Homily by Pope John Paul at Toronto World Youth Day Mass

You are the salt of the earth! You are the light of the world! (Matthew 5:13-14)

Dear young people of the seventeenth World Youth Day, dear brothers and sisters: On a hillside near the lake of Galilee, Jesus's disciples listened to his gentle and urgent voice; as gentle as the landscape of Galilee itself, as urgent as a call to choose between life and death, between truth and falsehood.

The Lord spoke words of life that would echo forever in the hearts of his followers. Today he is speaking the same words to you, the young people of Toronto and Ontario, of the whole of Canada, of the United States, of the Caribbean, of Spanish-speaking America and Portuguese-speaking America, of Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania. Listen to the voice of Jesus in the depths of your hearts! His words tell you who are as Christians. They tell you what you must do to remain in his love. But Jesus offers one thing, and the "spirit of the world" offers another. In today's reading from the Letter to the Ephesians, Saint Paul tells us that Jesus leads us from darkness into light (Ephesians 5:8). Perhaps the great apostle is thinking of the light that blinded him, the persecutor of Christians,

on the road to Damascus. When later he recovered his sight, nothing was as before. He had been born anew and nothing would ever take his new-found joy away from him. You too are called to be transformed. "Awake, O sleeper, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light, (Ephesians 5:14)," says Saint Paul. The "spirit of the world" offers many false illusions and parodies of happiness.

There is perhaps no darkness deeper than the darkness that enters young people's souls when false prophets extinguish in them the light of faith and hope and love. The greatest deception, and the deepest source of unhappiness, is the illusion of finding life by excluding God, of finding freedom by excluding moral truths and personal responsibility. The Lord is calling you to choose between these two voices competing for your souls. That decision is the substance and challenge of World Youth Day. Why have you come

together from all parts of the world? To say in your hearts: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." (Jn 6:68). Jesus - the intimate friend of every young person - has the words of life. The world you are inheriting is a world which desperately needs a new sense of brotherhood and human solidarity. It is a world which needs to be touched and healed by the beauty and richness of God's love. It needs witnesses to that love. It needs you - to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

Salt is used to preserve and keep. As apostles for the Third Millennium, your task is to preserve and keep alive the awareness of the presence of our Saviour Jesus Christ, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist, the memorial of his saving death and glorious resurrection. You must keep alive the memory of the words of life which he spoke, the marvellous works of mercy and goodness which he performed.

You must constantly remind the world of the "power of the Gospel to save" (Romans 1:16). Salt seasons and improves the flavour of food. Following Jesus, you have to change and improve the "taste" of human history. With your faith, hope and love, with your intelligence, courage and perseverance, you have to humanise the world we live in. In the way that today's reading from Isaiah indicates: "Loose the bonds of injustice . . . share your bread with the hungry . . . remove the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil . . . Then your light shall rise in the darkness" (Isaiah 58:6-10).

Even a tiny flame lifts the heavy lid of night. How much more light will you make, all together, if you bond as one in the communion of the church! If you love Jesus, love the church!

Do not be discouraged by the sins and fallings of some of her members. The harm done by some priests and religious to the young and vulnerable fills us all with a deep sense of sadness and shame. But think of the vast majority of dedicated and generous priests and religious whose only wish is to serve and do good! There are many priests, seminarians and consecrated persons here today; be close to them and support them!

And if, in the depths of your hearts, you feel the same call to the priesthood or consecrated life, do not be afraid to follow Christ on the royal road of the cross! At difficult moments in the church's life, the pursuit of holiness becomes even more urgent. And holiness is not a question of age: It is a matter of living in the Holy Spirit, just as Kateri Tekakwitha and so many other young people have done.

You are young and the Pope is old and a bit tired. But he still fully identifies with your hopes and aspirations. Although I have lived through much darkness, under harsh totalitarian regimes, I have seen enough evidence to be unshakeably convinced that no difficulty, no fear is so great that it can completely suffocate the hope that springs eternal in the hearts of the young. Do not let that hope die! Stake your lives on it! We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father's love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his son. O Lord Jesus Christ, keep these young people in your love. Let them hear your voice and believe what you say, for you alone have the words of life. Teach them how to profess their faith, bestow their love, and impart their hope to others. Make them convincing witnesses to your Gospel in a world so much in need of your saving grace. Make them the new people of the Beatitudes, that they may be the salt of the earth and the light of the world at the beginning of the Third Christian Millennium! Mary, Mother of the church, protect and guide these young men and women of the 21st century. Keep us all close to your maternal heart. Amen.

Pope's comments at the Angelus

We conclude this splendid celebration of the Eucharist with the angelus prayer to Mary, mother of the redeemer. To her I entrust the fruits of this World Youth Day, that in time, with her help, they may flourish. This World Youth Day must mark a reawakening of pastoral attention to the young in Canada. May the enthusiasm of this moment be the spark that is needed to launch a new era of powerful witness to the gospel!

I wish formally to announce that the next World Youth Day will take place in 2005, in Cologne, Germany. In the great cathedral in Cologne are honoured the relics of the magi, the wise men from the east who followed the star which led them to Christ. As pilgrims, your spiritual journey to Cologne starts today.

Christ awaits you there for the 20th World Youth Day! May the Virgin Mary, our mother on our pilgrimage of faith, be with you on the way. Angelus domini nuniiavit Marias . . . Pope's comments after the Angelus I wish to thank everyone who has helped to make the World Youth Day such a success: the citizens of Toronto, the volunteers, the police, the fire department, the mayor and the authorities at every level of the Canadian government.

My heartfelt greeting goes to the other Christian churches and communities represented here, as well as to the followers of other religious traditions.

My wish for all of you who are here is that the commitments you have made during these days of faith and celebration will bring forth abundant fruits of dedication and witness.

May you always treasure the memory of Toronto! I extend a special word of gratitude to Cardinal Ambrozic, archbishop of Toronto, to the Canadian Bishops Conference and to the organizing committee.

My thanks also go to the Pontifical Council for the Laity in the person of the president, Cardinal James Francis Stafford. I greet the cardinals and bishops who have come from other parts of the world; and all the priests, deacons and religious who shared these days with the young people.

As we prepare to return home, I say, in the words of Saint Augustine; "We have been happy together in the light we have shared. We have really enjoyed being together. We have really rejoiced, but as we leave one another, let us not leave Him" . Thanks to all the Spanish-speaking young people. Do not be afraid to respond generously to the lord's calling. Let your faith shine before the world. Let your actions show your commitment to the saving message of the gospel!

Dear Portuguese-speaking young people: The World Youth Day does not end here; it will continue in your lives of fidelity to Christ. Be salt! Be light for the world around you! Dear Italian young people: Keep alive the gift of faith which has sustained you in these days.

The Church needs your dedication. Arrivederci a Roma! Dear German-speaking friends: You in a special way have to keep alive the spirit of the World Youth Day, in order to prepare for Cologne in 2005. Work to build a civilization of love and justice. Let your light lead many others to Christ's kingdom of holiness, truth and justice.

My thoughts turn to our Polish homeland, which I will soon visit again. Never lose sight of your Christian heritage. It is there that you will find the wisdom and courage you need to meet the great moral and ethical challenges of our times. I entrust you all to the protection of Our Lady of Jasna Gora.