Acta Benedicti Pp. XVI 295

plative and apostolic, have devoted your lives to following the divine Master

in generous love and complete devotion to his Gospel. All of you, who fill this

cathedral today, as well as your retired, elderly and infirm brothers and

sisters, who unite their prayers and sacrifices to your labors, are called to

be forces of unity within Christ's Body. By your personal witness, and your

fidelity to the ministry or apostolate entrusted to you, you prepare a path for

the Spirit. For the Spirit never ceases to pour out his abundant gifts, to

awaken new vocations and missions, and to guide the Church, as our Lord

promised in this morning's Gospel, into the fullness of truth.15

So let us lift our gaze upward! And with great humility and confidence, let

us ask the Spirit to enable us each day to grow in the holiness that will make

us living stones in the temple which he is even now raising up in the midst of

our world. If we are to be true forces of unity, let us be the first to seek inner

reconciliation through penance. Let us forgive the wrongs we have suffered

and put aside all anger and contention. Let us be the first to demonstrate the

humility and purity of heart which are required to approach the splendor of

God's truth. In fidelity to the deposit of faith entrusted to the Apostles,16 let

us be joyful witnesses of the transforming power of the Gospel!

Dear brothers and sisters, in the finest traditions of the Church in this

country, may you also be the first friend of the poor, the homeless, the

stranger, the sick and all who suffer. Act as beacons of hope, casting the

light of Christ upon the world, and encouraging young people to discover

the beauty of a life given completely to the Lord and his Church. I make this

plea in a particular way to the many seminarians and young religious pre-

sent. All of you have a special place in my heart. Never forget that you are

called to carry on, with all the enthusiasm and joy that the Spirit has given

you, a work that others have begun, a legacy that one day you too will have

to pass on to a new generation. Work generously and joyfully, for he whom

you serve is the Lord!

The spires of Saint Patrick's Cathedral are dwarfed by the skyscrapers of

the Manhattan skyline, yet in the heart of this busy metropolis, they are a

vivid reminder of the constant yearning of the human spirit to rise to God. As

we celebrate this Eucharist, let us thank the Lord for allowing us to know

him in the communion of the Church, to cooperate in building up his Mystical

15 Cf. Jn 16:13. 16 Cf. 1 Tim 6:20.