Scottish Catholic Observer

In today’s youth-obsessed secular culture it comes as no surprise that many look to the young for inspiration on the latest trends. However, as Catholics we are often rightly inspired by our own young people, perhaps never more so than at this point in the liturgical year with so many parishes celebrating First Holy Communions.

What is it that moves us all so much as a community about these young communicants and their Faith journeys? Perhaps their budding Faith, Faith in its purest form, reminds us of what truly matters: the need to be like children before God. As Matthew told us of Jesus 18:3: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’”

The Faith of young Catholics gives us all hope for the future in the darkest of times, such as the Faith demonstrated by the school pupils who honoured Our Lady of Fatima at St Andrew’s Cathedral, Glasgow, on Monday, Her feast day and the day Pope Francis consecrated his Papacy to Her [pages 1 and 5.]

The Faith of pupils and young adults is given a voice on our schools’ page and in the Strong in Faith feature on Facebook and in the SCO (page 4).

As our young Catholics at schools, colleges and universities sit exams, let us keep them in our thoughts and prayers.

World Youth Day with Pope Francis in Rio de Janeiro lies ahead this year from July 23 to 28, as does Scotland’s Rio at Stirling University.

At WYD, our youth mix with many less fortunate than themselves, some from countries where people are persecuted for their religious beliefs.

In many ways, today’s Scottish youth live very privileged lives, with modern comforts and technology.  However, they also face a myriad of choices and their struggle to explore their vocation and find the right path through life is enormous, with great competition for further education places and employment.

We pray our young people find good role models, such as the recently canonised martyrs and leaders in their own Faith communities, and rise admirably to the life challenges they encounter.