Michael August - September 2013

so many social injustices. The culture of selfishness

and individualism that often prevails in our society is

not, I repeat, not what builds up and leads to a more

habitable world: rather, it is the culture of solidarity

that does so; the culture of solidarity means seeing

others not as rivals or statistics, but brothers and sis-

ters. And we are all brothers and sisters ! ...

The measure of the greatness of a society is

found in the way it treats those most in need, those

who have nothing apart from their poverty !

Meeting with young people of Argentina

in the cathedral of Rio, July 25

Look, at this moment, I think our world civiliza-

tion has gone beyond its limits, it has gone beyond

its limits because it has made money into such a god

that we are now faced with a philosophy and a prac-

tice which exclude the two ends of life... the elderly

and the young...

Faith in Jesus Christ is not a joke, it is something

very serious. It is a scandal that God came to be one

of us. It is a scandal that he died on a cross. It is a

scandal: the scandal of the Cross. The Cross con-

tinues to provoke scandal. But it is the one sure path,

the path of the Cross, the path of Jesus, the path of

the Incarnation of Jesus. Please do not water down

your faith in Jesus Christ. We dilute fruit drinks – or-

ange, apple, or banana juice, but please do not drink

a diluted form of faith. Faith is whole and entire, not

something that you water down...

The Beatitudes: What must we do, Father ? Look,

read the Beatitudes: that will do you good. If you

want to know what you actually have to do, read Mat-

thew Chapter 25, which is the standard by which we

will be judged. With these two things you have the

action plan: the Beatitudes and Matthew 25. You do

not need to read anything else. I ask you this with all

my heart.

Way of the Cross with young people, July 26

The first name given to Brazil was “The Land of

the Holy Cross”. The Cross of Christ was planted five

centuries ago not only on the shores of this country,

but also in the history, the hearts and the lives of the

people of Brazil and elsewhere. The suffering Christ

is keenly felt here, as one of us who shares our jour-

ney even to the end. There is no cross, big or small,

in our life, which the Lord does not share with us.

But the Cross of Christ invites us also to allow

ourselves to be smitten by his love, teaching us al-

ways to look upon others with mercy and tenderness,

especially those who suffer, who are in need of help,

who need a word or a concrete action; the Cross in-

vites us to step outside ourselves to meet them and

to extend a hand to them. How many times have we

seen them in the Way of the Cross, how many times

have they accompanied Jesus on the way to Calvary:

Pilate, Simon of Cyrene, Mary, the women…

Today I ask you: which of them do you want to

be? Do you want to be like Pilate, who did not have

the courage to go against the tide to save Jesus’ life,

and instead washed his hands? Tell me: are you one

of those who wash their hands, who feign ignorance

and look the other way? Or are you like Simon of Cy-

rene, who helped Jesus to carry that heavy wood, or

like Mary and the other women, who were not afraid

to accompany Jesus all the way to the end, with love

and tenderness? And you, who do you want to be?

Like Pilate? Like Simon? Like Mary? Jesus is looking

at you now and is asking you: do you want to help

me carry the Cross? Brothers and sisters, with all the

strength of your youth, how will you respond to him?

Dear friends, let us bring to Christ’s Cross our

joys, our sufferings and our failures. There we will

find a Heart that is open to us and understands us,

forgives us, loves us and calls us to bear this love

in our lives, to love each person, each brother and

sister, with the same love.

Meeting with Brazil’s leaders of society, July 27

The future also demands a humanistic vision

of the economy and a politics capable of ensuring

greater and more effective participation on the part

of the people, eliminating forms of elitism and eradi-

cating poverty. No one should be denied what is

necessary and everyone should be guaranteed dig-

nity, fraternity and solidarity: this is the road that is

proposed. In the days of the prophet Amos, God’s

frequent warning was already being heard: “They

sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair

of sandals – they… trample down the head of the

poor into the dust of the earth and push the afflicted

out of the way” (Am 2:6-7). The outcry, the call for

justice, continues to be heard even today.

Prayer vigil with the young people, July 27

Your young hearts want to build a better world.

I have been closely following the news reports of

the many young people who throughout the world

have taken to the streets in order to express their

desire for a more just and fraternal society. Young

people in the streets. It is the young who want to

be the protagonists of change. Please, don’t leave it

to others to be the protagonists of change. You are

the ones who hold the future ! You … Through you

the future is fulfilled in the world. I ask you also to

be protagonists of this transformation. Continue to

overcome apathy, offering a Christian response to

the social and political anxieties, which are arising in

various parts of the world. I ask you to be builders

of the world, to work for a better

world. Dear young people, please,

don’t be observers of life, but get

involved. Jesus did not remain an

observer, but he immersed him-

self. Don’t be observers, but im-

merse yourself in the reality of life,

as Jesus did.

Closing Mass of the World

Youth Day, July 28

“Go and make disciples of all

nations”. With these words, Jesus is speaking to

each one of us, saying: “It was wonderful to take

part in World Youth Day, to live the faith together

with young people from the four corners of the

earth, but now you must go, now you must pass on

this experience to others.” Jesus is calling you to be

a disciple with a mission ! Today, in the light of the

word of God that we have heard, what is the Lord

saying to us? What is the Lord saying to us? Three

simple ideas: Go, do not be afraid, and serve....

Careful, though ! Jesus did not say: “go, if you

would like to, if you have the time”, but he said: “Go

and make disciples of all nations.” Sharing the ex-

perience of faith, bearing witness to the faith, pro-

claiming the Gospel: this is a command that the Lord

entrusts to the whole Church, and that includes you;

but it is a command that is born not from a desire for

domination, from the desire for power, but from the

force of love, from the fact that Jesus first came into

our midst and did not give us just a part of himself,

but he gave us the whole of himself, he gave his

life in order to save us and to show us the love and

mercy of God. Jesus does not treat us as slaves, but

as people who are free , as friends, as brothers and

sisters; and he not only sends us, he accompanies

us, he is always beside us in our mission of love.

Where does Jesus send us? There are no bor-

ders, no limits: he sends us to everyone. The Gospel

is for everyone, not just for some. It is not only for

those who seem closer to us, more receptive, more

welcoming. It is for everyone. Do not be afraid to

go and to bring Christ into every area of life, to the

fringes of society, even to those who seem farthest

away, most indifferent. The Lord seeks all, he wants

everyone to feel the warmth of his mercy and his

love.

At the end of the meeting with

the young people of Argentina,

Pope Francis went out and

waved an Argentinean flag to

greet those who could not have

entered the cathedral.

While leaving the Basilica at the end of the Mass,

Pope Francis carries a replica of the statue of

Our Lady of Aparecida which was given to him.

Moving? Make sure

MICHAEL moves with you!

If you have just moved or are about to

move, it is very important to send us your new

address. If you do not send us your new ad-

dress, the post office returns your MICHAEL

Journal to our office and we sustain a fine for

each journal thus returned. Thank you!

MICHAEL August/September 2013