TO FOLLOW CHRIST REQUIRES GENEROSITY AND COURAGE

VATICAN CITY, NOV 26, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father sent a message to participants in the "Meeting of Youth, Approaching the Jubilee," which is presently being celebrated in San Remo, Italy, and whose theme is: "Youth of 2000, allow us to grow."

In his message, dated November 21, the Pope writes that the meeting, which is serving as preparation for the Jubilee, "well expresses a special characteristic of the youth of today, that is the openness to the great cultural diversity of today's world. In order to be able to carry out this exacting mission, you must above all be open to Christ. ... Be sure, He will not let you down."

"I imagine that, like all people of your age, you too are searching for the important and central aspect of existence. You are searching for something and someone upon whom you can rely totally."

"Nonetheless," John Paul II continues, "you know by experience that material well-being does not automatically produce happiness and serenity. Nor is the liberty guaranteed by law sufficient in order to feel interior liberty, in the depths of the heart. ... Human beings need Christ. Only in meeting Him do they discover the full truth about themselves. To follow Christ, as you well know, requires generosity and courage. Yet, it is in His footsteps that we achieve full realization and true liberty."

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