Pope Francis arrives at encounter with young people and organizers of ‘Alpha Camp’ (Vatican Media)
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
August 8 2022
Pope Francis reassures young people of Alpha Camp that Jesus is their friend, their companion, whom they should turn to always, and says that God loves questions.
May Jesus become “your great friend,” “your companion along the way,” and “life,” Pope Francis has told young people.
The Holy Father’s remarks came in his audience with the young people of the ‘Alpha Camp’ he received on Friday.
Alpha Camp is a Church-sponsored week-long camp for young people in Central Italy, dedicated to exploring life, faith and meaning.
The Pope recognized that those before him must have countless questions, and urged them to bring them forth, as “God loves questions.”
Christ never abandons you and will restore you
The Holy Father reminded the youth before him of his Apostolic Exhortation to the world’s young people Christus vivit where he encourages them to treasure their relationship with Christ.
“I started with these words: ‘Christ is alive! He is our hope. In a wonderful way, He brings youth to our world and everything He touches becomes young, new and full of life… Christ is alive and He wants you to be alive!”
Jesus is your friend
In the Pope’s address, he stressed to those gathered that Jesus, is not a ‘moral precept’ but a person and friend, who is close to them.
He encouraged them to turn to Him as such, and added that they should always be led by Him.
When faced with the evil that is within us and around us, the Pope insisted that we are not to evade reality nor close in on ourselves, but to shoulder, each one of us, our own share of responsibility.
Jesus, he recalled, tells us to bear “our own cross” with love and with joy.
Jesus loves us more than we do ourselves
Knowing Jesus helps us to bear our daily crosses, the Pope said, gives us true peace and security.
The Holy Father recalled that when he was a young person too, at age 17, his relationship with Christ became so strong that he discovered his own vocation to be a priest.
Pope Francis suggested that it is never too early to be led and have a strong, fruitful relationship with Jesus.
He reminded them of Italian Blessed, Carlo Acutis, who died at only 17 years old.
Acutis fell in love with Christ when he received the sacrament of his first Holy Communion as a little child.
May Jesus become your great friend and life
Carlo’s relationship with Christ, the Pope suggested, not only inspired the incredible work in technology that he was able to complete during his short life, but stirred Acutis’ holy life which culminated in his path toward sainthood.
Pope Francis concluded by telling the young people to treasure their relationship and cultivate truly a friendship, with Jesus.
