Youth seek help to be witnesses of Christ, says Pope

Vatican City, Aug 28, 2005 / 22:00 pm

Pope Benedict XVI reflected on last week’s World Youth Day celebrations in Cologne once again during the Sunday Angelus, calling it “an extraordinary ecclesial experience.”

By their presence, the young people issued a message to their pastors: “Help us to be disciples and witnesses to Christ,” the Pope said.

Youth and all communities of faith and their pastors must be more conscious of the fundamental place of evangelization. “Where God does not hold first place, where he is not known or worshipped as the Supreme Goodness, there human dignity is in danger,” he said.

In speaking with German bishops, the Pope recalled that adoration is not a luxury but a priority.

Believers, youth, adults, the faithful and their pastors must be incessant in their search for Christ, the Pope said. Their search must be encouraged, supported and guided, he added.

Faith is not simply adhering to a set of dogma, but a lifelong journey toward God, he continued. “The Christian is someone who at the same time seeks and finds. This is what makes the Church young, open to the future, and rich in hope for all of humanity,” he said.

He commented on Psalm 104 and the reflections on this psalm by St. Augustine, whose feast day was yesterday.

“The more we enter into the splendor of divine love, the more beautiful it is to move forward in our search” for the will of God, he said.