Over
the past three Sundays, when greeting French pilgrims, Pope Benedict
XVI has made several brief but important suggestions about how to spend
our summer vacation.
First of all, he invited those of us who can, to
use our vacation time in a way that helps renew our relationships with
others and with God.
Interrupting the hectic and frantic pace of daily
life, we can take time to dedicate ourselves to others and to God.
The
Pope even suggested we include a copy of the Sacred Scriptures in our
suitcase.
He also invited us to contemplate the greatness, and admire
the beauty, of creation around us, recognizing in it the wonderful
presence of the Creator.
We need to observe this magnificent gift,
he said, with the same attention Jesus did.
He knew how to interpret the
language and signs of Creation, which is a gift we must respect,
protect and care for, in the name of God, humanity and future
generations.
Finally, Pope Benedict suggested that pilgrims and
travellers apply their intelligence and curiosity to discovering the
monuments of the past – witnesses of culture and faith, as he called
them, examples of our spiritual roots and heritage.
Cathedral and
abbeys, in particular, are places where beauty helps us feel the
presence of God and inspires us to pray for the rest of humanity, on its
pilgrimage through the Third Millennium.
The enjoyment of friendship, reading, nature and culture helps to nourish and restore our
spirit.
It gives us the strength to continue our journey refreshed and renewed.