for peace in nearly 200 churches in and around Budapest. While many Hungarian families prepared for New Year parties Monday December 31, these young Christians from dozens of countries appeared in a sombre mood as they remembered those who are suffering on earth.
The vigil was seen as the highlight of the 24th Young Adult European Meeting, organized by the France based " Taizé Community." It came as nuclear powers India and Pakistan prepared for war, and the global fight against terrorism continued.
WORRIES
However in recent days, Taizé brothers have encouraged young people to give their worries to Christ and not to give up hope. "If you go back home, will you be among those who give their lives to God to create a life of peace and trust?" asked Brother Roger, who founded the Taizé community in 1940, earlier on Monday.
Speaking during a service in the Budapest Exhibition Centre known as Hungexpo he urged the youngsters, mainly teenagers and people in their twenties, to follow their call from God. "Even with a very simple phrase God can give us His calling," he said, adding that the Holy Spirit must be trusted.
Brother Roger, who has described his spiritual journey as a "Pilgrimage of Trust on Earth," recalled how he as a youngster received God’s calling while suffering from Tuberculosis. Soon after he founded the Taizé community in 1940, at a time when World War Two had just begun.
WARNING
However he and other religious leaders warned that serving God is not always easy and can be dangerous. "But when I visited the Taizé community in 1981, I realized for what I had struggled," said Hungarian Catholic Bishop Bela Balas, who was in prison for his faith under Communism, according to reports.
But in different workshops, the tens of thousands of youngsters learned how to carry out their faith in Christ in prayer groups and social work, Brother Emile of Taizé told BosNewsLife. "We had for instance (young) people here who work with 300 street children in Romania," he added.
RENEW FAITH
Several participants attending the meeting told BosNewsLife that they wanted to renew their faith and help people in need. Most youngsters came from the former Communist countries of Eastern Europe. The biggest group came from Poland, from where about 26,000 youngsters arrived with special buses and
trains.
Pope John Paul II and other world leaders have said they hope that the meeting in Budapest will help to create a better world, as the new century unfolds.
