“…Be careful when faced with this bitterness! Be careful!

The Lord is the first to tell you no! This is not the way to go. He is alive and he also wants you to be alive. He wants you to share all your gifts and charisms, all your dreams and your talents (cf. ibid., 1). The Lord calls each of us by name and says: Follow me! He does not call us to run after mirages, but to become missionary disciples here and now. He is the first to reject all those voices that would lull you to sleep, make you passive, numb and apathetic, and thus prevent you from seeking new horizons. With Jesus, there are always new horizons to be sought. He wants to change us and to make our lives a mission. But he tells us one thing: he tells us not to be afraid to get our hands dirty.

The Lord is not looking for lone adventurers. He gives us a mission, yes, but he does not send us out alone to the front lines….”

Read the Pope’s address to those present at the prayer vigil with young people during his trip in Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius (4 to 10 September 2019); http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2019/09/07/190907e.html