1. I returned yesterday evening from the Aosta Valley, where I was able to spend some days of rest, and still have before me the beauty of the mountains, valleys, forests, and glaciers. Once again I want to thank the Lord for this gift; I also thank those who, because of their availability, made it possible for me to have this truly salutary rest. Now, I am here again among you, Brothers and Sisters of Castel Gandolfo, whom I am always so happy to see again. This Sunday meeting gives me the opportunity to give each one of you a heartfelt and warm greeting: to Bishop Agostino Vallini, and his Auxiliary Bishop Paolo Gillet, the parish priest, mayor, police, and pilgrims. Thank you all for the promptness and affection with which you have always welcomed me here at the Castle! This year, because of the Jubilee activities, my stay must be shorter than usual and, therefore, I have greater reason to appreciate these weeks that the Lord is granting me to spend among you.

2. In the Gospel of today's liturgy, Jesus tells the Apostles, who had returned from a mission: "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while" (Mk 6,31). Exhausted from their incessant activity in the midst of the people, every so often, Jesus and the disciples felt the need for a time of rest. In fact, the evangelist recounts that the crowds impeded the hoped- for "retreat" (Cf Mk 6,33-34). Nevertheless, the value of rest remains and the need to use free time for healthy physical and especially spiritual relaxation.

    In present-day society, which is so frenetic and competitive, in which the logic of production and profit predominate, not infrequently to the detriment of the person, it is even more necessary that everyone be able to profit from adequate periods of rest, in which to recover energy and, at the same time, rediscover the right internal balance. Vacations and holidays are wisely used because they are beneficial to the individual and family, thanks to contact with nature, tranquility, the greater opportunity to cultivate family harmony, good reading, and healthy recreational activity; and, above all, thanks to the possibility to dedicate yourself primarily to prayer,to contemplation and listening to God.