Vatican City, Feb 29, 2004 / 22:00 pm
In his Message for the 19th World Youth Day, published today, Pope John Paul II reminds young people that “only encountering Jesus will give full meaning to your life.” “Do not let yourselves be distracted in this search. Persevere in it because your full realization and happiness are at stake,” the Pope wrote in the message entitled “We want to see Jesus.”
In the text dated February 22, Feast of the Chair of Peter, the Holy Father reminds that “the desire to see God lives in the heart of every man and woman” and calls young people to “let yourselves look into Jesus’ eyes, so that the desire to see the light, to enjoy the splendor of Truth may grow in you.”
“Do you, dear young people, want to contemplate the beauty of this face? This is the question that I ask you on this World Youth Day, 2004,” which will be celebrated on April 4, Palm Sunday. “Do not answer in a hurry,” he continues.
“Before anything, think about it in silence. Let this ardent desire to see God, a desire sometimes suffocated by the noise of the world and the seductions of pleasure, emerge from the depths of your heart. Allow this desire to emerge and you will have the marvelous experience of encountering Jesus,” he added.