[Excerpt]
Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City expressed sadness over the increase in the number of suicides in the country.
The cardinal spoke to 2,000 young people gathered for Mass on March 29. He told them, “you need to seriously think about where you are going, what kind of happiness you wish to attain. Jesus offers us a happiness that never ends, an eternal joy, a bliss that no one can take away.”
A study released March 26-27 by researcher Guilherme Luiz Guimaraes Borges revealed that the number of suicides in Mexico increased 275 percent from 1970 to 2007. The study found that young people ages 15-29 are especially at risk.
Researchers found that drug and alcohol use, as well as a lack of goals, increased suicide risk.
Cardinal Rivera also urged the young people to draw close to Christ in order to find meaning in their lives. Wisdom is not the accumulation of knowledge or information, but “finding meaning for one’s life,” he said.
The cardinal then called the young people to imitate the Good Samaritan and reach out to those in need.
He added that studying is not simply a means for earning money, prestige or power, but for putting one’s gifts at the service of others.
