2023-08-05 23:20:00
August 5, 2023 / 4:20 pm
World Youth Day in Lisbon (Portugal) celebrated one of its most important events this Saturday: The Vigil with Pope Francis, in which the Holy Father stressed that in life only the love of Jesus is free, and that Young people have the mission of bringing the joy of Christ to others, helping those who fall to get up.
It all started around 8:20 pm (local time), when the Holy Father arrived at Parque Tejo aboard the popemobile and accompanied by at least six security vehicles, while he was warmly greeted by the crowd of young people who, According to the organizers, there were 1.5 million pilgrims.
From early in the morning, pilgrims filled Avenida Dom João II, in the south of #Lisboa2023on the way to Parque Tejo where the Vigil of the #JMJ2023 and the Holy Mass with Pope Francis.
Each registered pilgrim has received a bag with food and water for 2… pic.twitter.com/DY3X3RCvH9— ACI Press (@aciprensa) August 5, 2023
The young people, who waited for the arrival of the Pontiff for several hours in the so-called “Campo de Gracia”, did not stop showing great signs of enthusiasm and encouragement, all united by the same faith that has brought them from many countries of the world to the capital. portuguese
After a few minutes touring the venue flooded with the flags of many countries, the Pope went, carried in a wheelchair, to the main stage, in the center of which was a monumental white cross, and where he received the greetings of several pilgrims.
The Holy Father was also able to listen to the moving testimony of two young people: a Portuguese priest and a young woman from Mozambique whose village was attacked on several occasions by terrorists.
Fr. António Ribeiro de Matos, 33 years old, recounted that “the person of Jesus has always been present throughout my life, beginning with the teaching and testimony of faith that I received from my grandmother.”
Although the Lord was part of his life, he was not necessarily the one who directed it or to whom it was entrusted; something that suddenly changed, one afternoon in August 2011, when he suffered a serious traffic accident.
What happened made him realize that he could have died and that perhaps his life “would not have been worth it.” That feeling questioned him a lot and brought him closer to God, which led him to enter the seminary in 2012.
However, he left the seminary in 2017, but continued to be linked to the Church, for which he traveled to WYD Panama in 2019, after which he decided to return to the seminary to be ordained in 2021 and “try to bring others the joy of meeting Christ, of being found by Him. A joy that is not fleeting, a joy that is offered to me from heaven.”
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“At no time did we lose faith”
Marta Luis, an 18-year-old girl from Mozambique, said that she lived in the Muidumbe district, in the Planalto da Povo Maconde region, where she lost her father when she was only 7 years old.
She, her mother and her sisters moved on, but they did not know that everything would change on April 7, 2021, when their town was attacked by terrorists who had already attacked some nearby places, causing them to flee to the mountains.
“We prayed a lot asking God to deliver us from all evil, and that the Lord give us strength to overcome that moment of difficulty. We didn’t sleep all night, we didn’t stop saying Hail Marys and Our Fathers, asking the Lord that the worst wouldn’t happen in people’s homes,” he recounted.
On October 31 of the same year, on the eve of the Solemnity of All Saints, the town was attacked again, but this time the terrorists followed them as they fled into the mountains, shooting at them, although fortunately they did not hit them.
They managed to reach Nampula province, where they were welcomed. Despite everything, she stressed the young woman, “at no time did we lose faith.”
joy is missionary
In his speech to the young people, which was almost totally improvised, Pope Francis recalled the passage of the visitation of the Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, when she hurried to see her.
Mary, the Pope continued, “has just found out that she is pregnant, but she is too. Why then is she going to go if the angel didn’t ask her? Maria performs an unsolicited and non-obligatory gesture simply because she loves, and ‘he who loves flies, runs and rejoices’”.
This, stressed the Pontiff, reminds that “joy is missionary, it is not for one, it is to bring something” and encouraged pilgrims to share the joy they are seeing in this WYD.
The Holy Father also encouraged them to remember all those people, such as parents, grandparents and catechists, who have been “roots of joy”, so that all the young people present may also be for others.
At the Vigil with the Youth who met in Parque Trejo in Lisbon within the framework of the @jmj_es #Lisboa2023Pope Francis delivered a moving message leaving aside the prepared speech
— ACI Press (@aciprensa) August 5, 2023
Pope Francis also encouraged to grow in joy and to walk despite being tired; especially to get up when they fall, so that they can help others to do the same.
“In life nothing is free, everything is paid for. There is only one thing free, the love of Jesus. With this free thing that we have, the love of Jesus and with the desire to walk, let us walk in hope. Let’s look at our roots and move forward, ”she concluded.
Eucharistic adoration
One of the most emotional and solemn moments of the vigil was the Eucharistic adoration, in which almost a million pilgrims prayed with Pope Francis, all united before Jesus present in the consecrated host.
The silence of 1.5 million people surrounds Campo da Graça????. All before the real presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacramento????♀️????????♂️. #vigiliajmj #lisboa2023 pic.twitter.com/wrEw7oD0cc
— WYD Lisbon 2023 (@jmj_es) August 5, 2023
Probably one of the most striking moments of the vigil was the complete silence in which the million and a half pilgrims remained before the Blessed Sacrament.
At the conclusion of the adoration, the following prayer was prayed:
Eternal and omnipotent God, who gives us the grace to believe and proclaim that Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary and died on the cross for us, is present in the Blessed Sacrament, make us find in this divine source the fruit of eternal salvation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Get up and follow me! #vigiliaWYMJ ???????? #PontifexLisboa #CampoDaGraça pic.twitter.com/pP09xRoKUe
— WYD Lisbon 2023 (@jmj_es) August 5, 2023
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