Since the way to heaven involves believing in God, trusting in him and carrying out his will, each individual needs to be able to hear and understand what God is saying and wants for each person, and that happens through prayer and meditation, he said.

Meditation "means to remember how much God has done" and the bounty of his gifts, he said.

"Often we only see the negative," he said, and people must also reflect on all the positive things in their lives.

The pope offered a number of ways people can meditate on God's word and the mysteries of the faith:

-- Read a passage from sacred Scripture and the Gospels, especially the Acts of the Apostles or the letters of the Apostles.

-- Read a page of a spiritual book that aims to bring people closer to God and make better known his presence in the world today.

-- Talk with a confessor or spiritual adviser.

-- Reflect on an "intense spiritual experience" or words in a homily that made a deep impression.

Each reflection must involve trying to understand what God is saying to the individual and what it is saying about the world today, the pope said.

It means "opening our soul to what the Lord wants to tell us and teach us," he said.

After his catechesis, the pope greeted pilgrims gathered in the courtyard, including a small group of indigenous youths from the Diocese of Calgary, Alberta, who were en route to World Youth Day in Madrid.

The pope asked everyone to pray for his Aug. 18-21 trip to Madrid where he will "have the pleasure of meeting numerous young people."