Let me remind you of certain important thoughts, whose sources are in forgotten test of divine wisdom and love, through a brief description of the situation in which you live. It wil give me great joy if I can inspire you, and show you a way out of the loneliness that ravages so many young people. I want to convince you of the truth, but I also want to respect your divinely endowed free wil . So, let us attempt to open a window through which we can look at the world together.
You live in a noisy, impersonal world with many faces. Dialogue has been replaced by a myriad of voices proclaiming contradictory messages. Intoxicated by its massive conglomerations, the world has lost its personality and seems to be controlled by an overwhelming sense of herd mentality.
In an apartment building occupants do not know each other. The sense of neighborhood, where people shared things and doors were open, is now lost in huge urban housing complexes. Personal relationships have been reduced to an indifferent greeting in elevators and to a formal and hurried smile.
People bump into each other in the streets, in buses they are crowded together, in entertainment clubs one cannot find a seat. In school, at home, in the store – everywhere – people carry their boredom and annoyance with them, often without being conscious of it. This condition has become so familiar that it no longer draws our attention. The daily routine of endless preoccupation does not al ow people to be alone –
with themselves or with God.
Personal isolation and loneliness cannot be overcome by prescriptions of psychologists, sociologists, authors and preachers. It requires personal struggle, an inner ordering of the self, a face-to-face confrontation with our existential y unknown identity. It also requires a courageous inner probing to find the pristine beauty of our souls and a humble reverence for God – who wil teach us and help us. Moreover, we must go out of ourselves, sincerely and honorably, to meet others in a spirit of sacrifice, understanding, acceptance, and a sense of mutual self-fulfil ment. In this way our bitter loneliness can be transformed into a fertile resource, producing refreshing waters of incomparable attractiveness and activity. With our whole being thus deepened and fulfil ed, we discover our hidden powers and the authenticity of our person, created in the image and likeness of God.
Only the person whose inner life is wel -balanced and wel -ordered can have healthy relationships with others. These relationships begin with the help of God. They give us the potential for real conversation – with ourselves and with others. Other people become concelebrants in the mystery of life where we partake of each other, through prayer, friendship, marriage and mutual consolation in the turbulent journey of life.