THE LIGHT OF CHRIST GIVES US STRENGTH TO PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL

VATICAN CITY, FEB 28, 1999 (VIS) - Meditating on the Gospel account of the Transfiguration of the Lord, "we also - like the Apostles - prepare ourselves to relive the decisive events of the Lord's death and resurrection" said the Pope during the Mass celebrated this morning in the Roman parish of Holy Mary Star of the Sea.

The call of God the Father to listen to his Son, as today's Gospel tells us, is "an invitation to let the light of Christ enlighten our lives and give us the strength to proclaim and give witness to the Gospel to our brothers and sisters."

Later, addressing the young people of the parish, John Paul II said: "Be ready to share with your brothers and sisters that you meet every day at school, in places where you gather and enjoy healthy entertainment, the one faith in Christ Redeemer and the joy of being united in the embrace of the same Church, founded on the witness of the apostles Peter and Paul. Be 'missionaries' of faithfulness and hope in this your Church, in which each individual has their own mission to fulfill."

Having expressed his joy for the special attention which is paid to the sacrament of Penance in this parish, the Holy Father renewed "the exhortation to come to this sacrament of spiritual healing. ... For the Sacrament of Penance be celebrated in truth, the confession of sin must arise from a serious and attentive encounter with the Word of God and with a living contact with the person of Christ. For this, appropriate catechism is necessary."

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