His Holiness Pope Francis at WYD Mass: Church and world need young people 'like the earth needs rain'

In his homily for the concluding Mass for World Youth Day in Lisbon, His Holiness Pope Francis calls on young people to shine, to listen, and to be unafraid.

By Christopher Wells

At the concluding Mass for this year’s World Youth Day, His Holiness Pope Francis echoed the words of the Apostles who witnessed the Transfiguration of Christ on the Mount: “It is good for us to be here!”

At the same time, he challenged the young people  to ask themselves, “What will we take back with us to the valley of our daily lives?” Drawing on the day's Gospel, the Holy Father proposed three verbs: to shine, to listen, and to be unafraid.

Pope Francis greets young people

To shine

The Gospel reading recounts the event of the Transfiguration, where Jesus appeared to His three closest disciples with His face shining like the sun and His clothes gleaming white, precisely in order to prepare his disciples for the dark hours they would face at Gethsemane and Calvary.

“We, too, need light, a burst of light that is hope to face so much darkness that assails us in life,” the Pope said. That light, he explained, "is Jesus, because He is the light that does not go out, the light that shines even in the night." It is Jesus, he said, "that enlightens our eyes, enlightens our heart, enlightens our mind, enlightens our desire to do something in life, always with the light of the Lord."

At the same time, he warned that "we do not become luminous when we focus the spotlight on ourselves." Instead, "We become luminous, we shine, when, welcoming Jesus, we learn to love like Him. To love like Jesus: that makes us luminous, that leads us to do works of love."

“We become luminous, we shine, when, welcoming Jesus, we learn to love like Him. To love like Jesus: that makes us luminous, that leads us to do works of love.”

To listen

Continuing his reflection on the Transfiguration, Pope Francis noted the words of God the Father to the Apostles, commanding them to listen to His beloved Son. "It's all here," the Pope said, "all that is to be done in life: Listen to HIm. Listen to Jesus, every secret is there."

He explained that if someone is unsure about what God is saying to them, they can read the Gospels to hear what Jesus says and listen to what He says in their hearts. "For He has words of eternal life for us. He reveals that God is the Father, and He is love. He teaches us the path to love…

This report was originally published on the Vatican News website. Please click here to read the full text.