"For you I study..." (C 14)

Satisfactory preparation of the confreres
and the quality of our educative work.

Rome, 15 September 1997
Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

My dear Confreres,

Last August we experienced together the XII World Youth Day which took place at Paris with an impressive participation of young people. We were struck by the thirst for the Gospel shown by these youngsters, the attention they gave to the Holy Father and to all those who in communicating the Word of God offered them a sense and orientation for their life. Their desire to hear testimonies of faith and their enthusiasm with regard to the person of Jesus, realistically presented as the "Way, truth, and life", certainly made us think.

This image is contrasted in my mind's eye with the one I have brought back from Cuba, where I recently visited our confreres. I have seen a Church "without the possibilities now commonly available for communicating with the people, poor in the number of priests but rich in experiences of love, service, patience, humility and perseverance". In it our confreres and Sisters are working as they look forward peacefully to coming developments which seem rich in possible opportunities.

The two images have prompted me to present to you at some length a theme on which the General Council has already reflected and included in the six-year program: that of our preparation for the tasks opening up before us everywhere in the new evangelization of the young.