VATICAN - Pope Benedict XVI in Paris and Lourdes (4) - “Remember the two treasures which the Pope has presented to you this evening: the Holy Spirit and the Cross!”

Paris (Agenzia Fides) – After the celebration of Vespers in Notre Dame Cathedral, on the evening of September 12, Pope Benedict XVI went out to the esplanade in front of the Cathedral, to meet with the crowd of young people gathered there. “This evening I would like to talk to you about two very closely related matters; they represent a real treasure to be stored up in your hearts,” the Pope told the young people. The first was linked to the recently celebrated World Youth Day: “In Sydney, many young people rediscovered the importance of the Holy Spirit for the life of every Christian. The Spirit gives us a deep relationship with God, who is the source of all authentic human good. All of you desire to love and to be loved! It is to God that you must turn, if you want to learn how to love, and to find the strength to love. The Spirit, who is Love, can open your hearts to accept the gift of genuine love. All of you are seeking the truth; and all of you want to live in truth! This truth is Christ. He is the only Way, the one Truth and the true Life.”
The Pope then encouraged the youth to meditate on the Sacrament of Confirmation, which leads them into a more mature faith life. “The Holy Spirit enables you to approach the Mystery of God; he makes you understand who God is... By revealing who the crucified and risen Lord is for us, he impels you to bear witness to Christ. You are at an age marked by great generosity. You need to speak about Christ to all around you, to your families and friends, wherever you study, work and relax.” Then, Benedict XVI encouraged the youth not to be afraid to preach God: “Bring the Good News to the young people of your age, and to others as well... Be witnesses of God, for, as young people, you are fully a part of the Catholic community through your Baptism and our common profession of faith. The Church has confidence in you, and I want to tell you so!”
In entrusting the youth with the “second treasure,” the Pope mentioned that this one was at the center of Saint Paul’s life: the mystery of the Cross. “Many of you wear a cross on a chain around your neck. I too wear one, as every Bishop does. It is not a mere decoration or a piece of jewelry. It is the precious symbol of our faith, the visible and material sign that we belong to Christ.” After explaining the words of Saint Paul in reference to the Cross at the beginning of his First Letter to the Corinthians, the Pope continued, saying: “The Spirit opens to human intelligence new horizons which transcend it and enable to perceive that the only true wisdom is found in the grandeur of Christ. For Christians, the Cross signifies God’s wisdom and his infinite love revealed in the saving gift of Christ, crucified and risen for the life of the world, and in particular for the life of each and every one of you. May this discovery of a God who became man out of love – this amazing discovery lead you to respect and venerate the Cross! It is not only the symbol of your life in God and your salvation, but also – as you will understand – the silent witness of human suffering and the unique and priceless expression of all our hopes. Dear young people, I know that venerating the Cross can sometimes bring mockery and even persecution.”
Benedict XVI then concluded his speech, saying: “This evening, I entrust you with the Cross of Christ. The Holy Spirit will enable you to understand its mysteries of love. Then you will exclaim with Saint Paul: ‘May I never boast of anything, except the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world’ (Gal 6:14). Paul had understood the seemingly paradoxical words of Jesus, who taught that it is only by giving (‘losing’) one’s life that one finds it (cf. Mk 8:35; Jn 12:24), and Paul concluded from this that the Cross expresses the fundamental law of love, the perfect formula for real life. May a growing understanding of the mystery of the Cross lead some of you discover the call to serve Christ unreservedly in the priesthood and the religious life!” (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 15/9/2008)