2000

13th December 2000
Christmas: Young People Choose Jesus - A message from Bishop Michael Malone
In August this year, more than two million young people from all over the world gathered in Rome for the World Youth Day - the largest gathering of youth ever held in the Western world.

And why did they gather?

Pope John Paul II asked the same question: "Why have you come? What have you come in search of? Or rather, who have you come here to find? There can be only one answer to that: you have come here in search of Jesus Christ!"

Then, addressing the young pilgrims with a message of welcome, the Pope declared: "Beginning with myself, today I wish to tell you that I firmly believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Yes, I believe!"

One young Australian who was present at the World Youth Day celebrations wrote of his experience: "We saw that, indeed, Jesus is the choice of our generation."

While we grapple with the statistics informing us that fewer young people are associating themselves with formal Christian practices, we seem to miss the obvious - that young people hunger for meaning and possess a great openness to the experience and action of God in their lives. What an example for us all!

As we approach the festival of Christmas, we remember that God revealed a plan for the human race to Mary. Like the two million pilgrims who gathered in Rome recently, God found in this young woman a heart that was open to the experience and the action of God's love in her life. With her trusting 'yes' when asked to be the mother of God, Mary collaborated fully in God's plan and made possible the birth of Jesus, God's son.

This is the event we celebrate at Christmas. God wanted to dramatically express his love for creation and to reassure us - made in his own image and likeness - of his constant love for us.

God chose to share creation on our terms - such is his love! Our God could have taken away all that is abhorrent in creation - evil, suffering, sickness, war, pain, stress, anxiety - but instead, he chose to love us as we are, despite the limitations of our vulnerability. And by doing so, he showed us a way of living positively.

God shared our human nature and prepared it for the fullness of life, love, beauty and peace - aspects of life we glimpse only occasionally, but which whet our appetites for better things to come.

This young person, Mary, said 'yes' to God 2000 years ago. May we say 'yes' to God today. Will we be open to the action of God's love in our life? Will we collaborate in God's plan and make possible the birth of Jesus in our world?

A happy and blessed Christmas to you all.

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