This is a Must Read

The Pope's Opening Address at World Youth Day. It is a must-read. I recommend printing it out-- I'll bet right now that you'll need the paper for your personal notes, ideas that you get as you read.

One of my favorite (yes, there are several) passages or sentences is this:

"... we have become more and more aware of our need for humility before the delicate complexity of God’s world."

I like this so much because, in the course of his address, Pope Benedict XVI teaches that "God's World" is not simply heaven, nor is it simple the world around us (like the mountains, trees, oceans, etc). But God's world also is our very bodies-- and not just what we can see about them, but also what cannot be seen. That is to say, our mind, our heart, and our conscience are God's world. In addition to the heavens and the earth, our entire self is the place of God-- and it is a place that is delicate and complex.

This has some major ramifications. If I am integral to God's world, that my entire self is His New Creation, then:

"Not only do you stand before the Creator in awe, rejoicing at his works, you also realize that the sure foundation of humanity’s solidarity lies in the common origin of every person, the high-point of God’s creative design for the world. As Christians you stand in this world knowing that God has a human face – Jesus Christ – the "way" who satisfies all human yearning, and the "life" to which we are called to bear witness, walking always in his light."