The Church is likewise conscious of the responsibility which all of us have for our world, for the whole of creation, which we must love and protect. There is much that we can do to benefit the poor, the needy and those who suffer, and to favour justice, promote reconciliation and build peace. But before all else we need to keep alive in our world the thirst for the absolute, and to counter the dominance of a one-dimensional vision of the human person, a vision which reduces human beings to what they produce and to what they consume: this is one of the most insidious temptations of our time.

At times we are slaves of sin. Lord, come to free us!

Jesus speaks in the silence of the mystery of the Eucharist and reminds us each time that following him means going out of ourselves and making our lives not something we 'possess,' but a gift to him and to others.

Do not be afraid to go forth and announce the Risen Christ.

A population that does not take care of the elderly and of children and the young has no future, because it abuses both its memory and its promise.

A fundamental role in the renewal of society is played, of course, by the family and especially by young people.

Like Mary, may we nurture the light born within us at Christmas. May we carry it everywhere in our daily lives.