So many people are looking for meaning in their lives. They are searching for something greater than the easy promises that fill our screens so much of the time. Are humans not created for a real purpose? What can enable us to discover this?

When we try to live from the trusting of faith we sometimes ask ourselves: What does God want of me? We have so many desires. Which is the path I can walk with God?

During the past year, we have received visits at Taizé from young people from Ukraine, Palestine, Lebanon, Nicaragua, Myanmar and other places where war and conflict are rife. Their faith and their longing for just and lasting peace have been an inspiration to us. We have also heard the testimonies of people working in Gaza or with family living there. We can see the pain of those whose loved ones have been held hostage and hear the cries of those seeking justice under oppressive regimes.

I also spent some time with the brothers of our Taizé community who live in small fraternities in Brazil and in Cuba. Brazil is still affected by the legacy of slavery and great inequality. Yet there are people who refuse to give up; they are fighting to be at the side of the poorest. I think in particular of a community in the city of Salvador, where homeless people sleep in the church and help each other.

In Cuba, I saw a courageous people facing enormous difficulties. I met a grandmother who had given all her savings so that her grandson would have what he needed for the start of the school year. His mother, like many other Cubans, had left the country as a migrant seeking a better future.

In many places, people are wondering: How can I use the freedom that has been given to me to express solidarity with those who suffer? They are seeking ways in which their desire to love and care can become real, making their lives meaningful by helping and serving.