BENEDICT XVI TO THE YOUNG "IN SEARCH OF A MAKER"

Vatican City,  (VIS) - This morning Benedict XVI addressed a group of young people from Catholic Action Italy who

"We know who this maker is: He is God, who has shown His face to us. God created us, He made us in His image, and above all He gave us the gift of His son, Jesus Christ, as a child - we will soon worship him on the feast of the Nativity - who grew up, as you have, and followed the paths of our world so as to communicate to us the love of God, which brings beauty and happiness to our lives, rendering them full of goodness and generosity.

"Certainly, you also search the creator of your joy", the Pope continued. "There are many people who bring you happiness, but there is also a great friend who is the creator of the joy of all, and with Whom our hearts are filled with a joy that surpasses all other, and which lasts throughout our lives: this friend is Jesus. ... The more you get to know Him and to enter into dialogue with Him, the greater the happiness you will feel in your hearts, and the more  able you will be to overcome the minor disappointments you sometimes feel within.

"You are also in search of a guide in love. ... We all need to love others and to feel that someone accepts and loves us in return. To feel loved is necessary for life, but it is equally important to be able to love others, to bring beauty to the lives of all, including our peers who find themselves in difficult situations. Jesus showed us through the example of His life that God loves all without discrimination, and wants all of us to live in happiness".

"Finally, you are without doubt in search of a bringer of peace, the need for whom the world so keenly feels. Often men believe they are able to build peace by themselves, but it is important to understand that it is only God who can bring us true and durable peace. If we learn how to listen to Him, if we make space for Him in our lives, God clears away the selfishness that often pollutes the relationships between people and nations, and gives rise to the desire for reconciliation, forgiveness and peace, even in those with the most hardened of hearts".

"If you wish to help each other to find the great Creator of life, joy, love and peace, you will discover that He is never far from you, but rather, is very close to us: He is the God who came to us as the child Jesus Christ!" concluded the Holy Father.