Acta Benedicti Pp. XVI 291

Maybe some of you will say to me, Saint Paul is often severe in his

writings. How can I say that he was spreading a message of love? My answer

is this. God loves every one of us with a depth and intensity that we can

hardly begin to imagine. And he knows us intimately, he knows all our

strengths and all our faults. Because he loves us so much, he wants to purify

us of our faults and build up our virtues so that we can have life in abun-

dance. When he challenges us because something in our lives is displeasing to

him, he is not rejecting us, but he is asking us to change and become more

perfect. That is what he asked of Saint Paul on the road to Damascus. God

rejects no one. And the Church rejects no one. Yet in his great love, God

challenges all of us to change and to become more perfect.

Saint John tells us that perfect love casts out fear.3 And so I say to all of

you, "Do not be afraid!" How many times we hear those words in the Scrip-

tures! They are addressed by the angel to Mary at the Annunciation, by Jesus

to Peter when calling him to be a disciple, and by the angel to Paul on the eve

of his shipwreck. To all of you who wish to follow Christ, as married couples,

as parents, as priests, as religious, as lay faithful bringing the message of the

Gospel to the world, I say, do not be afraid! You may well encounter opposi-

tion to the Gospel message. Today's culture, like every culture, promotes

ideas and values that are sometimes at variance with those lived and

preached by our Lord Jesus Christ. Often they are presented with great

persuasive power, reinforced by the media and by social pressure from groups

hostile to the Christian faith. It is easy, when we are young and impression-

able, to be swayed by our peers to accept ideas and values that we know are

not what the Lord truly wants for us. That is why I say to you: do not be

afraid, but rejoice in his love for you; trust him, answer his call to disciple-

ship, and find nourishment and spiritual healing in the sacraments of the

Church.

Here in Malta, you live in a society that is steeped in Christian faith and

values. You should be proud that your country both defends the unborn and

promotes stable family life by saying no to abortion and divorce. I urge you

to maintain this courageous witness to the sanctity of life and the centrality

of marriage and family life for a healthy society. In Malta and Gozo, families

know how to value and care for their elderly and infirm members, and they

welcome children as gifts from God. Other nations can learn from your

3 Cfr. 1 Jn 4:18.