“Dear young people, aspire to great things, to holiness, wherever you are. Do not settle for less. Then you will see the light of the Gospel grow every day, within you and around you.”

Thus, Pope Leo ended his homily at the Mass for the Jubilee of Young People, which he presided over at Tor Vergata in Rome on Sunday, August 3, before a million pilgrims from all around the world. The previous evening, at a prayer vigil, the Holy Father answered three questions posed by three representatives of the youth, questions that are important to all persons of whatever age.

How can we find sincere friendship and genuine love that leads us to true hope?
Pope Leo replied, “As Saint Augustine says: ‘No friendship is authentic if it is not in Christ. Friendship in Christ is not just helping others build the future; it is our guiding star.’ (…) Dear young people, love one another! Love one another in Christ. Know how to see Jesus in others. Friendship can truly change the world. Friendship is a path to peace.” I would add that, too often, our world vastly undervalues the power of friendship. Jesus himself said to us, “I no longer call you slaves … I have called you friends” (Jn 15:15). The temptation to demand or expect something from another empties friendship of its capacity to reveal the love of Christ. Furthermore, a chaste friendship preserves the focus on the good of another, essential in a friendship rooted in the love of Christ. “Willing the good of the other” (our Christian understanding of love), rather than using another for my emotional or physical gratification, renders friendship among the most telling signs of hope in the world — for the other is my friend for my sake and not as an instrument of his/her needs. It seems to me that the cultural debate that needs to equate same-sex relationships with marriage fails to appreciate that such relationships, when lived chastely, can rise to a very high level of authentic, loving friendships. They don’t need to be marriage (which is reserved to certain relationships only between men and women), for they can already be something quite noble — friendship!

Where do we find the courage to choose?
The Holy Father answered, “The courage to choose comes from love, which God shows us in Christ. It is He who loved us with all of Himself, saving the world and thus showing us that the gift of life is the path to personal fulfillment. Therefore, the encounter with Jesus corresponds to the deepest longings of our hearts, because Jesus is the Love of God made man.” It seems that Pope Leo is reminding us that, when we live in the hope of the unending, unchanging, perfect love of God, we can courageously choose, knowing that, even if our choices are not perfect, we have the guarantee of the perfect love of God for us — our ultimate “safety net” before any of the decisions that life presents us. Even if we fail, God’s love will never fail. That’s the security that gives us the courage to choose!

How can we truly encounter the risen Lord in our lives and be certain of his presence even in times of trial and uncertainty?
In reply, the pope asked the youth, “Do you truly want to encounter the Risen Lord? Listen to His word, which is the Gospel of salvation! Seek justice, renewing your way of life, to build a more humane world! Serve the poor, bearing witness to the good we always desire to receive from our neighbor! Remain united with Jesus in the Eucharist. Adore the Eucharist, the source of eternal life! Study, work, and love in the manner of Jesus, the good Teacher who always walks beside us.” In this reply the pope was recalling two of Jesus’ most comforting teachings. First, the Lord promised, “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt 28:20), a promise our faith has taught, is confirmed in our ongoing encounter with the Lord in the word of God and the Sacraments, where Jesus has promised he can be found. Second, Jesus taught, “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25:40). In this promise, he reminded us that we will literally see his face in the face of the least among us. So, when we read the word of God, participate in the sacraments of the Church, and then serve the Lord in the least, we will encounter the Risen Lord! These are our sure and certain paths to the Risen Lord, especially in times of trial and uncertainty.

May these encouraging responses by Pope Leo XIV to the questions of the youth also be a source of hope to all of us, of any age, who aspire to be children of God. By following the counsel of our Holy Father, let’s not settle for anything less than the great thing that is holiness, becoming persons who reflect the very life of Christ!