That young face

They have already left, or they are preparing to leave from the “old continent” headed towards the “brand-new” world. Tens of thousands of young Europeans responded to Benedict XVI’s invitation to convene in Australia, where will tell everyone that Christianity is a human adventure of happiness and freedom. Many others will remain in Europe, in Lourdes in particular, to share and proclaim “in their homeland” the fresh morning breeze that changed, and continues to change, the direction of life and of history. The World Youth Day will be intensely experienced especially in those places that are distant from the physical centre of the world encounter. This distance is only geographic however, since spiritual proximity will be livelier than ever. We owe this to the new technologies, which enable words and images to be relayed in real time. But the “bonfires” lit throughout Europe the night of July 19th are the fruit of the boldness of John Paul II, who enabled the young generations to rediscover and reciprocate love to the Church of faces, of relations, and of joy. The Church of responsibility, thought and hope. As Benedict XVI underlined, this is also the product of the daily work done by educators, priests and parents, who grasped and proposed the motivations for the growth of ordinary life, stemmed from an extraordinary event. Thanks to the youth headed towards Sydney, Europe will live another occasion to intertwine its Christian roots with those of other continents and announce together that Jesus Christ lives in this place and in this time. The roots have not dried out; they have not been placed in shelves among botanical samples. They keep on ramifying into boundless ground, brining renewed vigour to the tree of humanity. The youth are its testimony. They communicate it through their commitments in favour of justice, peace. The message expressed in their faces is telling us that the last word won’t be a word of hate and violence. Rather, it will be the word of love and justice. This task is all the more hard today for the absence, not only physical, of the fathers. The Europe of adults has a debt with the new generations. They were left alone to face difficulties, or emptiness. They have been deceived into thinking that economic well-being was enough, and that it would suffice to respond to their yearning for the infinite. The disappointed dreams and expectations affected also the very concept of Europe. However scepticism, indifference, and the rejection of complexity do not pertain to the growing generations. The future of the European common home, a home that is open to the world, is more than ever in their hands. John Paul II guided them along these roads. Having first encouraged them to relinquish the minor cabotage of consumerism and appearance, he took off deep sea navigation entrusting them the task of being morning sentinels.Thus, Europe is also in the faces of the youth who in Sydney and in other European Countries are living the encounter with the one who with the tender care and the firmness of a father, lives and transmits the essence of hope. Here too, the Pope gives renewed impetus to the crucial dialogue between generations, between fathers and sons.We are not sure whether the leading media, not counting Brussels’ Hemicycle’s, will devote their attention to these voices. We do know however, that what will be happening in the next few days will be a precious gift also to the old and weary Europe.