In a brief address to express his gratitude to those who collaborate in making his stay possible, the Holy Father paused to reflect on St. Thérèse.
“Her testimony shows that only the word of God, received and understood in its concrete demands, becomes a source of renewed life,” he said. “To our society, often permeated by a rationalist culture and widespread practical materialism, little Thérèse of Lisieux points out, as the answer to the great questions of life, the ‘little way,’ which looks instead to the essential of things.
“It is the humble way of love, capable of enveloping and of giving meaning and value to every human circumstance.”
The Pontiff concluded with the exhortation: “Dear friends, follow the example of this saint.”
“The way followed by her is within everyone’s reach,” he affirmed, “because it is the way of total confidence in God, who is Love and who never abandons us.”
