At the Beginning of the New Millennium

An apostolic letter to the bishops, clergy and lay faithful 'at the close of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000', dated 6 January 2001, the Solemnity of the Epiphany, the day on which the Jubilee closed. Its key phrase is Jesus' word to Peter, Duc in altum, 'put out into the deep'. The first chapter, 'Meeting Christ', reviews the legacy of the Jubilee. The second, 'A face to contemplate', turns to contemplation of the face of Christ, including the face of the Son, the suffering face and the face of the risen Lord. The third, 'Starting afresh from Christ', sets the programme for the new millennium: holiness as the first priority, prayer, the Sunday Eucharist, the sacrament of reconciliation, the primacy of grace, listening to and proclaiming the Word. The fourth, 'Witnesses to love', calls for a 'spirituality of communion' within the Church, ecumenism, and a new 'creativity' in charity toward the poor and the challenges of the time. The conclusion returns to Duc in altum.