"Your own people's memory is ancient and precious. Your voices echo those of past sages and saints; your words evoke those who created your alphabet in order to proclaim God's word; your songs blend the afflictions and the joys of your history."
"As you ponder these things, you can clearly recognize God's presence. He has not abandoned you. Even in the face of tremendous adversity, we can say in the words of today's Gospel that the Lord has visited your people."
"He has remembered your faithfulness to the Gospel, the first-fruits of your faith, and all those who testified, even at the price of their blood, that God's love is more precious than life itself."
The second way of building a foundation is with faith, Pope Francis said. He addressed the danger of reducing faith to something that belongs in the past, as if it "were a beautiful illuminated book to be kept in a museum."
"Once it is locked up in the archives of history, faith loses its power to transform, its living beauty, its positive openness to all," he warned.
Rather, faith "is born and reborn from a life-giving encounter with Jesus, from experiencing how his mercy illumines every situation in our lives," the Pope said, which should be renewed daily by reading God's word and praying silently "to open our hearts to his love."
"We would do well to let our encounter with the Lord's tenderness enkindle joy in our hearts: a joy greater than sadness, a joy that even withstands pain and in turn becomes peace."
Francis challenged the faithful, especially young people, to respond when "Jesus calls us to follow him more closely, to give our lives to him and to our brothers and sisters."
"Do not be afraid; tell him 'Yes!' He knows us, he really loves us, and he wants to free our hearts from the burden of fear and pride," the Pope said. "By making room for him, we become capable of radiating his love."
"Thus you will be able to carry on your great history of evangelization. This is something the Church and the world need in these troubled times, which are also a time of mercy."
The third and final way of building a foundation is to foster "merciful love" towards neighbor, the Pope said.
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"Concrete love is the Christian's visiting card," the pontiff said; "any other way of presenting ourselves could be misleading and even unhelpful, for it is by our love for one another that everyone will know that we are his disciples."
"We are called above all to build and rebuild paths of communion, tirelessly creating bridges of unity and working to overcome our divisions."
Pope Francis cited the first reading from Isaiah during the day's Mass, which reminds the faithful how "the Spirit of the Lord is always with those who carry glad tidings to the poor, who bind up the brokenhearted and console the afflicted."
"God dwells in the hearts of those who love him. God dwells wherever there is love, shown especially by courageous and compassionate care for the weak and the poor."
"How much we need this! We need Christians who do not allow themselves to be overcome by weariness or discouraged by adversity, but instead are available, open and ready to serve."
He called on people of good will to help others with not only words but also actions, and stressed the need for more just societies "where each individual can lead a dignified life and, above all, be fairly remunerated for his or her work."