Acta Benedicti Pp. XVI 619

May the profound ideas of this great Englishman continue to inspire all

Christ's followers in this land to conform their every thought, word and

action to Christ, and to work strenuously to defend those unchanging moral

truths which, taken up, illuminated and confirmed by the Gospel, stand at

the foundation of a truly humane, just and free society.

How much contemporary society needs this witness! How much we need,

in the Church and in society, witnesses of the beauty of holiness, witnesses of

the splendour of truth, witnesses of the joy and freedom born of a living

relationship with Christ! One of the greatest challenges facing us today is

how to speak convincingly of the wisdom and liberating power of God's word

to a world which all too often sees the Gospel as a constriction of human

freedom, instead of the truth which liberates our minds and enlightens our

efforts to live wisely and well, both as individuals and as members of society.

Let us pray, then, that the Catholics of this land will become ever more

conscious of their dignity as a priestly people, called to consecrate the world

to God through lives of faith and holiness. And may this increase of apostolic

zeal be accompanied by an outpouring of prayer for vocations to the ordained

priesthood. For the more the lay apostolate grows, the more urgently the

need for priests is felt; and the more the laity's own sense of vocation is

deepened, the more what is proper to the priest stands out. May many young

men in this land find the strength to answer the Master's call to the minis-

terial priesthood, devoting their lives, their energy and their talents to God,

thus building up his people in unity and fidelity to the Gospel, especially

through the celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice.

Dear friends, in this Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood, I invite you

once more to look to Christ, who leads us in our faith and brings it to

perfection.10 I ask you to unite yourselves ever more fully to the Lord, shar-

ing in his sacrifice on the Cross and offering him that "spiritual worship" 11

which embraces every aspect of our lives and finds expression in our efforts to

contribute to the coming of his Kingdom. I pray that, in doing so, you may

join the ranks of faithful believers throughout the long Christian history of

this land in building a society truly worthy of man, worthy of your nation's

highest traditions.

10 Cfr. Heb 12:2. 11 Rom 12:1.