ANGELUS: LIVE ORDINARY THINGS IN AN EXTRAORDINARY WAY

VATICAN CITY, SEP 1, 2002 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father greeted pilgrims gathered in the courtyard of the apostolic palace at Castelgandolfo and prayed the Angelus with them.

After the Marian prayer, John Paul II recalled that in many countries September is a month that marks a return to work and school and that many people had taken advantage of the summer "to take part in prayer groups, spiritual formation, and activities related to work and service. Now is the moment to share those experiences with family and friends ... the community and groups, bringing enthusiasm, serenity and happiness to each day. This is the way to be 'salt and light' of the earth as I reminded the young people gathered in Toronto for World Youth Day."

Afterward John Paul II emphasized that returning to everyday life was not always easy and that sometimes it was hard to re-adjust. "However," he underlined, "it is in everyday life where God calls us to gain a maturity in our spiritual life which consists in living ordinary things in an extraordinary way."

"Sanctity is achieved," he concluded, "by pursuing Jesus without escaping from reality and from trials, but by confronting them with the light and strength of his spirit."

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