Preparations are underway for World Youth Day 2023. This time, the destination for the massive global event is Lisbon, Portugal, less than two hours from Fatima, the famous site of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s apparition to three young children in 1917.
Mary is also the focus of this year’s theme: ‘Mary arose and went with haste’ (Luke 1:39).
In his message for World Youth Day 2023, Pope Francis encourages young people to look to Mary as a model of confidence in God’s loving guidance, and to actively seek ways to be of service to God and others.
The greatest spiritual joy
Despite the startling news that she received from the angel Gabriel, Mary did not focus on her own anxiety or fears, Pope Francis says. Instead, she went straight to see her cousin, Elizabeth. ‘She arises and sets out, for she is certain that God’s plan is the best plan for her life,’ he says. In this way, Mary becomes a model for the evangelising Church. She show us how, having encountered Christ, we might go forth with haste to spread the Good News:
To experience the presence of the risen Christ in our own lives, to encounter him ‘alive’, is the greatest spiritual joy, an explosion of light that can leave no one untouched.
To help his audience understand the implications of this, the pope asks them an honest question: ‘What kinds of “haste” do you have, dear young people? What leads you to feel a need to get up and go, lest you end up standing still?’
There are many reasons we might lose our sense of haste, many anxieties that might surface as we contemplate the crises we see in the world around us or experience in our own lives. We may even ask, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ But Pope Francis says the question we should really be asking is ‘For whom am I living?’
As Christians, we are invited to live lives of service to others, actively looking for what needs to be done in the world around us. Someone living an authentic Christian life will seek to bridge the divisions that separate us, he says, and will take the initiative to ‘arise’ when no one else is willing to step up. Pope Francis points out that in contrast to the superficial connections created by social media, Mary ‘sets out to find the most genuine of all “connections”: the one that comes from encounter, sharing, love and service.’
Finding connection again in a post-pandemic world
‘My message for you, dear young people, the great message entrusted to the Church, is Jesus!’ the pope says.
Yes, Jesus himself, in his infinite love for each of us, his salvation and the new life he has bestowed upon us. Mary is our model; she shows us how to welcome this immense gift into our lives, to share it with others, and thus to bring Christ, his compassionate love and his generous service to our deeply wounded humanity.
With its prolonged periods of isolation and social distancing, the COVID-19 pandemic was a trial for many people. World Youth Day 2023, however, is an opportunity to rediscover once again ‘the joy of a fraternal embrace between peoples and generations, an embrace of reconciliation and peace, an embrace of new missionary fraternity!’
‘Now is the time to arise!’ Pope Francis tells us. ‘Like Mary, let us “arise and go in haste”. Let us carry Jesus within our hearts, and bring him to all those whom we meet! In this beautiful season of your lives, press ahead and do not postpone all the good that the Holy Spirit can accomplish in you!’
Join us at one of our upcoming information sessions in October to learn more about:
- what you should expect at World Youth Day
- travel itineraries with indicative pricing
- fundraising tools
- leadership opportunities
- other ways you can serve and how your parish can support.
Perfect for parish leaders, priests, parents and (of course) young people.
Find out more at udisciple.melbournecatholic.org/wyd.
