Pope says Christians must demonstrate how God's love transforms lives

Published: 2004-03-01

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A Christian cannot just talk about Jesus, Pope John Paul II said: Others must be able to see Jesus through the way Christians live and serve others. "The world urgently needs the great prophetic sign of fraternal charity," the pope said in his message for the April 4 diocesan celebrations of World Youth Day. The papal message was released in Italian March 1 at the Vatican. Reflecting on the words from the Gospel of St. John, "We want to see Jesus," Pope John Paul told young people the Greeks quoted in the Gospel were not looking for a casual introduction, but wanted to know if Jesus had answers for the deepest questions in their hearts. While "intellectual curiosity" about Jesus has some value, the pope said, seeking Jesus "is stimulated most of all by the intimate need to find answers to questions about the meaning of life." He said, "The desire to see God lives in the heart of every man and woman."

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