“WYD makes us ever more aware that we mustn’t remain passive in our life of faith, i.e. we mustn’t be merely consumers of the Word of God. On the contrary, we must do something with this Word: we must bear witness to it”. The exhortation is contained in a letter that the delegate for youth mission of the Swiss Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Denis Theurillat, has written to youth in preparation for their participation in World Youth Day in Sydney (15-20 July 2008). “WYD – says the letter, released in recent days, though dated 15 August – means experiencing brotherhood and friendship with youth from all over the world. It invites us to celebrate God and to listen to his Word. But it also leads us to go further: it tells us we must commit ourselves to bear witness to others”. The bishop recalled the slogan of the national meeting of Swiss youth in Bern on 5-6 June 2004, with John Paul II: “get up!”. “Sydney asks us to become increasingly witnesses, hence missionaries in the full sense of the word. The young are called to speak in the name of another, indeed to speak in the name of the Other, and, if possible, to imitate Him in his acts and in His words. So let us prepare ourselves – he concludes – to celebrate this event and to make it bear fruit. Whether we have decided to depart for Sydney or not, let us continue to forge links between each other that will make us witnesses of Christ and of his Church. What a contribution for a world yearning for peace and unity! It’s really worth tackling this challenge”.
