Anchor example
With the symbolism of an anchor, the founder taught the youth about the importance of hope being grounded in the Lord.
“Hope for us Christians has a first and last name: Jesus Christ. He is the source of our hope.”
He explained to the young people that the anchor is dropped to the bottom of the sea so that, in storms, the boat will rock but not sink. “The Christian’s anchor is not dropped below the seabed, it’s different. The Christian’s hope is in eternity, in heaven,” he says.
Moysés brought up the example of the Vietnamese martyr Paul Le-Bao-Thin, who during his tribulations said: “Immersed in these torments by the grace of God, I feel joyful and happy, I am not alone, but I am with Christ. In the midst of the storms, I throw out the anchor that allows me to reach the heavens: hope”.
He assured the audience that, through the power of Christ’s resurrection, everything can be transformed. And he recalled the words of St. John Paul II:
“Hope is born of trust in three truths: “God is omnipotent, God loves me immensely and God is faithful to his promises. And it is he, the God of mercy, who ignites trust in me; that is why I feel neither alone, nor useless, nor abandoned, but integrated into a plan of salvation, which will one day lead me to Paradise.”
Hope was also presented to the young people in the perspective of starting again: “Only after the trial will we not start again. Until then, we always start again. That’s all we do: start again. This is precisely the path of Christianity. Abandonment to grace is ultimately the lifeblood of Hope.” Charles Peguy.
Desire for God
Moysés also spoke to the young people about loneliness, consoling them by saying that they are never alone and that they shouldn’t fear life, because God has a plan for their lives.
Praying for those who have had an experience with God is a necessity. But what do you do when you find it difficult to pray?
“What we need to ask in order to be praying young people is: Holy Spirit, increase the desire for God in me. Prayer does that, it expands my heart,” Moysés assured us.
He recalled Pope Francis’ words on prayer during his audience with the Community on the occasion of the 2022 Convention:
“First of all, if we remain in him through prayer, listening to the Word, adoration, the Rosary, then the lymph of the Holy Spirit passes from him into us and we can persevere.”
Three things that can get in the way of a prayer life:
- rationalism;
- self-indulgence;
- worldliness.
Moysés also said that we (Shalom) cannot be indifferent to the pain of humanity and that the secret to happiness is not to live for oneself, but for God and others.
For him, every generation needs to be evangelized starting from the person of Jesus Christ. “That’s why we are missionaries. God has called you to a mission”.
What do you have to give me?
Like a father who sits down with his children to talk, Moysés sat on the stage and invited the pilgrims to approach him. He then told them a story by the Indian poet Tagore. The story tells of a meeting between a prince and a beggar who, on hearing that the prince was approaching, expected to receive money, until he was surprised by a question: “What do you have to give me?”. The man, who had breadcrumbs in his pocket, gave the smallest of them to the king. After the prince had said goodbye, he realized that it had become a grain of gold in his pocket.
“Don’t give crumbs to God, lest in the future you cry bitterly because you didn’t have the courage to give yourself entirely. Giving yourself to God is a source of life and happiness. What’s your answer? In this SYC, where the King is passing you by, don’t be afraid to allow God’s grace to change the style of your life. May you have a divine style of living for Him and for others.”
After the sermon, the founder led a moment of prayer that is already a tradition at the Shalom Youth Congress, where pilgrims carry a flowered cross to the stage.
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What is your answer to Jesus?
If your heart is burning with missionary desire, take a step of courage, access this form and find out more about the discernment process for missionary sending in the Shalom Community.
The SYC continues
We’ve reached the last day of the SYC, but you can still watch the sermons, Masses, moments of prayer and adoration for a month on the Shalom Play video platform.
Information:
Shalom International Youth Congress
Date: October 10-13
Venue: Olympic Training Center (CFO)
Address: Av. Alberto Craveiro (Castelão), Fortaleza-CE.
Registration: here
More information: comshalom.org/cjs35anos
