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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis delivered the homily at Mass in Krakow, Poland, on Sunday - World Youth Day - for a crowd of pilgrim faithful estimated at upward of one million people. The theme of the Holy Father's remarks to the gathered youth was how to overcome obstacles to building a real relationship with Jesus - whether they be obstacles that arise in one's own soul or obstacles one will inevitably encounter in the world and in society. 

Below, please find the full text of Pope Francis' prepared remarks
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Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis
Mass for World Youth Day
Krakow, Campus Misericordiae, 31 July 2016

Dear young people, you have come to Krakow to meet Jesus. Today’s Gospel speaks to us of just such a meeting between Jesus and a man named Zacchaeus, in Jericho (cf. Lk 19:1-10). There Jesus does not simply preach or greet people; as the Evangelist tells us, he passed through the city (v. 1).  In other words, Jesus wants to draw near to us personally, to accompany our journey to its end, so that his life and our life can truly meet.

An amazing encounter then takes place, with Zacchaeus, the chief “publican” or tax collector. Zacchaeus was thus a wealthy collaborator of the hated Roman occupiers, someone who exploited his own people, someone who, because of his ill repute, could not even approach the Master. His encounter with Jesus changed his life, just as it has changed, and can daily still change, each of our lives.  But Zacchaeus had to face a number of obstacles in order to meet Jesus. At least three of these can also say something to us.

The first obstacle is smallness of stature. Zacchaeus couldn’t see the Master because he was little. Even today we can risk not getting close to Jesus because we don’t feel big enough, because we don’t think ourselves worthy. This is a great temptation; it has to do not only with self-esteem, but with faith itself.  For faith tells us that we are “children of God… that is what we are” (1 Jn 3:1). We have been created in God’s own image; Jesus has taken upon himself our humanity and his heart will never be separated from us; the Holy Spirit wants to dwell within us. We have been called to be happy for ever with God! 

That is our real “stature”, our spiritual identity: we are God’s beloved children, always. So you can see that not to accept ourselves, to live glumly, to be negative, means not to recognize our deepest identity. It is like walking away when God wants to look at me, trying to spoil his dream for me. God loves us the way we are, and no sin, fault or mistake of ours makes him change his mind. As far as Jesus is concerned – as the Gospel shows – no one is unworthy of, or far from, his thoughts. No one is insignificant. He loves all of us with a special love; for him all of us are important: you are important! God counts on you for what you are, not for what you possess. In his eyes the clothes you wear or the kind of cell phone you use are of absolutely no concern. He doesn’t care whether you are stylish or not; he cares about you!  In his eyes, you are precious, and your value is inestimable.

At times in our lives, we aim lower rather than higher. At those times, it is good to realize that God remains faithful, even obstinate, in his love for us. The fact is, he loves us even more than we love ourselves. He believes in us even more than we believe in ourselves. He is always “cheering us on”; he is our biggest fan. He is there for us, waiting with patience and hope, even when we turn in on ourselves and brood over our troubles and past injuries. But such brooding is unworthy of our spiritual stature! It is a kind of virus infecting and blocking everything; it closes doors and prevents us from getting up and starting over.  God, on the other hand, is hopelessly hopeful!  He believes that we can always get up, and he hates to see us glum and gloomy. Because we are always his beloved sons and daughters. Let us be mindful of this at the dawn of each new day.  It will do us good to pray every morning: “Lord, I thank you for loving me; help me to be in love with my own life!” Not with my faults, that need to be corrected, but with life itself, which is a great gift, for it is a time to love and to be loved.

Zacchaeus faced a second obstacle in meeting Jesus: the paralysis of shame. We can imagine what was going on in his heart before he climbed that sycamore. It must have been quite a struggle – on one hand, a healthy curiosity and desire to know Jesus; on the other, the risk of appearing completely ridiculous. Zacchaeus was public figure, a man of power. He knew that, in trying to climb that tree, he would have become a laughingstock to all.  Yet he mastered his shame, because the attraction of Jesus was more powerful. You know what happens when someone is so attractive that we fall in love with them: we end up ready to do things we would never have even thought of doing. Something similar took place in the heart of Zacchaeus, when he realized that Jesus was so important that he would do anything for him, since Jesus alone could pull him out of the mire of sin and discontent. The paralysis of shame did not have the upper hand. The Gospel tells us that Zacchaeus “ran ahead”, “climbed” the tree, and then, when Jesus called him, he “hurried down” (vv. 4, 6). He took a risk, he put his life on the line. For us too, this is the secret of joy: not to stifle a healthy curiosity, but to take a risk, because life is not meant to be tucked away. When it comes to Jesus, we cannot sit around waiting with arms folded; he offers us life – we can’t respond by thinking about it or “texting” a few words!

Dear young friends, don’t be ashamed to bring everything to the Lord in confession, especially your weaknesses, your struggles and your sins. He will surprise you with his forgiveness and his peace. Don’t be afraid to say “yes” to him with all your heart, to respond generously and to follow him! Don’t let your soul grow numb, but aim for the goal of a beautiful love which also demands sacrifice. Say a firm “no” to the narcotic of success at any cost and the sedative of worrying only about yourself and your own comfort.

After his small stature and the paralysis of shame, there was a third obstacle that Zacchaeus had to face.  It was no longer an interior one, but was all around him. It was the grumbling of the crowd, who first blocked him and then criticized him: How could Jesus have entered his house, the house of a sinner!  How truly hard it is to welcome Jesus, how hard it is to accept a “God who is rich in mercy” (Eph 2:4)! People will try to block you, to make you think that God is distant, rigid and insensitive, good to the good and bad to the bad. Instead, our heavenly Father “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good” (Mt 5:45). He demands of us real courage: the courage to be more powerful than evil by loving everyone, even our enemies. People may laugh at you because you believe in the gentle and unassuming power of mercy. But do not be afraid. Think of the motto of these days: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” (Mt 5:7). People may judge you to be dreamers, because you believe in a new humanity, one that rejects hatred between peoples, one that refuses to see borders as barriers and can cherish its own traditions without being self-centred or small-minded. Don’t be discouraged: with a smile and open arms, you proclaim hope and you are a blessing for our one human family, which here you represent so beautifully!

That day the crowd judged Zacchaeus; they looked him over, up and down. But Jesus did otherwise: he gazed up at him (v. 5). Jesus looks beyond the faults and sees the person. He does not halt before bygone evil, but sees future good. His gaze remains constant, even when it is not met; it seeks the way of unity and communion.  In no case does it halt at appearances, but looks to the heart. With this gaze of Jesus, you can help bring about another humanity, without looking for acknowledgement but seeking goodness for its own sake, content to maintain a pure heart and to fight peaceably for honesty and justice. Don’t stop at the surface of things; distrust the worldly cult of appearances, cosmetic attempts to improve our looks. Instead, “download” the best “link” of all, that of a heart which sees and transmits goodness without growing weary. The joy that you have freely received from God, freely give away (cf. Mt 10:8): so many people are waiting for it!

Finally let us listen to the words that Jesus spoke to Zacchaeus, which to be seem meant for us today: “Come down, for I must stay at your house today” (v. 5).  Jesus extends the same invitation to you: “I must stay at your house today”. We can say that World Youth Day begins today and continues tomorrow, in your homes, since that is where Jesus wants to meet you from now on. The Lord doesn’t want to remain in this beautiful city, or in cherished memories alone. He wants to enter your homes, to dwell in your daily lives: in your studies, your first years of work, your friendships and affections, your hopes and dreams. How greatly he desires that you bring all this to him in prayer! How much he hopes that, in all the “contacts” and “chats” of each day, pride of place be given to the golden thread of prayer! How much he wants his word to be able to speak to you day after day, so that you can make his Gospel your own, so that it can serve as a compass for you on the highways of life!

In asking to come to your house, Jesus calls you, as he did Zacchaeus, by name. Your name is precious to him. The name “Zacchaeus” would have made people back the think of the remembrance of God. Trust the memory of God: his memory is not a “hard disk” that “saves” and “archives” all our data, but a heart filled with tender compassion, one that finds joy in “erasing” in us every trace of evil. May we too now try to imitate the faithful memory of God and treasure the good things we have received in these days. In silence, let us remember this encounter, let us preserve the memory of the presence of God and his word, and let us listen once more to the voice of Jesus as he calls us by name. So let us now pray silently, remembering and thanking the Lord wanted us to be here and has come here to meet us.

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday announced that Panama is to host the 2019 edition of World Youth Day. He made the announcement at the conclusion of the closing Mass for WYD Krakow 2016, just ahead of the Angelus prayer.

The full text of the Holy Father's prepared remarks, including the announcement, can be found below

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At the conclusion of this celebration, I join all of you in thanking God, the Father of infinite mercy, for allowing us to experience this World Youth Day.  I thank Cardinal Dziwisz and Cardinal Rylko for their kind words and especially for the work and prayer with which they have prepared for this event.  I also thank all those who have contributed to its successful outcome.  Also, a big word of thanks goes to you, dear young people!  You filled Krakow with the contagious enthusiasm of your faith.  Saint John Paul II has rejoiced from heaven, and he will help you spread the joy of the Gospel everywhere.

In these days, we have experienced the beauty of our universal fraternity in Christ, the centre and hope of our lives.  We have heard his voice, the voice of the Good Shepherd who dwells in our midst.  He has spoken to each of you in your heart.  He has renewed you by his love and he has shown you the light of his forgiveness, the power of his grace.  He has made you experience the reality of prayer.  These days have given you a spiritual “breath of fresh air” that will help you live lives of mercy once you return to your own countries and communities.

Here, beside the altar, is the image of the Virgin Mary venerated by Saint John Paul II in the shrine of Kalwaria.  Mary, our Mother, teaches us how we can make our experience here in Poland be productive.  She tells us to do what she did: not to squander the gift you have received, but to treasure it in your heart so it can grow and bear fruit, with the help of the Holy Spirit.  In this way, each of you, for all your limitations and failings, can be a witness to Christ wherever you live: at home, in your parishes, in your associations and groups, and your places of study, work, service, entertainment… wherever God’s providence will lead you.

 God’s providence is always one step ahead of us.  Think: it has already determined the next stop in this great pilgrimage begun in 1985 by Saint John Paul II!  So now I am happy to announce that the next World Youth Day – after the two that will be held on the diocesan level – will take place in 2019 in Panama.

Trusting in the intercession of Mary, let us ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten and sustain the journey of young people in the Church and in the world, and make you disciples and witnesses to God’s mercy.

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis visited Krakow’s Jesuit community on Saturday afternoon. Though not on the official programme, the visit was not entirely a surprise: indeed calls to local Jesuit houses have become something of a regular feature of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Journeys. 

One of the Jesuits on hand for the visit was the head of Vatican Radio’s Polish-language service, Fr. Leszek Gesiak, SJ. He told us the meeting was more than an occasion to exchange pleasantries.

Click below to hear Lydia O'Kane's extended conversation with Fr. Fr. Leszek Gesiak, SJ, of Vatican Radio's Polish language service

“He was very open [to] our ideas,” said Fr. Gesiak, “it was a kind of ‘exchange of ideas’ – ‘exchange of visions’,” he added, explaining that the Jesuits described their work in the country to the Holy Father in some detail, especially their work in secondary education and in higher education.

It was, finally, a chance for the Holy Father to feel “at home” among his confreres in religion. “He gave us the feeling that he is our brother – our Jesuit brother,” said Fr. Gesiak. “It was something very important and very strong.”  

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In concluding the World Youth Day (WYD) in Krakow, Poland this Sunday, Pope Francis has further entrenched World Youth Day firmly as a fixture of the universal Church every three years.

WYD is an enduring legacy of Pope Saint John Paul II. It is especially significant that this year’s celebration took place in Pope Saint John Paul II’s Poland.

Reflecting on this legacy with Vatican Radio, Cardinal Francis Arinze, the Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in the Vatican took note of the added dimension to this year’s WYD in Krakow.

“There is another dimension to the World Youth Day this year because it is celebrated in Krakow. That is the place where St. Faustina was chosen by our Lord to be the Apostle of his Divine Mercy. The devotion to the Divine Mercy has since spread like wildfire, “Cardinal Arinze said.

According to Cardinal Arinze, Pope Saint John Paul II loved young people and young people knew this.

“Pope St. John Paul II instituted WYD in 1985. It was he who began this big event. It was his idea and it is clear he loved young people, and young people knew that very well. They wanted to follow him. They listened to him. They made great sacrifices to be with him. He too made great sacrifices to be with them,”Cardinal Arinze reminisced.

Cardinal Arinze would like young people to honour the memory of Pope Saint John Paul II by being bridge builders. He said he was aware that many people from Africa and other parts of the world would have loved to be in Poland this week but were not able to attend for various reasons. However, young people can still make a difference wherever they are, Cardinal Arinze says. He believes that young people must be at the forefront of promoting reconciliation and that young people should do everything possible to mend broken relations.

 (Paul Samasumo, Vatican Radio)

Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va

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Krakow, Poland, Jul 31, 2016 / 03:19 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Our true identity cannot be lived out in glum negativity, but only in the knowledge that, in God's eyes, our value cannot be measured; no one is insignificant. Pope Francis made these remarks on Sunday to at least 1.5 million young people gathered in Krakow for the final Mass of World Youth Day (WYD).

“God loves us the way we are, and no sin, fault or mistake of ours makes him change his mind,” the Pope said in his homily to the crowds of young people who filled Polish city's “Campus Misericordiae” – or “Field of Mercy.”

“No one is insignificant,” the pontiff said. “He loves all of us with a special love; for him all of us are important: you are important!”

“In his eyes, you are precious, and your value is inestimable.”

In contrast, to not “accept ourselves, to live glumly, to be negative, means not to recognize our deepest identity,” he said. “It is like walking away when God wants to look at me, trying to spoil his dream for me,”

Sunday's Mass was the final major event of WYD in Krakow, and marks the end of the Pope's July 27-31 visit to Poland.

Pope Francis centered his address on the day's Gospel account of Jesus' encounter with the tax collector Zacchaeus, a man despised by the Jews for his collaboration with the Romans.

The scene demonstrates how Jesus does not simply want to “greet” people, the Pope said. Rather, he “wants to draw near to us personally, to accompany our journey to its end, so that his life and our life can truly meet.”

There were several key obstacles which Zacchaeus had to overcome in approaching Jesus, the pontiff explained, the first his being so physically small that he had difficulty seeing Jesus in the crowd.

“Even today we can risk not getting close to Jesus because we don’t feel big enough, because we don’t think ourselves worthy,” the Pope said. “This is a great temptation; it has to do not only with self-esteem, but with faith itself.”

“We have been created in God’s own image; Jesus has taken upon himself our humanity and his heart will never be separated from us; the Holy Spirit wants to dwell within us. We have been called to be happy for ever with God!”

Francis explained that our true “stature” is found in our spiritual identity: that is, in the fact that we “are God’s beloved children, always.”

“Not to accept ourselves, to live glumly, to be negative, means not to recognize our deepest identity,” he said. “It is like walking away when God wants to look at me, trying to spoil his dream for me.”

The Pope added that “God loves us the way we are, and no sin, fault or mistake of ours makes him change his mind.”

“No one is insignificant. He loves all of us with a special love; for him all of us are important: you are important!”

God is not concerned about whether you are stylish or what kind of phone you have, Pope Francis said. “In his eyes, you are precious, and your value is inestimable.”

“He believes in us even more than we believe in ourselves. He is always “cheering us on”; he is our biggest fan.”

However, to brood over our problems or “past injuries,” the pontiff said, “is unworthy of our spiritual stature!”

“It is a kind of virus infecting and blocking everything; it closes doors and prevents us from getting up and starting over. God, on the other hand, is hopelessly hopeful!”

Francis encouraged the youth in their awareness of being God's beloved sons and daughters, end recommended that they pray every morning: “Lord, I thank you for loving me; help me to be in love with my own life!”

Another obstacle Zacchaeus faced was his shame before Jesus. “It must have been quite a struggle – on one hand, a healthy curiosity and desire to know Jesus; on the other, the risk of appearing completely ridiculous.”

However, the “attraction of Jesus was more powerful” than Zacchaeus' shame, the Pope said, comparing his encounter to that of someone who behaves in unexpected ways upon falling in love.

“For us too, this is the secret of joy: not to stifle a healthy curiosity, but to take a risk, because life is not meant to be tucked away,” he said.

However, Francis explained we cannot wait around when Jesus “offers us life – we can’t respond by thinking about it or 'texting' a few words!”

The Pope went on to encourage young people to not be ashamed of bringing everything to the sacrament of confession, “especially your weaknesses, your struggles and your sins.”

“He will surprise you with his forgiveness and his peace,” he said.

Pope Francis challenged young people to not let their “soul become numb,” but to say without fear “yes” to Jesus, aiming for “the goal of a beautiful love which also demands sacrifice.”

Finally, the third obstacle which  Zacchaeus faced came from the crowds, their judgment of him on account of his profession, and of Jesus for his willingness to enter the house of a sinner.

“People will try to block you, to make you think that God is distant, rigid and insensitive, good to the good and bad to the bad,” he said.

Instead, Jesus “demands of us real courage: the courage to be more powerful than evil by loving everyone, even our enemies.”

Although people may laugh at you, or judge you for being dreamers, “do not be afraid,” Pope Francis said. “Don’t be discouraged: with a smile and open arms, you proclaim hope and you are a blessing for our one human family, which here you represent so beautifully!

Unlike the crowds who looked on Zacchaeus with judgement , Jesus “gazed up at him,” the Pope said.

“Jesus looks beyond the faults and sees the person,” and sees the “future good,” he said. This “gaze remains constant, even when it is not met; it seeks the way of unity and communion.

Pope Francis said WYD begins today, but “continues tomorrow, in your homes, since that is where Jesus wants to meet you from now on.”

God does not want young people to remain in the beautiful city of Krakow or in their “cherished memories” of the place.

Rather, “he wants to enter your homes, to dwell in your daily lives: in your studies, your first years of work, your friendships and affections, your hopes and dreams.”

“How greatly he desires that you bring all this to him in prayer!”

Francis reminded young people that Jesus calls them by name, as he did Zacchaeus. “Your name is precious to him,” he said.

“May we too now try to imitate the faithful memory of God and treasure the good things we have received in these days,” the Pope concluded.  

“In silence, let us remember this encounter, let us preserve the memory of the presence of God and his word, and let us listen once more to the voice of Jesus as he calls us by name.”

 

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Krakow, Poland, Jul 31, 2016 / 03:28 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Sunday Pope Francis officially closed WYD in Krakow, thanking the thousands of youth who traveled across the world to participate, and announced that the next global encounter will take place in Panama.

“I am happy to announce that the next World Youth Day – after the two that will be held on the diocesan level – will take place in 2019 in Panama,” the Pope said July 31.

He made the announcement after celebrating the closing Mass for the July 26-31 WYD event in Krakow, and before leading youth in the traditional Marian Angelus prayer.

Rumors on where the next WYD would take place centered primarily on either Asia or Africa in the lead-up to the Krakow gathering, making the announcement of Panama to a certain extent unexpected, at least among the youth. However, according to one local, the country could use it.

Aquilino, 40, from Panama City, was leading a group of youth from his hometown during the Krakow encounter. He told CNA in an interview that for him, the biggest takeaway from the event has been “faith and love,” which he said are badly needed both by his home country of Panama and by the whole world.

Events like WYD, he said, “show to the word the unity of the church, and the strength of the youth of the world…It’s very important that people around the world can see what has happened here.”

He also voiced his hope that the young people he’s traveling with bring the fruits of this World Youth Day back home.

“I hope that the youngest of my group can live this experience and transmit all that they have learned here with their classmates and their families,” he said.

While Krakow is likely to be his last time leading a group on pilgrimage to WYD, Aquilino will “of course” participate in the Panama gathering.

 

Pilgrims from Panama, the host of the next World Youth Day in 2019! #thanksWYD #PopeinPL pic.twitter.com/kvrvzwGBwr

— Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) July 31, 2016


 

In his address before reciting the Angelus, Pope Francis thanked Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, Archbishop of Krakow, for his service in hosting the event, and he also thanked the youth themselves for their presence and their faith.

“You filled Krakow with the contagious enthusiasm of your faith. Saint John Paul II has rejoiced from heaven, and he will help you spread the joy of the Gospel everywhere,” Francis said.

After spending several days in prayer and fraternity, the youth have received “a spiritual ‘breath of fresh air,’” he said, which will help them to “live lives of mercy once you return to your own countries and communities.”
 
Pope Francis pointed to an image of the Virgin Mary behind the altar which had been venerated by  St. John Paul II at the Shrine of Kalwaria. Mary, he said, can show WYD participants how to make their experience “productive.”

“She tells us to do what she did: not to squander the gift you have received, but to treasure it in your heart so it can grow and bear fruit, with the help of the Holy Spirit.”

By doing this, each person, with all their faults and limitations, “can be a witness to Christ wherever you live: at home, in your parishes, in your associations and groups, and your places of study, work, service, entertainment…wherever God’s providence will lead you.”

He closed his address by asking Holy Spirit to “to enlighten and sustain” the journey of youth in the Church and throughout the world, so that they may become both disciples and witnesses of God’s mercy.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pilgrims from Panama celebrate as their country is announced the next host for World Youth Day! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThanksWYD?src=hash">#ThanksWYD</a> <a href="https://t.co/FpIabIvIhY">https://t.co/FpIabIvIhY</a></p>&mdash; Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) <a href="https://twitter.com/cnalive/status/759688712523509760">July 31, 2016</a></blockquote>
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