In the Blonia Park in Krakow, Francis met the young face of mercy (cf.speech welcoming the young people, 28-VII-2016). The motto of this World Youth workshop , "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall find mercy" (Mt, 5, 7), he translated it thus: "Blessed are those who know how to forgive, who know how to have a compassionate heart, who know how to give the best to others; the best, not what is surplus to them: the best!".

The Pope connected these attitudes with the capacity to change, proper to a young heart, which has dreams to share, questions and desires to make a better world. This is why the Church and the world look to young people, "to renew their trust in the Mercy of the Father whose face is always young and who never ceases to invite us to be part of his Kingdom, which is a Kingdom of joy, a Kingdom of happiness, a Kingdom that always leads us forward, a Kingdom capable of giving us the strength to change things".

God's mercy has an ever-youthful face precisely because it invites us into a Kingdom that stimulates us to go forward, changing whatever is necessary first within our own heart; for a merciful heart is one that is capable of dreaming, of always going forward moved by love:

"Mercy always has a young face. Because a merciful heart has the courage to leave comfort; a merciful heart knows how to go to the meeting of others, it is able to embrace everyone. A merciful heart knows how to be a refuge for those who have never had a home or have lost it, knows how to create an atmosphere of home and family for those who have had to emigrate, is capable of tenderness and compassion. A merciful heart knows how to share bread with those who are hungry, a merciful heart is open to receive the fugitive and the migrant. To say mercy to you is to say opportunity, is to say tomorrow, is to say commitment, is to say trust, is to say openness, hospitality, compassion, is to say dreams. But are you capable of dreaming? [...] And when the heart is open and capable of dreaming, there is room for mercy, there is room to caress those who suffer, there is room to stand with those who have no peace in their hearts or lack what is necessary to live or lack the most beautiful thing: faith".

For this reason Francis adds that it hurts him to meet young people (and let us remember that this also applies to the youth of the spirit at any age) who have retired from dreaming, who have thrown in the towel before the game, who are sad or bitter and bored with life. Or who have taken refuge in an empty vertigo (of drugs, violence, sex, consumerism, etc.), running after the false illusions of the "smoke peddlers", who have robbed them of their energy and joy.

And to the young people who are given to this alienating vertigo, he asks: "Do you want this alienating "vertigo" for your life or do you want to hear the force that makes you feel alive and full? Alienating vertigo or the force of grace? What do you want: alienating vertigo or the force of fullness? What do you want? [...] To be full, to have a renewed life, there is an answer, there is an answer that cannot be sold, there is an answer that cannot be bought, an answer that is not a thing, that is not an object, it is a person, it is called Jesus Christ".

Jesus Christ, explains the Pope, is the one who knows how to give true passion to life, Jesus Christ is the one who leads us not to be content with little and leads us to give the best of ourselves; who challenges us, invites us and financial aid us to get up every time we give up; who pushes us to look up and dream high.

And he continues the dialogue with the young people: "But Father," one of them may say to me, "it is so difficult to dream high, it is so difficult to climb, to always be on the way up. Father, I am weak, I fall, I try hard, but so many times I fall down".

The Pope recalls a song of the Alpines, when they climb the mountains: "In the art of climbing, what matters is not not to fall, but not to remain fallen".

Thus we before Jesus: "If you are weak, if you fall, look up a little and there is the outstretched hand of Jesus who says to you: 'Arise, come with me'".

And this, even if it has to happen "seventy times seven", as the Lord told Peter; because the hand of Jesus is always stretched out to lift us up, when we fall.

Above all, the Pope insists, Jesus asks us if we really want to be happy, if we want a full life. And - we can reply - where and how can we find this happiness, this full life?

A brief and central response for the young people of the world: "Happiness germinates and sprouts in mercy: that is your response, that is your invitation, your challenge, your adventure: mercy. Mercy always has a young face".

We see this face, Francis observes, in Mary of Nazareth, who with her "yes" launches herself into the adventure of mercy. For this reason she will be called blessed (happy with God and from God) for all generations and Mother of Mercy.

It is therefore necessary to ask the Lord for the ability to reproduce Mary's yes in our own lives:

"Lord, launch us on the adventure of mercy! Launch us on the adventure of building bridges and tearing down walls (whether enclosures or nets); launch us on the adventure of helping the poor, those who feel alone and abandoned, those who no longer find meaning in life. Launch us to accompany those who do not know you and tell them slowly and respectfully your name, the reason for my faith. Push us (...) to listen to those whom we do not understand, to those who come from other cultures, other peoples, even to those whom we fear because we believe that they can harm us. Make us turn our gaze, like Mary of Nazareth with Elizabeth, turn our gaze to our elders, to our grandparents to learn from their wisdom".

Mercy, the Pope concludes, is a substantial part of a full life, as Christian life is, as it should be:

"We want to affirm that life is full when it is lived from mercy, and that this is the best part, it is the sweetest part, it is the part that will never be taken away from us."