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Remarks, meeting with Bishops, National Shrine, April 16
It is in this fertile soil, nourished from so many different sources, that all of you, brother bishops, are called to sow the seeds of the Gospel today. This leads me to ask how in the 21st century a bishop can best fulfill the call to "make all things new in Christ, our hope"? How can he lead his people to "an encounter with the living God," the source of that life-transforming hope of which the Gospel speaks (cf. "Spe Salvi," 4)?
The goal of all our pastoral and catechetical work, the object of our preaching and the focus of our sacramental ministry should be to help people establish and nurture that living relationship with "Christ Jesus, our hope" (1 Tm 1:1).
Homily, St. Patrick Cathedral, New York, April 18
The proclamation of life, life in abundance, must be the heart of the new evangelization. For true life -- our salvation -- can only be found in the reconciliation, freedom and love which are God's gracious gift. This is the message of hope we are called to proclaim and embody in a world where self-centeredness, greed, violence and cynicism so often seem to choke the fragile growth of grace in people's hearts.
Homily, Washington Nationals Park, April 17
I pray, then, that this significant anniversary in the life of the church in the United States and the presence of the successor of Peter in your midst will be an occasion for all Catholics to reaffirm their unity in the apostolic faith, to offer their contemporaries a convincing account of the hope which inspires them (cf. 1 Pt 3:15) and to be renewed in missionary zeal for the extension of God's kingdom.
Dear friends, my visit to the United States is meant to be a witness to "Christ our hope." Americans have always been a people of hope: Your ancestors came to this country with the expectation of finding new freedom and opportunity, while the vastness of the unexplored wilderness inspired in them the hope of being able to start completely anew, building a new nation on new foundations. To be sure, this promise was not experienced by all the inhabitants of this land; one thinks of the injustices endured by the native American peoples and by those brought here forcibly from Africa as slaves.
Yet hope, hope for the future, is very much a part of the American character. And the Christian virtue of hope -- the hope poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, the hope which supernaturally purifies and corrects our aspirations by focusing them on the Lord and his saving plan -- that hope has also marked, and continues to mark, the life of the Catholic community in this country.
Through the surpassing power of Christ's grace, entrusted to frail human ministers, the church is constantly reborn and each of us is given the hope of a new beginning. Let us trust in the Spirit's power to inspire conversion, to heal every wound, to overcome every division, and to inspire new life and freedom. How much we need these gifts! And how close at hand they are, particularly in the sacrament of penance! The liberating power of this sacrament, in which our honest confession of sin is met by God's merciful word of pardon and peace, needs to be rediscovered and reappropriated by every Catholic. To a great extent, the renewal of the church in America depends on the renewal of the practice of penance and the growth in holiness which that sacrament both inspires and accomplishes.
Address to Catholic educators at The Catholic University of America, April 17
Set against personal struggles, moral confusion and fragmentation of knowledge, the noble goals of scholarship and education, founded on the unity of truth and in service of the person and the community, become an especially powerful instrument of hope.
This sacrifice continues today. It is an outstanding apostolate of hope, seeking to address the material, intellectual and spiritual needs of over 3 million children and students. It also provides a highly commendable opportunity for the entire Catholic community to contribute generously to the financial needs of our institutions.
Meeting with Young People Having Disabilities, April 19
God has blessed you with life and with differing talents and gifts. Through these you are able to serve him and society in various ways. While some people's contributions seem great and others' more modest, the witness value of our efforts is always a sign of hope for everyone.
God's unconditional love, which bathes every human individual, points to a meaning and purpose for all human life. Through his cross, Jesus in fact draws us into his saving love (cf. Jn 12:32) and in so doing shows us the way ahead -- the way of hope which transfigures us all, so that we too become bearers of that hope and charity for others.
Remarks at the Youth Rally, April 19
This evening I wish to share with you some thoughts about being disciples of Jesus Christ -- walking in the Lord's footsteps, our own lives become a journey of hope.
At times, however, we are tempted to close in on ourselves, to doubt the strength of Christ's radiance, to limit the horizon of hope. Take courage! Fix your gaze on our saints. The diversity of their experience of God's presence prompts us to discover anew the breadth and depth of Christianity. Let your imaginations soar freely along the limitless expanse of the horizons of Christian discipleship.
We see then that the church's liturgy is a ministry of hope for humanity. Your faithful participation, is an active hope which helps to keep the world -- saints and sinners alike -- open to God; this is the truly human hope we offer everyone (cf. "Spe Salvi," 34).
Homily at Mass at Yankee Stadium, April 20
Each day throughout this land you and so many of your neighbors pray to the Father in the Lord's own words: "Thy kingdom come." This prayer needs to shape the mind and heart of every Christian in this nation. It needs to bear fruit in the way you lead your lives and in the way you build up your families and your communities. It needs to create new "settings of hope" (cf. "Spe Salvi," 32ff) where God's kingdom becomes present in all its saving power.
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