changes and real conversions have taken place in the lives of young people who
have encountered this simple bare cross! Perhaps you have asked yourselves the
question: what is the origin of the extraordinary power of the cross? Here is
the answer: the cross is the most eloquent sign of God's mercy! It tells us
that
the measure of God's love for humanity is to love without measure! Through the
cross we can touch God's mercy and be touched by that mercy! Here I would
recall
the episode of the two thieves crucified beside Jesus. One of them is arrogant
and does not admit that he is a sinner. He mocks the Lord. The other
acknowledges that he has done wrong; he turns to the Lord saying: 'Jesus,
remember me when you come into your kingdom'. Jesus looks at him with infinite
mercy and replies: 'Today you will be with me in Paradise'. With which of the
two do we identify? Is it with the arrogant one who does not acknowledge his
own
mistakes? Or is it with the other, who accepts that he is in need of divine
mercy and begs for it with all his heart? It is in the Lord, Who gave his life
for us on the cross, that we will always find that unconditional love which
sees
our lives as something good and always gives us the chance to start again.
 3. The amazing joy of being instruments of God's mercy
 The Word of God teaches us that 'it is more blessed to give than to receive'.
That is why the fifth Beatitude declares that the merciful are blessed. We know
that the Lord loved us first. But we will be truly blessed and happy only when
we enter into the divine 'logic' of gift and gracious love, when we discover
that God has loved us infinitely in order to make us capable of loving like
Him,
without measure. St. John says: 'Beloved, let us love one another, because love
is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is
without love does not know God, for God is love... In this is love: not that we
have loved God, but that he He loved us and sent His Son as expiation for our
sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another'.
 After this very brief summary of how the Lord bestows his mercy upon us, I
would like to give you some suggestions on how we can be instruments of this
mercy for others.
 I think of the example of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. He said, 'Jesus pays
me a visit every morning in Holy Communion, and I return the visit in the
meagre
way I know how, visiting the poor'. Pier Giorgio was a young man who understood
what it means to have a merciful heart that responds to those most in need. He
gave them far more than material goods. He gave himself by giving his time, his
words and his capacity to listen. He served the poor very quietly and
unassumingly. He truly did what the Gospel tells us: 'When you give alms, do
not
let your left hand know what your right is doing,so that your almsgiving may be
secret'. Imagine that, on the day before his death when he was gravely ill, he
was giving directions on how his friends in need should be helped. At his
funeral, his family and friends were stunned by the presence of so many poor
people unknown to them. They had been befriended and helped by the young Pier
Giorgio.
 I always like to link the Gospel Beatitudes with Matthew 25, where Jesus
presents us with the works of mercy and tells us that we will be judged on
them.
I ask you, then, to rediscover the corporal works of mercy: to feed the hungry,
give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, assist the
sick, visit the imprisoned and bury the dead. Nor should we overlook the
spiritual works of mercy: to counsel the doubtful, teach the ignorant, admonish
sinners, comfort the sorrowful, forgive offences, patiently bear with
troublesome people and pray to God for the living and the dead. As you can see,
mercy does not just imply being a 'good person' nor is it mere sentimentality.
It is the measure of our authenticity as disciples of Jesus, and of our
credibility as Christians in today's world.
 If you want me to be very specific, I would suggest that for the first seven
months of 2016 you choose a corporal and a spiritual work of mercy to practice
each month. Find inspiration in the prayer of St. Faustina, a humble apostle of
Divine Mercy in our times:
 "Help me, O Lord,
 ...that my eyes may be merciful, so that I will never be suspicious or judge
by
appearances, but always look for what is beautiful in my neighbours' souls and
be of help to them;
 ... that my ears may be merciful, so that I will be attentive to my
neighbours'
needs, and not indifferent to their pains and complaints;
 ... that my tongue may be merciful, so that I will never speak badly of
others,
but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all;
 ... that my hands may be merciful and full of good deeds;
 ... that my feet may be merciful, so that I will hasten to help my neighbour,
despite my own fatigue and weariness;
 ... that my heart may be merciful, so that I myself will share in all the
sufferings of my neighbour" (Diary, 163).
 The Divine Mercy message is a very specific life plan because it involves
action. One of the most obvious works of mercy, and perhaps the most difficult
to put into practice, is to forgive those who have offended us, who have done
us
wrong or whom we consider to be enemies. 'At times how hard it seems to
forgive!
And yet pardon is the instrument placed into our fragile hands to attain
serenity of heart. To let go of anger, wrath, violence, and revenge are
necessary conditions to living joyfully'.
 I meet so many young people who say that they are tired of this world being so
divided, with clashes between supporters of different factions and so many
wars,
in some of which religion is being used as justification for violence. We must
ask the Lord to give us the grace to be merciful to those who do us wrong.
Jesus
on the cross prayed for those who had crucified Him: 'Father, forgive them,
they
know not what they do'. Mercy is the only way to overcome evil. Justice is
necessary, very much so, but by itself it is not enough. Justice and mercy must
go together. How I wish that we could join together in a chorus of prayer, from
the depths of our hearts, to implore the Lord to have mercy on us and on the
whole world!
 4. Krakow is expecting us!
 Only a few months are left before we meet in Poland. Krakow, the city of St.
John Paul II and St. Faustina Kowalska, is waiting for us with open arms and
hearts. I believe that Divine Providence led us to the decision to celebrate
the
Youth Jubilee in that city which was home to those two great apostles of mercy
in our times. John Paul II realised that this is the time of mercy. At the
start
of his pontificate, he wrote the encyclical Dives in Misericordia. In the Holy
Year 2000 he canonised Sister Faustina and instituted the Feast of Divine
Mercy,
which now takes place on the Second Sunday of Easter. In 2002 he personally
inaugurated the Divine Mercy Shrine in Krakow and entrusted the world to Divine
Mercy, in the desire that this message would reach all the peoples of the earth
and fill their hearts with hope: 'This spark needs to be lighted by the grace
of
God. This fire of mercy needs to be passed on to the world. In the mercy of God
the world will find peace and mankind will find happiness'.
 Dear young people, at the Shrine in Krakow dedicated to the merciful Jesus,
where He is depicted in the image venerated by the people of God, Jesus is
waiting for you. He has confidence in you and is counting on you! He has so
many
things to say to each of you. Do not be afraid to look into His eyes, full of
infinite love for you. Open yourselves to His merciful gaze, so ready to
forgive
all your sins. A look from Him can change your lives and heal the wounds of
your
souls. His eyes can quench the thirst that dwells deep in your young hearts, a
thirst for love, for peace, for joy and for true happiness. Come to Him and do
not be afraid! Come to him and say from the depths of your hearts: 'Jesus, I
trust in You!'. Let yourselves be touched by His boundless mercy, so that in
turn you may become apostles of mercy by your actions, words and prayers in our
world, wounded by selfishness, hatred and so much despair.
 Carry with you the flame of Christ's merciful love - as St. John Paul II said
-
in every sphere of your daily life and to the very ends of the earth. In this
mission, I am with you with my encouragement and prayers. I entrust all of you
to Mary, Mother of Mercy, for this last stretch of the journey of spiritual
preparation for the next WYD in Krakow. I bless all of you from my heart".

___________________________________________________________

 World Youth Day and the Year of Mercy coincide to make "a Youth Jubilee at
world level"
 Vatican City, 28 September 2015 (VIS) - Pope Francis' third message to the
young, for World Youth Day (WYD), like the first two, is dedicated to the theme
of the Beatitudes and is intended to accompany young people throughout the
world
on their long and challenging spiritual journey to Krakow, where in July next
year World Youth Day will be held.
 According to a press release from the Pontifical Council for the Laity, issued
today, the WYD is a precious heritage left by St. John Paul II, and over the
past thirty years it has become a powerful instrument of evangelisation of
young
people and a wonderful opportunity for dialogue between the Church and the
younger generations. This spiritual adventure has already mobilised millions of
young people from all continents. WYD has moved many of them to make big
changes
in their lives, and has led them to the discovery of a call, one that is an
intrinsic part of being young: many are the vocations to the priesthood and
consecrated life following each WYD, and many young people, after sharing this
experience, have chosen to join with another as a couple in the sacrament of
marriage.
 In his message, the Holy Father remarked that the theme of the 31st World
Youth
Day places the event in the heart of the Holy Year of Mercy, and this makes it
'a Youth Jubilee at world level'. As the Successor of Peter reminds us, it is
the third time that an international gathering of young people coincides with a
Jubilee Year. It happened during the Holy Year of Redemption (1983/1984) when
St. John Paul II invited young people from around the world for Palm Sunday for
the first time. Then, during the Great Jubilee of 2000, more than two million
young people from about 165 countries met in Rome for the 15thWorld Youth Day.
Pope Francis says, "I am sure that the Youth Jubilee in Krakow will be, as on
those two previous occasions, one of the high points of this Holy Year!".
 The Pope goes on to explain to young people how God revealed his mercy in the
Holy Scriptures by showing his untiring loyalty and eternal love, always ready
to forgive. In the New Testament, mercy is presented to us as"a synthesis of
the
work that Jesus came to accomplish in the world in the name of the Father [...]
Everything in Jesus speaks of mercy. Indeed, he himself is mercy".
 The Holy Father invites young people to have firsthand experience of the
Lord's
mercy. He says: "When I was seventeen years old, it happened one day that, as I
was about to go out with friends, I decided to stop into a church first. I met
a
priest there who inspired great confidence, and I felt the desire to open my
heart in Confession. That meeting changed my life! I discovered that when we
open our hearts with humility and transparency, we can contemplate God's mercy
in a very concrete way".
 After explaining how God shows us his mercy, the Pope invites young people to
become, in turn, instruments of that mercy towards others. He suggests a very
concrete way of responding to this call: "I would suggest that for the first
seven months of 2016 you choose a corporal and a spiritual work of mercy to
practice each month".
 At the end of his message, Pope Francis renews his warm invitation to young
people: "Only a few months are left before we meet in Poland. Krakow, the city
of St. John Paul II and St. Faustina Kowalska, is waiting for us with open arms
and hearts. I believe that Divine Providence led us to the decision to
celebrate
the Youth Jubilee in that city which was home to those two great apostles of
mercy in our times. [...] At the Shrine in Krakow dedicated to the merciful
Jesus, where He is depicted in the image venerated by the people of God, Jesus
is waiting for you [...].Come to Him and say from the depths of your hearts:
‘Jesus, I trust in You'".

___________________________________________________________

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