“Your face, Lord, do I seek; hide not your face from me”
Men and women seek God. Young people realize that this quest is the inner law of their lives in the depths of their being. Human beings seek their way in the visible world and, through the visual world, they seek the unseen world at every stage of their spiritual journey. Each of us can repeat the words of the Psalmist: “Your face, Lord, do I seek; hide not your face from me” (Psalm 27: 8-9) [Editor’s note: This is the dream of all humankind.]
We all have our personal history and an innate desire to see God, a passion that makes itself felt simultaneous as we discover the created world. This world is wonderful and rich; it sets before us countless treasures; it enchants us; it attracts both our reason and our will. But in the end, it does not satisfy our spirit. Man realizes that this world, with its many riches, is superficial and precarious; in a sense, it is destined for death.
As regards man himself, each person comes into the world, is born from a mother’s womb, grows, and matures. We discover our vocation and develop our personality throughout our years of activity; then the moment comes when we must leave this world. The longer we live, the more we realize how precarious life is, and the more we wonder about immortality: what exists beyond the frontiers of death? Then, from the depths of our being, there arises the same question asked of the one who conquered death:
“Rabbi, where are you staying?”. Teacher, you who love and respect the human person, you who have shared in human suffering, you who illuminate the mystery of human existence, help us discover the true meaning of our life and vocation! “Your face, Lord, do I seek; hide not your face from me” (Psalm 27: 8-9).
The response to the question “Teacher, where do you live?” Christ dwells among his people. In the New Testament, God’s election has been extended to all the peoples of the earth. In Jesus Christ, God has chosen all humanity for his own. There is no longer Jew or Greek in Christ, nor slave or free; all are now one (Galatians 3: 28). Everyone is called to share in God’s life [Editor’s note: This is the dream of God].
Excerpted from the words of His Holiness, Saint Pope John Paul II
Apostolic Journey to Paris, Mass for 12th Youth Holiday
Paris, 24 August 1997
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