Dream big, don't be satisfied with a little, Pope Francis tells young people

Young people today shouldn't waste their lives dreaming of getting mundane things that provide only a fleeting moment of joy but aspire to the greatness God wants for them, Pope Francis said.

Celebrating mass on the feast of Christ the King on November 22, the Pope told young people that God "does not want us to narrow our horizons or that we remain parked on the side of the road", but instead "wants us to run courageously and with joy towards goals elevated ".

“We were not created to dream of holidays or weekends, but to fulfill God's dreams in this world,” he said. "God enabled us to dream so that we could embrace the beauty of life."

At the end of the Mass, the young people of Panama, the host country of the World Youth Day 2019, presented the World Youth Day cross to the young people of Lisbon, Portugal, where the next international meeting is scheduled for August 2023.

The handover was originally scheduled for April 5, Palm Sunday, but has been postponed due to blockages and travel bans in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

In his homily, the pope reflected on the reading of the Gospel of the day from St. Matthew, in which Jesus tells his disciples that the good done to the least is done to him.

Pope Francis said that works of mercy such as feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger and visiting the sick or prisoners are "the list of gifts" of Jesus for the eternal wedding that he will share with us in heaven ".

This reminder, he said, is especially for young people as "you strive to make your dreams come true in life."

He also explained that if young people today dream of "true glory and not the glory of this passing world", works of mercy are the way forward because those works "give glory to God more than anything else".

"Life, we see, is a time for making robust, decisive, eternal choices," the pope said. “Trivial choices lead to a mundane life; great choices for a life of greatness. Indeed, we become what we choose, for better or for worse “.

By choosing God, young people can grow in love and happiness, he said. But you can have a full life "just by giving it away".

“Jesus knows that if we are self-centered and indifferent, we remain paralyzed, but if we give ourselves to others, we become free,” he said.

Pope Francis also warned of the obstacles encountered in giving one's life for others, in particular "feverish consumerism", which can "overwhelm our hearts with superfluous things".

"The obsession with pleasure may seem like the only way to escape problems, but it simply postpones them," the pope said. “A fixation on our rights can lead us to neglect our responsibilities to others. Then there is the great misunderstanding about love, which is more than powerful emotions, but above all a gift, a choice and a sacrifice “.