It has been conceived as an event to be enjoyed in first person, in the midst of a crowd, sharing their enthusiasm, their noise, their silence, their anxieties and their joy – and not on a screen, whether TV, pc, tablet or mobile phone, separated by pixels and glass frames – feeling part and parcel of the same body with thousands of peers, amidst a stream of faces, colours, and voices accompanying the words and gestures from the floor. This is how Fr Michele Falabretti, coordinator of the National Service for the Pastoral Care of Youths (SNPG) envisages the forthcoming Jubilee of Young Boys and Girls (13-16), scheduled to take place in Rome next April 23-25 with a “challenging” theme: “Merciful like the Father”. It’s one of the major events of the Jubilee calendar, three full days with a structured program that envisages: on April 23rd arrival and preparation for confession in St. Peter’s Square, the passage of the Holy Door with the profession of faith on the Tomb of Peter and in the evening a gathering at the Olympic Stadium. On the morning of April 24th celebration of Holy Mass with Pope Francis while on April 25 the youths will visit seven squares in the historical centre of Rome that will be hosting an equal number of pavilions featuring testimonies on the works of corporal and spiritual mercy.
To swim against the tide.
“Attending the event– said Fr Falabretti – for a teenager means to perceive a sense of belonging, of being part of a people. It means feeling that you are not alone and that you are walking along with others like you; being able to become as one with strangers without denying oneself or one’s uniqueness.
” The priest confides in Pope Francis “charismatic, all-involving” qualities, capable of “showing the way and the itinerary”, and of “instilling thrust and zeal to overcome apathy” and start the journey. In his Message for the Jubilee of Mercy the Pope states in clear words: “To be merciful means to grow in a love which is courageous, generous and real. It means to grow physically and spiritually”. … “Remain steadfast in the journey of faith, with firm hope in the Lord. This is the secret of our journey! He gives us the courage to swim against the tide. With him we can do great things. Commit yourselves to great ideals!”. Pope Francis’ appeal for the Jubilee is addressed to everyone. Travelling to Rome in that period will require not only “to prepare your rucksacks and your banners, but your hearts and your minds as well”.
Not only terrorism. It also means “to have a certain amount of courage”, points out Fr Falabretti, referring to all those families afraid of sending their youths to Rome for fear of terrorist attacks. “Indeed, there are reasons to fear the worst, at a time when vital certainties seem to fall apart every time we hear the news on television –the priest said – however
If I had a child I would encourage him to attend this event, as it was conceived for the young, where words and signs, music and silence, are addressed to the young generation that is taking the first steps into life with the innocence and the enthusiasm of those who experience everything for the first time”.
But terrorism isn’t the only fear. Concerns for our youths stem from the “the lack of future prospects that we have denied the young generations. We need to fear the dense yet fragile emotional, protective armour that we have erected around their lives, with the intent of sparing them all forms of suffering or frustration and thus making them vulnerable to possible failures that we will be unable to prevent. We should fear the carousel of relations that gives us thousands of Facebook friends but leaves us without a friend we can confide in, thereby facilitating access to destructive experiences”. Perhaps, for all of these reasons,
“we need an extraordinary time, when we can expect gifts of grace we can barely imagine. The Jubilee is intended to burst into the lives of the boys and girls inspired by God’s unpredictably free bestowal”.
Registration. Thus “go ahead with the registrations!”, is Fr Falabretti’s appeal. “The terror attacks in Paris brought a slowdown in the number of adhesions but now we have seen a major interest for the Jubilee. We are involving associations, groups, movements, speakers, dioceses”. Registration (https://iscrizioni.chiesacattolica.it/giubileoragazzi/index.jsp) is open until the end of March with a contribution of € 10. Also preparatory materials are available (on http://www.gmg2016.it/giubileo-dei-ragazzi e www.im.va) with 5 fact sheets, each of which addresses a theme related to the Holy Year of Mercy, namely: pilgrimage as an experience for ecclesial communion; the Jubilee as a celebration for the conversion of the heart; Jesus: the face of God’s mercy; being merciful in action, thought, and everyday life; the commitment of Christian witness and the anticipation of the fruits of the time of sewing”.
