Speaking to a group of young people soon to be confirmed, Pope Leo XIV encouraged perseverance in the faith and emphasized that faith is lived in community, not in isolation.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV lamented that after being confirmed, many young people no longer attend church. He asked those awaiting confirmation to \u201cpay special attention\u201d to one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, perseverance.<\/p>\n
The pope met on Saturday, May 16, with those awaiting confirmation from the Archdiocese of Genoa, Italy. In an impromptu message, the Holy Father said that \u201cone of the greatest joys of a bishop is celebrating confirmations, because it is truly a gift of the Holy Spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is truly beautiful to receive this sacrament, for the fullness of the Holy Spirit gives us this enthusiasm, this strength, this ability to follow Jesus Christ, to always say \u2018yes\u2019 to the Lord, to have no fear of following him with courage, and to live out our faith in a world that so often seeks to draw us away from Jesus,\u201d he told them.<\/p>\n
After recalling the significance of the solemnity of Pentecost \u2014 to be celebrated on Sunday, May 24 \u2014 the pope lamented a sad reality: \u201cAt times, when the bishop administers confirmation, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the children are never seen again! They disappear from the parish.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t forget what you have experienced during this time, including the joy of coming to Rome to celebrate together, to pray together. And may this joy live on in your hearts as you continue to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ,\u201d Pope Leo urged.<\/p>\n
He also invited young people to \u201cpersevere in the faith, to return to the parish \u2014 there are so many activities, so many opportunities \u2014 but above all in the life of faith, because Jesus Christ wants to walk with you, with each one of you, and with all of you in community, which is so important.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do not live out our faith alone; we live it together. And forming these relationships of friendship and community is a way of living with perseverance as disciples of Jesus,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Finally, he called upon those to be confirmed to make a promise to the Lord: \u201cthat you truly desire to continue being his friends, his disciples, and his missionaries, and that you desire to persevere in the faith. So, I leave you with these words,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n
This story\u00a0was first published\u00a0by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.<\/p>\n