acts12,13); Eutychus, the boy who fell from the window sill during Paul’s sermon (Acts 20,9); and the Apostle’s nephew who saved his uncle by running to tell the Tribune about the plot to kill Paul (Acts 23,16-22) are the only young people mentioned in the Acts. They are presented as youngsters surrounded by the affection of their families. Sadly this was not the usual situation. Among the marginalised in Roman society childen were the most unfortunate: many were abandoned at birth, others sold as slaves, or forced into prostitution. Into such a society so antipathic towards children came the revolutionary message of Peter and Paul which was that of the Master: “Let the children come to me, don’t stop them…and he took them in his arms and blessed them.” (Mk 10,13-16). Actually, for Jesus spiritual infancy is a condition for entering the Kingdom. (Mt18,3).

■ In this as in other aspects of family and social life Christianity overturned current attitudes, giving importance to the dignity of young people, at whose service the Church has always set up a large variety of works. Prof. Romeo Vuoli writes: “One of the most beneficial kinds of work and the result of charity and a sense of love for the weak are the orphanages. These have existed from the earliest days of Christianity and were maintained by the offerings from Christians and were normally administered by the priests”. The inscriptions on the tombs of young people found in the catacombs of St Callistus illustrate the kindness and tenderness with which the early Christians treated and educated their children. They are children of God and ought to live and behave as such, so as to be able to respond with generosity to divine inspirations. In his first letter John exhorts them: “I write to you young men because you are strong … and you have overcome the evil one” (1 Jn 2,14). It is natural that the young feel the attraction of Jesus and that they take his message strongly to heart. From St Tarcisius, killed for having defended the eucharist that he was taking to those in prison to Alberto Marvelli, raised to the honours of the altars 5/9/2004 and a Salesian past pupil, the list of Christian saints is full of the names of young people: St Pancrantius, St Agnes, St Cecilia, St Stanislaus, St Aloysius Gonzaga, St Teresa of Lisieux, Pier Giorgio Frassati…

■ We are witnessing today a phenomenon that is complex and paradoxical. While the distance between young people and official Church seems to be growing the Pope continues to exercise an unquestioned leadership over the young. The materialistic and secularised climate seems to deprive them of their best characteristics reducing them to mere consumers of goods, of sensations and of experiences, yet it is young people who are those mainly involved in setting up and running schemes at the service of the needy. There are splendid examples of solidarity on the part of NGO and Volunteer organisations. So the image of a conservative Church doesn’t correspond with reality. The Church wants to be an instrument of salvation in every age: listening to the heartfelt aspirations of men and women, she shows a practical sensitivity. Young people and the Church speak the same language, that of great ideals, of the highest though demanding aims, of going “further”, The horizons set by materialism are too narrow and stifling for young people who, often feeling lost, declare they can find no meaning to life. The choices they make are not always the wisest. The Church is at their side with maternal concern. With the Pope and with Don Bosco, I put before you dear young people the ideal of holiness. It is possibile. For everyone. I am not talking to you about heroic asceticism, but about discovering God as a Father, and Jesus as a personal friend; about a holiness that is active and attractive like that of Dominic Savio or Alberto Marvelli, lived out in fulfilling one’s everyday duties and in responding to other peoples’ needs. Jesus is the real answer to the anxieties about happiness and love you have in your hearts. This year I wanted to involve everyone in “rejuvenating the face” of the Church. She is young to the extent that she continues to be in love with Christ, faithful to her own identity and mission, the light of the world, the servant of humanity, a home for young people. Young saints are the ones who most of all make her beautiful and renew her youth. ■