Theme of the XXIII World Youth Day: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witness” [Acts 1:8]<br/><br/>
Pope Benedict XVI has released a message on July 20, in order to prepare all the youths for WorldYouth Day next year. “You rediscover that the Holy Spirit is the ‘soul’, the vital breath of Christian life itself, through the sacraments of Christian initiation – Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist.”<br/><br/>
“Never forget that the Church, in fact humanity itself, all the people around you now and those who await you in the future, expect much from you young people, because you have within you the supreme gift of the Father, the Spirit of Jesus.”<br/><br/>
“The Holy Spirit renewed the Apostles from within, filling them with a power that would give them courage to go out and boldly proclaim that ‘Christ has died and is risen’ Free from all fear, they began to speak openly with self-confidence. These frightened fishermen had become courageous heralds of the Gospel. This is how the Church was born, and from the day of Pentecost she has not ceased to spread the Good News “to the ends of the earth.”[Acts 1:8]<br/><br/>
“The Spirit impels us forward towards others, enkindles in us the fire of love, makes us missionaries of God’s charity.”<br/><br/>
“If you take part frequently in the Eucharistic celebration, if you dedicate some of your time to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, you will acquire that joyful determination to dedicate your lives to following the Gospel.”<br/><br/>
“I assure you that the Spirit of Jesus today is inviting you young people to be bearers of the good news of Jesus to your contemporaries, because you know the ideals, the language, and also the wounds, the expectations of your contemporaries.”<br/><br/>
Do not be afraid to become holy missionaries like Saint Francis Xavier who traveled through the Far East proclaiming the Good News until every ounce of his strength was used up, or like Saint Therese of the Child Jesus who was a missionary even through she never left the Carmelite convent. Both of these are ‘Patrons of the Missions’”.<br/><br/>
“Remember: the Church has confidence in you!”