"The Lord gave us days of sun and of light breeze, days in which the fishing was good. There were also moments when there were stormy waters and headwinds, as was the case in the whole history of the Church, as if God was sleeping.
But I always knew that God was in that boat and I always knew that the boat of the Church is not mine, is not ours, but is his and he will not let it sink.
This was and is a certainty and nothing can obscure it. And that is why today my heart is filled with gratitude to God ... I would like everyone to feel the joy of being Christian. Let us never lose this vision of faith, which is the only true vision of the way of the Church and the world. In our heart, in the heart of each of you, let there be always the joyous certainty that the Lord is near, that He does not abandon us, that He is near to us and that He surrounds us with His love.
Thank you!"
--- Pope Benedict XVI
