WORLD YOUTH DAY 2002 - REFLECTIONS

Sharing joy and faith

April 2003

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Helping out at the Scarboro Missions exhibit during WYD, I had many opportunities to experience, to be informed, and to dialogue with the restless youth of the world. All were searching for something more positive and more certain in their lives.

For these youth, the greatest reward was to be able, in the short time available, to share the spiritual values that each carried within. They had a great desire to reveal their aspirations to the whole world. This desire was very noticeable not only through their conversation, but in the way they behaved, their sharing with each other, their joy.

The presence of John Paul II was an inspiration to the youth. The Pope is a motivating symbol because of his commitment, respect, and justice. He has defended and promoted life without fear, acting from pure motives and without pressures. He is an example of genuine openness, dialogue, and constancy in the search for a more harmonious world.

I had a profound sense of admiration for the young people in this huge gathering. They have given hope to other young folk who are lost in a consumer world, overpowered by the mass media that tries to control their behaviour, to ultimately control them and alienate them as part of the mass of humanity. By these means, corporations manipulate the masses in order to serve a voracious market that has no boundaries or principles.

I saw thousands of youth during WYD full of joy and hope, daring to spread a different message.

Julia Duarte, ECUADOR

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