An Apostolic Exhortation to walk together
by Nico Rutigliano
That the Pope goes to Loreto to sign an Apostolic Exhortation outside the Vatican territory is a decidedly rare, historic and, therefore, very significant event.
Pope Francis said this in Panama, during World Youth Day. He also repeated it recently: «Young people are not the future, they are today. They are God's now. Because if we think that they are the future, we take away their strength and tame them." But they must be put in a position to prove it. And therefore, he recommended that young people always dialogue with the elderly and always combine protest, which can sometimes be necessary, with creativity. «Protest alone is useless. We must not only protest but also build."
The Pope underlined the image of the "little sprout". From sprouts great things can flourish. And young people also have an "unimaginable power". He therefore mentioned the mobilization for the environment. He reiterated that «protest alone is useless if there is no creativity. Protesting yes, but the protest does not achieve concrete results if it is not built. You can make mistakes, but it's better to make mistakes while building than to sit with your arms folded." A very important and indispensable element is to always keep the dialogue alive. Pope Francis insists a lot on intergenerational dialogue, because dialogue is «the real challenge of today. If young people are without the elderly, they lose their roots, their sense of history, their belonging. If the elderly are without the young, they feel isolated and die sad. It is a fruitful dialogue, which gives roots and prevents young people from becoming liquid and uprooted."
In step with the times
On the eve of the start of Spring, all over the world, young people have mobilized to draw attention to the climate of planet Earth. It was an unprecedented global action, in intensity and extent. This “strike” to protest against inertia towards global warming saw young people determined, courageous, creative and friendly in their expressions.
The young people of the Guanellian Movement are preparing a meeting that will take place in Florence at the parish of Corpus Domini from 25 to 28 April 2019 with the desire to seek motivations capable of giving a direction of travel to the meaning of living on this land.
These national meetings prepare for a worldwide gathering of young people motivated by the Guanellian proposal of wide-ranging charity.
Young people are often considered absent, apathetic, disinterested in politics and social issues, however, in the depths of their soul, there is freshness, they express genuineness and desire to be there, to start making their voices and their desires heard again. and aspirations. A young people, who want to make their provocation known, deserve attention, listening and willingness to walk together.
In this movement and desire for presence, young people are teaching us something: their protest has become massive and global, they have been able to "network".
Signs of the times worth knowing how to read
Our time hides potential that gives pause to educators who must find time to be with children with lifestyles saturated with evangelically fascinating values and proposals. Educational alliances are necessary, forming a team in youth ministry, priests, nuns and Guanellian co-operators collaborating together.
An animator who wishes to educate does not diminish the attempts at openness, protagonism, awareness and responsibility of young people. An educator knows how to look beyond, knows how to start from the positive and knows how to encourage it. Don Guanella who taught us the method "through the ways of the heart", also suggested to us open-mindedness, trust, educational presence, benevolence, an inclination more towards mercy than rigor. We are called to take these young people seriously and love and respect them. May their enthusiasm be strength for us, to work together, to build the kingdom of charity.