Youth Festivals

 This week thousands of young Catholics are gathered in Lisbon, Portugal for “World Youth Day” with Pope Francis. Also, this week, thousands of young scouts are gathered in South Korea for the “World Scout Jamboree”. After the restrictions and lockdowns of the Covid-pandemic, young people must have anticipated these gatherings with great excitement and joy. 

International youth festivals like these are positive, affirming, and energising experiences for young people. Life-long friendships are made with people from all over the world. Memories are created of fun experiences and mishaps overcome. Often romance blooms too! My sister met her husband at a scout jamboree. I personally know two couples who met at World Youth Day events.

In today’s culture of social-media and virtual-connections with people, time spent at these youth festivals in the real presence of other like-minded young people is very special and helps to build a solid identity in young hearts. The experience of meeting so many others with similar interests helps to build up self-esteem and courage for life.

As we pray for the youth who are meeting this week in various parts of the world, let us “tap into” their joy and energy and allow their gatherings to re-energise us too. Let us pray for each one to have a positive experience of peer support, friendship and support.

 

Joys Of Youth

 

How pleasing simplest recollections seem!

Now summer comes, it warms me to look back

On the sweet happiness of youth's wild track,

Varied and fleeting as a summer dream:

Here have I paus'd upon the sweeping rack

That specks like wool-flocks through the purple sky;

Here have I careless stooped down to catch

The meadow flower that entertain'd my eye;

And as the butterfly went whirring by,

How anxious for its settling did I watch;

And oft long purples on the water's brink

Have tempted me to wade, in spite of fate,

To pluck the flowers. -Oh, to look back and think,

What pleasing pains such simple joys create!

 

John Clare

 

Poem: https://internetpoem.com/john-clare/joys-of-youth-poem/

Images: Wikimedia Commons