Jun 1 Mon
Is everything that comes to an end in my life a defeat?
Pope Leo XIV sent a heartfelt letter, filled with tenderness, understanding, and valuable guidance, to an 18-year-old, Pietro, who had expressed his fears about the uncertainty of his future and the new chapter he was about to begin at university, saying it left him feeling "very confused."
Specifically, he fears losing the friendships he has formed in high school and not knowing what path God has in store for him.
He dreams of “building and bringing to reality the project of a family united in the love of Christ.”
Dearest Pietro,
I read your letter with emotion. In it, I recognize the heart of a young man who is not satisfied and who takes his life seriously. I would like you to consider, first of all, one thing above all else: "You are loved by Jesus."
Not in an abstract way, but personally, as you are today, with your questions and your dreams, your fears, and your desires.
This love precedes you and will always accompany you; it does not depend on the choices you make or the paths you take. Jesus knows well the experience of friendship. He called his disciples friends, shared the bread and the journey with them, and was a friend of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary.
Jesus lived true and authentic bonds to the point of experiencing the pain of detachment and betrayal. For this reason, Jesus would be the first to understand your fear of losing the friendships you've made in these years.
Not everything will remain the same for you, but what has been authentic is not lost; indeed, true love does not dissolve; it remains forever; it matures even when it changes form and circumstances.
The desires of your heart, not the fleeting ones that melt like snow in the sun, but those that endure over time, will make you feel a deep peace and direct you towards a good choice: the gift of yourself and a shared life. From this, discernment is born.
Don't be in a hurry to understand everything right away. Time is a patient teacher and heals wounds.
Daily prayer, even simple and sparse in words, listening to the Word of God, the celebration of the sacraments, and the advice of wise people will help you to recognize which bonds to preserve and make grow, and which ones, without judgment, to cut off.
Not everything that ends is a defeat: sometimes it is just a necessary step toward growth. Your dream of a family founded in the love of Christ is also a precious gift for the Church; nurture it with confidence.
The Lord does not disappoint the desires that He Himself has kindled in your heart.
The restlessness you tell me about is not a negative sign. It is often where God works deeply. It is like the land that the farmer has tilled and is ready to receive a new seed.
I invite you to listen to Him sincerely, and I assure you of my prayers. I ask for you the grace of inner peace, confidence, and a clear outlook on your life. I entrust you to Mary, who, as a young woman, learned to trust despite having kept in her heart questions greater than herself.