Dear young friends,
Good afternoon.
To you, young people of Mexico, who are here, who are watching on television, that are listening. I want to send a greeting and a blessing that are gathered in the Plaza of Saint John Paul II by the Archdiocese of Guadalajara. I said they were thousands gathered there. So here we are joined by two stages, the Plaza San Juan Pablo II to Guadalajara and us here.
I knew of your concerns because I had been informed of a draft of what I was going to say. But as they talked I was taking notes of things that seemed important to stay in the air which did not appear in the original draft.
When I arrived in this country I received a warm welcome. I saw something which I have sensed for a long time: the vitality, the joy, and the festive spirit of the Mexican people. And now [ahorita]â?¦ after listening to you, but particularly after seeing you, I am also certain about something else, something I said to the President of the nation when I arrived. One of Mexicoâ??s greatest treasures is that it has a youthful face: its young people. Yes, you are the wealth of this land. I did not say the hope of this land, but its wealth.
The mountain can be rich in minerals, which will serve for the progress of humanity, of their wealth, but that wealth must be transformed into hope as do the miners when they remove minerals. You are the wealth, you have to transform it into hope.
Daniela ultimately made a different remark. All the speakers spoke about the difficulties they all encountered, but they could not live without hope.
The biggest threats to hope are the speeches that devalue you, they'll like and you end up sucking the value as down as wrinkled, with a heavy heart. Speeches that make you feel not second, but fourth. The biggest threat to hope is when you feel that, either being present or absent, you make no difference. That is the great difficulty for hope when in a family, a society or a school you feel like you do not care about. That's hard, it's painful, but that happens or does not happen. Yes or no, wrong? The main threat to hope is when you feel it does not matter who you are or you're not.
This kills, this crushes us and opens the door to much suffering. The principal threat to hope is to allow yourself to believe that you begin to be valuable when you start wearing the right clothes, the latest brands, and fashions, or when you enjoy prestige, are important because you have money; but in the depths of your heart you do not believe that you are worthy of kindness or love. This is an intuitive feeling from the heart. Hope is molded by what you believe in. Don't let others suggest otherwise. The biggest threat is when a person feels that they must have money to buy everything, including the love of others. The biggest threat is to believe that by having a big car you will be happy. Is this true? Does having a big car make you happy?
You are the wealth of Mexico, you are the wealth of the Church. I understand that often it is difficult to feel your value when you are continually exposed to the loss of friends or relatives at the hands of the drug trade, of drugs themselves, of criminal organizations that sow terror. It is hard to feel the wealth of a nation when there are no opportunities for dignified work, no possibilities for study or advancement when you feel your rights are being trampled on, which then leads you to extreme situations. It is difficult to appreciate the value of a place when, because of your youth, you are used for selfish purposes, seduced by promises that end up being untrue. Alberto, you expressed this clearly.
Nonetheless, despite all this, I will never tire of saying, You are the wealth of Mexico.
Donâ??t think I am saying this because I am good, or I because I have concise ideas about it; no dear friends, it is not like that. I say this to you and I am convinced of it. And do you know why? Because, like you, I believe in Jesus Christ. And it is he who continually renews in me this hope, it is he who continually renews my outlook. It is he who continually invites me to a conversion of heart. Yes, my friends, I say this because in Jesus I have found the One who is able to bring out the best in me. Hand in hand with him, we can move forward, hand in hand with him we can begin again and again, hand in hand with him we find the strength to say: it is a lie to believe that the only way to live, or to be young, is to entrust oneself to drug dealers or others who do nothing but sow destruction and death. Hand in hand with Jesus Christ we can say: it is a lie that the only way to live as young people here is in poverty and exclusion; in the exclusion of opportunities, in the exclusion of spaces, in the exclusion of training and education, in the exclusion of hope. It is Jesus Christ who
refutes all attempts to render you useless or to be mere mercenaries of other peopleâ??s ambitions.
And it's hard to feel rich, hope the lead in, and wealth in the lead, but not easy. Missing opportunities. But despite all this, I will not tire of saying: you are the wealth of Mexico. Robert, you said a phrase that escaped me when I read your point, but I want to stop. When I talked to you. You mentioned you lost something, and but you did not say, I lost money, my phone, and any other material item. He said, I lost the charm of enjoying the game, lost the charm of walking together. We have lost the charm of dreaming together. And this wealth driven by the hope must go ahead walk together, we must be, we must dream. Do not miss the charm of dreaming, dare to dream! Dream, which is not the same as being sleepy, not that.
Do not think that I say this because I am good, or because I have clear, no dear friends that
is not the case. I say this and I am convinced, do you know, why? Because like you, I believe in Jesus Christ. And I think Daniela had very strong points when we spoke about it.
You have asked me for a word of hope, and the one word I have to give you is Jesus Christ. When everything seems too much when it seems that the world is crashing down around you, embrace his Cross, draw close to him and please, never let go of his hand; please, never leave him. Hand in hand with him it is possible to live fully, by holding his hand it is possible to believe that it is worth the effort to give your best, to be leaven, salt, and light among your friends, neighborhoods, and your community. Let this bountiful wealth transform into hope.
For this reason, dear friends, holding the hand of Jesus I ask you to not let yourselves be excluded, do not allow yourselves to be devalued, do not let them treat you like a commodity. Of course, you may not be able to have the latest car model at the door, you will not have pockets filled with money, but you will have something that no one can take away from you, which is the experience of being loved, embraced and accompanied. It is the experience of being family, of feeling oneself as part of a community.
The Mountaineers have a very beautiful song, I likes it as a youth. While going up, singing in the art of climbing, the triumph is not to fall, but not remain fallen. That is art. And who is the only one who can grab you by the hand so they do not look like someone who has lost their footing? Jesus Christ. Sometimes you send a brother to speak to you. When there is no hand when you're down, do not tell me that I do not look muddy, do not look like you have no choice. Only let yourself grasp and grab the wealth by the hand. On the inside, you will begin to bear fruit through the hope, but always holding hands of Jesus Christ. That is the way. In the art of climbing, the triumph is not to fall, but not remain fallen. We are not allowed not remain fallen. Never. Agreed?
And if you see a friend that has fallen in life, walk and offer a hand, but offer it with dignity, stand next to them, listen to them, do not tell them you bring the recipe. As a friend, give the strength of your word by listening. This medicine is being forgotten. Gradually, you'll be reaching out and I'll help you in Jesus' name. But if you go at once and begin to give and give, poor thing, you'll leave worse than you were. Apert never
hand of Jesus Christ. And if they turn away, get up and follow him. He understands what it is.
Today the Lord continues to call you, he continues to draw you to him, just as he did with the Indian, Juan Diego. He invites you to build a shrine. A shrine that is not a physical place but rather a community, a shrine called 'Parishâ?, a shrine called, 'Nationâ?.
Therefore, dear friends, with the help of Jesus I ask you not to be excluded, do be devalued, do not be treated as merchandise. Jesus gave us a tip for this, so let us not exclude ourselves. Be wise as serpents and humble as doves. The two virtues together. Young people do not lack vividness. Both, clever but simple, kind.
It is true that this path will not be the last car in the door, they will have their pockets full of money, but have something that no one can ever them out which is the experience of being loved, embraced and accompanied. Is the charm of enjoying the game, the charm of dreaming. Is the experience of being family,t hat community feel. And the experience of being able to look at the world in the face with a high forehead. Without the car, money, but with the high forehead, dignity. Three words that we will repeat: Wealth, hope and dignity. We can repeat? Wealth, hope and dignity. Wealth are you, the hope that Jesus gives them dignity and gives them not be rubbing their backs and being merchandise to the pockets of others.
And because he is rich, he is able to give us hope and dignity. What three words again? Wealth, hope, and dignity. The wealth that God gave us and that we need to grow.
Being a community, a family, and knowing that we are citizens is one of the best antidotes to all that threatens
us, because it makes us feel that we are a part of the great family of God. This is not an invitation to flee and enclose ourselves, but, on the contrary, to go out and to invite others, to go out and proclaim to others that being young in Mexico is the greatest wealth, and consequently, it cannot be sacrificed.
Jesus would never ask us to be assassins; rather, he calls us to be disciples. He would never send us out to death, but rather everything in him speaks of life. A life in a family, life in a community; families and communities for the good of society.
You are the wealth of this country, and when you doubt this, look at Jesus, he who destroys all efforts to make you useless or mere instruments of other peopleâ??s ambitions.
And here, Rosario, I return to what you said, something so beautiful: In the company of family, solidarity is learned, to discern, to fight and to get ready, to discuss and to embrace and kiss. The family is the first school in the nation and that is that wealth you have. In the family, they will find hope because Jesus is, and the family will find dignity. Never let go of the family. The family is the foundation stone for the construction of a great nation.
You are the wealth of this country, they have hopes and dreams. Rosario also spoke of dreaming. Do you dream of having a family? Dear friends, you are the wealth of this country. When. When you doubt that, look to Jesus Christ, who denies all attempts to render them useless, or ambitions beyond mere mercenaries. I thank you for this meeting and ask you to pray for me.
