Q: Holy Father asked the young man in the Gospel of Jesus: good teacher what should I do to inherit eternal life? I do not even know what life is eternal. I can not imagine, but one thing I know I do not want to throw my life, I want to live to the end and not alone. I'm afraid this does not happen, I'm afraid to think only of myself, make mistakes and everything to find myself without a goal to reach, living hand to mouth. E 'can do with my life something beautiful and great?
Dear young people,
before answering the question I'd like to say thanks for all your presence, for this wonderful testimony of faith, of wanting live in communion with Jesus, for your enthusiasm to follow Jesus and live well. Thanks!
And now the question. She said she does not know what life is eternal and can not imagine it. None of us can imagine life eternal, because it is outside our experience. However, we can begin to understand what is eternal life, and I think that she, with her request, gave us a description of the essential of life eternal, that is the true life: Do not throw away your life, live it in depth, not live for yourself, not live for the day, but to really live life in its richness and in its entirety. And how? This is the big question, with which The rich man also of the Gospel came to the Lord (cf. Mk 10:17). At first glance, the answer of the Lord is very dry. All in all, he says, keep the commandments (cf. Mk 10:19). But behind, if we think well, listen well to the Lord, in the totality of the Gospel, we find the great wisdom of the Word of God, Jesus' commandments, according to another the word of Jesus, are summarized in this one: to love God with all your heart and with all reason and all the life and love your neighbor as yourself. Loving God, supposed to know God and recognize God this is the first step we need to do: try to know God as we know that Our life does not exist by chance, it is no coincidence. My life is willed by God from eternity. I am loved, are necessary. God has a plan to me in all of history has a plan just for me. My life is important and even necessary. The eternal love me deeply and made me wait. So, this is the first point: to know, try to know God and thus to understand that life is a gift that is good to live. Then the main thing is love. Love this God who created me, who created this world, who governs all the difficulties between man and history, and that takes me. And love your neighbor.
The ten commandments which Jesus mentions in his reply, un'esplicitazione only the commandment of love. They are, so to speak, Rules of Engagement, indicate the path of love with these essential points: the family as the foundation of society, life, to be respected as God's gift, the order of sexuality, the relationship between man and women, the social order and, finally, the truth. These essential elements make explicit the path of love, really love how explicit and how to find the right path. So there is a fundamental desire of God for us all, which is the same for all of us. But its application is different in every life, because God has a specific project with each person. St. Francis de Sales once said: perfection that is, being good, living the faith and love, is essentially one, but in very different forms. Very different is the sanctity of a Carthusian monk and a politician, a scientist or a farmer, and so on. So for every man God has his plan and I have to find, in my circumstances, my way of life this unique and common will of God which only the rules are set in these explanations of love. And then also try to do what is the essence of love, that does not take life for me, but to give life, not "have" life, but make your life a gift, do not try myself, but give to others. This is the essential, and involves sacrifices, that is out of myself and not try myself. And not looking myself, but for giving me the great and true things, I find true life. So everyone can find in his life, different possibilities to engage in volunteering in a community of prayer, a movement in the activities of his parish, in his own profession. Find my calling and live it in every place is important and essential, both me and a great scientist or a farmer. Everything is important in the eyes of God, which is nice if you lived to the end with the love that really redeems the world.
Eventually I would like to tell a little story of St. Josephine Bakhita, this small African saint who in Italy has found God and Christ, and that always makes me a great impression. She was a nun in an Italian convent one day, the local Bishop pays a visit to the monastery, he sees this little black nun, which does not seem he knew nothing and says, "Sister what are you doing here?" It Bakhita replied: "The same thing that makes you, your excellency." The bishop says, visibly annoyed: "Why, sister, does the same thing as me?", "Yes, - said the sister - both want to do God's will, is not it?". Finally, this is the essential point: to know, with the help of the Church of the Word of God and friends, the will of God, both in its broad lines, which are common to all, both in the specifics of my personal life. Thus, life becomes perhaps too easy, but beautiful and happy. Let us ask the Lord to help us always to find his will and follow it with joy.
D. The Gospel says that Jesus looked at the young man and loved him. Holy Father, it is to be regarded with love from Jesus, how can we make this experience we now? But is it really possible to experience it in this life today?
Of course I would say yes, because the Lord is always present and watching each of us with love. Except that we have to find this look and meet us with him. What to do? I would say that the first step to meet with Jesus, to experience his love and know. Knowing Jesus brings with it different ways. An initial requirement is to know how the figure of Jesus in the Gospels, which give us a rich portrait of the figure of Jesus, in large dishes, we think of the prodigal son, the Samaritan, Lazarus and so on. In all the parables, in all its words in the Sermon on the Mount, we really find Jesus' face, the face of God to the cross where, for love of us, she gives herself completely to death and may in the end, say Father into your hands, give my life, my soul (cf. Lk 23:46).
So: to know, Jesus meditate together with friends, with the Church and to know Jesus not only in academic way, in theory, but with the heart, that speak to Jesus in prayer. A person can not know in the same way that I can study mathematics. Math is necessary and sufficient reason, but to know a person, first of all the great person of Jesus, God and man, it takes also the reason, but at the same time, the heart. Only with the opening of the heart to him, only with the knowledge of the whole of what he said and what he did, with our love, with our move towards him, as we know him more and so to experience to be loved. So: listen to the Word of Jesus, listen to the communion of the Church, in her experience and answer our prayers, with our personal conversation with Jesus, where we say what we can not understand our needs, our questions. In a real interview, we find more and more aware of this road, which becomes love. Of course not only think, not only pray, but also make it a part of the way to Jesus: to do good things, commit to the next. There are different paths, each knows their own capabilities in the parish and the community in which he lives, to engage with Christ and for others, for the vitality of the Church, because faith really is strength training of our environment, and so of our time. So, I would say these elements: listen, respond, enter the community of believers, communion with Christ in the sacraments, which is by us, both in the Eucharist, both in the Confession, etc., and, finally, make, make the words of faith so that strength of my life and become truly appears to me the eyes of Jesus and His love helps me, I am transformed.
D. Jesus invited the rich young man to leave everything and follow him, but he went away sad. Also I like him I find it hard to follow, because I'm afraid to leave my things and sometimes the Church asks me the hard sacrifices. Holy Father, how can I find the strength to make courageous decisions and who can help me?
Here, we begin with the word hard for us disclaimers. Cancellations are possible and, eventually, they become attractive if they have a reason and if this justifies why then the difficulty of renunciation. St. Paul used in this context, the image of the Olympics and the athletes for the Olympic Games (cf. 1 Cor 9.24 to 25). He says: They, to finally get a medal - at that time to the crown - they must live a very hard discipline, must give up many things, they must practice and practice in sport that make great sacrifices and because they have a motivation, it's worth it. Although in the end, perhaps, are not among the winners, but it is a good thing to have disciplined himself and being able to do these things with a certain perfection. The same thing applies with this image of St. Paul, for the Olympics, all sports, also applies to all other things in life. A good professional life can not be achieved without sacrifice, without adequate preparation, which always requires a regulatory framework requires that we must give up something, and so on, also in art and in all aspects of life. We all understand that to achieve a goal, both professional and sportsman, both artistic and cultural, we have to give up, learn to move forward. Just the art of living, to be himself, the art of being human demands sacrifices, and sacrifices true, that help us find the way of life, the art of life, there are shown in the Word of God and help us not to fall - say - the abyss of drugs, alcohol, sexual slavery and slavery of money, laziness. All of these things, at first, appear as freedom of action. In fact, there are acts of freedom, but the beginning of a slavery which becomes more and more insurmountable. Being able to give up the temptation of the moment, go to the well creates true freedom and life is precious. In this sense, I think, we see that without a "no" to certain things do not grow the big "yes" to real life, as we see in the figures of saints. Think of St. Francis, we think of the saints of our time, Mother Teresa, Don Gnocchi and many others who have been withdrawn and that they won and are now not only free themselves, but also a treasure for the world and show us how to live . So the question "who helps me," I would say that we help the great figures in the history of the Church, the Word of God helps us, helps the parish community, the movement, volunteering, and so on. And we help the friendships of men that "go ahead", which have already made progress in the way of life and that can convince me that it is walking the right path. Let us ask the Lord to give us more friends, the communities that help us see the good road and find life so beautiful and joyful.
[© Copyright 2010 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana]
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