From Pope John Paul II

I've been listening to a book on CD, written by Pope John Paul II. He said something about youth and mentoring that I thought was worth sharing. At least, I connected with it.

"What is youth? It is not only a period of life that corresponds to a certain number of years. It is also a time given by providence to every person, and given to him as a responsibility. During that time, he searches, like the young man in the gospel, for answer to basic questions. He searches not only for the meaning of life, but also for a concrete way to go about living his life. This is the most fundamental characteristic of youth.
Every mentor, beginning with parents, let alone every pastor, must be aware of this characteristic, and must know how to identify it in every boy and girl. I will say more. He must love this fundamental aspect of youth.
If at every stage of his life, man desires to be his own person, to find love, during his youth he desires it even more strongly. The desire to be one’s own person, however, is not a license to do anything without exception. The young do not want that at all. They are willing to be corrected, they want to be told yes or no. They need guides, and they want them close at hand. If they turn to authority figures, they do so because they see in them a wealth of human warmth and the willingness to walk with them along the paths they are following."

The book is called "Crossing the Threshold of Hope". Visit your local library.