In one of my interactions with the youth, he said: there is certain period of time the youth want to enjoy life, explore and just break free! But son, I replied, by then you are already wasting so many fruitful, years just falling prey to the consumerist world and all that it has to offer you which doesn’t really give you the soul searching peace, joy and happiness you are seeking for.
Today’s youth is the cream of the society and this cream makes others stars and heroes by following and imitating them which in return only widens their vacuum and makes them feel empty within.
Few days back, while on the road some youth were on two, two-wheelers. They were driving at snail’s pace on a crowded highway engrossed in chatting and blocking the smooth flow of traffic due to side to side driving, while another two, two-wheelers overtook from the right side at full speed in haste!
The word haste reminds of the 37th World Youth Day theme and the message Pope Francis gave to the august gathering at Lisbon Portugal: “Mary arose and went with haste” (Lk 1:39)
Honestly at the first pregnancy of the married woman, everyone keeps telling about the dos and don’ts! Of the outmost care she needs to take and above all avoiding bending, lifting, blah, blah, blah! While the young Virgin Mary as soon as she heard about her cousin Elizabeth’ pregnancy, the Word says ‘she ran in haste’.
Saint Ambrose of Milan, in his commentary on the Gospel of Luke, writes that Mary set out in haste towards the hills, “because she rejoiced in the promise and sought to serve others with the enthusiasm born of her joy. Full of God, where else could she have gone if not towards the heights? The grace of the Holy Spirit permits no delay”. Mary’s haste is thus a sign of her desire to serve, to proclaim her joy, to respond without hesitation to the grace of the Holy Spirit. When serving, one has to dirty one’s hand!
What kinds of ‘haste’ do you have, dear young people? asks the Pope. Many people – in the wake of realities like the pandemic, war, forced migration, poverty, violence and climate disasters – are asking themselves: Why is this happening to me? Why me? And why now? But the real question in life is instead: for whom am I living? (cf. Christus Vivit, 286).
Mary was motivated by the needs of her elderly cousin. She did not hold back, or remain indifferent. She thought more of others than of herself. The Pontiff says: Each of you can ask: “How do I react to the needs that I see all around me? Do I think immediately of some reason not to get involved? Or do I show interest and willingness to help?” To be sure, you cannot resolve all the problems of the world. Yet you can begin with the problems of those closest to you, with the needs of your own community. Someone once told Mother Teresa: “What you are doing is a mere drop in the ocean”. And she replied: “But if I didn’t do it, that ocean would have one drop less”.
Mary is an example of a young person who wastes no time on seeking attention or the approval of others – as often happens when we depend on our ‘likes’on social media.
The Holy Father invited those present never to be afraid of “getting their hands dirty” and to always be there for those in need. “Only by getting your hands dirty,” he said, “will you keep your hearts clean?”
