Be the heart of Christ to love and pray, be the hands of Christ to work and serve

4. “EurHope”: Europe and Hope. You wanted to give this title to today's evocative vigil. In the term "EurHope" the words Europe and Hope are inseparably intertwined. It is a beautiful intuition, but also a singularly demanding one. It demands that you be men and women of hope: people who believe in the God of life and love, and proclaim with firm confidence that there is a future for mankind.

You are the young face of Europe. The future of the Continent, as of the whole world, belongs to you, if you know how to follow the path that Christ shows you. The secret is the same as always: it is Christ who died and rose again for the salvation of the world; it is the Cross of Christ. The Pope this evening entrusts you with this ancient and ever new secret: dear young people, follow him who "came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mk 10:45). Be his hands and his heart, for your brothers and sisters: the heart to love and pray, the hands to work, build and serve. 

[Pope John Paul II, Meeting with young people at Loreto 9 September 1995]