GLEN JEAN, W.Va. — Scouting develops generosity, service and
fraternity, which are all values "our world sorely needs," the papal
nuncio told Catholic Scouts gathered for a July 23 Mass during the annual Boy
Scouts of America National Jamboree.
"These values are the antidote to the selfishness and
individualism of our society," Archbishop Christophe Pierre said in his
homily. "Scouting also encourages you to work together as a team, to share
adventures, and to have a greater vision of life and creation."
The archbishop was the celebrant of the outdoor Mass celebrated
in Glen Jean at the Summit Betchel Reserve in the New River Gorge area of West
Virginia. The July 19-28 jamboree drew 25,000 Scouts and troop leaders from
around the country; about 7,500 attended the Mass.
Concelebrants included two officials of the U.S. Archdiocese for
the Military Services, both of whom are Eagle Scouts: Msgr. John J.M. Foster,
vicar general and moderator of the curia, and Auxiliary Bishop F. Richard
Spencer, episcopal vicar for Europe and Asia. More than a dozen priests also
concelebrated.
As he began his homily, Archbishop Pierre thanked Bishop Michael
J. Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston for hosting the Mass and acknowledged
Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone of Charleston, S.C., who is episcopal liaison for
the National Catholic Committee on Scouting. He also assured everyone of Pope
Francis' prayers and his "personal closeness to all gathered here."
The French-born archbishop recalled his own years as a Scout and
how Scouting has benefited members of his family.
"This jamboree brings back a flood of memories from my
youth. I was a Scout for five years, right up until I entered the
seminary," he said in his homily. "I know the value of Scouting in my
own life as I have traveled all over the world serving as a diplomat, and I
have seen the real fruits of Scouting in my own family, especially in the lives
of my nephews and nieces."
Turning to the spiritual, he said that "amid the beauty of
creation, Scouts ponder the God who made all things and who invites us to a
relationship with Him. Scouting demands that we do our duty toward God,
including worshipping him."
Drawing on the first reading from the Book of Wisdom, he told the
Scouts: "We have a God who cares for us" and he sent his Son to be
born, not in power and majesty, but in poverty and weakness — as a child."
Jesus "wanted to be close to the people and to teach them
about the kingdom of his father," Archbishop Pierre said. "It was not
a kingdom of power or violence, but one of justice, love, and truth. To teach
the crowds, Jesus told parables — stories — just like we share stories in
Scouting. Jesus' stories point us to something new, something beyond this
world."
With God, "our lives are filled with joy, blessing, and
fruitfulness," he said.
"Before we can make known to others this joyful message of
the kingdom, we must first attend to the 'field' of our hearts," he said,
urging them also to be vigilant in safeguarding "the seed of faith and the
power of the Holy Spirit" sown within each of them.
"Jesus reminds us of the need to be vigilant — to stay
awake, to be vigilant and keep watch, to be ready to preserve the grace we
first received in baptism," Archbishop Pierre continued. "Scouts know
about staying awake and keeping vigil by the camp fire; about being ready and
alert; about watching for danger. We need to do the same with our souls,
guarding them from the enemy.
"After keeping watch over our souls, we can look to the
needs of others, as a church that goes forth," he said."Our own
commitment to holiness, to our neighbor, to the environment, and to being
honest and decent can be an antidote for our culture and world."
He quoted Pope Francis: "An evangelizing community is always
concerned with fruit, because the Lord wants her to be fruitful. It cares for
the grain and does not grow impatient at the weeds."
"The Holy Father is asking you, the Scouts, to be vigilant —
to look out for your brothers and sisters and to be patient," Archbishop
Pierre said. "The important thing is to persevere, to not give up in your
mission and to not give up on others, hoping that they might have new
life."
He said the pope "constantly refers to all the baptized as
missionary disciples."
"Scouts cultivates in young people a real spirit of
adventure, a zeal for exploration and for mission. The Lord is counting on
you," he added.
Archbishop Pierre said the Scouts are called to be
"leaven" in a world today that "is plagued by isolation,
selfishness and individualism. In contrast, Scouts know something about being
together, including others, and teamwork. Everyone must contribute
something."
He said he has always been impressed by Scouts' spirit of
"commitment and generosity." He closed his homily "with a prayer
for generosity" — the Scout Prayer — "which I learned many years
ago." He asked the Scouts to make the prayer there own reciting it first
in French and then in English:
"O Lord, teach me to be generous; To serve you as you
deserve; To give and not to count the cost; To fight and not to heed the
wounds; To labor and not to seek for rest; To toil and not to seek any reward;
Except that of knowing that I am doing your holy will."