'Do you cry?' Pope asks 800,000 young people at WYD; so does Jesus, he says

August 4, 2023 at 8:55 p.m.
A young person prays the Stations of the Cross with Pope Francis during World Youth Day at Eduardo VII Park in Lisbon, Portugal, Aug. 4, 2023. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
A young person prays the Stations of the Cross with Pope Francis during World Youth Day at Eduardo VII Park in Lisbon, Portugal, Aug. 4, 2023. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez) (Lola Gomez)

By JUSTIN MCLELLAN
Osv News

LISBON, Portugal CNS – When feelings of suffering, anxiety and loneliness bring young people to tears, Jesus cries with them and walks alongside them on the way of the cross, Pope Francis said.

After hundreds of thousands of young people spent hours singing, dancing and chanting under the sun waiting for the Pope to arrive in Lisbon's Eduardo VII Park to pray the Stations of the Cross Aug. 4, the Pope asked them to be silent.

PHOTO GALLERY: WYD Stations of the Cross

"I'll ask a question, but don't answer out loud," he said. "Do I cry from time to time? Are there things in life that make me cry?"

"All of us in life have cried, and we cry still. And there is Jesus with us, he cries with us, because he accompanies us in the darkness that leads us to tears," he continued. "I'm going to be silent for a bit and everyone tell God what in your life makes you cry."

    Pope Francis gives his blessing at the end of the World Youth Day Stations of the Cross service in Eduardo VII Park in Lisbon, Portugal, Aug. 4, 2023. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
 Lola Gomez 
 
 


While many in the crowd did not understand the Pope's Spanish, the 800,000 people gathered in Lisbon's central park fell into silence for 10 seconds at the Pope's request.

After joking in the morning that his glasses "aren't working" and that he couldn't read well, the Pope entirely set aside his prepared remarks for the Stations of the Cross, improvising his whole speech.

When chants broke out after Pope Francis began to speak, he smiled and lifted his hand to quiet the crowd.

"Today you are going to walk with Jesus," he said. "Jesus is the path, and we are going to walk with him because he walked" while healing, preaching and caring for the poor, and ultimately toward the cross.

"The cross is the greatest meaning of the greatest love, the love with which Jesus wants to embrace our life," he said gesturing to the crowd. "Jesus walks for me, we all have to say it, 'Jesus begins this path for me, to give his life for me.'"

Before young people presented their meditations on the Stations of the Cross, the Pope urged them to walk with Jesus on "the path of your suffering, the path of our anxieties, the path of our loneliness."

Again, he asked the young people to be silent and to think about their anxieties and misfortunes, "be afraid, think of them, and think about your desire for the soul to smile again."

"Jesus walks to the cross, dies on the cross, so our soul can smile," he said to break the silence.

The meditations read in a different language at each station aimed to address the challenges young people face today, such as the pressures of social media, anxiety about climate change, and falling into drugs, pornography and alcohol.

Videos of young people from different countries sharing testimonies of faith were played on the video screens scattered throughout the park.

Caleb, 29, from the United States, described how he was a "lost sheep" that Jesus left the flock to find. He said that after growing up in an abusive household and living through the painful divorce of his parents, he fell into drug abuse and developed suicidal thoughts. Yet it was at his lowest point that he met his future wife who would eventually lead him back to God.

As Pope Francis gave his blessing in Portuguese, the giant screens set up throughout the park showed close-ups of young pilgrims in tears. But just as quickly as they fell into silence to hear the Pope, they cheered loudly when he waved goodbye.


Related Stories

LISBON, Portugal CNS – When feelings of suffering, anxiety and loneliness bring young people to tears, Jesus cries with them and walks alongside them on the way of the cross, Pope Francis said.

After hundreds of thousands of young people spent hours singing, dancing and chanting under the sun waiting for the Pope to arrive in Lisbon's Eduardo VII Park to pray the Stations of the Cross Aug. 4, the Pope asked them to be silent.

PHOTO GALLERY: WYD Stations of the Cross

"I'll ask a question, but don't answer out loud," he said. "Do I cry from time to time? Are there things in life that make me cry?"

"All of us in life have cried, and we cry still. And there is Jesus with us, he cries with us, because he accompanies us in the darkness that leads us to tears," he continued. "I'm going to be silent for a bit and everyone tell God what in your life makes you cry."

    Pope Francis gives his blessing at the end of the World Youth Day Stations of the Cross service in Eduardo VII Park in Lisbon, Portugal, Aug. 4, 2023. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
 Lola Gomez 
 
 


While many in the crowd did not understand the Pope's Spanish, the 800,000 people gathered in Lisbon's central park fell into silence for 10 seconds at the Pope's request.

After joking in the morning that his glasses "aren't working" and that he couldn't read well, the Pope entirely set aside his prepared remarks for the Stations of the Cross, improvising his whole speech.

When chants broke out after Pope Francis began to speak, he smiled and lifted his hand to quiet the crowd.

"Today you are going to walk with Jesus," he said. "Jesus is the path, and we are going to walk with him because he walked" while healing, preaching and caring for the poor, and ultimately toward the cross.

"The cross is the greatest meaning of the greatest love, the love with which Jesus wants to embrace our life," he said gesturing to the crowd. "Jesus walks for me, we all have to say it, 'Jesus begins this path for me, to give his life for me.'"

Before young people presented their meditations on the Stations of the Cross, the Pope urged them to walk with Jesus on "the path of your suffering, the path of our anxieties, the path of our loneliness."

Again, he asked the young people to be silent and to think about their anxieties and misfortunes, "be afraid, think of them, and think about your desire for the soul to smile again."

"Jesus walks to the cross, dies on the cross, so our soul can smile," he said to break the silence.

The meditations read in a different language at each station aimed to address the challenges young people face today, such as the pressures of social media, anxiety about climate change, and falling into drugs, pornography and alcohol.

Videos of young people from different countries sharing testimonies of faith were played on the video screens scattered throughout the park.

Caleb, 29, from the United States, described how he was a "lost sheep" that Jesus left the flock to find. He said that after growing up in an abusive household and living through the painful divorce of his parents, he fell into drug abuse and developed suicidal thoughts. Yet it was at his lowest point that he met his future wife who would eventually lead him back to God.

As Pope Francis gave his blessing in Portuguese, the giant screens set up throughout the park showed close-ups of young pilgrims in tears. But just as quickly as they fell into silence to hear the Pope, they cheered loudly when he waved goodbye.

Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092

e-Edition


e-edition

Sign up


for our email newsletters

Weekly Top Stories

Sign up to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every Sunday

Daily Updates & Breaking News Alerts

Sign up to get our daily updates and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox daily

Latest Stories


In Local News as of Dec. 23, 2024
The following parishes, schools and organizations in the Diocese of Trenton have announced these upcoming events:

Why I'm spending Christmas in Bethlehem this year
Yhis Christmas, while massive crowds of pilgrims will flock

Opening up the bricked-in doors
The recent reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral ....

‘Fan the flame of hope’ this Advent, Christmas and throughout the Holy Year
In anticipation of the ordinary Holy Year that the Church...

A Christmas celebration for Bishop and seminarians
The tradition for Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., to host ...


The Evangelist, 40 North Main Ave., Albany, NY, 12203-1422 | PHONE: 518-453-6688| FAX: 518-453-8448
© 2024 Trenton Monitor, All Rights Reserved.