GENERATION JOHN PAUL II

April 2005. They were incredible scenes that I shall never forget. Hundreds of thousands of young people streaming into St. Peter's Square…. carrying backpacks, water bottles and iPods, and weeping openly before the body of an old man who preached that restraint was more important than pleasure. On April 8, 2005, millions more young people gathered in churches, halls and schools throughout Canada and across the face of the earth- many well before the crack of dawn to watch the funeral of someone who told them to serve others before satisfying themselves.

Young people the world over were deeply affected by the death of Pope John Paul II, leaving pastors, pundits and even some parents scratching their heads in confusion. Why would teenagers and young ‘twenty somethings’ feel so close to an old man who told them what to do? This pope set the bar high, and he lived above it. John Paul II was clear and uncompromising in his expectations of young people, but he was neither condescending nor pedantic in his approach.

When it comes to religion and youth, the equation goes something like the line in "Field of Dreams": “If we build it, they will come.” If we don't, they will likely go elsewhere. And too often, elsewhere is a dangerous place. John Paul II built something for young people, involved them, and loved them in spite of the outward appearances and more often because of them.

Let us consider six key aspects of Pope John Paul’s incredible impact on young people:

First was the Pope’s repeated message about the radiant splendor of Jesus Christ [Redemptor Hominis] as the unique Lord and Savior of all. In order to be authentic believers, we must have a deep, personal relationship with Jesus. Christianity, Catholicism, the Sacraments are not courses, things, ideas, passing fancies, symbols- they are a person and his name is Jesus. Theology alone, trendy pastoral programs and new age, politically correct jargon will not save us. Jesus will.

Second was his teaching on human dignity. Life is an extraordinary adventure, a God-given gift to be cherished, treasured, and protected. Is it any surprise that so many hundreds of thousands of young people consider themselves to be explicitly pro-life, while their parents are so whimsical and non-committal to the issues of life and death?

Third, John Paul II helped us to realize that the Church is dying in politically correct places where the Gospel is preached as merely a lifestyle option in a global supermarket of spiritualities without the obligation of belonging to the Church. The Church is thriving where the full Gospel is preached in clarity, charity, piety, devotion -- in its full integrity.

John Paul II told young people that there is every reason for the truth of the Cross to be called the Good News. Young people took these words to heart and have carried the Cross around the world for the past twenty years. We are unlikely to ever forget the scenes and memories of the World Youth Day Cross on its historic, 43,000 kilometer pilgrimage across our own country in 2001 and 2002.

Fourth, John Paul II taught us that the adventure of orthodoxy - the challenge of fidelity and integrity, authenticity and solidarity - is what attracts young people today. Young people don't want to live on the surface. In a world that constantly panders to the young, a challenging Church, which combines the truth with charity and pastoral care, is a very attractive proposition.

Fifth, John Paul II issued a clarion call to commitment. To his young friends he said: "Many and enticing are the voices that call out to you from all sides: many of these voices speak to you of a joy that can be had with money, success, and power. Mostly they propose a joy that comes with the superficial and fleeting pleasure of the senses." The alternative call was Jesus' siren song. "He calls you to be the salt and light of the world, to live in justice, to become instruments of love and peace." The choice was stark, self-denying, life-defining, and irrevocable. It was between, "good and evil, between light and darkness, between life and death." There were no shortcuts or compromises for John Paul II, only clarity. And that is what the young are seeking today, not quick answers but Gospel clarity.

Sixth. The Pope reminded us that the heroes the world offers to young people today are terribly flawed. They leave us so empty. The world today and especially young people have the increasing need of the fascinating lives of the saints and blesseds. During his Pontificate, Pope John Paul II has certainly helped us to rediscover these heroes and heroines in our tradition- in fact, he has beatified 1338 women and men, and canonized 480 Saints. How often do we hold up the lives of the saints and blessed as the real heroes and heroines for young people today? We have so much to learn from them.

Finally, one of the most profound lessons that John Paul II taught us in the twilight of his Pontificate was that everyone must suffer, even the Vicar of Christ. Rather than hide his infirmities, as most public figures do, he let the whole world see what he went through. In a youth-obsessed culture in which people are constantly urged to fight or deny the ravages of time, age, disease, he reminded us that aging and suffering are a natural part of being human.

Continue to "The Phenomenon of World Youth Days"

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