Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale348

for what it is, and instead follow the bright guiding star of the night sky. And

what shines forth? Here you might recall the prayer uttered on the most holy

night of Easter: ''Father, we share in the light of your glory through your

Son, the light of the world ... inflame us with your hope!''.6 And so, in solemn

procession with our lighted candles we pass the light of Christ among us. It is

''the light which dispels all evil, washes guilt away, restores lost innocence,

brings mourners joy, casts out hatred, brings us peace, and humbles earthly

pride''.7 This is Christ's light at work. This is the way of the saints. It is a

magnificent vision of hope - Christ's light beckons you to be guiding stars

for others, walking Christ's way of forgiveness, reconciliation, humility, joy

and peace.

At times, however, we are tempted to close in on ourselves, to doubt the

strength of Christ's radiance, to limit the horizon of hope. Take courage! Fix

your gaze on our saints. The diversity of their experience of God's presence

prompts us to discover anew the breadth and depth of Christianity. Let your

imaginations soar freely along the limitless expanse of the horizons of Chris-

tian discipleship. Sometimes we are looked upon as people who speak only of

prohibitions. Nothing could be further from the truth! Authentic Christian

discipleship is marked by a sense of wonder. We stand before the God we

know and love as a friend, the vastness of his creation, and the beauty of our

Christian faith.

Dear friends, the example of the saints invites us, then, to consider four

essential aspects of the treasure of our faith: personal prayer and silence,

liturgical prayer, charity in action, and vocations.

What matters most is that you develop your personal relationship with

God. That relationship is expressed in prayer. God by his very nature speaks,

hears, and replies. Indeed, Saint Paul reminds us: we can and should ''pray

constantly''.8 Far from turning in on ourselves or withdrawing from the ups

and downs of life, by praying we turn towards God and through him to each

other, including the marginalized and those following ways other than God's

path.9 As the saints teach us so vividly, prayer becomes hope in action. Christ

6 Blessing of the fire. 7 Exsultet. 8 1 Thess 5:17. 9 Cf. Spe Salvi, 33.