“The Church journeys through history in the footsteps of the saints, and their fascinating experience and profound embrace of Christian values constitute that wonderful treasure of spirituality which inspires the lives of us all, young and old
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“have journeyed together since the earliest centuries of Christianity
“They regard the earth as an opportunity to attain heaven. The entire Church has established the saints—these heroes of the faith—as examples to follow, because through their lives and deeds they bear witness to the joy of God’s presence in our lives.
“Let us preserve our church as a place where we keep our faith and the heritage we have received, where everyone is welcomed with love and where, together, we discover the Kingdom of God towards which we are journeying,
“the Church seeks above all to help young people cultivate a living relationship with Christ and develop the gifts bestowed upon them by God
“What you are beginning today, as you make your way to Nicula Monastery, is a special undertaking. We are entering into a succession of experience, because generation after generation, for decades, perhaps even hundreds of years, people have done the same thing. This continuity of faith, but also of experience, is very important, showing our faith to be something living, something very much alive.
“Let us therefore contemplate the lives and conduct of all these saints and, as St John of Damascus exhorts us, let us imitate their faith, love, hope, zeal, life, steadfastness in suffering and endurance unto blood, so that we too may share with them in the crowns of glory
“through their spiritual lives, these holy women enlightened the souls of both monastics and laypeople, showing them the path to salvation in Christ
“In this way, a cross is traced along the length and breadth of the places through which you pass, revealing God as sovereign over His creation and wondrous in His saints, whom you honour in a special way. The world is sanctified together with the path you travel.