I couldn’t help but be once again thrilled with yet another catchy Bergoglio-ism which I would loosely translate as: “How to Mess things up well!” (*Note: The Spanish word lio can be translated as ‘in messed up situation’ or ‘absorbed by something problematic or complicated’.)
This expression summarized Pope Francis’ address to the youth (and young-at-heart) in Asuncion, Paraguay last 12th of July.
After listening to various testimonies from the youth, the Pope took advantage to underline the importance of acquiring genuine freedom, not only for one’s personal growth and maturity, but to be exercised through solidarity with and service for one’s neighbors.
The words of Francis were both soul-soothing and demanding.
“To know God is to be strong, that is, to know God, to get close to Jesus is hope and strength; and this is what the young need today: youth with hope, courage. We don’t want wimpy young people who are just getting by without committing themselves. We don’t want young people who tire easily and go through life tired, with bored faces.”
He continued with encouraging and fiery words: “We want strong, hopeful young people, people with hope and courage. (…) Do you think a young person who lives in this way has a bored face? he asked. “No!” the participants respond. “Does he have a sad heart?” he asks again.
“No!” they answer again. “This is the way, but sacrifice is necessary, we need to go against the grain,” the Pope added.
The Pope went on to synthesize these youthful ideals by surprising them with a very catchy phrase: learn how to mess things up well!
He seems to have adapted this from a priest who jokingly told him, “If you [Holy Father] continue encouraging the youth to mess things up, they will do so… sadly, we are the ones who will end up fixing their mess for them.”
He used this anecdote to tell the young that they should indeed ‘make a mess but then straighten things up well.’ He says, “Both things are important, okay? (…) A mess that gives us a free heart, that gives solidarity, hope and a mess that is born from having known Jesus and knowing that God whom I have known is my strength. This is, and ought to be, the mess that you should to make!”
Naturally, messing up doesn’t mean breaking, stealing, failing and committing sins against God’s commandments.
It actually has a positive ascetical lesson that was already taught by Jesus Himself: if you want to receive, you must learn to give; if you want to be strong, you must learn to become weak and if you want to live, you must give up your life.
Thus, messing up in an evangelical sense entails interior struggle –going against the grain– by stepping on our pride, cutting off our wild imagination and curtailing our lazy memories. It also means constantly observing temperance and sobriety when indulging in noble earthly goods (i.e., food, sports, entertainment, etc.).
Messing up ourselves also invites one to think more about the needs of others before his own, serving cheerfully, showing timely affection, silently praying and making expiation for those who may be literally messing up their own lives and that of others.
At the end of his impromptu discourse, Pope Francis asked the youth to join him in praying for those whose lives may be messed up: “Jesus, I ask you for the boys and girls who do not know you as their strength and who are afraid of living, of being happy and of dreaming.”
He ended, as if asking the Lord to be the One to mess us up well, by asking God to help teach us how to dream: “Jesus, teach us to dream, to dream of great things, beautiful things, things which –even though they may be so common– enlarge the heart. Lord Jesus, give us fortitude, give us a free heart, and give us hope, love and teach us to serve. Amen.”