AUDIENCE WITH THE SISTERS OF MERCY AND OF THE CROSS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 8, 2000 (VIS) - This morning, the Pope received participants in the 17th general chapter of the Sisters of Mercy and of the Cross. Addressing them, he said that in order to become "true prophets and witnesses of God and of His Kingdom," one must be filled with God's merciful love.

"Modern man," said the Pope, "although conditioned by the multiple attractions of a society that is frequently opulent and inclined to egoism - and, perhaps, precisely because of this - is more than ever responsive to acts of disinterested love."

John Paul II highlighted that "each act of mercy must allow Christ's welcoming countenance to shine out, in order that many people who still have not met Him, or have a mistaken idea of Him, may come to know Him as He truly is: man's only Saviour. Consequently, your apostolic work must always be accompanied by an assiduous contemplation of Jesus, exalted on the cross."

"If Christ is to be the center of all your plans, do not forget that you find Him above all in serving the poor. ... For you too, may the 'last' be the 'first,' as they were for your foundress, Mother Zangara."

The Pope concluded by saying: "May the love for divine mercy and the cross, which illuminated and transformed the life of your foundress, be a constant reference for each of you in prayer and work, in order that your institute may draw the men and women of today to the Heart of Jesus. This is an important contribution you can make to the celebration of the Great Jubilee 2000."

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