A Message from Pope Francis #12

“You can have flaws, be anxious, and even be angry, but don’t forget that your life is the greatest business in the world. Only you can stop it from failing. You are appreciated, admired, and loved by many.

Remember that happiness is not having a sky without storms, a road without accidents, a job without effort, and relationships without disappointments.

“Being happy is to stop feeling like a victim and become the author of your destiny. It's going through deserts but being able to find an oasis deep in your soul. It's to thank God every morning for the miracle of life. It’s kissing your children, cuddling your parents, having poetic moments with your friends, even when they hurt us.

“To be happy is to let live the creature that lives in each of us, free, joyful, and simple. It's having the maturity to say: "I made mistakes," and having the courage to say, "I'm sorry," It's having a sensitivity to say, "I need you." It is having the ability to say, "I love you." May your life become a garden of opportunities for happiness . . . that in spring I can be a lover of joy and in winter a lover of wisdom.

"And when you make a mistake, start over. Because only then will you fall in love with life. You will find that being happy doesn't mean having a perfect life. But she uses tears to irrigate tolerance. Use your defeats to train your patience.

"Use your mistakes with the serenity of the sculptor. Use pain to tune into pleasure. Use obstacles to open the windows of intelligence. Never give up . . .

Above all, never give up on the people that love you. Never give up on happiness because life is an amazing show."

POPE FRANCIS