{"id":4436,"date":"2013-10-04T20:25:00","date_gmt":"2013-10-04T20:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/pope-francis-entreats-youth-not-to-fear-commitment\/"},"modified":"2013-10-04T20:25:00","modified_gmt":"2013-10-04T20:25:00","slug":"pope-francis-entreats-youth-not-to-fear-commitment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/10\/pope-francis-entreats-youth-not-to-fear-commitment\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope Francis entreats youth not to fear commitment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Assisi, Italy, Oct 4, 2013 \/ 02:25 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Pope Francis concluded his one-day pilgrimage to Assisi with a visit to young people, encouraging them to reject a \u201cprovisional culture\u201d that fears making definitive commitments.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI want to tell you not to be afraid of taking definitive steps in life,\u201d he said to the cheering crowds of youth on Oct. 4. \u201cJesus didn't save us provisionally, he saved us definitively!\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe Pope spoke of how both the married and consecrated life are vocations from God.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cTwo Christians who marry have recognized in their story of love the call of the Lord,\u201d he said. \u201cThe sacrament of matrimony envelops this (human) love in the grace of God, rooting it in God himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tGod also offers a different call \u201cto celibacy and to virginity for the kingdom of heaven\u201d which is \u201ccomplementary\u201d to marriage, he continued.<\/p>\n

\tEach vocation, however, comes with the risk of making a commitment, which so many are afraid to do today.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\tPope Francis recounted the story of one very good seminarian who told him, \u201cI want to be a priest, but only for ten years.\u201d He also noted how many mothers approach him and say, \u201cI have a son who is 30, and he isn't married: I don't know what to do!\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI tell them: stop doing his ironing!\u201d quipped the Pope with a laugh.<\/p>\n

\tHe grew more serious, however, as he spoke of the \u201cselfishness\u201d that is so pervasive in our \u201cprovisional culture\u201d which causes people to leave a marriage when they no longer \u201cfeel love.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tSurety in any vocation comes from a relationship with the Lord in which one prays daily, \u201clistening to him in silence in front of the tabernacle and in our own souls, speaking to him, approaching the sacraments.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tAbove all, the Holy Father stressed, it is crucial to remember that a vocation is a \u201cyes\u201d to God especially when so many see consecrated life as a \u201cno\u201d because of the sacrifices entailed.<\/p>\n

\tPope Francis acknowledged that virginity for the sake of the kingdom \u201cinvolves the renunciation of a marital bond and one's own family, but at the core, it is a 'yes', as a response to the total 'yes' of Christ toward us, and this 'yes' bears fruit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThis fruit comes in the work of evangelization, which \u201cdoes not apply only to religion\u201d but to \u201cthe world, society, and human civilization\u201d because \u201cevery one of us needs salvation!\u201d exclaimed the Pope.<\/p>\n

\tThe good news of salvation, he said, is that \u201cGod is much bigger than evil: God is infinite love, mercy without limit, and this Love has overcome evil at its root in the death and resurrection of Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tOur response to that good news must entail our belief carried out in life. The Christian has \u201cone mission: to carry the Gospel with the witness of our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tSpeaking personally, the Pope added, \u201cif I don't succeed at being a servant of the Gospel, my life isn't worth anything!\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHis pilgrimage to Assisi on Friday included speeches to bishops and religious as well as visits to holy sites such as the baptismal font where Saints Francis and Clare received the sacrament, and the tiny Church which St. Francis rebuilt in response to God's call. Pope Francis stopped to pray silently there before speaking to the enthusiastic youth.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Assisi, Italy, Oct 4, 2013 \/ 02:25 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- Pope Francis concluded his one-day pilgrimage to Assisi with a visit to young people, encouraging them to reject a “provisional culture” that fears making definitive commitments.<\/p>\n

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