Pope Francis met with Mexican youth yesterday and offered a message of hope and encouragement that was so moving, it caused the crowd of tens of thousands of young people to burst into spontaneous prayer and song.

Vatican Radio is reporting on the pope’s visit with more than 50,000 youth yesterday at Estadio Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon stadium in Michoacan, Morelia, a place considered to be a “hotspot” of drug-related violence. After several youth spoke about their joy in welcoming the pope, one young man broached a subject that is on the minds of too many Mexican youth these days – the rampant unemployment that is robbing them of their dreams.

He told the pope about the high rates of unemployment that are leading many to despair and, consequently, to avarice, corruption and the temptation to break the law. With the number of victims of drug trafficking, violence and exploitation on the rise, so are the tears shed by families who have lost loved ones, while the perpetrators of these crimes are being treated with impunity.

“We wish to be builders of peace,” the youth said. “We would like our loved ones not to be affected by violence. How can we Catholics receive the peace of Christ and be messengers like you?”

The Pope responded by telling the young people that they can’t live in hope or look to the future until they first learn how to value themselves.

“Hope is born when you are able to experience that all is not lost; and for this to happen it is necessary to start “at home”, to begin with yourself. Not everything is lost. I am not lost; I am worth something, I am worth a lot. The biggest threats to hope are those words which devalue you, which make you feel second rate. The biggest threat to hope is when you feel that you do not matter to anybody or that you have been left aside. The biggest threat to hope is when you feel that, either being present or absent, you make no difference. This kills, this crushes us and opens the door to much suffering. The principal threat to hope is to allow yourself to believe that you begin to be valuable when you start wearing the right clothes, the latest brands and fashions, or when you enjoy prestige, are important because you have money; but in the depths of your heart you do not believe that you are worthy of kindness or love. The biggest threat is when a person feels that they must have money to buy everything, including the love of others. The biggest threat is to believe that by having a big car you will be happy.”

Francis went on to insist that these young people are “the wealth of Mexico . . . the wealth of the Church.”

“I understand that often it is difficult to feel your value when you are continually exposed to the loss of friends or relatives at the hands of the drug trade, of drugs themselves, of criminal organizations that sow terror. It is hard to feel the wealth of a nation when there are no opportunities for dignified work, no possibilities for study or advancement, when you feel your rights are being trampled on, which then leads you to extreme situations. It is difficult to appreciate the value of a place when, because of your youth, you are used for selfish purposes, seduced by promises that end up being untrue.”

He insisted that he wasn’t just saying these things because he’s a good person but because he was convinced of it. “And do you know why? Because, like you, I believe in Jesus Christ. And it is he who continually renews in me this hope, it is he who continually renews my outlook. It is he who continually invites me to a conversion of heart. Yes, my friends, I say this because in Jesus I have found the One who is able to bring out the best in me. Hand in hand with him, we can move forward, hand in hand with him we can begin again and again, hand in hand with him we find the strength to say: it is a lie to believe that the only way to live, or to be young, is to entrust oneself to drug dealers or others who do nothing but sow destruction and death. Hand in hand with Jesus Christ we can say: it is a lie that the only way to live as young people here is in poverty and exclusion; in the exclusion of opportunities, in the exclusion of spaces, in the exclusion of training and education, in the exclusion of hop e. It is Jesus Christ who refutes all attempts to render you useless or to be mere mercenaries of other people’s ambitions.”

He continued: “You have asked me for a word of hope, and the one word I have to give you, is Jesus Christ. When everything seems too much, when it seems that the world is crashing down around you, embrace his Cross, draw close to him and please, never let go of his hand; please, never leave him. Hand in hand with him it is possible to live fully, by holding his hand it is possible to believe that it is worth the effort to give your best, to be leaven, salt and light among your friends, neighborhoods, and your community. For this reason, dear friends, holding the hand of Jesus I ask you to not let yourselves be excluded, do not allow yourselves to be devalued, do not let them treat you like a commodity. Of course, you may not be able to have the latest car model at the door, you will not have pockets filled with money, but you will have something that no one can take away from you, which is the experience of being loved, embraced and accompanied. It is the experience of being family, of feeling oneself as part of a community.”

Once again, he repeated, “You are the wealth of this country. And when you doubt this, look to Jesus, he who destroys all efforts to make you useless or mere instruments of other people’s ambitions.”

Those words of encouragement seemed to strike precisely the right chord with the youth. As Vatican Radio correspondent Veronica Scarisbrick reported, the youth “went wild with joy” breaking into prayer and song to celebrate the bright ray of hope that was suddenly flooding their hearts.

Even though his trip to Mexico will end this evening, our Holy Father left a mark on the heart of this nation that will live for generations to come.

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