Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Guayaquil (Agenzia Fides) – On July 3, the First National Youth Day ended in Guayaquil, with a Solemn Mass presided by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
The event was attended by over 3,000 young people who came to the city of Guayaquil from all over the country, united in the theme: “Youth, with the power of the Holy Spirit, you will be my witnesses.” The participants were generously welcomed by hundreds of families in Guayaquil from several parishes. The Youth Day was a community experience of pilgrimage, prayer, and the Mass, with the objective of “celebrating the living presence of the youth in the Church in Ecuador, through a profound reflection on the Holy Spirit that offers them the strength to live and to bear witness to the Gospel and the audacity to proclaim it, growing in maturity in their following of Christ with fervor and joy, illuminating the world with the Light of Christ.”
In the homily at the closing Mass, Cardinal Re told the youth that “we only have one life and time passes very quickly; life...lived with faith in God is an intriguing adventure.” He also encouraged them to “trust in the Church, this Church that is divine and human, that counts on God’s assistance but also with man’s weaknesses. In spite of these weaknesses, the Church hands on the message of Christ in an authentic and sure manner; the Church continues Christ’s work in today’s world. In the boat that is the Church, we are saved and if we run from Her, we run the risk of being drowned.”
He also pointed out that “the lack of ideals is what leads to emptiness and boredom. That is why, dear young people, I encourage you not to postpone life’s fundamental decisions. When the Lord calls us, He also gives us the strength and the grace necessary for responding to the responsibilities that will be placed on our path.”
Recalling Pope John XXIII, Cardinal Re highlighted that “life is the fulfillment of a dream from our youth” and asked each young person to have their own dream, “a great dream and seek to fulfill it with Christ as your companion during your youth. Dear young people, life is worth living, but only when it is lived with a great ideal and Jesus Christ is the highest and most sublime ideal possible...He is the most perfect model of a person and offers a lifestyle that leads to fullness of existence.”
The Cardinal concluded his homily expressing his hope that Christ may truly be for each one of the participants “light and strength in life, becoming present before each one of them.”
The Mass was concelebrated by Archbishop Antonio Arregui Yarza of Guayaquil, President of the Ecuadorian Bishops’ Conference, Auxiliary Bishops Marcos Pérez and Aníbal Nieto, as well as priests from the Archdiocese. At the end of the ceremony, it was announced that the Second National Youth Day will take place in the city of Cuenca in 2009. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 4/7/2008)
