Each week we let Saint Pope John Paul II share meaningful signposts to spark socio-economic resolves through justice and righteousness combined with mercy and compassion; in short, love.
Already I feel the vigour of your youth. It is infectious! Your song and dance are a tribute of praise to God the Father and I thank you for the beauty of that living prayer.
It is only in Christ that we find unity. It is only in him that we can experience the joy of our youth.
It is Christ who keeps the Church youthful and he does so by pouring out his love on each one of us.
Today, young friends, I would like to speak to you about the love of Christ which keeps us young and which binds us together in him.
Saint Paul once called upon the Christians at Colossae to “put on love” (Colossians 3: 12-14 Message Translation). And today I repeat these words for you, young people: put on love! I say this to all the young people of Malawi. I say this because love is such a powerful force:
Love can change the world.
Love is such an important part of a young person’s life. It dominates so much of your thoughts and actions.
Love could be compared to a river flowing through life, a river which enriches everything it touches and which keeps us going in time of difficulty.
What a pity if that river dries up or becomes polluted!
Even if we see much hatred, evil and violence around us, we can still keep the river of love flowing through life in a healthy state.
It is possible today to live a life of loving service to Christ and to our brothers and sisters. “The river of God is full of water” (Psalm 65: 10-13 Message Translation) – it flows into our lives and is itself life-giving.
What can keep the river of love flowing through life? What is it that can keep the spirit of youth and the love of God alive in us? To answer these questions we need to go back to our reading from the Letter of Saint Paul.
First of all, Saint Paul tells us:
“You are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves you” (Colossians 3: 12).
Yes, my dear young friends of Malawi, you are called to holiness. This is a real vocation and not just a pious wish.
God has specially chosen you out of love to be his saints.
He is calling you now as students, young workers, or seminarians.
Even if you are unemployed and have little prospect of getting work, you are still chosen in love to be a saint.
Even if you have experienced the darkness of great sin and have wandered into the desert of hopelessness, God is still calling you.
He, better than anyone else, knows that there is a vast reserve of goodness in each of you, for he created you in his own image and likeness.
But only you can say “Yes” to God, “Yes” to his love, “Yes”, to holiness.
Already I hear the questions you want to ask me: How can we become saints if there are so many obstacles in our way? How can we be honest if there is bribery and corruption around us? How can we become holy if the surest way to earn a living is to be mean and to exploit others? How can we become holy if we live in a world that cheapens true love or does not appreciate the beauty of chaste love? I hear these questions and many more besides. God the Father knows your difficulties, but he also knows that deep down you want to do the right thing; deep down you want to follow Christ because you know that he is “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14: 6-7 Message Translation).
Of course, the path to holiness is not easy, but that should not prevent us from facing the difficulties with courage. The path to holiness is a journey, sometimes a difficult journey involving an inner struggle against selfishness and sin. We must be properly equipped to make this journey. Saint Paul gives us a list of the “clothing” – the attitudes – necessary; he says: “You should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3: 12).
Cultivate these qualities yourselves! Allow the seeds of goodness and mercy to grow in your own lives first.
Allow your gentleness and patience to develop to the full.
Take Christ as your model.
To all young people he says: “learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11: 29-30 Message Translation).
You have a word, “Chitukuko”, meaning “self-help”. The Lord has blessed you with the strength, vitality and creativity of youth. He has blessed you with ways and means of achieving higher standards of living and education which were not available to your parents and grandparents. Use these talents to develop your own character and what is best in life. Malawi now needs people who are strong in character, who know the value of self-help and yet who have the humility to turn to Christ for the graces that they need.
Let Christ lead you to the truth. Live in the peace and the love of Christ, and make that love known to others. “May the peace of Christ reign in your hearts… always be thankful” (Colossians 3: 15-17 The Message Translation).
God bless the youth of Malawi!
APOSTOLIC JOURNEY TO MADAGASCAR, LA RÉUNION, ZAMBIA AND MALAWI
MEETING WITH THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF MALAWI
ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II Kamuzu Stadium, Blantyre, Friday, 5 May 1989
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