The whole speech at the Youth Rally was…wonderful. Read it. (linked below).
If you were watching it, you might have noticed that there was one point at which Benedict really drew on just a little bit more inner fire and spoke with more energy, making sure we understood how very important this was:
Let your imaginations soar freely along the limitless expanse of the horizons of Christian discipleship. Sometimes we are looked upon as people who speak only of prohibitions. Nothing could be further from the truth! Authentic Christian discipleship is marked by a sense of wonder. We stand before the God we know and love as a friend, the vastness of his creation, and the beauty of our Christian faith.
What I used to tell my students – and still tell anyone who will listen, including myself – is that Paul, Augustine, Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Avila, Dorothy Day…you name them..none of these people converted to Christ or to a deeper, more committed relationship to Christ because they felt like it would be stepping into a prison and locking the door. None of them said “yes” because they wanted to shut their true selves away.
No, in Christ, restless hearts found freedom, they found love and truth unmatched.
Because when you know your origin and destination, and you know you are made for God, the opinions of others don’t matter at all anymore. Their expectations are irrelevant.
Only in God.
That’s freedom.