24 April 1989
Loreto, Italy

My dear Young People,

I do not know if anyone has remarked upon the fact that today is the birthday of St. Vincent de Paul. He is 408 years old today, or should I say 408 years young. The presence of you young people here today is proof of the fact that, for you, Vincent de Paul is still relevant to the young generation. His words, his activities, his life and especially his interest in and love for the poor and the marginalized of the society of his time speak to you, the youth of Italy, and to the youth of the world. So we wish St. Vincent a very happy birthday. That is hardly necessary, for his degree of happiness could not be greater, immersed deeply in the happiness and joy of God Himself which will go on uninterruptedly for all eternity.

Our Lord said that there were many rooms in His Father's house. So I can imagine that many have left their rooms in heaven today to wish St. Vincent a happy birthday. St. Louise de Marillac, St. Catherine Labouré, and St. Justin de Jacobis will be among the first callers. As they are leaving, they will undoubtedly see millions and millions of poor people lining up to wish St. Vincent a happy birthday. As they queue up at his door, the poor, who are now no longer poor, are saying to one another, "Well, no, I did not know him personally on earth, for he lived long before my time, but I knew some of his friends--Priests of the Mission, Daughters of Charity, members of the Vincentian Volunteers, members, too, of another Society which bears his name--and it was they who spoke to me about him. It was they who came and relieved my sufferings and lightened my pain of loneliness in life. Sometimes they would say that they learned from Vincent de Paul the importance of looking for the presence of Jesus Christ on earth in our faces, in our suffering bodies, and in our aching hearts."

As we think of that long line of men, women and children in heaven, of many nations and tongues, that stretches back three centuries and who wanted to wish St. Vincent a happy birthday today, we think also of ourselves. We, who are the most recently born into St. Vincent's family, are at the end of the line. Those in heaven are of yesterday, and we of today have our minds set on tomorrow. As members of the Vincentian Volunteers, you are setting out for the year 2000. It is the theme of this national congress. You are on the march. You are on pilgrimage. So, will you allow me to say something to you about the route?

On the highway which your group has taken towards the year 2000, you will find the usual signs which we read on all the highways of Italy. Each of these signs has a message for you. Let me select some of them. You may select others and apply them to the progress of your journey together. You are traveling in a large pullman coach.

First, large coaches have a speed limit to respect. Perhaps some of you would like to go faster and will try to persuade the driver to do so. But there is wisdom in respecting the speed limit. St. Vincent de Paul never liked to do things in too much of a hurry. Driving at an excessive speed may result in loss of control. For St. Vincent de Paul, doing things slowly and methodically enabled him to see more clearly in what direction God's highway was leading. "I see nothing more common," he wrote one day, "than the bad results of things done hastily." (Coste I, Eng. ed., ltr. 295, p. 424). So observe the speed limits, working always within the framework of your Statutes.

Next, on the highways there are tolls to be paid. Driving on highways is pleasant, but the tolls at the exit are often expensive. It is the price one pays for comfort in driving and for the saving of time. You, the drivers, do not think of your own personal comfort so much as the advantages, the blessings, and the benefits you will bring to the poor. You have undertaken this journey, not for pleasure but to bring the light and joy of Christ to the poor. You have undertaken it together. The toll is what it costs in the efforts you make to collaborate with each other, to give of your time, not only to the poor but to the group. It costs a lot at times to give up your own personal interests in preference to those of others. All that costs you much, but remember the words of Our Lord that even if you give a cup of cold water to the least of His brothers, you will not go without a reward. (cf. Mt 10:42). From his room in heaven St. Vincent would like to repeat the advice he once gave to some missionaries setting out on a journey: "Be united and God will bless you, but let your union be through the charity of Jesus Christ, for no other union that is not cemented by the blood of this Divine Saviour can last." (Abelly, bk. I, ch. I, pp. 145-146).

On the great highways of your country there are signs such as: "No Stopping." Only in emergencies is one allowed to stop by the side of the road. You are an active member of the Youth Group. Everyone expects you to continue being so, unless for some special reason or emergency you must drop out. Remember that the group does depend to some extent on your presence, on your contribution to the program. Perhaps you feel you would not be missed if you dropped out. But what would become of the Group if everyone felt the same. If every car on the highway decided to pull over to the side to have a few winks of sleep or to admire the scenery, there would be chaos on the road. So keep on moving and do not allow yourself to be distracted by the scenery or by the traffic that is overtaking you.

On our highways there are long tunnels. Perhaps some of you passed through them on your way here, a long tunnel, like that which winds under the Gran Sasso. Tunnels are built to find convenient ways around obstacles, as great as the Gran Sasso. The terrain which you will have to pass over between now and the year 2000 will be rocky and mountainous. The growing number of young people who are using drugs, the fragility of family life, the lack of honesty and justice in society, are like so many large mountains. They seem irremovable and you seem powerless before them. However, with the grace of God something can be done. They must not be obstacles to your journey forward. You must find a way through them, but especially you must try to take care of some of those who are lying on those mountains, like the robbed man in the Gospel, badly wounded and half dead. (cf. Lk 10:25-37).

Can I say lastly a word about the service stations on the highway? You will find them there, and you will need to stop there for refueling, if you are to continue on your journey towards the year 2000. The energy that keeps you going is the love of God in your heart. That love has been poured into your heart by the Spirit of God at baptism. You must keep in contact with the Spirit of God. Every day try to give yourselves ten or fifteen minutes of quiet, reflective prayer on the Gospels, speaking to Jesus Christ and His Spirit Who dwells in your heart. You will have need, too, of the food of the Eucharist. Every Holy Communion is Viaticum, for is that not the food which Our Lord Himself has given for life's journey? You will need the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation. Too easily on the journey our vision can get clouded over with the dust and mud of sin. Periodically we need to clear the windshield of our minds, if we are to see clearly the way ahead. The Word of God in the Sacrament of Penance is always a light for our faltering steps.

When you drive on the highway, you need patience. Not all drivers are considerate. On the journey to the year 2000 you must be patient. Be prepared to stop to help others who have been badly injured on the road of life. The Youth Group must consider itself as a sort of mobile First Aid that is interested, not only in reaching the year 2000 but also in helping the casualties that lie on the road, and who are suffering physical or mental or spiritual wounds.

My dear young people, I congratulate you on the work you are doing and I am happy to be with you today. We may not have 408 candles to put on St. Vincent's heavenly birthday cake, but you have something more valuable and pleasing to offer him. You have those countless gestures of love which you have shown and continue to show to those whom St. Vincent loved, namely, the poor of Jesus Christ. At the end of this Congress, as he looks at you, setting off for the year 2000, I am certain that he would say to you what he wrote to St. Louise de Marillac on the 6 May 1629: "Go, therefore, Mademoiselle, go in the name of Our Lord. I pray that His Divine Goodness may accompany you, be your consolation along the way, your shade against the heat of the sun, your shelter in rain and cold, your soft bed in your weariness, your strength in your toil, and, finally, that He may bring you back in perfect health and filled with good works." (Coste I, Eng. ed., ltr. 39, pp. 64-65).