It has been clear from the beginning of the synodal journey that the young form an essential part of the Church. So too, therefore, does their holiness, which in recent decades has flourished in many different ways all over the world: contemplating and meditating during the Synod upon the courage of so many young people who sacrificed their lives for remaining faithful to the Gospel has been deeply moving for us; listening to the testimonies of the young people present at the Synod, who amid persecutions chose to share the passion of the Lord Jesus, has been life-giving. Through the holiness of the young, the Church can renew her spiritual ardour and her apostolic vigour. The balsam of holiness generated by the good lives of so many young people can heal the wounds of the Church and of the world, bringing us back to that fullness of love to which we have always been called: the young saints inspire us to return to our first love (cf. Rev 2:4). The synodal event that we experienced The process of preparation The Final Document of the Synodal Assembly Jesus journeys with the disciples on the way to Emmaus Chapter I. A Church that Listens Listening and seeing with empathy The value of listening The young want to be heard Listening in the Church Listening on the part of pastors and qualified laypeople The diversity of contexts and cultures A “plural” world Changes taking place Exclusion and marginalization Men and women Cultural colonization A first look at the Church of today The Church’s commitment to education Activities in youth ministry The burden of administration The situation of parishes Initiation into Christian life The formation of seminarians and consecrated persons Chapter II. Three crucial Elements The newness of the digital environment A pervasive reality The network of opportunities The dark side of the internet Migrants as a paradigm of our time A multi-faceted phenomenon Violence and vulnerability Stories of separation and of encounter The prophetic role of the Church Recognizing and reacting to all types of abuse Establishing the truth and asking for forgiveness Going to the roots Thanks and encouragement Chapter III. Identity and Relations Family and intergenerational relations The family as a privileged point of reference The importance of maternity and paternity The relations between generations The young and cultural roots Friendship and relationships between peers Body and affectivity Changes taking place Reception of the Church’s moral teachings The questions of the young Forms of vulnerability The world of work Violence and persecutions Marginalization and social malaise The experience of suffering The resource of vulnerability Chapter IV. Being young today Aspects of today’s youth culture Originality and specificity Commitment and social engagement Art, music and sport Spirituality and religiosity The different religious contexts The religious quest The encounter with Jesus The desire for living liturgy Participation and active involvement The young want active involvement Reasons for a distance Young people in the Church Women in the Church The mission of the young towards their peers Desire for a more authentic and fraternal ecclesial community Part TWO “THEIR EYES WERE OPENED” A new Pentecost The action of the Holy Spirit The Spirit rejuvenates the Church The Spirit in the life of the believer An authentic experience of God Chapter I. The Gift of Youth Jesus as a young man among the young The youth of Jesus With the Lord’s gaze Characteristics of youth The healthy restlessness of the young Wounded young people Becoming adult The age of choices Life under the sign of mission A pedagogy capable of dialogue The true sense of authority Family bonds Called to freedom The Gospel of freedom A responsorial freedom Freedom and faith Freedom that is wounded and redeemed Chapter II. The Mystery of Vocation The search for vocation Vocation, journey and discovery Vocation, grace and freedom Creation and vocation Towards a vocational culture The vocation to follow Jesus The attractiveness of Jesus Faith, vocation and discipleship The Virgin Mary Vocation and vocations Vocation and mission of the Church The variety of charisms Profession and vocation The family Consecrated life The ordained ministry The condition of “singles” Chapter III. The Mission to Accompany The Church that accompanies Faced with choices Breaking bread together Environments and roles Accompanying the entry into society Community accompaniment, of groups and individuals A fruitful tension Community accompaniment and group accompaniment Personal spiritual accompaniment Accompaniment and the sacrament of Reconciliation Integral accompaniment Accompaniment during formation for the ordained ministry and consecrated life Quality accompaniers Called to accompany The profile of the accompanier The importance of formation Chapter IV. The Art of Discernment The Church, an environment for discernment A constellation of meanings in the variety of spiritual traditions At the heart of the Word and of the Church Conscience in discernment God speaks to the heart The Christian idea of conscience The formation of conscience Ecclesial conscience The practice of discernment Familiarity with the Lord The attitudes of the heart The dialogue of accompaniment Decision and confirmation Part THREE “THEY SET OUT AT ONCE” A young Church An icon of resurrection Walking with the young The desire to reach all the young Spiritual, pastoral and missionary conversion Chapter I. The Missionary Synodality of the Church A constitutive dynamism The young ask us to walk together The Synodal process continues The Synodal form of the Church A participatory and co-responsible Church Joint processes of discernment A style for mission Missionary communion A mission in dialogue Towards the peripheries of the world Chapter II. Walking together in daily life From structures to relationships From delegation to involvement The renewal of the parish Open and decipherable structures The life of the community A mosaic of faces The community in the area Kerygma and catechesis The centrality of the liturgy The generosity of diakonia Youth pastoral ministry from a vocational perspective The Church, a home for the young Vocational animation of pastoral ministry A pastoral vocational ministry for the young From fragmentation to integration The fruitful relationship between events and daily life Youth centres Chapter III. Renewed Missionary Vigour Some urgent challenges Mission in the digital environment Migrants: knocking down walls and building bridges Women in a synodal Church Sexuality: a clear, free, authentic word Ecomonics, politics, work, common home In intercultural and interreligious contexts The young for ecumenical dialogue Chapter IV. Integral Formation Concreteness, complexity and integration Education, school and university Preparing new formators Forming missionary disciples A time for accompanying discernment Accompaniment for marriage The formation of seminarians and of consecrated men and women Conclusion Called to become saints Reawakening the world with holiness Carried away by the holiness of the young
TheoFonsAt the sources of the faith