Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale1038

the Apostles at Pentecost, enabling them to go forth in the power of the

Spirit to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Just as a small fire

can set a whole forest ablaze,3 so the faithful testimony of a few can release

the purifying and transforming power of God's love so that it spreads like

wildfire throughout a community or a nation. Like the martyrs of England

and Wales, then, let your hearts burn with love for Christ, for the Church and

for the Mass.

When I visited the United Kingdom, I saw for myself that there is a great

spiritual hunger among the people. Bring them the true nourishment that

comes from knowing, loving and serving Christ. Speak the truth of the Gospel

to them with love. Offer them the living water of the Christian faith and

point them towards the bread of life, so that their hunger and thirst may be

satisfied. Above all, however, let the light of Christ shine through you by

living lives of holiness, following in the footsteps of the many great saints of

England and Wales, the holy men and women who bore witness to God's

love, even at the cost of their lives. The College to which you belong, the

neighbourhood in which you live and study, the tradition of faith and Chris-

tian witness that has formed you: all these are hallowed by the presence of

many saints. Make it your aspiration to be counted among their number.

Please be assured of an affectionate remembrance in my prayers for

yourselves and for all the alumni of the Venerable English College. I make

my own the greeting so often heard on the lips of a great friend and neighbour

of the College, Saint Philip Neri, Salvete, flores martyrum! Commending you,

and all to whom the Lord sends you, to the loving intercession of Our Lady of

Walsingham, I gladly impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of peace and

joy in the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you.

3 Cfr Jas 3:5.