The Bishop’s Blog: World Youth Day 2019

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

This week’s Bishop’s Blog reaches out with a message for the World Youth Day!

My dear young people of the Diocese of Lancaster,I send you my greetings as you gather to celebrate World Youth Day 2019. You are part of something embracing the whole world, and are united in a special way with our Holy Father, Pope Francis, meeting in Panama with so many who were able to make the journey.
Perhaps some of you will still have strong memories from the last World Youth Day in Poland which you were fortunate to be part of. How quickly the time goes! How quickly we move on in our lives!My appeal to you is that you find a way to give Jesus a home in the heart of your life, because He is our Life! He is not trying to sell us anything or to take advantage of anyone. He has your best interest at heart, nothing less.As young people who know Jesus you have a very valuable role to include Him in your social media networking. Let Him be there, part of your social life. Help Him to have a voice to speak to others and an ear to listen to them. Help Him to reach out in love and respect to young people whose lives are in a bad place just now. Through the way you include Him in your messaging and use of the internet, let Him be there, bringing His Grace and Love and Life to so many waiting to know Him.I also ask you to pray for families, your own and those of the people you relate to. Families are not always the easiest place to be, and can be very difficult for some. Still, for the majority they are places of safety and stability for us as we grow up. As you get older make a decision to keep in touch with home. Do what you can to add to its value, helping to make it work, looking after it, just simple things really, that really make a difference. None of us like being taken for granted. Let’s try to make our homes places where we learn to appreciate one another, even our brothers and sisters!I hope that each of you can sense the gift of life within you and every person. I hope you feel an enthusiasm for the wonder of creation, and how fragile it is. I pray that you have faith to believe how much the Lord has done for you because of His love. I ask you to choose to make good happen, for yourself and others, taking your lead from the life of Jesus and from others who have chosen to follow Him. As your (still) new Bishop, I look forward to getting to know you better. I am so glad you are there! I look forward to making time for you, listening to you, walking with you, learning with you, praying with you.