Vatican City, Nov 27, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Earlier today, the Vatican released a message from Pope Benedict to Dutch participants of the first ever National Day of Catholic Youth, celebrated yesterday in Nieuwegein, Netherlands. In it, he encouraged young people to frequent prayer and the sacraments and to be a transformative factor in modern culture.
The Pope began his message fondly recalling that many of the young people present at the Dutch event also participated in World Youth Day, held this past August in his home region of Cologne, Germany.
The Holy Father told the youth that “Jesus is your true friend and Lord,” and urged them to “enter into a relationship of true friendship with Him.”
“He awaits you,” the Pope said, “and only in Him will you find happiness.”
He encouraged the young people not to content themselves “with superficial pleasures, ... to live only for oneself in the apparent enjoyment of life. “…sooner or later”, he said, “one becomes aware that this is not true happiness, because true happiness is much deeper and is only to be found in Jesus."