Youth Before the Third Millennium
June 18, 2000
We praise and bless the Lord!
Let all the earth praise His Holy Name.
Blessed is Christ our God!
We are gathered here today in the name and by the grace of our God. We have come together because two thousand years ago “the fullness of time” (Gal. 4.4) occurred and a “new child” was born to us who was “the God before all ages,” “the one who opened the heavens and descended on earth for the life of the world.” We have come together, also, because on the great and holy day of Pentecost the promise of our Risen Lord was fulfilled, who comforted the disciples with the words “I will not leave you orphans” (Jn 14.18). In the name of Christ, God the Father sent the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth. And He continues to send the Comforter forever to renew our life and our world. The same Spirit raises up and leads human beings to each other in the life of the Church. In His name, as well, have we gathered here today. To Him be the glory, honor, and thanksgiving to the ages of ages! …
Our intent and fervent desire is to speak about the youth, but also to speak with the youth, that is, yourselves. You represent worthily the young people of our Orthodox Church throughout the world. To all the Orthodox youth, we convey our paternal prayer and Patriarchal blessing, as well as the message of hope, courage, conviction, and unshakable faith “for God is with us!” …
Directing our gaze to the past, we certainly do not forget, as well, the myriads of young people who became the innocent and tragic victims of wars and holocausts, particularly in the ending twentieth century. However, the theme of the Conference calls us to turn our gaze mainly to the future in order to sketch a vision of the young people in the Church based on our hopes for the coming third millennium.
The content of the third millennium is unforeseeable today. Humankind, for the first time in world history, is subject to a suffocating perplexity about what tomorrow will bring. Many things that were self-evident are now disputed, and many are crumbling. Expectations are being dashed. Unforeseen things take us by surprise. Paradoxical things claim acceptance. What is beyond imagination becomes reality. What was unseen a little while ago becomes conspicuous. What is brighter than the sun becomes darkened. The order of all things is troubled. Nature’s forces are explored and being exploited in ways unsuitable to the harmony of the natural order. Nature is assaulted by human egocentric will. The uniqueness and sanctity of the human person is directly threatened. And all of humanity, coerced by the uncontrolled powers of haughty reason and the incurable weaknesses of moral and spiritual conduct, is moving along the precipitous edge of a yawning abyss.
In view of such changes and developments toward the unforeseeable future, it is necessary to seek out the prophetic charisma of the Church through the invocation of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter of our life and of the entire world. Moreover, this, not in order for us to disclose whatever human beings may be planning, or to forecast their consequences or to make known what only God has set by His own authority (Acts 1.7). Rather, it is in order to remember and recall whatever the Lord and Almighty God has promised and commanded, and that so that we may speak and promote “edification, encouragement, and consolation” (I Cor. 14.3). …
Having yourselves become partakers of the charismata through your holy Baptism and your spiritual life in general, you are called to increase your given talents in order that you may become worthy of more abundant divine grace. In this way you will be inspired by divine grace to participate consciously and boldly in the prophetic mission and witness of the body of the Church, and thus you, yourselves, will be able to speak and promote “edification, encouragement and consolation.” Moreover, conducting yourselves in this God-pleasing manner, you will prepare for future generations the example and prototype of the athletes of Christ and of the servants of peace, love and hope. …
Unemployment
… We know that in many countries unemployment is rampant, while in parallel there is an abundance of profits for the few. This situation occurs despite the sincere efforts of many. The marginalization and. disillusionment of young people because of unemployment is the most glaring failure of the economy and politics even among the most developed societies. This extremely deplorable phenomenon presents an added reason for despair on the part of less developed countries. The phenomenon of unemployment is the result of many factors. One factor is the workers’ difficulty to adapt to the changes in vocational enterprises due to technical developments. Another is the workers’ reluctance to engage in certain types of work below their level of education. Still another is the inability of the social system to provide jobs for all, even though available positions of work exist or could be created.
Young people can successfully respond to these negative factors in two ways. The first is at the individual level, that is, by personal versatility, adaptability, ongoing education, and diligent search. The second is at the social level, that is, by promoting ideas, programs and various solutions in general, which will increase job opportunities, as young people themselves successfully reach higher positions of leadership in society. There are many things to be done for humanity and the resources are available. Needed are good will, ideas, love for the unemployed, coordination of efforts, and vigilant zeal. Since the assumption of our responsibilities as head of this Church of the First Throne, we have in various ways emphatically advocated to many leaders or nations and other appropriate persons the conviction that the problem of unemployment cannot be effectively resolved without mutual social trust and above all without a community of justice and social responsibility. The young people must become agents of such a mobilization for the benefit of all humanity.
Social Justice and Human Rights
The word of God commands: “Learn justice, you who dwell on the earth” (Isaiah 26.9). God’s behest envisions social justice, which is also secured by respect for human rights. The correlative sensibilities connected to this profoundly serious issue at the local, national and international level are well known. Known, too, are the complex causal factors behind both social injustice and the violation of human rights. Over against this deplorable reality, Christian young people counter with the incomparable value of the human person, including the least of the Lord’s brothers. The Christian teaching concerning the value of the person constitutes a pioneering historical principle of universal validity, which serves as the foundation of legislation concerning human rights. However, Christian young people do not limit themselves to the claim of respect for human rights. They also advocate another aspect of what is right, namely, human responsibility and duty, for without the latter the former proves equally inhuman, as much as its violation does. They advocate, as well, the notion of justice as mercy and the restoration of all things to a condition of harmony, that is to say, the transcending of transactional justice with a justice that combines collectively all virtues.
War and Peace
Beautiful is that verse of the Psalmist which speaks of the meeting of mercy and truth, and the embrace of justice and peace. “Mercy and truth are met together; justice and peace have kissed each other” (Ps. 84.11). Neither social justice, nor human rights are ultimately comprehensible without mercy and truth. And without the latter, there can be no true peace. The young people, who are the first victims of war, have a right to a peaceful life in truth, justice, and love. Anxieties about the planet’s future, which arise out of the potential destructiveness of modern weapons, as well as out of the greed and ambition of certain responsible leaders, necessitate that the young people should remain always alert and enlightened, and thus not be swayed by war-loving sirens.
Ecology
In addition, the young people and the coming generations have a right to a peaceful enjoyment of the natural environment whose integrity is cruelly violated to the great detriment of humanity. Ecological disasters, biological transformations and changes, and many other forms of abusive conduct of man over against divine creation and order, menace the survival itself of both humanity as well as that of the animal and plant kingdoms. For this reason, our own Ecumenical Throne has long assumed the known initiatives pertaining to the ecological realm with the purpose of disseminating information and alerting those who are primarily responsible. In this task we also include the young people who, when informed about the seriousness of the issue, become heralds of respect for the creation out of love and respect both for God and our fellow human beings.
