Pope: The new saints walked in faith, in the sanctity of everyday life

Renato Martinez – Vatican City

"Today, we thank the Lord for new saints who have walked in faith and who we now call upon as intercessors. […] Let's ask to be like that, "nice lights" in the darkness of the world. Jesus, stay with us and so we will begin to shine as you shine; to shine to serve as light to others, "said Pope Francis in his homily at the Mass and the canonization of the blessed: John Henry Newman, Josefina Vannini, Maria Teresa Chiramel Mankidiyan, Dulce Lopes Pontes and Margarita Bays 13 October XXVIII Sunday of ordinary time, in the Plaza de San Pedro.

"Your faith has saved you"

The Holy Father commented on the Gospel this Sunday and pointed out that Saint Luke (17,19) shows us the path of faith, in which we can distinguish three stages, indicated by the healed lepers, who invoke, walk and thank.

Summon: Do not be paralyzed by exclusions

The first step of this way of faithsaid the pontiff, convene. And this attitude is observed among lepers who were in a deplorable state, not only for having suffered from the disease which, even nowadays, is combated with considerable effort, but also for social exclusion. But even when their situation leaves them out, they invoke Jesus "shouting". "They are not paralyzed by the exclusions of men and cry to God who excludes no one. This is how the distances are shortened, that loneliness is overcome – the pope emphasized – not to lock oneself up and to face their own afflictions, without thinking of the judgments of others, but invoking the Lord, because the Lord hear the cry of who is alone. "

Therefore, Pope Francis has affirmed that, just like lepers, we must all be healed. "We must be healed of lack of confidence in ourselves, in life, in the future; so many fears; vices that enslave us; so many locks, dependencies and attachments: gambling, money, television, the phone, the judgment of others. The Lord liberates and heals the heart, if we call on him, if we say to him, Lord, I believe that you can heal me; Heal me from my hair, free me from evil and fear, Jesus. They call God by name, directly, spontaneously. Calling by name is a sign of trust and the Lord likes it. Faith thus grows with a confident invocation, presenting to Jesus what we are, with an open heart, without hiding our miseries.

Walking: always trust God

The second step, stressed the Holy Father, is walk. Referring to a dozen or so verbs of movement that appear in today's Gospel, the pontiff said that this had an impact on the fact that lepers did not heal when they were before Jesus, but later, when they walked . "We are purified on the path of life, a path that often rises because it leads to the summit. Faith demands a way, an exit, it works miracles if we leave our certainties easy, if we leave our safe harbors, our comfortable nests. Faith increases with the gift and grows with the risk. Faith progresses when we are endowed with trust in God. "

But Pope Francis shows another interesting aspect that emerges from the Gospel and the way of the lepers: they advance together, always in the plural: faith is walking together, never alone. Even after being healed, Jesus asks, "The other nine, where are they?" He almost seems to ask the nine others to the only one who has come back. It is true, it is our task – to us who are here to "celebrate the Eucharist", that is, to thank – it is our task to take care of the one who has stopped walking, who has gone astray: we are the protectors of our brothers far away. We are intercessors for them, we are responsible for them, we are called to react and take care of them.

Thank: it's kissing the Lord of life

The last step, said the bishop of Rome, is to thank. Only the one who thanks Jesus says, "Your faith has saved you." He is not only healthy, but also saved. This tells us that the goal is not health, it is not good, but the encounter with Jesus. The salvation is not drinking a glass of water to be in shape, it's going to the source, which is Jesus. Only He delivers evil and heals the heart, only the encounter with Him saves, makes life beautiful and full.

The culmination of the path of faith is to live by giving thanks. We can ask ourselves: do we, who have faith, live the day as a burden to wear or as a eulogy to offer? Do we remain focused on ourselves while waiting for the next grace or do we find our joy in thanksgiving? When we thank, the Father is moved and spreads on us the Holy Spirit. To thank is not a matter of courtesy, of good manners, it is a matter of faith. A heart that thanks, remains young. Saying: "Thank you Lord", upon waking, during the day before resting is the antidote to aging of the heart. So also in the family, between spouses: do not forget to say thank you. Thank you is the simplest and most beneficial word.

The new saints walked in faith

Finally, Pope Francis invited the Lord to thank the new saints who walked in the faith and whom we now call intercessors. Three are religious and show us that the consecrated life is a path of love in the existential peripheries of the world. The berries of Santa Margarita, on the other hand, were seamstresses and reveal all the power of simple prayer, patient tolerance and silent deliverance. Through these things, the Lord has revived in her the splendor of Easter. It is the sanctity of everyday life, to which Cardinal Newman refers when he says: "The Christian has a deep, silent and hidden peace that the world does not see.