ANGELUS: TRAVEL THE LENTEN JOURNEY WITH JOY

VATICAN CITY, MAR 4, 2001 (VIS) - After returning from his pastoral visit to the Roman parish of St. Andrew the Apostle, John Paul II addressed the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square for the recitation of the angelus.

Commenting upon the words of the Gospel for today, the first Sunday of Lent, when Jesus says: "'He who loves his life loses it'," the Holy Father affirmed that "these words do not express disdain for life, but, on the contrary, an authentic love for it. It is a love which does not desire this fundamental good only for itself and in this moment, but for everyone and always, in sharp contrast with the mentality of the 'world'. In reality, it is in following Christ upon the 'narrow path' that one finds life; he who chooses the 'wide' and comfortable path instead, exchanges life for passing satisfactions, disdaining his own dignity and that of others.

"We therefore travel through the demanding Lenten journey with joy, seeking to translate inner renewal into concrete, personal, church-related, and social choices."

At the conclusion of the Angelus the Holy Father asked the Virgin Mary to accompany him and the Roman Curia which begin their spiritual exercises this evening. "We count also, dear Brothers and Sisters," the Pontiff concluded, "upon your remembrance to the Lord, in order that these days of intense listening to the Spirit of God, of silence and of constant prayer, may bring about the hoped for fruits of spiritual renewal."

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