TORONTO, July 29, 2002 (LSN.ca) – In both his major talks to the nearly one million youth assembled for World Youth Day over the weekend, Pope John Paul II urged them to follow Christ and be the “salt of the earth, and the light of the world.” As he ascended the steps of his plane today (again on his own strength confounding reporters) as he was departing Toronto Canada was left spiritually uplifted from coast to coast. Doubtless many of the pilgrims as they watched him depart hoped and prayed he would be with them for World Youth Day 2005 in Cologne, Germany.
The Pope clearly laid out the call from Jesus and contrasted it with the call from the “spirit of the world.” He noted that “The Lord is calling you to choose between these two voices competing for your souls.” The stark difference in the calls was exemplified by the celebrations of 2000 years of Christianity during the Great Jubilee on one hand and the terrorist attacks on New York on the other. Society, said the Holy Father, needs to look at “the individual’s spiritual dimension” and “universally shared ethical values.” He urged the young people to build their lives, and that of their communities on the foundation of Christ. “Christ alone is the cornerstone on which it is possible solidly to build one’s existence. Only Christ – known, contemplated and loved – is the faithful friend who never lets us down, who becomes our travelling companion, and whose words warm our hearts.” In some of his most powerful comments, made more so by the fact that Canada officially attempts to ignore God in its political life, the Pope warned that a society which attempts to build itself without reference to Christ will hurt humanity. “The twentieth century often tried to do without that cornerstone, and attempted to build the city of man without reference to Him. It ended by actually building that city against man! Christians know that it is not possible to reject or ignore God without demeaning man.” After urging the youth to follow Christ and be Christ’s ambassadors throughout the world, the Pope concluded this World Youth Day with a publicly made directive to pastors in Canada. “This World Youth Day must mark a reawakening of pastoral attention to the young in Canada,” the Pope said in his closing remarks.
Were Canadian pastors to follow the lead of the Pope and know youth enough to challenge them with the full, difficult truths of the faith and to reach for Christian perfection rather than mediocrity, the youth could fulfill their marching orders to be the salt of the earth and light of the world. See the speech at the Vigil Saturday, the Sunday Homily and the closing remarks: https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/2002/july/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20020727_wyd-vigil-address_en.html https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/homilies/2002/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_20020728_xvii-wyd_en.html https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/angelus/2002/documents/hf_jp-ii_ang_20020728_wyd-downsview-toronto_en.html