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PASTORAL LETTERS

A r c h b i s h o p o f M o n t r e a l

Pastoral Letter

Time to awaken the soul

March 25, 2020

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In a world developing without any thought of God and which prioritizes what can
be seen, touched and quantified, human beings do not cease to be made for God and to
seek the type of meaning in life that can bear the failure, frailty, suffering and death we all
experience.

What happens to the meaning of life that is based on success in the event of failure;
on health, in the event of illness; on fame, in the event of public humiliation; on wealth, in
the event of impoverishment? As some have expressed so well, can it not be said that the
day we comprehend the meaning of our death is the day we comprehend the meaning of
our life (cf. Saint-Exupéry).

What happens to our sense of meaning when our thirst for the absolute and for
ultimate happiness is defined by limited experiences, the sum total of which will always be
limited, leaving us with a sense of emptiness (cf. Blondel).

In a universe where we cannot see beyond that which is visible – i.e. matter – every-
thing perishes in the end. If all perishes in the end, then life has no real meaning. “Let’s eat
and drink, for tomorrow we die.” (Saint Paul). When we talk about the sustainable develop-
ment, is it not also necessary to talk about the sustainable meaning of life itself? And to
speak of “sustainable meaning” regarding life, are we not speaking of eternity, an eternity
looming on the horizon of our life, toward which we journey; eternity, which approaches us
and which we embrace.

(cont’d)

Collection of texts by the Most Rev. Christian Lépine 243