“... God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.”
The new millennium opened with two contrasting images:
One, the sight of multitudes of pilgrims coming to Rome during the Great Jubilee to pass through the Holy Door, which is Christ, our Savior and Redeemer;
And the other, the terrible terrorist attack on New York, an image that is a kind of icon of a world in which hostility and hatred seem to prevail.
The question that arises is dramatic: on what foundations must we build the new historical era emerging from the great transformations of the twentieth century?
Is it enough to rely on the technological revolution now underway, which seems to respond only to criteria of productivity and efficiency, without regard for the individual’s spiritual dimension or any universally shared ethical values?
Is it right to be content with provisional answers to the ultimate questions and to abandon life to the impulses of instinct, to short-lived sensations, or passing fads?
The question will not go away: on what foundations, on what certainties should we build our lives and the life of the community to which we belong?
Christ alone is the cornerstone; only Christ—known, contemplated, and loved—is our faithful friend who never lets us down, becomes our traveling companion, and whose words warm our hearts (Luke 24:13-35).
Amid countless injustices, humanity hopes for a new civilization of freedom and peace. This requires a new generation of builders, driven by love, not fear or violence, to gradually build the city of God within the city of man.
God is entrusting you with the task of building the civilization of love.
Excerpted from the words of His Holiness, Saint Pope John Paul II
17th World Youth Day, Evening Vigil with Young People
Toronto, Downsview Park – July 27, 2002
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