GENERAL AUDIENCE: FOLLOWING CHRIST CALLS FOR SACRIFICE

VATICAN CITY, SEP 6, 2000 (VIS) - In today's general audience held in St. Peter's Square in the presence of 40,000 pilgrims, John Paul II spoke on the theme: "The Christian, disciple of Christ."

"The meeting with Christ," the Pope began, "radically changes people's lives, encouraging them to 'metanoia,' or profound conversion of heart and mind; it also establishes a communion of life that develops into following Christ."

The Holy Father affirmed that "the conditions associated with following the same road as Christ are few but fundamental. ... The way indicated by Christ is narrow, it calls for sacrifice and the total giving of self. ... It is a way that knows the thorns of tribulations and persecution. ... It is a way that creates missionaries and witnesses of Christ's word."

"To follow Christ is not, then, an easy journey along a level road. It also involves moments of discomfort to the point that, on one occasion, 'many of His disciples drew back and no longer went about with Him'."

John Paul II highlighted that "the final destination of those who follow Christ is glory. The path is that of 'imitating Christ,' who lived in love and died on the Cross for love. The disciple 'must, so to speak, enter into Him with all his own self, he must appropriate and assimilate the whole of the reality of the Incarnation and Redemption in order to find himself.' Christ must enter into the disciple's self to liberate it from selfishness and pride."

"The cross, sign of love and total donation, is, then, the emblem of the disciple called to associate himself with the glorious Christ."

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