The Biblical Catecheses of Lisbon’s World Youth Day 2023

“Mary got up and went in haste” (Lk. 1:39) is the biblical quotation chosen by Pope Francis with the motto of the XXVIII World Youth Day, which will be held, for the first time, in Lisbon, capital of Portugal, from July 26 to Aug. 6. The biblical phrase (a quote from the Gospel of St. Luke) opens the story of the Visitation (Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth), a biblical episode that follows the Annunciation (the angel’s announcement to Mary that she would become the mother of the Son of God and which was the theme of the last WYD, in Panama). In his dialogue with Mary at the Annunciation, the angel also tells her that her cousin, who is old and considered barren, was pregnant. It is then that Mary, after responding to the angel, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word” (Lk. 1:38), sets out on the road to Ain Karim, a village near Jerusalem, where Elizabeth lived while awaiting the birth of John, who would become St. John the Baptist. Mary of Nazareth is the great figure of the Christian journey, teaching us to say yes to God. She who was the protagonist of the last edition of WYD will also be the protagonist in Lisbon. We follow the biblical catecheses on the website: lisboa2023.org!