Today, we are invited to listen attentively to the cry of creation,” Pope Leo wrote in a message to a Scouts and Guides jamboree at Jambville, France. “This urgency is imposed on all humankind, to whom God has entrusted his work.”
“Our conscience is strongly challenged by the increasingly serious environmental devastation that is occurring. Faced with pollution and climate change, the loss of biodiversity, the deterioration of life and social degradation, global inequalities, the lack of drinking water and access to energy for many populations, an ecological education is essential for all to reverse the order of things.
Your meeting allows you to discern new paths and directions to safeguard our common home. You are young, full of ideas and enthusiasm. You want to conquer the world not to subjugate it, but to serve the life that comes from God. Humility, a spirit of service, and a deep relationship with Christ allow you to root Christian values within you.
“Only interior conversion makes possible a change in habits and mentalities, which translates into a new way of living in communion with the environment. And you Scouts are accustomed to living in nature, to making objects, to finding your way, and to creating games and vigils; this leads you to treat creation with respect. This is why you can contribute so much to society through your lifestyle.
“I am convinced that these intense moments that you are experiencing allow you to enrich yourselves further with values such as meeting and welcoming others in their differences and complementarity.
“Dear scouts, be ambassadors of fraternity and peace in your life environments. You come from diverse cultural traditions and social backgrounds, you have different personalities and ages. You are in contact with adults and the elderly. This is a richness, an asset that allows you to see things in a big way and to envision a peaceful world with the weapons of the Christian which are faith, truth, justice, the Gospel of peace (cf. Eph 6, 11-17).
“Dear friends, many of you are receiving the sacrament of Confirmation today, a sign of your commitment to the Church. In this sacrament, you fully receive the Holy Spirit, the divine presence who guides, illuminates, and comforts you on your journey of faith. I invite you to invoke him often to be filled with his gifts and graces.
“You are now consecrated, charged with bearing witness to your faith in the world, to be agents of change and hope in society. This is the responsibility of an active disciple of Christ, committed to proclaiming the Gospel and loving one’s neighbour. However, all this is possible only through a life of prayer and friendship with God.
“I encourage you to move forward without losing hope, without becoming discouraged, and without giving in to pessimism. Know that each of you is unique in creation, loved in a personal way by the Lord;” Pope Leo concluded. “Do not stop believing in a better world and the advent of an authentic civilization of love. As Pope Francis said, you too may be builders of bridges between generations, cultures, and peoples.”
SOURCE
Message to the Scouts and Guides of France (Vatican)
PHOTO
Edgar Beltrán, The Pillar / Wikipedia / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International