It is necessary that the Church try to be above all what it is: a reflection of Jesus Christ, alive and risen, being a mirror of (as an image and as an experience) as a sign of love.
Many look at the Church with an aged, tired, out-of-date air. Anchored in a history of more than two thousand years, we are, however, a living community, where everyone has a place. Like the title of the film, the “Church is not for old people”! Aloof, young people can often give the Church the beauty of their youth. Young people dust off, move, generate life. They are fresh air. Novelty and perspective. Trust and future. And there are those who feel uncomfortable about it. But when young people are not there, the Church “becomes a museum”, thus unable to “receive the dreams of young people” (ChV, 41). Even in the most difficult situations, the Church also needs to receive the vision and even the criticism of young people (cf. ChV, 39). To be credible in the eyes of young people, you need to regain your humility and simply listen; talk less and do more to recognize, in what others say, some light that can help you better discover the Gospel, the greater beauty of humanity and the meaning of our faith. Experiences of meeting, shared life are needed. It is necessary to welcome the new landscapes that present themselves. Valuing a different and perhaps radical point of view. It is necessary that the Church try to be above all what it is: a reflection of Jesus Christ, alive and risen, being a mirror of Jesus (as an image and as an experience) as a sign of love. The search for beauty is part of the search for meaning and in the deepest scope of the relationship with Jesus. In Jesus Christ everything is lovely and beautiful. His beauty lies in his perfect humanity, being the Son of God. He who simultaneously brought the beauty of God to the land of mankind and the beauty of mankind created in the image of God. The more the Church is of Jesus Christ, the more it will be the Church of young people. Because in Jesus, young people find those who go through their lives doing good, healing, welcoming, loving, smiling, singing, “making noise”. And the Church needs young people to be the living face of Jesus today. Otherwise, it will be more like a lazy, amorphous, defenseless, beautyless museum. It simply won’t be.
