Pope Francis asserted that the future belongs to young people who have two qualities: “wings and roots,” in his meeting this Saturday at the Vatican with more than 250 young members of the Catholic movement Teams of Our Lady (ENS).
“The future belongs to the young. Be careful though! The future belongs to young people who possess two qualities: wings and roots. Wings to fly, dream and create; and roots to absorb from the elders the wisdom they can offer you. So ask yourselves: what kind of wings do I have?”, the Holy Father said on 6 August, in his speech promulgated in Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace.
The Teams of Our Lady Youth (ENS Youth) were born in 1976, from a group of young children of married couples belonging to ENS, who responded to the need to follow the call of Jesus “come and follow me”.
During the audience, Pope Francis recalled that “for Jesus, every young person is a source of hope: the hope of friendship, the hope of walking together, the hope of undertaking the mission together”.
“Each one of you is also a source of hope for the Church,” he stressed.
“In particular, they are a source of hope for the ENS ecclesial movement, an excellent initiative for couples and families. You, its young members, according to your statutes, commit to living according to the principles of Catholic doctrine, getting to know it better and better in order to grow in the relationship with Christ and the Virgin Mary, and feel your call to be missionaries in everyday life,” the Pope continued.
Pope Francis reminds young people that they are a team
At another point in his speech, Pope Francis reminded the young people that they are a team and that this is “a great gift”, because “Our Lord saves us by making us a people, his people”.
“Don’t let the world make you think you’re better off alone. By yourself, perhaps you can achieve some success. But you will be missing out on love, fellowship, being part of a people and living the invaluable experience of dreaming together, taking risks together, suffering together, and celebrating together,” he recalled.
Pope Francis asks young people to entrust themselves to the Virgin Mary. “Whenever we welcome Mary, our Mother, into our lives, the center, which is the Lord, is never lost. Because Our Lady never points to herself, but to Jesus and to our brothers and sisters,” the Pope recalled.
He also stressed that “Jesus gave us his Mother, to be the Mother of every disciple.”
“I encourage you to entrust yourselves each day to the Virgin Mary. She will also help them grow as a team, sharing the gifts received in a spirit of dialogue and mutual acceptance. Our Lady will help you to have a generous heart, to discover the joy of freely serving others, as She herself did when she went to visit Saint Elizabeth”, was the request of Pope Francis.
Pope Francis invites adults and married couples to be witnesses of the love of Jesus
Finally, Pope Francis addressed the adults, married couples, and chaplains who accompany young people on the journey.
“May they always see you as witnesses, serene and simple, witnesses of love for Christ and the Church, witnesses willing to listen and dialogue, witnesses of generous and gratuitous service, witnesses of prayer. Thank you for being present together with these young people, and for the time and care that you dedicate to them”, the Holy Father concluded.