Let the Church always be a place of mercy and hope, where everyone is welcomed, loved and forgiven.

One form of prayer moves us particularly to take up the task of evangelization and to seek the good of others: it is the prayer of intercession. Let us peer for a moment into the heart of Saint Paul, to see what his prayer was like. It was full of people: "...I constantly pray with you in every one of my prayers for all of you... because I hold you in my heart" (Phil 1:4, 7). Here we see that intercessory prayer does not divert us from true contemplation, since authentic contemplation always has a place for others.

Humanity needs to weep, and this is the time to weep.

Peace is always possible but we have to seek it. Let us pray for peace.

We must learn from Mary, and we must imitate her unconditional readiness to receive Christ in her life.

Let Christ turn your natural optimism into Christian hope, your energy into moral virtue, your good will into genuine self-sacrificin g love! This is the path you are called to take. This is the path to overcoming all that threatens hope, virtue and love in your lives and in your culture. In this way your youth will be a gift to Jesus and to the world.

Certain realities in life are only seen through eyes that are cleansed through our tears. Let us learn how to weep