Acta Francisci Pp. 701

III

Ad Iuvenes Asiaticos apud Sanctuarium Solmoe in Corea.*

Dear Young Friends,

« It is good for us to be here! ».1 These words were spoken by Saint Peter

on Mount Tabor as he stood in the presence of Jesus transfigured in glory.

Truly it is good for us to be here, together, at this shrine of the Korean

Martyrs, in whom the Lord's glory was revealed at the dawn of the Church's

life in this country. In this great assembly, which brings together young

Christians from throughout Asia, we can almost feel the glory of Jesus

present in our midst, present in his Church which embraces every nation,

language and people, present in the power of his Holy Spirit who makes

all things new, young and alive!

I thank you for your warm welcome. Very warm, very warm! And I

thank for the gift of your enthusiasm, your joyful songs, your testimonies

of faith, and your beautiful expressions of the variety and richness of your

different cultures. In a special way, I thank Mai, Giovanni e Marina, the

three young people who shared with me your hopes, your problems and

your concerns; I listened to them carefully, and I will keep them in mind.

I thank Bishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik for his words of introduction and I

greet all of you from my heart.

This afternoon I would like to reflect with you on part of the theme of

this Sixth Asian Youth Day: « The Glory of the Martyrs Shines on You ». Just

as the Lord made his glory shine forth in the heroic witness of the martyrs,

so too he wants to make his glory shine in your lives, and through you,

to light up the life of this vast continent. Today Christ is knocking at the

door of your heart, of my heart. He calls you and me to rise, to be wide

awake and alert, and to see the things in the life that really matter. What

is more, he is asking you and me to go out on the highways and byways of

* Die 15 Augusti 2014. 1 Mt 17: 4.