By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service |
ROME – Pope Francis asked 45,000 children preparing for confirmation to promise Jesus they would never engage in bullying .
Turning stern during a lively and laughter-filled encounter March 25 , Pope Francis told the youngsters he was very worried about the growing phenomenon of bullying .
He asked them to be silent and reflect on if there were times when they made fun of someone for how they looked or behaved . And , as a condition of their confirmation , he made them promise Jesus that they would never tease or bully anyone .
The pope ended his daylong visit to Milan by participating in an expanded version of the archdiocese ’ s annual encounter for pre-teens preparing for confirmation . An estimated 78,000 people filled the city ’ s famed San Siro soccer stadium ; the archdiocese expects to confirm about 45,000 young people this year .
A boy named Davide asked the pope , “ When you were our age , what helped your friendship with Jesus grow ?”
First of all , the pope said , it was his grandparents . One of his grandfathers was a carpenter , who told him Jesus learned carpentry from St . Joseph , so whenever the pope saw his grandfather
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work , he thought of Jesus . The other grandfather taught him to always say something to Jesus before going to sleep , even if it was just , “ Good night , Jesus .”
His grandmothers and his mother , the pope said , were the ones who taught him to pray . He told the kids that even if their grandparents “ don ’ t know how to use a computer or have a smartphone ,” they have a lot to teach them .
Playing with friends taught him joy and how to get along with others , which is part of faith , the pope said . And going to Mass and to the parish oratory also strengthened his faith because “ being with others is important .”
A couple of parents , who introduced themselves as Monica and Alberto , asked the pope ’ s advice on educating their three children in the faith .
Pope Francis borrowed little Davide ’ s question and asked the parents to close their eyes and think of the people who transmitted the faith to them and helped it grow .
“ Your children watch you continually ,” the pope said . “ Even if you don ’ t notice , they observe everything and learn from it ,” especially in how parents handle tensions , joys and sorrows .
He also encouraged families to go to Mass together and then , if the weather is nice , to go to a park and play together . “ This is beautiful and will help you live the commandment to keep the Lord ’ s day holy .”
An essential part of handing on the
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Young candidates for confirmation attend an encounter with Pope Francis at San Siro stadium in Milan March 25 . ( CNS photo / Massimiliano Migliorato )
faith , he said , is teaching children the meaning of solidarity and engaging them in the parents ’ acts of charity and solidarity with the poor . “ Faith grows with charity and charity grows with faith ,” he said .
Before going to the soccer stadium , Pope Francis celebrated an afternoon Mass for the feast of the Annunciation in Milan ’ s Monza Park .
The annunciation of Jesus ’ birth to Mary took place in her home in a small town in the middle of nowhere , which is a sign that God desired to meet his people “ in places we normally would not expect ,” the pope said in his homily .
Just as “ the joy of salvation began in the daily life of a young woman ’ s home in Nazareth ,” he said , “ God wants to be welcomed into and given life in the homes of all people .”
God is indifferent to no one , the pope said , and “ no situation will be deprived of his presence .”
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Tens of thousands of people gathered on a warm spring day for the Mass amid the new leaves and fragile buds on the trees of the park .
Pope Francis used Milan ’ s Ambrosian rite , a Mass that differs slightly from the Latin rite used in most parts of the world . Some of the differences included the pope blessing each of the readers and not only the deacon who proclaimed the Gospel , and the Creed being sung after the Offertory , rather than after the Homily .
In his homily , the pope said that like Mary at the Annunciation , people today naturally wonder how God ’ s promises could be fulfilled . “ But how can this be ?” Mary asked .
The same question arises “ at a time so filled with speculation . There ’ s speculation on the poor and migrants , speculation on the young and their future ,” the pope said . “ While pain knocks on many doors , while young people are increasingly unsatisfied by the lack of real opportunities , speculation is abundant everywhere .”
Finding and living the joy of the Gospel , he said , is possible only following the path the Angel Gabriel led Mary on when he told her she would bear God ’ s son . People must remember the great things God has done and remember that they belong to the people of God , a community that “ is not afraid to welcome those in need because they know the Lord is present in them .”
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