by Nathan Stanley

This is a historic week. This week we’ve observed the anniversary of the death of Pope St. John Paul II. We’ve also seen the Church release the Apostolic Exhortation “Christus Vivit,”or “Christ Lives” (CV).

In the opening paragraphs, Pope Francis states that “With great affection, I address this Apostolic Exhortation to all Christian young people. It is meant to remind you of certain convictions born of our faith, and at the same time to encourage you to grow in holiness and in commitment to your personal vocation” (CV 3).

This Apostolic Exhortation was born following his time of reflection and prayer in October 2018 with bishops throughout the world during the Synod on Young People, Faith and Vocational discernment.

“Christus Vivit” is a historic document: It’s the first-ever Vatican document on young people. Just last week, I was blessed to be with a group of Church leaders in the United States. This group gathered to reflect upon the recent synod and the upcoming Apostolic Exhortation.

I was very excited to start diving into the Holy Father’s letter to young people. I have only been able to start reading, but below are a few key themes that have struck me during my initial reading of “Christus Vivit.”

1. Jesus was a young person.

Pope Francis writes, “It is important to realize that Jesus was a young person. He gave his life when he was, in today’s terms, a young adult” (23).

This is a beautiful line for all young people to pray through. Jesus, our savior, took on human flesh and walked among us. He grew up and lived as a young person and even gave his life at the age of 33, as young adult man. As Christians, we are called to imitate Jesus. This is a call to total self-giving; it is not something that we should wait to answer until we are old, but something that especially starts in our youth. Pope Francis is inviting the youth of the today to live with that same sacrificial love.

To be continued…