On the day dedicated to the youth, Archbishop Makarios of Australia called youth “a blessed period of our earthly life… yet also vulnerable,” warning against “the snare of discouragement… compromise, and ultimately… isolation.”
“Christ is the answer to every question connected with what is good, peaceful, and full of hope,” the Archbishop stressed, adding that “when one walks with Christ… one strives to share with others the light that has flooded one’s soul… without losing hope… without compromising.”
He urged the faithful to “stand by [young people] with love and understanding… not by controlling, but by inspiring… reflecting the light of our faith through our good works.”
The Archdiocese, he said, “will never cease to listen to the concerns of our youth… to support them… [and] to encourage them to strive courageously for the fulfillment of their noble visions.”
Read the message from Archbishop Makarios of Australia for International Youth Day
Today is dedicated to the “blossom” of our society—our young men and women. To those noble souls who, despite the harshness of the times and the many distractions they face, keep alight within themselves the flame of purity, innocence, and hope. To those souls who, more than we older ones, envision a world without injustice, exploitation, and violence—a peaceful world.
Indeed, youth is a blessed period of our earthly life. Blessed, yet also vulnerable. For it is threatened by the snare of discouragement, which in turn leads to abandoning lofty goals, to compromise, and ultimately to isolation. How can we help our youth continue to “fight the good fight,” without yielding to individualism and selfishness?
Christ is the answer to every question connected with what is good, peaceful, and full of hope. When one walks with Christ, one travels along a bright path—even if everything around has been plunged into darkness. When one walks with Christ, one is not distracted by the fleeting and vain things of this world. And most importantly, when one walks with Christ, one strives to share with others the light that has flooded one’s soul—without losing hope, without bowing before difficulties, without giving up or compromising. For, as the Teacher of the Universe, the Apostle Paul, assures us: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13).
Our Lord, therefore, is the most precious companion our young people need in order to continue steadfastly cultivating their virtues, so that these may bear fruit to the benefit of themselves, their families, and society at large. Our duty is to stand by them with love and understanding, and to guide them toward Christ—not by controlling, but by inspiring; not by pressuring, but by reflecting the light of our faith through our good works.
Our Holy Archdiocese, unwavering in this sacred mission, will never cease to listen to the concerns of our youth, to trust them, to support them, and to encourage them to strive courageously for the fulfillment of their noble visions. May our young people become shining beacons in a world besieged by darkness, and may their lives testify that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”!
