On Friday, November 24th, Pope Francis received a group of chaplains and those responsible for university pastoral care. He reflected on three attitudes he considers important for their service to young people: appreciating differences, accompanying with care, and acting with courage.
In his speech, the Holy Father stated that the Gospel incarnates “allowing its chorus to resonate in different ways in people’s lives, like a single melody capable of expressing itself with different timbres.”
Appreciating Differences The Pontiff invited them to have a “polyhedral” view and see beauty through differences, promoting a “patient, welcoming, and creative” style, mirroring “God’s way of acting.”
“Each person,” reiterated the Holy Father, “should be welcomed as they are, and from there, dialogue begins; from there, the journey; from there, progress.”
Accompanying with Care Later, he highlighted the importance of “accompanying with care.” Believing in the vitality of God’s sowing implies caring for what grows in silence and is manifested in the thoughts, desires, and affections, albeit sometimes broken, of the young people entrusted to them.
The Pope urged them not to be afraid to embrace these realities and to avoid ideologies within the Church. “If a person is wisely valued for who they are, they can be a work of art.”
“The Lord teaches us precisely this art of care: He, who created the world from the darkness of chaos and who resurrected life from the night of death, teaches us to bring out the best in creatures, starting with the care of the most fragile and imperfect in them.”
Facing everyday challenges, Pope Francis invited them not to be discouraged and to engage without seeking immediate results, “with the certain hope that, when you accompany young people closely and pray for them, wonders blossom.”
“But they do not bloom from uniformity, they bloom precisely from differences, which are their richness,” he reiterated.
Acting with Courage As a third attitude, the Holy Father emphasized that “fostering the joy of the Gospel in the university environment is an adventure, yes exciting, but also demanding: it requires courage.”
This courage, according to Pope Francis, “allows us to build bridges even over the deepest abysses, like those of fear, indecision, and paralyzing excuses that inhibit action and feed misunderstanding.”
He warned that “the worst thing for an educator is not to take risks,” because without risk, “there is no fruitfulness.”
“When a decision that creates something new bursts into the soul’s efforts, rebelling against the inertia of an overly calculating conscience, that is courage; the courage that dislikes embellishments, neither mental nor emotional, but gets straight to the point, focusing on the necessary, leaving aside everything that might weaken the strength of the initial choice.” “And who is the one who gives us the courage to move forward?” asked the Pontiff: “The Holy Spirit, the ‘Great Hidden’ in the Church. But it is He who gives us strength, courage: we must ask the Spirit to give us this courage.”
Finally, he highlighted that “when a Christian gives, they always maintain modesty: they give in secret, give delicately, without offending.”
