your Christian heritage, or fail to sense the loving solidarity of all your

brothers and sisters in the Church throughout the world!

"I am the good shepherd", the Lord tells us, "I know my own, and my

own know me".4 Today in Jordan we celebrate the World Day of Prayer for

Vocations. As we reflect on the Gospel of the Good Shepherd, let us ask the

Lord to open our hearts and minds ever more fully to hear his call. Truly,

Jesus "knows us", even more deeply than we know ourselves, and he has a

plan for each one of us. We know, too, that wherever he calls us, we will find

happiness and fulfilment; indeed, we will find our very selves.5 Today I invite

the many young people here present to consider how the Lord is calling you

to follow him and to build up his Church. Whether it be in the priestly

ministry, in consecrated life or in the sacrament of marriage, Jesus needs

you to make his voice heard and to work for the growth of his Kingdom.

In today's second reading, Saint John invites us to "think of the love that

the Father has lavished on us" by making us his adopted children in Christ.

Hearing these words should make us grateful for the experience of the Fa-

ther's love which we have had in our families, from the love of our fathers and

mothers, our grandparents, our brothers and sisters. During the celebration

of the present Year of the Family, the Church throughout the Holy Land has

reflected on the family as a mystery of life-giving love, endowed in God's plan

with its own proper calling and mission: to radiate the divine Love which is

the source and the ultimate fulfilment of all the other loves of our lives. May

every Christian family grow in fidelity to its lofty vocation to be a true school

of prayer, where children learn a sincere love of God, where they mature in

self-discipline and concern for the needs of others, and where, shaped by the

wisdom born of faith, they contribute to the building of an ever more just

and fraternal society. The strong Christian families of these lands are a great

legacy handed down from earlier generations. May today's families be faith-

ful to that impressive heritage, and never lack the material and moral assi-

stance they need to carry out their irreplaceable role in service to society.

An important aspect of your reflection during this Year of the Family has

been the particular dignity, vocation and mission of women in God's plan. How

much the Church in these lands owes to the patient, loving and faithful witness

of countless Christian mothers, religious Sisters, teachers, doctors and nurses!

How much your society owes to all those women who in different and at times

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4 Jn 10:14. 5 Cfr. Mt 10:39.