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His Holiness Pope Benedict spoke to a group of school
pupils and university students, including student teachers from
St Mary’s University College Twickenham, during his visit
to England and Scotland. Here is an excerpt of what he said. It
is worth reflecting on at the start of a new academic year.
“We live in a celebrity culture, and young people are often
encouraged to model themselves on figures from the world of sport
or entertainment. My question for you is this: what are the qualities
you see in others that you would most like to have yourselves?
What kind of person would you really like to be?
When I invite you to become saints, I am asking you not to be
content with second best. I am asking you not to pursue one limited
goal and ignore all the others. Having money makes it possible
to be generous and to do good in the world, but on its own, it
is not enough to make us happy. Being highly skilled in some activity
or profession is good, but it will not satisfy us unless we aim
for something greater still. It might make us famous, but it will
not make us happy. Happiness is something we all want, but one
of the great tragedies in this world is that so many people never
find it, because they look for it in the wrong places. The key
to it is very simple – true happiness is to be found in
God. We need to have the courage to place our deepest hopes in
God alone, not in money, in a career, in worldly success, or in
our relationships with others, but in God. Only he can satisfy
the deepest needs of our hearts.”
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