The New York Marathon: A Fantastic Event.

Jesus Christ Has Taken The Lead On The Way Of The Cross. He Has Suffered First. He Does Not Drive Us Toward Suffering But Shares It With Us, Wanting Us To Have Life And To Have It In Abundance.

Even If The Forces Of Darkness Appear To Prevail, Those Who Believe In God Know That Evil And Death Do Not Have The Final Say.

Man, Especially In Our Time, Has Without Hesitation Devastated Wooded Plains And Valleys, Polluted Waters, Disfigured The Earth's Habitat, Made The Air Unbreathable, Disturbed The Hydro-geological And Atmospheric Systems, Turned Luxuriant Areas Into Deserts And Undertaken Forms Of Unrestrained Industrialization, Degrading That 'flower Bed'-which Is The Earth, Our Dwelling Place.

In The Context Of The "great Mystery" Of Christ And Of The Church, All Are Called To Respond - As A Bride - With The Gift Of Their Lives To The Inexpressible Gift Of The Love Of Christ, Who Alone, As The Redeemer Of The World, Is The Church's Bridegroom.

Prayer Joined To Sacrifice Constitutes The Most Powerful Force In Human History.