Peregrini enim sumus coram Te: with these words, the Bible describes the essential condition of the human being before GOD. We are all pilgrims and strangers upon the Earth, wayfarers welcomed for a limited time into a world that we can never possess forever.

From the rich to the poor, from the foolish to the wise, from the powerful to the unknown, no one is exempt from the frailty of time. Every human being appears for only a brief moment in history, like a mist that rises for a little while and then vanishes. The distinctions to which we attach so much importance lose their substance before the brevity of existence and the eternity of the Creator.

For this reason, even before we ask what awaits us beyond death, we are called to consider how we are living the time entrusted to us. To live fully does not mean merely accumulating experiences, wealth, or recognition, but discovering a purpose worthy of the abilities we have received and placing them at the service of something greater than our own personal interest.

The human being, created in the image of GOD, carries an extraordinary yet demanding inheritance: the freedom to choose, the ability to create, the responsibility to preserve, and the possibility of doing good. For many, this burden may appear difficult to bear; nevertheless, no one is permitted to regard his or her existence as insignificant or knowingly waste the potential that has been entrusted to them.