Pope’s WYD message: Hope in the Lord and you will not grow weary
Pope Francis releases his message for the 39th World Youth Day, and encourages young people to embrace life’s challenges with hope and perseverance.
By Francesca Merlo
Pope Francis has addressed a message to young people around the world for the 39th World Youth Day. The message, entitled “Those who hope in the Lord will run and not be weary,” centres on the theme of hope and endurance, drawing inspiration from the words of the prophet Isaiah.
In his message, Pope Francis encouraged young people to see life as a pilgrimage, a quest for happiness that is admittedly also tiring. It is precisely in this journey that hope must shine brightest, said the Pope.
Those who hope in the Lord do not tire – see Vatican News link https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-09/pope-to-young-people-walk-in-hope.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NewsletterVN-EN
World Youth Day News (Brentwood Diocese) https://www.dioceseofbrentwood.net/news/world-youth-day-offers-inspiring-vision-of-young-church/
“A society, a family, a group of friends without tension or conflict would be a cemetery. Where there is life, there is tension and there is conflict. But it is a sign of hope to see young people like you who believe that Jesus is in the Eucharist, that they believe that love is stronger than hate, that peace is stronger than war, that respect is stronger than conflict, that harmony is stronger than tension… This is hope. This gives me joy”” (Pope Francis) To the Eucharistic Youth Movement (MEJ) (August 7, 2015) | Pope Francis (vatican.va) – paragraphs 1 and 6
World Youth Day 2023 – Porto and Lisbon https://bcys.net/events/wyd23/
World Youth Day (WYD) is the gathering of young people from all over the world with the Pope. It is also a pilgrimage, a celebration of youth, an expression of the universal Church and an intense moment of evangelization for the youth world. Although its Catholic identity is clearly evident, WYD opens its doors to everyone, no matter how close to or distant from the Church they are.
It is celebrated at the diocesan level on Palm Sunday, and every two, three or four years as an international gathering in a city chosen by the Pope, with the presence of the Holy Father. It brings together millions of young people to celebrate their faith and sense of belonging to the Church.
Since its first edition in Rome in 1986, World Youth Day has proven to be a laboratory of faith, a place of birth for vocations to marriage and consecrated life, and an instrument for the evangelization and transformation of the Church.
It aims to provide all participants with a universal Church experience, fostering a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. It is a new stimulus to the faith, hope and charity of the entire host country community. With young people as its protagonists, World Youth Day also seeks to promote peace, unity and fraternity among peoples and nations around the world.