Moysés Azevedo, founder of the Catholic Community Shalom, is in Rome for the Jubilee of the Youth. During his time in the Eternal City, he met with pilgrims from Shalom Youth at “All Together,” an event promoted by the Community at the Church of Santa Maria Immacolata and San Giovanni Berchmans.
Present at the event were young people from the Shalom Work from various countries: Poland, Germany, Croatia, Portugal, Spain, Hungary, the United States, and Canada, among others.
3 recommendations from Moysés to the young pilgrims
“What did you come here to Rome for?” With this question, Moysés began his message, leaving three fundamental recommendations for the youth:
- Fix your gaze on Jesus
“In these days of grace and celebration, there is an even greater grace that brought us here — a grace that transcends us. Fix your eyes on Jesus!” - Unite your heart with the Church
“It is time to realize that the Church is our home. Despite human weaknesses, it is eternal. Look around: we are all disciples of Jesus, walking together. The Church has a young face and needs our yes.” - Listen to the words of Pope Leo XIV
“In these days in which the Church is experiencing one of the greatest gatherings of Catholic youth, pay attention to the words of Pope Leo.”
Christian hope has a name: Jesus
Pope Leo XIV’s appeal to the youth at the opening of the Jubilee was to be signs of hope. “In the coming days, you will have the opportunity to be a force that brings God’s grace, a message of hope, a light for the city of Rome, for Italy, and for the whole world.”
Recalling this, Moysés affirmed that Christian hope is not an abstract idea. “Hope is a person: Jesus Christ, who died and rose again to give us a hope that does not disappoint. The world’s hope deceives, but Christ’s hope is true and leads us to fullness of life.”
The founder also recalled that the image of hope, according to Sacred Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, is an anchor. “The sailor throws his anchor to the bottom of the sea, but the Christian casts his anchor to heaven. That’s where we fix our eyes and our hearts: on eternity.”
The peace of following Jesus
Another aspect of the pope’s message that Moysés emphasized was the call to peace.
“And where does peace begin? It begins inside, in each one’s heart. There is no following of Jesus without prayer. Peace is built through a life reconciled with God, with others, and through works of mercy.”
Being the force that brings God’s grace
To “be the force that brings God’s grace,” Moysés highlighted the importance of following Jesus. He emphasized that the way of Jesus is the cross. “Living the cross means losing your life, ceasing to live for yourself. But on the other side of the cross, we find fullness of life. True happiness.”
Having the courage to give everything
In closing, Moysés encouraged the youth to offer their lives for evangelization by sharing the story “The Beggar” by Rabindranath Tagore, an Indian poet and playwright.
The story tells of a beggar, accustomed to always asking, who is surprised when a king asks what he has to give. The beggar picks the smallest grain he has in his bag and gives it to the king, and is surprised in the end to find a tiny gold grain after the king’s departure.
“With what bitterness I wept for not having had the courage to give everything…,” the beggar laments.
