God's love for his people is so great that it turns God against himself, his love against his justice.

I encourage all of you to discover ever more fully in the Eucharist, the sacrament of Christ's sacrificial love, the inspiration and strength needed to work ever more generously for the spread of God's Kingdom and the growth of the civilization of love.

The "door of faith" (Acts 14:27) is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his Church. It is possible to cross that threshold when the word of God is proclaimed and the heart allows itself to be shaped by transforming grace. To enter through that door is to set out on a journey that lasts a lifetime.

God loves us despite our shortcomings and sins, and his love gives meaning to our lives and to the life of the world.

It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope.

In a world wounded by conflicts, where violence is justified in God's name, it's important to repeat that religion can never become a vehicle of hatred, it can never be used in God's name to justify violence.

I'm not a man who constantly thinks up jokes.