During these days of the Synod in the Vatican, we have been blessed for this beautiful experience of journeying together as a Church to “listen” to the reality of today's young people.
We have been asking ourselves “what is my relationship with the youth who are leaving my parish or diocese? Do I see them or they are invisible to me?” or other questions like, “What do the youth want for us?”
Young people need someone to listen to them; they want to be trusted; they want answers to their questions; they want to speak out in their youth-language - simply because they are not the problem but somehow also the victims.
Our Holy Father Pope Francis, in his closing remarks for the first part of interventions, reminded the Synodal Fathers of three key words:
- "Listening" for the Church, the word 'to listen' is 'theo-logical', not only 'pedagogical reality.'
- "Empathy" is called for in the attitude towards the young.
- Theological principle “the stone that was rejected by the builders has become corner stone (Mt 21:42) Hence only in listening to young people can we discover in them the truth, beauty and goodness of God in them.
Only through listening are we enabled to move further to discover the fire of the Pentecost in the heart of the young who are looking for Jesus and we have to show them Jesus. In truth, the youth seek those who would accompany them. This is a call for many good spiritual guides - those who can walk with the young. There is an Egyptian proverb saying, “Better for me to feel welcomed rather than to get a piece of bread. In accompaniment the young are not attracted just by good examples but especially by the examples which attracts and captures.” (Enzo Bianchi).
I would like to end this by citing a saying from one of the Synodal Fathers: “We come to this world not to stay in our comfort zone, but we come into the world to leave a mark! And now that we are slowly coming to the end of the Synod, we ask ourselves: What is the mark that we have to leave?"
Source: AustraLasia
