“And so I want to be the first to welcome the spiritual and pastoral programme of the Strenna and I want you to see Jesus, so that you too may become His disciples, witnesses and apostles.”
In the form of an open and friendly conversation with the young people, Fr Chávez’s message is an invitation to them to make a journey, “because Jesus is walking,” they need to have sound feet and open ears, in other words an open heart and an openness to life.
“Following Jesus doesn’t mean taking one decision. It means taking the decision. It means risking everything, putting everything on just one card.“ “Dear Young People, my friends and Don Bosco’s friends, you cannot live without knowing what really matters, without knowing what the meaning of life is, since life is all that you have.”
Fr Chávez does not pretend that following the Kingdom of God is easy. To overcome the difficulties it presents it is necessary “to welcome Jesus.” They are called to build a community which living by the Eucharist, becomes a sign of Christ of witnessing. The Rector Major invites them to make stronger and deeper their union with Christ and with their brothers and sisters in this community.
They are called to live, like Mary of Nazareth, in total availability: “My dear young people, you can be geniuses, organisers, inventors, famous people, successful men and women… But all this is nothing compared with the possibility of being an instrument in God’s hands.”
It is necessary to listen to the “seed” planted in the heart of each young person and make it grow.
The full text of the Message of the Rector Major to the SYM is available in several languages on the sdb.org site.
Published 30/01/2010
