We Speak With. . .
This time we are going to speak with three young men who belong to the group, Lay Union. We met them in Rome in the days following the death of John Paul II. They had traveled there from Spain in order to be present with the Pope. The Home of the Mother was able to spend a day with them and they told us of their life as committed Catholics.
Jose María, how would you define the youth of today?
John Paul II defined the Spanish young people when he visited our country in May of 2004. He did so in a prayer to Our Lady at the end of his discourse in the Cuatrovientos airfield in Madrid. He defined the youth in this way, “They are the sentinels of the morning, the people of the beatitudes, the living hope of the Church and of the Pope.
To not live in correspondence with this calling, with this hope, is the cause of the fact that people nowadays do not love God or anyone. They only love themselves. And they do so in a mistaken and selfish way, due to the lack of self-knowledge and the pride of not wanting to reach this knowledge.
And you Miguel, how would you define the youth of today?
They lack ideals. The inheritance of the Faith has been stolen from them. The majority are victims of a prevailing secularism that, with its customs and manners, is annihilating the transcendental mission of man. The majority of the governors, the teachers, and the parents are not faithful to the transmission of the faith. I am one of those who think that the talents of the Gospel have been stolen from the youth. That is why those of us who have the Faith, thanks to our parents or to good priests, are privileged for having received so many graces.
Pablo, is it true that young people who live in accordance with their faith don’t know what life is all about?
No, it is the complete opposite. Catholics have the key to life because they know why and for what they exist. They have a motive to live for, to fight for, to die for. They love and feel loved. They live joyfully and, when faced with adversity, they have more than enough reasons to not be afraid. This is truly an animated life! And just add to this the vitality of youth. Who can say that the Catholic youth don’t know what life is all about? It would be better to say: who can stop them?
What is your Christian life like?
JM: Our Lord has made me understand that I should live it according to the teachings of the Church and limited by my own infidelities to the graces received from God.
M: It is a constant battle to persevere in the Faith. Set at odds with the world, which has the Evil One as its Prince, we are conscious, as John Paul II would say, that our life goes against the current. But we are not afraid. God is with us and, with His help and His graces, we will set the world on fire with the love of Christ.
P: The truth is that it is full of life. My life changed radically after my conversion and, when God is present, your life is full. And in my case, it couldn’t be better said, because I went from being bored at home all day to being always outside, doing plays, singing in the San Luis Gonzaga choir, giving catechism classes, attending retreats, prayer meetings, etc. Every day I try to attend Mass, pray the rosary, morning and evening prayers, read a constructive book and, of course, I have time for studying.
How are you able to remain faithful to God?
JM: Through the grace of perseverance granted to me by God in many ways: my family, spiritual direction, advice, friends, examples, etc. That is to say, the Church.
M: Through the frequent reception of the sacraments, the life of piety in my family and the contact with priests who encourage me to persevere in the Faith. The love of the Holy Eucharist and the devotion to the Blessed Virgin, Our Mother, are two of the fundamental pillars which help us to not fall into temptation. We then simply have to accept God’s will and let ourselves be led by His Providence.
P: Like all Christians, I remain faithful to God through the help of prayer and the sacraments. It is also helpful to have the support of friends, family and respected people, of authority, whose perseverance is not indispensable for us to maintain our faith, but which is another reason to confirm it.
Miguel, what are the greatest temptations against which a young person has to fight nowadays?
The temptations of every day that we must fight come from the three enemies of the soul: the world, the devil and the flesh. The world, by the seduction of a society that lives in public sin, almost obliging everyone to accept its pagan customs. The devil, who instills pride in us so that we disobey the commandments of God and of His Church. And the flesh, which has converted the woman into an object of pleasure and towards which concupiscence drags us through lust and unchastity.
Jose Maria, have you ever gotten tired of being faithful to the Lord? How did you overcome this?
One’s nature constantly rebels. I met a priest in Rome from Murcia who told us the following: “We carry a beast within us, against whom we must fight.” The only thing that makes us continue onwards in this battle is the Love of God, the honor of not betraying Him.
Pablo, our beloved Pope John Paul II often called the young people the hope of the Church. In what sense?
The young people are the sentinels who will have to evangelize the world in the new millenium, form Catholic homes, persevere in the vocations that God gives them and defend Christ in these difficult times, giving their lives in martyrdom if necessary. As Tertullian says, the blood of martyrs is the seed of new Christians.
Miguel, is it possible to be afraid of God?
“O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven, and the pains of hell...” But the love He has for us is so great that this hypothetical fear is in reality love and a desire to not offend Him, to give ourselves to Him and to follow His Son on the way of perfection. As a child of God, I can be afraid of the Father’s punishment, but I know that a Father, infinite in Mercy, will grant me the graces to be faithful.
And you, Jose Maria, what do you think?
God is infinitely merciful and at the same time infinitely just. The justice of God is appeased by Jesus Christ who is God. It no longer makes sense to be afraid. We could only be afraid of ourselves, of the possibility that we have of not letting our sins be forgiven, of not accepting that our sins have been paid for by Christ. Not accepting this and all that it implies is what should make us afraid. In this way we would not reach eternal salvation.
Pablo, how can this fear be overcome?
By always doing His will, by making peace with God through confession and by constantly remembering that God is immensely merciful.
Some of you have once been far away from God. Could you tell us of the difference between then and now?
JM: The sacrament of Reconciliation forgives sin and destroys the insecurity, sadness and remorse that sin produces.
M: Yes. Beforehand my life had no meaning. I lived for nothing. My life was an absolute emptiness. The pleasure and commodities of the world create solitude and sadness. With the Faith, my life recovered meaning and the slavery of sin became true freedom, walking on the Way of the only Truth that gives eternal Life.
P: My life radically changed direction. The sad and dark world that I had created continues to exist, but it doesn’t seem so. Before I tried to survive by living in relative peace with that which I called “friends.” I tried to chain myself to that which they chained themselves, even though I knew it was wrong. I felt helpless and uprooted. I had no one I could trust in and questions like these clouded my mind: Where do I come from? Where am I going? What is the goal of my life? Why do I exist? Now, with all my tasks, duties and obligations, I feel that I have everything. My life has been filled and I once again become a child, always sheltered by the gaze of his Father, happy because he knows he is loved.
Is it possible to have hope in the world in which we live? Why?
JM: Yes, it is possible. Christ is the one who does everything and in the end He will free us from our enemies: the world, the devil and the flesh. We are in the Truth. As Benedict XVI has said, “Mary is on our side.”
M: Yes, many times the evils that we receive, as the merited punishment of our sins, make us fall into discouragement. However, we know that “the doors of hell shall not prevail against the Church” and that Christ promised to be with us until the end of times. Therefore, our hope is the Sacred Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We know that the Immaculate Heart of Mary will soon triumph. This is our Hope.
P: We live in a world that is eroding away little by little. It is separating itself more and more from God. People live worse and worse, there is more and more evil and sin. Nevertheless, the Lord said that He would return and when He returns, He will establish His Kingdom of Love. We must place our hope in Him.
Miguel, what is the Eucharist for a young person?
It is the source of salvation and life. In this Sacrament we find Christ truly present, pouring out graces and consolation over our Christian lives. There is nothing more important in the world than the Holy Eucharist. It is the key to getting the world to accept the Kingdom of Christ.
Pablo, is it necessary to receive the Eucharist daily? Could you tell us your experience?
People are capable of going to other countries to see famous singers, to listen to conferences given by learned people, to see the world. Every day in Mass we commemorate the day on which the Maker of all melody, Wisdom personified, and the Creator of the World redeemed us, taking away original sin which had put us in enmity with God. He comes to us in His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity to see us and dwell in our heart. If the King of Kings comes to find you, how are you going to respond to so much Love?
The years as a young person are privileged moments in which God speaks to the person and tells him what He wants of him. But, is this not complicated? How does it happen?
JM: Through prayer, frequent reception of the sacraments and trusting obedience to a spiritual director. “Open wide the doors to Christ. He takes away nothing and gives you everything.”
M: No, it is not complicated. We must simply open the doors wide to Christ, as John Paul II exhorted us. The problem is that it is impossible for young people to find Christ in a society where His throne is occupied by materialism, relativism, hedonism, nihilism. In spite of it all, God breaks these chains and is able to touch the hearts of millions of young people: There are the multitudes following the trail of John Paul II.
P: Providence takes care of everything. God places each person in a situation where He can show him what He wants of him. Our Lord calls in many different ways, but He frequently speaks with strange coincidences and He does it in a subtle way, without coercion, respecting our freedom so that we may choose by our own initiative to follow Him or not.
What does it mean to live the faith with a spirit of martyrdom?
JM: It means to give testimony of Christ in word, deed and, if necessary, with our blood.
M: To be a witness of Christ everywhere, both privately and publicly. Without fear. In word, action and blood, if necessary, following the example of so many martyrs in the Spanish religious persecution (1936-1939), who were canonized by the Church in the pontificate of John Paul II.
P: To live the faith with a spirit of martyrdom is to be an apostle, ready to die for what you live and preach, a witness of the Gospel until death.
Could you tell us what is your experience with the Blessed Virgin?
JM: If you were to ask a child about his mother, it is very difficult for you to end the conversation and for him to have run out of things to say. Books about Christ’s words, “Son, behold your Mother,” containing the experiences of the Blessed Virgin’s children would not fit in the world.
M: For me, Our Lady is the most sublime example that Her Son shows us of how to reach Holiness. She, who is our Mother, does not let us fall into temptation if we ask for Her intercession. That is why the most powerful weapon of the Christian is the Rosary. We are at her service, as queen, to extend Her Kingdom of love throughout the world. As Mother, She protects us and guides us towards our heavenly dwelling.
P: The Jewish people gave a special veneration for the Queen Mother, the mother of the king, which was even sometimes superior to the veneration given to the king. Nothing that the Queen Mother asked of him would be rejected. In the same way, we can say that the easiest way to ask God for something is through Mary, who is the Mother of God and our Mother.
What would you like to add?
M: I would like to thank God for having met the Home of the Mother and I would like to encourage its priests, religious and lay members to persevere in the vocation which Christ has given them. With your example, many of us have been confirmed in the Faith and so many others will find the Truth of the Gospel in your testimony.
©HM Magazine No.127 - November/December 2005
