.jpg)
APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION
GAUDETE ET EXSULTATE
OF THE HOLY FATHER
FRANCIS
ON THE CALL TO HOLINESS
IN TODAY’S WORLD
INDEX
“Blessed are those who are
persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” [90-94]
1. “REJOICE
AND BE GLAD” (Mt 5:12),
Jesus tells those persecuted or humiliated for his sake. The Lord asks
everything of us, and in return he offers us true life, the happiness for which
we were created. He wants us to be saints and not to settle for a bland and
mediocre existence. The call to holiness is present in various ways from the
very first pages of the Bible. We see it expressed in the Lord’s words to
Abraham: “Walk before me, and be blameless” (Gen 17:1).
2. What follows is not meant to be
a treatise on holiness, containing definitions and distinctions helpful for
understanding this important subject, or a discussion of the various means of
sanctification. My modest goal is to repropose the call to holiness in a
practical way for our own time, with all its risks, challenges and
opportunities. For the Lord has chosen each one of us “to be holy and blameless
before him in love” (Eph 1:4).
3. The Letter to the Hebrews
presents a number of testimonies that encourage us to “run with perseverance
the race that is set before us” (12:1). It speaks of Abraham, Sarah, Moses,
Gideon and others (cf. 11:1-12:3). Above all, it invites us to realize that “a
great cloud of witnesses” (12:1) impels us to advance constantly towards the
goal. These witnesses may include our own mothers, grandmothers or other loved
ones (cf. 2 Tim 1:5). Their lives may not always
have been perfect, yet even amid their faults and failings they kept moving
forward and proved pleasing to the Lord.
4. The saints now in God’s presence
preserve their bonds of love and communion with us. The Book of Revelation
attests to this when it speaks of the intercession of the martyrs: “I saw under
the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the
witness they had borne; they cried out with a loud voice, ‘O sovereign Lord,
holy and true, how long will it be before you judge?’” (6:9-10). Each of us can
say: “Surrounded, led and guided by the friends of God… I do not have to carry
alone what, in truth, I could never carry alone. All the saints of God are
there to protect me, to sustain me and to carry me”.[1]
5. The processes of beatification
and canonization recognize the signs of heroic virtue, the sacrifice of one’s
life in martyrdom, and certain cases where a life is constantly offered for
others, even until death. This shows an exemplary imitation of Christ, one
worthy of the admiration of the faithful.[2] We can think, for
example, of Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu, who offered her life for the
unity of Christians.
6. Nor need we think only of those
already beatified and canonized. The Holy Spirit bestows holiness in abundance
among God’s holy and faithful people, for “it has pleased God to make men and
women holy and to save them, not as individuals without any bond between them,
but rather as a people who might acknowledge him in truth and serve him in
holiness”.[3] In salvation history,
the Lord saved one people. We are never completely ourselves unless we belong
to a people. That is why no one is saved alone, as an isolated individual.
Rather, God draws us to himself, taking into account the complex fabric of
interpersonal relationships present in a human community. God wanted to enter
into the life and history of a people.
7. I like to contemplate the
holiness present in the patience of God’s people: in those parents who raise
their children with immense love, in those men and women who work hard to
support their families, in the sick, in elderly religious who never lose their
smile. In their daily perseverance I see the holiness of the Church militant.
Very often it is a holiness found in our next-door neighbours, those who,
living in our midst, reflect God’s presence. We might call them “the middle
class of holiness”.[4]
8. Let us be spurred on by the
signs of holiness that the Lord shows us through the humblest members of that
people which “shares also in Christ’s prophetic office, spreading abroad a
living witness to him, especially by means of a life of faith and charity”.[5] We should consider the
fact that, as Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross suggests, real history is
made by so many of them. As she writes: “The greatest figures of prophecy and
sanctity step forth out of the darkest night. But for the most part, the
formative stream of the mystical life remains invisible. Certainly the most
decisive turning points in world history are substantially co-determined by
souls whom no history book ever mentions. And we will only find out about those
souls to whom we owe the decisive turning points in our personal lives on the
day when all that is hidden is revealed”.[6]
9. Holiness is the most attractive
face of the Church. But even outside the Catholic Church and in very different
contexts, the Holy Spirit raises up “signs of his presence which help Christ’s
followers”.[7] Saint John Paul II reminded us that “the witness to Christ borne even to the shedding of
blood has become a common inheritance of Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans and
Protestants”.[8] In the moving ecumenical
commemoration held in the Colosseum during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000,
he stated that the martyrs are “a heritage which speaks more powerfully than
all the causes of division”.[9]
10. All this is important. Yet with
this Exhortation I would like to insist primarily on the call to holiness that
the Lord addresses to each of us, the call that he also addresses, personally,
to you: “Be holy, for I am holy” (Lev 11:44;
cf. 1 Pet 1:16). The Second Vatican Council stated this clearly: “Strengthened by so many and such great means of
salvation, all the faithful, whatever their condition or state, are called by
the Lord – each in his or her own way – to that perfect holiness by which the
Father himself is perfect”.[10]
11. “Each in his or her own way”
the Council says. We should not grow discouraged before examples of holiness
that appear unattainable. There are some testimonies that may prove helpful and
inspiring, but that we are not meant to copy, for that could even lead us
astray from the one specific path that the Lord has in mind for us. The
important thing is that each believer discern his or her own path, that they
bring out the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts that God has
placed in their hearts (cf. 1
Cor 12:7), rather than
hopelessly trying to imitate something not meant for them. We are all called to
be witnesses, but there are many actual ways of bearing witness.[11] Indeed, when the great mystic, Saint John of the Cross, wrote his Spiritual Canticle, he
preferred to avoid hard and fast rules for all. He explained that his verses
were composed so that everyone could benefit from them “in his or her own way”.[12] For God’s life is communicated “to some in one way and to others in
another”.[13]
12. Within these various forms, I
would stress too that the “genius of woman” is seen in feminine styles of
holiness, which are an essential means of reflecting God’s holiness in this
world. Indeed, in times when women tended to be most ignored or overlooked, the
Holy Spirit raised up saints whose attractiveness produced new spiritual vigour
and important reforms in the Church. We can mention Saint Hildegard of Bingen,
Saint Bridget, Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint
Thérèse of Lisieux. But I think too of all those unknown or forgotten women
who, each in her own way, sustained and transformed families and communities by
the power of their witness.
13. This should excite and
encourage us to give our all and to embrace that unique plan that God willed
for each of us from eternity: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and
before you were born I consecrated you” (Jer 1:5).
14. To be holy does not require
being a bishop, a priest or a religious. We are frequently tempted to think
that holiness is only for those who can withdraw from ordinary affairs to spend
much time in prayer. That is not the case. We are all called to be holy by
living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever
we find ourselves. Are you called to the consecrated life? Be holy by living
out your commitment with joy. Are you married? Be holy by loving and caring for
your husband or wife, as Christ does for the Church. Do you work for a living?
Be holy by labouring with integrity and skill in the service of your brothers
and sisters. Are you a parent or grandparent? Be holy by patiently teaching the
little ones how to follow Jesus. Are you in a position of authority? Be holy by
working for the common good and renouncing personal gain.[14]
15. Let the grace of your baptism
bear fruit in a path of holiness. Let everything be open to God; turn to him in
every situation. Do not be dismayed, for the power of the Holy Spirit enables
you to do this, and holiness, in the end, is the fruit of the Holy Spirit in
your life (cf. Gal 5:22-23). When you feel the
temptation to dwell on your own weakness, raise your eyes to Christ crucified
and say: “Lord, I am a poor sinner, but you can work the miracle of making me a
little bit better”. In the Church, holy yet made up of sinners, you will find
everything you need to grow towards holiness. The Lord has bestowed on the
Church the gifts of scripture, the sacraments, holy places, living communities,
the witness of the saints and a multifaceted beauty that proceeds from God’s
love, “like a bride bedecked with jewels” (Is 61:10).
16. This holiness to which the Lord
calls you will grow through small gestures. Here is an example: a woman goes
shopping, she meets a neighbour and they begin to speak, and the gossip starts.
But she says in her heart: “No, I will not speak badly of anyone”. This is a step
forward in holiness. Later, at home, one of her children wants to talk to her
about his hopes and dreams, and even though she is tired, she sits down and
listens with patience and love. That is another sacrifice that brings holiness.
Later she experiences some anxiety, but recalling the love of the Virgin Mary,
she takes her rosary and prays with faith. Yet another path of holiness. Later
still, she goes out onto the street, encounters a poor person and stops to say
a kind word to him. One more step.
17. At times, life presents great
challenges. Through them, the Lord calls us anew to a conversion that can make
his grace more evident in our lives, “in order that we may share his holiness”
(Heb 12:10). At other
times, we need only find a more perfect way of doing what we are already doing:
“There are inspirations that tend solely to perfect in an extraordinary way the
ordinary things we do in life”.[15] When Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyên van Thuân was imprisoned, he
refused to waste time waiting for the day he would be set free. Instead, he
chose “to live the present moment, filling it to the brim with love”. He
decided: “I will seize the occasions that present themselves every day; I will
accomplish ordinary actions in an extraordinary way”.[16]
18. In this way, led by God’s
grace, we shape by many small gestures the holiness God has willed for us, not
as men and women sufficient unto ourselves but rather “as good stewards of the
manifold grace of God” (1 Pet 4:10).
The New Zealand bishops rightly teach us that we are capable of loving with the
Lord’s unconditional love, because the risen Lord shares his powerful life with
our fragile lives: “His love set no limits and, once given, was never taken
back. It was unconditional and remained faithful. To love like that is not easy
because we are often so weak. But just to try to love as Christ loved us shows
that Christ shares his own risen life with us. In this way, our lives
demonstrate his power at work – even in the midst of human weakness”.[17]
19. A Christian cannot think of his
or her mission on earth without seeing it as a path of holiness, for “this is
the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thess 4:3). Each saint is a mission,
planned by the Father to reflect and embody, at a specific moment in history, a
certain aspect of the Gospel.
20. That mission has its fullest
meaning in Christ, and can only be understood through him. At its core,
holiness is experiencing, in union with Christ, the mysteries of his life. It
consists in uniting ourselves to the Lord’s death and resurrection in a unique
and personal way, constantly dying and rising anew with him. But it can also
entail reproducing in our own lives various aspects of Jesus’ earthly life: his
hidden life, his life in community, his closeness to the outcast, his poverty
and other ways in which he showed his self-sacrificing love. The contemplation
of these mysteries, as Saint Ignatius of Loyola pointed out, leads us to
incarnate them in our choices and attitudes.[18] Because “everything in Jesus’ life was a sign of his mystery”,[19] “Christ’s whole life is a revelation of
the Father”,[20] “Christ’s whole life is a mystery of redemption”,[21] “Christ’s whole life is a mystery of recapitulation”.[22] “Christ enables us to live in him all
that he himself lived, and he lives it in us”.[23]
21. The Father’s plan is Christ,
and ourselves in him. In the end, it is Christ who loves in us, for “holiness
is nothing other than charity lived to the full”.[24] As a result, “the measure of our holiness stems from the stature that
Christ achieves in us, to the extent that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we
model our whole life on his”.[25] Every saint is a message which the Holy Spirit takes from the riches of
Jesus Christ and gives to his people.
22. To recognize the word that the
Lord wishes to speak to us through one of his saints, we do not need to get
caught up in details, for there we might also encounter mistakes and failures.
Not everything a saint says is completely faithful to the Gospel; not
everything he or she does is authentic or perfect. What we need to contemplate
is the totality of their life, their entire journey of growth in holiness, the
reflection of Jesus Christ that emerges when we grasp their overall meaning as
a person.[26]
23. This is a powerful summons to
all of us. You too need to see the entirety of your life as a mission. Try to
do so by listening to God in prayer and recognizing the signs that he gives
you. Always ask the Spirit what Jesus expects from you at every moment of your
life and in every decision you must make, so as to discern its place in the
mission you have received. Allow the Spirit to forge in you the personal
mystery that can reflect Jesus Christ in today’s world.
24. May you come to realize what
that word is, the message of Jesus that God wants to speak to the world by your
life. Let yourself be transformed. Let yourself be renewed by the Spirit, so
that this can happen, lest you fail in your precious mission. The Lord will
bring it to fulfilment despite your mistakes and missteps, provided that you do
not abandon the path of love but remain ever open to his supernatural grace,
which purifies and enlightens.
25. Just as you cannot understand
Christ apart from the kingdom he came to bring, so too your personal mission is
inseparable from the building of that kingdom: “Strive first for the kingdom of
God and his righteousness” (Mt 6:33).
Your identification with Christ and his will involves a commitment to build
with him that kingdom of love, justice and universal peace. Christ himself wants
to experience this with you, in all the efforts and sacrifices that it entails,
but also in all the joy and enrichment it brings. You cannot grow in holiness
without committing yourself, body and soul, to giving your best to this
endeavour.
26. It is not healthy to love
silence while fleeing interaction with others, to want peace and quiet while
avoiding activity, to seek prayer while disdaining service. Everything can be
accepted and integrated into our life in this world, and become a part of our
path to holiness. We are called to be contemplatives even in the midst of
action, and to grow in holiness by responsibly and generously carrying out our
proper mission.
27. Could the Holy Spirit urge us
to carry out a mission and then ask us to abandon it, or not fully engage in
it, so as to preserve our inner peace? Yet there are times when we are tempted
to relegate pastoral engagement or commitment in the world to second place, as
if these were “distractions” along the path to growth in holiness and interior
peace. We can forget that “life does not have a mission, but is a mission”.[27]
28. Needless to say, anything done
out of anxiety, pride or the need to impress others will not lead to holiness.
We are challenged to show our commitment in such a way that everything we do
has evangelical meaning and identifies us all the more with Jesus Christ. We
often speak, for example, of the spirituality of the catechist, the
spirituality of the diocesan priesthood, the spirituality of work. For the same
reason, in Evangelii Gaudium I concluded by speaking of a spirituality of mission, in Laudato Si’ of an ecological spirituality, and in Amoris Laetitia of a spirituality of family life.
29. This does not mean ignoring the
need for moments of quiet, solitude and silence before God. Quite the contrary.
The presence of constantly new gadgets, the excitement of travel and an endless
array of consumer goods at times leave no room for God’s voice to be heard. We
are overwhelmed by words, by superficial pleasures and by an increasing din,
filled not by joy but rather by the discontent of those whose lives have lost
meaning. How can we fail to realize the need to stop this rat race and to
recover the personal space needed to carry on a heartfelt dialogue with God?
Finding that space may prove painful but it is always fruitful. Sooner or
later, we have to face our true selves and let the Lord enter. This may not
happen unless “we see ourselves staring into the abyss of a frightful
temptation, or have the dizzying sensation of standing on the precipice of
utter despair, or find ourselves completely alone and abandoned”.[28] In such situations, we find the deepest motivation for living fully our
commitment to our work.
30. The same distractions that are
omnipresent in today’s world also make us tend to absolutize our free time, so
that we can give ourselves over completely to the devices that provide us with
entertainment or ephemeral pleasures.[29] As a result, we come to resent our mission, our commitment grows slack,
and our generous and ready spirit of service begins to flag. This denatures our
spiritual experience. Can any spiritual fervour be sound when it dwells
alongside sloth in evangelization or in service to others?
31. We need a spirit of holiness
capable of filling both our solitude and our service, our personal life and our
evangelizing efforts, so that every moment can be an expression of
self-sacrificing love in the Lord’s eyes. In this way, every minute of our
lives can be a step along the path to growth in holiness.
32. Do not be afraid of holiness.
It will take away none of your energy, vitality or joy. On the contrary, you
will become what the Father had in mind when he created you, and you will be
faithful to your deepest self. To
depend on God sets us free from every form of enslavement and leads us to
recognize our great dignity. We see this in Saint Josephine Bakhita: “Abducted
and sold into slavery at the tender age of seven, she suffered much at the
hands of cruel masters. But she came to understand the profound truth that God,
and not man, is the true Master of every human being, of every human life. This
experience became a source of great wisdom for this humble daughter of Africa”.[30]
33. To the extent that each
Christian grows in holiness, he or she will bear greater fruit for our world.
The bishops of West Africa have observed that “we are being called in the
spirit of the New Evangelization to be evangelized and to evangelize through
the empowering of all you, the baptized, to take up your roles as salt of the
earth and light of the world wherever you find yourselves”.[31]
34. Do not be afraid to set your
sights higher, to allow yourself to be loved and liberated by God. Do not be
afraid to let yourself be guided by the Holy Spirit. Holiness does not make you
less human, since it is an encounter between your weakness and the power of
God’s grace. For in the words of León Bloy, when all is said and done, “the
only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint”.[32]
35. Here I would like to mention
two false forms of holiness that can lead us astray: gnosticism and
pelagianism. They are two heresies from early Christian times, yet they
continue to plague us. In our times too, many Christians, perhaps without
realizing it, can be seduced by these deceptive ideas, which reflect an
anthropocentric immanentism disguised as Catholic truth.[33] Let us take a look at these two forms of doctrinal or disciplinary
security that give rise “toa narcissistic and authoritarian elitism, whereby
instead of evangelizing, one analyses and classifies others, and instead of
opening the door to grace, one exhausts his or her energies in inspecting and
verifying. In neither case is one really concerned about Jesus Christ or
others”.[34]
36. Gnosticism presumes “a purely
subjective faith whose only interest is a certain experience or a set of ideas
and bits of information which are meant to console and enlighten, but which
ultimately keep one imprisoned in his or her own thoughts and feelings”.[35]
37. Thanks be to God, throughout
the history of the Church it has always been clear that a person’s perfection
is measured not by the information or knowledge they possess, but by the depth
of their charity. “Gnostics” do not understand this, because they judge others
based on their ability to understand the complexity of certain doctrines. They
think of the intellect as separate from the flesh, and thus become incapable of
touching Christ’s suffering flesh in others, locked up as they are in an
encyclopaedia of abstractions. In the end, by disembodying the mystery, they
prefer “a God without Christ, a Christ without the Church, a Church without her
people”.[36]
38. Certainly this is a superficial
conceit: there is much movement on the surface, but the mind is neither deeply
moved nor affected. Still, gnosticism exercises a deceptive attraction for some
people, since the gnostic approach is strict and allegedly pure, and can appear
to possess a certain harmony or order that encompasses everything.
39. Here we have to be careful. I
am not referring to a rationalism inimical to Christian faith. It can be
present within the Church, both among the laity in parishes and teachers of
philosophy and theology in centres of formation. Gnostics think that their
explanations can make the entirety of the faith and the Gospel perfectly
comprehensible. They absolutize their own theories and force others to submit
to their way of thinking. A healthy and humble use of reason in order to
reflect on the theological and moral teaching of the Gospel is one thing. It is
another to reduce Jesus’ teaching to a cold and harsh logic that seeks to
dominate everything.[37]
40. Gnosticism is one of the most
sinister ideologies because, while unduly exalting knowledge or a specific
experience, it considers its own vision of reality to be perfect. Thus, perhaps
without even realizing it, this ideology feeds on itself and becomes even more
myopic. It can become all the more illusory when it masks itself as a
disembodied spirituality. For gnosticism “by its very nature seeks to
domesticate the mystery”,[38] whether the mystery of God and his grace, or the mystery of others’
lives.
41. When somebody has an answer for
every question, it is a sign that they are not on the right road. They may well
be false prophets, who use religion for their own purposes, to promote their
own psychological or intellectual theories. God infinitely transcends us; he is
full of surprises. We are not the ones to determine when and how we will encounter
him; the exact times and places of that encounter are not up to us. Someone who
wants everything to be clear and sure presumes to control God’s transcendence.
42. Nor can we claim to say where
God is not, because God is mysteriously present in the life of every person, in
a way that he himself chooses, and we cannot exclude this by our presumed
certainties. Even when someone’s life appears completely wrecked, even when we
see it devastated by vices or addictions, God is present there. If we let ourselves
be guided by the Spirit rather than our own preconceptions, we can and must try
to find the Lord in every human life. This is part of the mystery that a
gnostic mentality cannot accept, since it is beyond its control.
43. It is not easy to grasp the
truth that we have received from the Lord. And it is even more difficult to
express it. So we cannot claim that our way of understanding this truth
authorizes us to exercise a strict supervision over others’ lives. Here I would
note that in the Church there legitimately coexist different ways of
interpreting many aspects of doctrine and Christian life; in their variety,
they “help to express more clearly the immense riches of God’s word”. It is
true that “for those who long for a monolithic body of doctrine guarded by all
and leaving no room for nuance, this might appear as undesirable and leading to
confusion”.[39] Indeed, some currents of
gnosticism scorned the concrete simplicity of the Gospel and attempted to
replace the trinitarian and incarnate God with a superior Unity, wherein the
rich diversity of our history disappeared.
44. In effect, doctrine, or better,
our understanding and expression of it, “is not a closed system, devoid of the
dynamic capacity to pose questions, doubts, inquiries… The questions of our
people, their suffering, their struggles, their dreams, their trials and their
worries, all possess an interpretational value that we cannot ignore if we want
to take the principle of the incarnation seriously. Their wondering helps us to
wonder, their questions question us”.[40]
45. A dangerous confusion can
arise. We can think that because we know something, or are able to explain it
in certain terms, we are already saints, perfect and better than the “ignorant
masses”. Saint John Paul II warned of the temptation on the part of those in the Church who are more
highly educated “to feel somehow superior to other members of the faithful”.[41] In point of fact, what we think we know should always motivate us to
respond more fully to God’s love. Indeed, “you learn so as to live: theology
and holiness are inseparable”.[42]
46. When Saint Francis of Assisi
saw that some of his disciples were engaged in teaching, he wanted to avoid the
temptation to gnosticism. He wrote to Saint Anthony of Padua: “I am pleased
that you teach sacred theology to the brothers, provided that… you do not
extinguish the spirit of prayer and devotion during study of this kind”.[43] Francis recognized the temptation to turn the Christian experience into
a set of intellectual exercises that distance us from the freshness of the
Gospel. Saint Bonaventure, on the other hand, pointed out that true Christian
wisdom can never be separated from mercy towards our neighbour: “The greatest
possible wisdom is to share fruitfully what we have to give… Even as mercy is
the companion of wisdom, avarice is its enemy”.[44]“There are activities
that, united to contemplation, do not prevent the latter, but rather facilitate
it, such as works of mercy and devotion”.[45]
47. Gnosticism gave way to another
heresy, likewise present in our day. As time passed, many came to realize that
it is not knowledge that betters us or makes us saints, but the kind of life we
lead. But this subtly led back to the old error of the gnostics, which was
simply transformed rather than eliminated.
48. The same power that the
gnostics attributed to the intellect, others now began to attribute to the
human will, to personal effort. This was the case with the pelagians and
semi-pelagians. Now it was not intelligence that took the place of mystery and
grace, but our human will. It was forgotten that everything “depends not on
human will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy” (Rom 9:16) and that “he first loved us”
(cf. 1 Jn 4:19).
49. Those who yield to this
pelagian or semi-pelagian mindset, even though they speak warmly of God’s
grace, “ultimately trust only in their own powers and feel superior to others
because they observe certain rules or remain intransigently faithful to a
particular Catholic style”.[46] When some of them tell the weak that all things can be accomplished with
God’s grace, deep down they tend to give the idea that all things are possible
by the human will, as if it were something pure, perfect, all-powerful, to
which grace is then added. They fail to realize that “not everyone can do everything”,[47] and that in this life human weaknesses are not healed completely and once
for all by grace.[48] In every case, as Saint Augustine taught, God commands you to do what
you can and to ask for what you cannot,[49] and indeed to pray to him humbly: “Grant what you command, and command
what you will”.[50]
50. Ultimately, the lack of a
heartfelt and prayerful acknowledgment of our limitations prevents grace from
working more effectively within us, for no room is left for bringing about the
potential good that is part of a sincere and genuine journey of growth.[51]Grace, precisely because
it builds on nature, does not make us superhuman all at once. That kind of
thinking would show too much confidence in our own abilities. Underneath our
orthodoxy, our attitudes might not correspond to our talk about the need for
grace, and in specific situations we can end up putting little trust in it.
Unless we can acknowledge our concrete and limited situation, we will not be
able to see the real and possible steps that the Lord demands of us at every
moment, once we are attracted and empowered by his gift. Grace acts in history;
ordinarily it takes hold of us and transforms us progressively.[52] If we reject this historical and progressive reality, we can actually
refuse and block grace, even as we extol it by our words.
51. When God speaks to Abraham, he
tells him: “I am God Almighty, walk before me, and be blameless” (Gen 17:1). In order to be blameless, as he
would have us, we need to live humbly in his presence, cloaked in his glory; we
need to walk in union with him, recognizing his constant love in our lives. We
need to lose our fear before that presence which can only be for our good. God
is the Father who gave us life and loves us greatly. Once we accept him, and stop
trying to live our lives without him, the anguish of loneliness will disappear
(cf. Ps 139:23-24). In this way we will know
the pleasing and perfect will of the Lord (cf. Rom 12:1-2) and allow him to mould us like
a potter (cf. Is 29:16). So often we say that God
dwells in us, but it is better to say that we dwell in him, that he enables us
to dwell in his light and love. He is our temple; we ask to dwell in the house
of the Lord all the days of our life (cf. Ps 27:4). “For one day in your courts is
better than a thousand elsewhere” (Ps 84:10).
In him is our holiness.
52. The Church has repeatedly
taught that we are justified not by our own works or efforts, but by the grace
of the Lord, who always takes the initiative. The Fathers of the Church, even
before Saint Augustine, clearly expressed this fundamental belief. Saint John
Chrysostom said that God pours into us the very source of all his gifts even
before we enter into battle.[53] Saint Basil the Great remarked that the faithful glory in God alone, for
“they realize that they lack true justice and are justified only through faith
in Christ”.[54]
53. The Second Synod of Orange
taught with firm authority that nothing human can demand, merit or buy the gift
of divine grace, and that all cooperation with it is a prior gift of that same
grace: “Even the desire to be cleansed comes about in us through the outpouring
and working of the Holy Spirit”.[55] Subsequently, the Council of Trent, while emphasizing the importance of
our cooperation for spiritual growth, reaffirmed that dogmatic teaching: “We
are said to be justified gratuitously because nothing that precedes
justification, neither faith nor works, merits the grace of justification; for
‘if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise, grace
would no longer be grace’ (Rom 11:6)”.[56]
54. The Catechism of the Catholic
Church also reminds us that the gift of grace “surpasses the power of human
intellect and will”[57] and that “with regard to God, there is no strict right to any merit on
the part of man. Between God and us there is an immeasurable inequality”.[58] His friendship infinitely transcends us; we cannot buy it with our
works, it can only be a gift born of his loving initiative. This invites us to
live in joyful gratitude for this completely unmerited gift, since “after one
has grace, the grace already possessed cannot come under merit”.[59] The saints avoided putting trust in their own works: “In the evening of
this life, I shall appear before you empty-handed, for I do not ask you, Lord,
to count my works. All our justices have stains in your sight”.[60]
55. This is one of the great
convictions that the Church has come firmly to hold. It is so clearly expressed
in the word of God that there can be no question of it. Like the supreme
commandment of love, this truth should affect the way we live, for it flows
from the heart of the Gospel and demands that we not only accept it
intellectually but also make it a source of contagious joy. Yet we cannot
celebrate this free gift of the Lord’s friendship unless we realize that our
earthly life and our natural abilities are his gift. We need “to acknowledge
jubilantly that our life is essentially a gift, and recognize that our freedom
is a grace. This is not easy today, in a world that thinks it can keep
something for itself, the fruits of its own creativity or freedom”.[61]
56. Only on the basis of God’s
gift, freely accepted and humbly received, can we cooperate by our own efforts
in our progressive transformation.[62] We must first belong to God, offering ourselves to him who was there
first, and entrusting to him our abilities, our efforts, our struggle against
evil and our creativity, so that his free gift may grow and develop within us:
“I appeal to you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your
bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Rom 12:1). For that matter, the Church has
always taught that charity alone makes growth in the life of grace possible,
for “if I do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Cor 13:2).
57. Still, some Christians insist
on taking another path, that of justification by their own efforts, the worship
of the human will and their own abilities. The result is a self-centred and
elitist complacency, bereft of true love. This finds expression in a variety of
apparently unconnected ways of thinking and acting: an obsession with the law,
an absorption with social and political advantages, a punctilious concern for
the Church’s liturgy, doctrine and prestige, a vanity about the ability to
manage practical matters, and an excessive concern with programmes of self-help
and personal fulfilment. Some Christians spend their time and energy on these things,
rather than letting themselves be led by the Spirit in the way of love, rather
than being passionate about communicating the beauty and the joy of the Gospel
and seeking out the lost among the immense crowds that thirst for Christ.[63]
58. Not infrequently, contrary to
the promptings of the Spirit, the life of the Church can become a museum piece
or the possession of a select few. This can occur when some groups of
Christians give excessive importance to certain rules, customs or ways of
acting. The Gospel then tends to be reduced and constricted, deprived of its
simplicity, allure and savour. This may well be a subtle form of pelagianism,
for it appears to subject the life of grace to certain human structures. It can
affect groups, movements and communities, and it explains why so often they
begin with an intense life in the Spirit, only to end up fossilized… or
corrupt.
59. Once we believe that everything
depends on human effort as channelled by ecclesial rules and structures, we
unconsciously complicate the Gospel and become enslaved to a blueprint that
leaves few openings for the working of grace. Saint Thomas Aquinas reminded us
that the precepts added to the Gospel by the Church should be imposed with
moderation “lest the conduct of the faithful become burdensome”, for then our
religion would become a form of servitude.[64]
60. To avoid this, we do well to
keep reminding ourselves that there is a hierarchy of virtues that bids us seek
what is essential. The primacy belongs to the theological virtues, which have
God as their object and motive. At the centre is charity. Saint Paul says that
what truly counts is “faith working through love” (Gal 5:6). We are called to make every
effort to preserve charity: “The one who loves another has fulfilled the law…
for love is the fulfilment of the law” (Rom 13:8.10). “For the whole law is
summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’”
(Gal 5:14).
61. In other words, amid the
thicket of precepts and prescriptions, Jesus clears a way to seeing two faces,
that of the Father and that of our brother. He does not give us two more
formulas or two more commands. He gives us two faces, or better yet, one alone:
the face of God reflected in so many other faces. For in every one of our
brothers and sisters, especially the least, the most vulnerable, the
defenceless and those in need, God’s very image is found. Indeed, with the
scraps of this frail humanity, the Lord will shape his final work of art. For
“what endures, what has value in life, what riches do not disappear? Surely
these two: the Lord and our neighbour. These two riches do not disappear!”[65]
62. May the Lord set the Church
free from these new forms of gnosticism and pelagianism that weigh her down and
block her progress along the path to holiness! These aberrations take various
shapes, according to the temperament and character of each person. So I
encourage everyone to reflect and discern before God whether they may be
present in their lives.
63. There can be any number of
theories about what constitutes holiness, with various explanations and
distinctions. Such reflection may be useful, but nothing is more enlightening
than turning to Jesus’ words and seeing his way of teaching the truth. Jesus
explained with great simplicity what it means to be holy when he gave us the
Beatitudes (cf. Mt 5:3-12; Lk 6:20-23). The Beatitudes are like a
Christian’s identity card. So if anyone asks: “What must one do to be a good
Christian?”, the answer is clear. We have to do, each in our own way, what
Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount.[66] In the Beatitudes, we find a portrait of the Master, which we are called
to reflect in our daily lives.
64. The word “happy” or “blessed”
thus becomes a synonym for “holy”. It expresses the fact that those faithful to
God and his word, by their self-giving, gain true happiness.
65. Although Jesus’ words may
strike us as poetic, they clearly run counter to the way things are usually
done in our world. Even if we find Jesus’ message attractive, the world pushes
us towards another way of living. The Beatitudes are in no way trite or
undemanding, quite the opposite. We can only practise them if the Holy Spirit
fills us with his power and frees us from our weakness, our selfishness, our
complacency and our pride.
66. Let us listen once more to
Jesus, with all the love and respect that the Master deserves. Let us allow his
words to unsettle us, to challenge us and to demand a real change in the way we
live. Otherwise, holiness will remain no more than an empty word. We turn now
to the individual Beatitudes in the Gospel of Matthew (cf. Mt 5:3-12).[67]
67. The Gospel invites us to peer
into the depths of our heart, to see where we find our security in life.
Usually the rich feel secure in their wealth, and think that, if that wealth is
threatened, the whole meaning of their earthly life can collapse. Jesus himself
tells us this in the parable of the rich fool: he speaks of a man who was sure
of himself, yet foolish, for it did not dawn on him that he might die that very
day (cf. Lk 12:16-21).
68. Wealth ensures nothing. Indeed,
once we think we are rich, we can become so self-satisfied that we leave no
room for God’s word, for the love of our brothers and sisters, or for the
enjoyment of the most important things in life. In this way, we miss out on the
greatest treasure of all. That is why Jesus calls blessed those who are poor in
spirit, those who have a poor heart, for there the Lord can enter with his
perennial newness.
69. This spiritual poverty is
closely linked to what Saint Ignatius of Loyola calls “holy indifference”,
which brings us to a radiant interior freedom: “We need to train ourselves to
be indifferent in our attitude to all created things, in all that is permitted
to our free will and not forbidden; so that on our part, we do not set our
hearts on good health rather than bad, riches rather than poverty, honour
rather than dishonour, a long life rather than a short one, and so in all the
rest”.[68]
70. Luke does not speak of poverty
“of spirit” but simply of those who are “poor” (cf. Lk 6:20). In this way, he too invites us
to live a plain and austere life. He calls us to share in the life of those
most in need, the life lived by the Apostles, and ultimately to configure
ourselves to Jesus who, though rich, “made himself poor” (2 Cor 8:9).
Being poor of heart: that is
holiness.
71. These are strong words in a
world that from the beginning has been a place of conflict, disputes and enmity
on all sides, where we constantly pigeonhole others on the basis of their
ideas, their customs and even their way of speaking or dressing. Ultimately, it
is the reign of pride and vanity, where each person thinks he or she has the
right to dominate others. Nonetheless, impossible as it may seem, Jesus
proposes a different way of doing things: the way of meekness. This is what we
see him doing with his disciples. It is what we contemplate on his entrance to
Jerusalem: “Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a
donkey” (Mt 21:5; Zech 9:9).
72. Christ says: “Learn from me;
for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:29). If we are constantly upset and
impatient with others, we will end up drained and weary. But if we regard the
faults and limitations of others with tenderness and meekness, without an air
of superiority, we can actually help them and stop wasting our energy on
useless complaining. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux tells us that “perfect charity
consists in putting up with others’ mistakes, and not being scandalized by
their faults”.[69]
73. Paul speaks of meekness as one
of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (cf. Gal 5:23). He suggests that, if a wrongful
action of one of our brothers or sisters troubles us, we should try to correct
them, but “with a spirit of meekness”, since “you too could be tempted” (Gal 6:1). Even when we defend our faith
and convictions, we are to do so “with meekness” (cf. 1 Pet 3:16). Our enemies too are to be
treated “with meekness” (2 Tim 2:25).
In the Church we have often erred by not embracing this demand of God’s word.
74. Meekness is yet another
expression of the interior poverty of those who put their trust in God alone.
Indeed, in the Bible the same word – anawim – usually refers both to the poor
and to the meek. Someone might object: “If I am that meek, they will think that
I am an idiot, a fool or a weakling”. At times they may, but so be it. It is
always better to be meek, for then our deepest desires will be fulfilled. The
meek “shall inherit the earth”, for they will see God’s promises accomplished
in their lives. In every situation, the meek put their hope in the Lord, and
those who hope for him shall possess the land… and enjoy the fullness of peace
(cf. Ps 37:9.11). For his part, the Lord
trusts in them: “This is the one to whom I will look, to the humble and
contrite in spirit, who trembles at my word” (Is 66:2).
Reacting with meekness and
humility: that is holiness.
75. The world tells us exactly the
opposite: entertainment, pleasure, diversion and escape make for the good life.
The worldly person ignores problems of sickness or sorrow in the family or all
around him; he averts his gaze. The world has no desire to mourn; it would
rather disregard painful situations, cover them up or hide them. Much energy is
expended on fleeing from situations of suffering in the belief that reality can
be concealed. But the cross can never be absent.
76. A person who sees things as
they truly are and sympathizes with pain and sorrow is capable of touching
life’s depths and finding authentic happiness.[70] He or she is consoled, not by the world but by Jesus. Such persons are
unafraid to share in the suffering of others; they do not flee from painful
situations. They discover the meaning of life by coming to the aid of those who
suffer, understanding their anguish and bringing relief. They sense that the
other is flesh of our flesh, and are not afraid to draw near, even to touch
their wounds. They feel compassion for others in such a way that all distance
vanishes. In this way they can embrace Saint Paul’s exhortation: “Weep with
those who weep” (Rom 12:15).
Knowing how to mourn with others:
that is holiness.
77. Hunger and thirst are intense
experiences, since they involve basic needs and our instinct for survival.
There are those who desire justice and yearn for righteousness with similar
intensity. Jesus says that they will be satisfied, for sooner or later justice
will come. We can cooperate to make that possible, even if we may not always
see the fruit of our efforts.
78. Jesus offers a justice other
than that of the world, so often marred by petty interests and manipulated in
various ways. Experience shows how easy it is to become mired in corruption,
ensnared in the daily politics of quid
pro quo, where everything becomes business. How many people suffer injustice,
standing by powerlessly while others divvy up the good things of this life.
Some give up fighting for real justice and opt to follow in the train of the
winners. This has nothing to do with the hunger and thirst for justice that
Jesus praises.
79. True justice comes about in
people’s lives when they themselves are just in their decisions; it is
expressed in their pursuit of justice for the poor and the weak. While it is
true that the word “justice” can be a synonym for faithfulness to God’s will in
every aspect of our life, if we give the word too general a meaning, we forget
that it is shown especially in justice towards those who are most vulnerable:
“Seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow”
(Is 1:17).
Hungering and thirsting for
righteousness: that is holiness.
80. Mercy has two aspects. It
involves giving, helping and serving others, but it also includes forgiveness
and understanding. Matthew sums it up in one golden rule: “In everything, do to
others as you would have them do to you” (7:12). The Catechism reminds us that
this law is to be applied “in every case”,[71]especially when we are
“confronted by situations that make moral judgments less assured and decision
difficult”.[72]
81. Giving and forgiving means
reproducing in our lives some small measure of God’s perfection, which gives
and forgives superabundantly. For this reason, in the Gospel of Luke we do not
hear the words, “Be perfect” (Mt 5:48),
but rather, “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you
will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and
you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you” (6:36-38). Luke then
adds something not to be overlooked: “The measure you give will be the measure
you get back” (6:38). The yardstick we use for understanding and forgiving
others will measure the forgiveness we receive. The yardstick we use for giving
will measure what we receive. We should never forget this.
82. Jesus does not say, “Blessed
are those who plot revenge”. He calls “blessed” those who forgive and do so
“seventy times seven” (Mt 18:22).
We need to think of ourselves as an army of the forgiven. All of us have been
looked upon with divine compassion. If we approach the Lord with sincerity and
listen carefully, there may well be times when we hear his reproach: “Should
not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” (Mt 18:33).
Seeing and acting with mercy: that
is holiness.
83. This Beatitude speaks of those
whose hearts are simple, pure and undefiled, for a heart capable of love admits
nothing that might harm, weaken or endanger that love. The Bible uses the heart
to describe our real intentions, the things we truly seek and desire, apart
from all appearances. “Man sees the appearance, but the Lord looks into the
heart” (1Sam 16:7). God
wants to speak to our hearts (cf. Hos 2:16); there he desires to write his
law (cf. Jer 31:33). In a word, he wants to give us
a new heart (cf. Ezek 36:26).
84. “Guard your heart with all
vigilance” (Prov 4:23).
Nothing stained by falsehood has any real worth in the Lord’s eyes. He “flees
from deceit, and rises and departs from foolish thoughts” (Wis 1:5). The Father, “who sees in secret”
(Mt 6:6), recognizes what
is impure and insincere, mere display or appearance, as does the Son, who knows
“what is in man” (cf. Jn 2:25).
85. Certainly there can be no love
without works of love, but this Beatitude reminds us that the Lord expects a
commitment to our brothers and sisters that comes from the heart. For “if I
give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have no love,
I gain nothing” (1 Cor 13:3). In Matthew’s Gospel too, we see
that what proceeds from the heart is what defiles a person (cf. 15:18), for
from the heart come murder, theft, false witness, and other evil deeds (cf.
15:19). From the heart’s intentions come the desires and the deepest decisions
that determine our actions.
86. A heart that loves God and
neighbour (cf. Mt 22:36-40), genuinely and not merely in
words, is a pure heart; it can see God. In his hymn to charity, Saint Paul says
that “now we see in a mirror, dimly” (1 Cor 13:12), but to the extent that truth
and love prevail, we will then be able to see “face to face”. Jesus promises
that those who are pure in heart “will see God”.
Keeping a heart free of all that
tarnishes love: that is holiness.
87. This Beatitude makes us think
of the many endless situations of war in our world. Yet we ourselves are often
a cause of conflict or at least of misunderstanding. For example, I may hear
something about someone and I go off and repeat it. I may even embellish it the
second time around and keep spreading it… And the more harm it does, the more
satisfaction I seem to derive from it. The world of gossip, inhabited by
negative and destructive people, does not bring peace. Such people are really
the enemies of peace; in no way are they “blessed”.[73]
88. Peacemakers truly “make” peace;
they build peace and friendship in society. To those who sow peace Jesus makes
this magnificent promise: “They will be called children of God” (Mt 5:9). He told his disciples that,
wherever they went, they were to say: “Peace to this house!” (Lk 10:5). The word of God exhorts every
believer to work for peace, “along with all who call upon the Lord with a pure
heart” (cf. 2 Tim 2:22), for “the harvest of
righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (Jas 3:18). And if there are times in our
community when we question what ought to be done, “let us pursue what makes for
peace” (Rom14:19), for unity is preferable to conflict.[74]
89. It is not easy to “make” this
evangelical peace, which excludes no one but embraces even those who are a bit
odd, troublesome or difficult, demanding, different, beaten down by life or
simply uninterested. It is hard work; it calls for great openness of mind and
heart, since it is not about creating “a consensus on paper or a transient
peace for a contented minority”,[75] or a project “by a few for the few”.[76] Nor can it attempt to ignore or disregard conflict; instead, it must
“face conflict head on, resolve it and make it a link in the chain of a new
process”.[77] We need to be artisans of peace, for building peace is a craft that
demands serenity, creativity, sensitivity and skill.
Sowing peace all around us: that is
holiness.
90. Jesus himself warns us that the
path he proposes goes against the flow, even making us challenge society by the
way we live and, as a result, becoming a nuisance. He reminds us how many
people have been, and still are, persecuted simply because they struggle for
justice, because they take seriously their commitment to God and to others.
Unless we wish to sink into an obscure mediocrity, let us not long for an easy
life, for “whoever would save his life will lose it” (Mt 16:25).
91. In living the Gospel, we cannot
expect that everything will be easy, for the thirst for power and worldly
interests often stands in our way. Saint John Paul II noted that “a society is
alienated if its forms of social organization, production and consumption make
it more difficult to offer this gift of self and to establish this solidarity
between people”.[78] In such a society, politics, mass communications and economic, cultural
and even religious institutions become so entangled as to become an obstacle to
authentic human and social development. As a result, the Beatitudes are not
easy to live out; any attempt to do so will be viewed negatively, regarded with
suspicion, and met with ridicule.
92. Whatever weariness and pain we
may experience in living the commandment of love and following the way of
justice, the cross remains the source of our growth and sanctification. We must
never forget that when the New Testament tells us that we will have to endure
suffering for the Gospel’s sake, it speaks precisely of persecution (cf. Acts 5:41; Phil 1:29; Col 1:24; 2 Tim 1:12; 1 Pet 2:20, 4:14-16; Rev 2:10).
93. Here we are speaking about
inevitable persecution, not the kind of persecution we might bring upon
ourselves by our mistreatment of others. The saints are not odd and aloof,
unbearable because of their vanity, negativity and bitterness. The Apostles of
Christ were not like that. The Book of Acts states repeatedly that they enjoyed
favour “with all the people” (2:47; cf. 4:21.33; 5:13), even as some
authorities harassed and persecuted them (cf. 4:1-3, 5:17-18).
94. Persecutions are not a reality
of the past, for today too we experience them, whether by the shedding of
blood, as is the case with so many contemporary martyrs, or by more subtle
means, by slander and lies. Jesus calls us blessed when people “utter all kinds
of evil against you falsely on my account” (Mt 5:11). At other times, persecution can
take the form of gibes that try to caricature our faith and make us seem
ridiculous.
Accepting daily the path of the
Gospel, even though it may cause us problems: that is holiness.
95. In the twenty-fifth chapter of
Matthew’s Gospel (vv. 31-46), Jesus expands on the Beatitude that calls the
merciful blessed. If we seek the holiness pleasing to God’s eyes, this text
offers us one clear criterion on which we will be judged. “I was hungry and you
gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you
welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you took care of
me, I was in prison and you visited me” (vv. 35-36).
96. Holiness, then, is not about
swooning in mystic rapture. As Saint John Paul II said: “If we truly start out anew from the contemplation of Christ, we
must learn to see him especially in the faces of those with whom he himself
wished to be identified”.[79] The text of Matthew 25:35-36 is “not a simple invitation to charity: it
is a page of Christology which sheds a ray of light on the mystery of Christ”.[80] In this call to recognize him in the poor and the suffering, we see
revealed the very heart of Christ, his deepest feelings and choices, which
every saint seeks to imitate.
97. Given these uncompromising
demands of Jesus, it is my duty to ask Christians to acknowledge and accept
them in a spirit of genuine openness, sine
glossa. In other words, without any “ifs or buts” that could lessen their
force. Our Lord made it very clear that holiness cannot be understood or lived
apart from these demands, for mercy is “the beating heart of the Gospel”.[81]
98. If I encounter a person
sleeping outdoors on a cold night, I can view him or her as an annoyance, an
idler, an obstacle in my path, a troubling sight, a problem for politicians to
sort out, or even a piece of refuse cluttering a public space. Or I can respond
with faith and charity, and see in this person a human being with a dignity
identical to my own, a creature infinitely loved by the Father, an image of
God, a brother or sister redeemed by Jesus Christ. That is what it is to be a
Christian! Can holiness somehow be understood apart from this lively
recognition of the dignity of each human being?[82]
99. For Christians, this involves a
constant and healthy unease. Even if helping one person alone could justify all
our efforts, it would not be enough. The bishops of Canada made this clear when
they noted, for example, that the biblical understanding of the jubilee year
was about more than simply performing certain good works. It also meant seeking
social change: “For later generations to also be released, clearly the goal had
to be the restoration of just social and economic systems, so there could no
longer be exclusion”.[83]
100. I regret that ideologies lead
us at times to two harmful errors. On the one hand, there is the error of those
Christians who separate these Gospel demands from their personal relationship
with the Lord, from their interior union with him, from openness to his grace.
Christianity thus becomes a sort of NGO stripped of the luminous mysticism so
evident in the lives of Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Vincent de Paul, Saint
Teresa of Calcutta, and many others. For these great saints, mental prayer, the
love of God and the reading of the Gospel in no way detracted from their
passionate and effective commitment to their neighbours; quite the opposite.
101. The other harmful ideological
error is found in those who find suspect the social engagement of others,
seeing it as superficial, worldly, secular, materialist, communist or populist.
Or they relativize it, as if there are other more important matters, or the
only thing that counts is one particular ethical issue or cause that they
themselves defend. Our defence of the innocent unborn, for example, needs to be
clear, firm and passionate, for at stake is the dignity of a human life, which
is always sacred and demands love for each person, regardless of his or her
stage of development. Equally sacred, however, are the lives of the poor, those
already born, the destitute, the abandoned and the underprivileged, the
vulnerable infirm and elderly exposed to covert euthanasia, the victims of
human trafficking, new forms of slavery, and every form of rejection.[84] We cannot uphold an ideal of holiness that would ignore injustice in a
world where some revel, spend with abandon and live only for the latest
consumer goods, even as others look on from afar, living their entire lives in
abject poverty.
102. We often hear it said that,
with respect to relativism and the flaws of our present world, the situation of
migrants, for example, is a lesser issue. Some Catholics consider it a
secondary issue compared to the “grave” bioethical questions. That a politician
looking for votes might say such a thing is understandable, but not a
Christian, for whom the only proper attitude is to stand in the shoes of those
brothers and sisters of ours who risk their lives to offer a future to their
children. Can we not realize that this is exactly what Jesus demands of us,
when he tells us that in welcoming the stranger we welcome him (cf. Mt 25:35)? Saint Benedict did so readily,
and though it might have “complicated” the life of his monks, he ordered that
all guests who knocked at the monastery door be welcomed “like Christ”,[85] with a gesture of veneration;[86] the poor and pilgrims were to be met with “the greatest care and solicitude”.[87]
103. A similar approach is found in
the Old Testament: “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you
yourselves were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Ex 22:21). “When a stranger resides with
you in your land, you shall not oppress him. The stranger who resides with you
shall be to you as the citizen among you; and you shall love him as yourself;
for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Lev 19:33-34). This is not a notion
invented by some Pope, or a momentary fad. In today’s world too, we are called
to follow the path of spiritual wisdom proposed by the prophet Isaiah to show
what is pleasing to God. “Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and
bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth
like the dawn” (58:7-8).
104. We may think that we give
glory to God only by our worship and prayer, or simply by following certain
ethical norms. It is true that the primacy belongs to our relationship with
God, but we cannot forget that the ultimate criterion on which our lives will
be judged is what we have done for others. Prayer is most precious, for it
nourishes a daily commitment to love. Our worship becomes pleasing to God when
we devote ourselves to living generously, and allow God’s gift, granted in
prayer, to be shown in our concern for our brothers and sisters.
105. Similarly, the best way to
discern if our prayer is authentic is to judge to what extent our life is being
transformed in the light of mercy. For “mercy is not only an action of the
Father; it becomes a criterion for ascertaining who his true children are”.[88]Mercy “is the very
foundation of the Church’s life”.[89] In this regard, I would like to reiterate that mercy does not exclude
justice and truth; indeed, “we have to say that mercy is the fullness of
justice and the most radiant manifestation of God’s truth”.[90] It is “the key to heaven”.[91]
106. Here I think of Saint Thomas
Aquinas, who asked which actions of ours are noblest, which external works best
show our love for God. Thomas answered unhesitatingly that they are the works
of mercy towards our neighbour,[92] even more than our acts of worship: “We worship God by outward
sacrifices and gifts, not for his own benefit, but for that of ourselves and
our neighbour. For he does not need our sacrifices, but wishes them to be
offered to him, in order to stir our devotion and to profit our neighbour.
Hence mercy, whereby we supply others’ defects, is a sacrifice more acceptable
to him, as conducing more directly to our neighbour’s well-being”.[93]
107. Those who really wish to give
glory to God by their lives, who truly long to grow in holiness, are called to
be single-minded and tenacious in their practice of the works of mercy. Saint
Teresa of Calcutta clearly realized this: “Yes, I have many human faults and failures…
But God bends down and uses us, you and me, to be his love and his compassion
in the world; he bears our sins, our troubles and our faults. He depends on us
to love the world and to show how much he loves it. If we are too concerned
with ourselves, we will have no time left for others”.[94]
108. Hedonism and consumerism can
prove our downfall, for when we are obsessed with our own pleasure, we end up
being all too concerned about ourselves and our rights, and we feel a desperate
need for free time to enjoy ourselves. We will find it hard to feel and show
any real concern for those in need, unless we are able to cultivate a certain
simplicity of life, resisting the feverish demands of a consumer society, which
leave us impoverished and unsatisfied, anxious to have it all now. Similarly,
when we allow ourselves to be caught up in superficial information, instant
communication and virtual reality, we can waste precious time and become
indifferent to the suffering flesh of our brothers and sisters. Yet even amid
this whirlwind of activity, the Gospel continues to resound, offering us the
promise of a different life, a healthier and happier life.
* * *
109. The powerful witness of the
saints is revealed in their lives, shaped by the Beatitudes and the criterion
of the final judgement. Jesus’ words are few and straightforward, yet practical
and valid for everyone, for Christianity is meant above all to be put into
practice. It can also be an object of study and reflection, but only to help us
better live the Gospel in our daily lives. I recommend rereading these great
biblical texts frequently, referring back to them, praying with them, trying to
embody them. They will benefit us; they will make us genuinely happy.
110. Within the framework of
holiness offered by the Beatitudes and Matthew 25:31-46, I would like to
mention a few signs or spiritual attitudes that, in my opinion, are necessary
if we are to understand the way of life to which the Lord calls us. I will not
pause to explain the means of sanctification already known to us: the various
methods of prayer, the inestimable sacraments of the Eucharist and
Reconciliation, the offering of personal sacrifices, different forms of
devotion, spiritual direction, and many others as well. Here I will speak only
of certain aspects of the call to holiness that I hope will prove especially
meaningful.
111. The signs I wish to highlight
are not the sum total of a model of holiness, but they are five great
expressions of love for God and neighbour that I consider of particular
importance in the light of certain dangers and limitations present in today’s
culture. There we see a sense of anxiety, sometimes violent, that distracts and
debilitates; negativity and sullenness; the self-content bred by consumerism;
individualism; and all those forms of ersatz spirituality – having nothing to
do with God – that dominate the current religious marketplace.
112. The first of these great signs
is solid grounding in the God who loves and sustains us. This source of inner
strength enables us to persevere amid life’s ups and downs, but also to endure
hostility, betrayal and failings on the part of others. “If God is for us, who
is against us?” (Rom 8:31):
this is the source of the peace found in the saints. Such inner strength makes
it possible for us, in our fast-paced, noisy and aggressive world, to give a
witness of holiness through patience and constancy in doing good. It is a sign
of the fidelity born of love, for those who put their faith in God (pístis)
can also be faithful to others (pistós). They do not desert others in
bad times; they accompany them in their anxiety and distress, even though doing
so may not bring immediate satisfaction.
113. Saint Paul bade the Romans not
to repay evil for evil (cf. Rom 12:17), not to seek revenge (v. 19),
and not to be overcome by evil, but instead to “overcome evil with good” (v.
21). This attitude is not a sign of weakness but of true strength, because God
himself “is slow to anger but great in power” (Nah 1:3). The word of God exhorts us to
“put away all bitterness and wrath and wrangling and slander, together with all
malice” (Eph 4:31).
114. We need to recognize and combat
our aggressive and selfish inclinations, and not let them take root. “Be angry
but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Eph 4:26). When we feel overwhelmed, we
can always cling to the anchor of prayer, which puts us back in God’s hands and
the source of our peace. “Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything, by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to
God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your
hearts...” (Phil 4:6-7).
115. Christians too can be caught
up in networks of verbal violence through the internet and the various forums
of digital communication. Even in Catholic media, limits can be overstepped,
defamation and slander can become commonplace, and all ethical standards and
respect for the good name of others can be abandoned. The result is a dangerous
dichotomy, since things can be said there that would be unacceptable in public
discourse, and people look to compensate for their own discontent by lashing
out at others. It is striking that at times, in claiming to uphold the other
commandments, they completely ignore the eighth, which forbids bearing false
witness or lying, and ruthlessly vilify others. Here we see how the unguarded
tongue, set on fire by hell, sets all things ablaze (cf. Jas 3:6).
116. Inner strength, as the work of
grace, prevents us from becoming carried away by the violence that is so much a
part of life today, because grace defuses vanity and makes possible meekness of
heart. The saints do not waste energy complaining about the failings of others;
they can hold their tongue before the faults of their brothers and sisters, and
avoid the verbal violence that demeans and mistreats others. Saints hesitate to
treat others harshly; they consider others better than themselves (cf. Phil 2:3).
117. It is not good when we look
down on others like heartless judges, lording it over them and always trying to
teach them lessons. That is itself a subtle form of violence.[95] Saint John of the Cross proposed a different path: “Always prefer to be
taught by all, rather than to desire teaching even the least of all”.[96] And he added advice on how to keep the devil at bay: “Rejoice in the
good of others as if it were your own, and desire that they be given precedence
over you in all things; this you should do wholeheartedly. You will thereby
overcome evil with good, banish the devil, and possess a happy heart. Try to practise
this all the more with those who least attract you. Realize that if you do not
train yourself in this way, you will not attain real charity or make any
progress in it”.[97]
118. Humility can only take root in
the heart through humiliations. Without them, there is no humility or holiness.
If you are unable to suffer and offer up a few humiliations, you are not humble
and you are not on the path to holiness. The holiness that God bestows on his
Church comes through the humiliation of his Son. He is the way. Humiliation
makes you resemble Jesus; it is an unavoidable aspect of the imitation of
Christ. For “Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might
follow in his steps” (1 Pet 2:21).
In turn, he reveals the humility of the Father, who condescends to journey with
his people, enduring their infidelities and complaints (cf. Ex 34:6-9; Wis 11:23-12:2; Lk 6:36). For this reason, the
Apostles, after suffering humiliation, rejoiced “that they were counted worthy
to suffer dishonour for [Jesus’] name” (Acts 5:41).
119. Here I am not speaking only
about stark situations of martyrdom, but about the daily humiliations of those
who keep silent to save their families, who prefer to praise others rather than
boast about themselves, or who choose the less welcome tasks, at times even
choosing to bear an injustice so as to offer it to the Lord. “If when you do
right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval” (1 Pet 2:20). This does not mean walking
around with eyes lowered, not saying a word and fleeing the company of others.
At times, precisely because someone is free of selfishness, he or she can dare
to disagree gently, to demand justice or to defend the weak before the
powerful, even if it may harm his or her reputation.
120. I am not saying that such
humiliation is pleasant, for that would be masochism, but that it is a way of
imitating Jesus and growing in union with him. This is incomprehensible on a
purely natural level, and the world mocks any such notion. Instead, it is a
grace to be sought in prayer: “Lord, when humiliations come, help me to know
that I am following in your footsteps”.
121. To act in this way presumes a
heart set at peace by Christ, freed from the aggressiveness born of overweening
egotism. That same peacefulness, the fruit of grace, makes it possible to
preserve our inner trust and persevere in goodness, “though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death” (Ps 23:4)
or “a host encamp against me” (Ps 27:3).
Standing firm in the Lord, the Rock, we can sing: “In peace I will both lie
down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Ps 4:8). Christ, in a word, “is our
peace” (Eph 2:14); he came
“to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Lk 1:79). As he told Saint Faustina
Kowalska, “Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to my mercy”.[98] So let us not fall into the temptation of looking for security in
success, vain pleasures, possessions, power over others or social status. Jesus
says: “My peace I give to you; I do not give it to you as the world gives
peace” (Jn 14:27).
122. Far from being timid, morose,
acerbic or melancholy, or putting on a dreary face, the saints are joyful and
full of good humour. Though completely realistic, they radiate a positive and
hopeful spirit. The Christian life is “joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom14:17),
for “the necessary result of the love of charity is joy; since every lover
rejoices at being united to the beloved… the effect of charity is joy”.[99] Having received the beautiful gift of God’s word, we embrace it “in much
affliction, with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit” (1 Thess 1:6). If we allow the Lord to draw us
out of our shell and change our lives, then we can do as Saint Paul tells us:
“Rejoice in the Lord always; I say it again, rejoice!” (Phil 4:4).
123. The prophets proclaimed the
times of Jesus, in which we now live, as a revelation of joy. “Shout and sing
for joy!” (Is 12:6). “Get
you up to a high mountain, O herald of good tidings to Zion; lift up your voice
with strength, O herald of good tidings to Jerusalem!” (Is 40:9). “Break forth, O mountains, into
singing! For the Lord has comforted his people, and he will have compassion on
his afflicted” (Is 49:13).
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he” (Zech 9:9). Nor should we forget Nehemiah’s
exhortation: “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”
(8:10).
124. Mary, recognizing the newness
that Jesus brought, sang: “My spirit rejoices” (Lk 1:47), and Jesus himself “rejoiced in
the Holy Spirit” (Lk 10:21).
As he passed by, “all the people rejoiced” (Lk 13:17). After his resurrection,
wherever the disciples went, there was “much joy” (Acts 8:8). Jesus assures us: “You will be
sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy... I will see you again and your
hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (Jn 16:20.22). “These things I have spoken
to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (Jn 15:11).
125. Hard times may come, when the
cross casts its shadow, yet nothing can destroy the supernatural joy that
“adapts and changes, but always endures, even as a flicker of light born of our
personal certainty that, when everything is said and done, we are infinitely
loved”.[100] That joy brings deep security, serene hope and a spiritual fulfilment
that the world cannot understand or appreciate.
126. Christian joy is usually
accompanied by a sense of humour. We see this clearly, for example, in Saint
Thomas More, Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Philip Neri. Ill humour is no sign
of holiness. “Remove vexation from your mind” (Eccl 11:10). We receive so much from
the Lord “for our enjoyment” (1 Tim 6:17),
that sadness can be a sign of ingratitude. We can get so caught up in ourselves
that we are unable to recognize God’s gifts.[101]
127. With the love of a father, God
tells us: “My son, treat yourself well... Do not deprive yourself of a happy
day” (Sir 14:11.14). He
wants us to be positive, grateful and uncomplicated: “In the day of prosperity,
be joyful... God created human beings straightforward, but they have devised
many schemes” (Eccl 7:14.29).
Whatever the case, we should remain resilient and imitate Saint Paul: “I have
learned to be content with what I have” (Phil 4:11). Saint Francis of Assisi lived
by this; he could be overwhelmed with gratitude before a piece of hard bread,
or joyfully praise God simply for the breeze that caressed his face.
128. This is not the joy held out
by today’s individualistic and consumerist culture. Consumerism only bloats the
heart. It can offer occasional and passing pleasures, but not joy. Here I am
speaking of a joy lived in communion, which shares and is shared, since “there
is more happiness in giving than in receiving” (Acts 20:35) and “God loves a cheerful
giver” (2 Cor 9:7).
Fraternal love increases our capacity for joy, since it makes us capable of
rejoicing in the good of others: “Rejoice with those who rejoice” (Rom12:15).
“We rejoice when we are weak and you are strong” (2 Cor 13:9). On the other hand, when we
“focus primarily on our own needs, we condemn ourselves to a joyless
existence”.[102]
129. Holiness is also parrhesía: it is boldness, an
impulse to evangelize and to leave a mark in this world. To allow us to do
this, Jesus himself comes and tells us once more, serenely yet firmly: “Do not
be afraid” (Mk 6:50). “I
am with you always, to the end of the world” (Mt 28:20). These words enable us to go
forth and serve with the same courage that the Holy Spirit stirred up in the
Apostles, impelling them to proclaim Jesus Christ. Boldness, enthusiasm, the
freedom to speak out, apostolic fervour, all these are included in the word parrhesía. The Bible also uses
this word to describe the freedom of a life open to God and to others (cf. Acts4:29, 9:28, 28:31; 2 Cor 3:12; Eph 3:12; Heb 3:6, 10:19).
130. Blessed Paul VI, in referring to obstacles to
evangelization, spoke of a lack of fervour (parrhesía) that is “all the
more serious because it comes from within”.[103] How often we are tempted to keep close to the shore! Yet the Lord calls
us to put out into the deep and let down our nets (cf. Lk 5:4). He bids us spend our lives in
his service. Clinging to him, we are inspired to put all our charisms at the
service of others. May we always feel compelled by his love (2 Cor 5:14) and say with Saint Paul: “Woe to
me if I do not preach the Gospel” (1 Cor 9:16).
131. Look at Jesus. His deep
compassion reached out to others. It did not make him hesitant, timid or
self-conscious, as often happens with us. Quite the opposite. His compassion
made him go out actively to preach and to send others on a mission of healing
and liberation. Let us acknowledge our weakness, but allow Jesus to lay hold of
it and send us too on mission. We are weak, yet we hold a treasure that can
enlarge us and make those who receive it better and happier. Boldness and
apostolic courage are an essential part of mission.
132. Parrhesía is a seal of the Spirit; it testifies
to the authenticity of our preaching. It is a joyful assurance that leads us to
glory in the Gospel we proclaim. It is an unshakeable trust in the faithful
Witness who gives us the certainty that nothing can “separate us from the love
of God” (Rom 8:39).
133. We need the Spirit’s
prompting, lest we be paralyzed by fear and excessive caution, lest we grow
used to keeping within safe bounds. Let us remember that closed spaces grow
musty and unhealthy. When the Apostles were tempted to let themselves be
crippled by danger and threats, they joined in prayer to implore parrhesía: “And now, Lord, look
upon their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all
boldness” (Acts 4:29). As
a result, “when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together
was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of
God with boldness” (Acts 4:31).
134. Like the prophet Jonah, we are
constantly tempted to flee to a safe haven. It can have many names:
individualism, spiritualism, living in a little world, addiction,
intransigence, the rejection of new ideas and approaches, dogmatism, nostalgia,
pessimism, hiding behind rules and regulations. We can resist leaving behind a
familiar and easy way of doing things. Yet the challenges involved can be like
the storm, the whale, the worm that dried the gourd plant, or the wind and sun
that burned Jonah’s head. For us, as for him, they can serve to bring us back
to the God of tenderness, who invites us to set out ever anew on our journey.
135. God is eternal newness. He impels
us constantly to set out anew, to pass beyond what is familiar, to the fringes
and beyond. He takes us to where humanity is most wounded, where men and women,
beneath the appearance of a shallow conformity, continue to seek an answer to
the question of life’s meaning. God is not afraid! He is fearless! He is always
greater than our plans and schemes. Unafraid of the fringes, he himself became
a fringe (cf. Phil 2:6-8; Jn 1:14). So if we dare to go to the
fringes, we will find him there; indeed, he is already there. Jesus is already
there, in the hearts of our brothers and sisters, in their wounded flesh, in
their troubles and in their profound desolation. He is already there.
136. True enough, we need to open
the door of our hearts to Jesus, who stands and knocks (cf. Rev 3:20). Sometimes I wonder, though, if
perhaps Jesus is already inside us and knocking on the door for us to let him
escape from our stale self-centredness. In the Gospel, we see how Jesus “went
through the cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good news of the
kingdom of God” (Lk 8:1).
After the resurrection, when the disciples went forth in all directions, the
Lord accompanied them (cf. Mk 16:20). This is what happens as the
result of true encounter.
137. Complacency is seductive; it
tells us that there is no point in trying to change things, that there is
nothing we can do, because this is the way things have always been and yet we
always manage to survive. By force of habit we no longer stand up to evil. We
“let things be”, or as others have decided they ought to be. Yet let us allow
the Lord to rouse us from our torpor, to free us from our inertia. Let us
rethink our usual way of doing things; let us open our eyes and ears, and above
all our hearts, so as not to be complacent about things as they are, but
unsettled by the living and effective word of the risen Lord.
138. We are inspired to act by the
example of all those priests, religious, and laity who devote themselves to
proclamation and to serving others with great fidelity, often at the risk of
their lives and certainly at the cost of their comfort. Their testimony reminds
us that, more than bureaucrats and functionaries, the Church needs passionate
missionaries, enthusiastic about sharing true life. The saints surprise us,
they confound us, because by their lives they urge us to abandon a dull and
dreary mediocrity.
139. Let us ask the Lord for the
grace not to hesitate when the Spirit calls us to take a step forward. Let us
ask for the apostolic courage to share the Gospel with others and to stop
trying to make our Christian life a museum of memories. In every situation, may
the Holy Spirit cause us to contemplate history in the light of the risen
Jesus. In this way, the Church will not stand still, but constantly welcome the
Lord’s surprises.
140. When we live apart from
others, it is very difficult to fight against concupiscence, the snares and
temptations of the devil and the selfishness of the world. Bombarded as we are
by so many enticements, we can grow too isolated, lose our sense of reality and
inner clarity, and easily succumb.
141. Growth in holiness is a
journey in community, side by side with others. We see this in some holy
communities. From time to time, the Church has canonized entire communities
that lived the Gospel heroically or offered to God the lives of all their
members. We can think, for example, of the seven holy founders of the Order of
the Servants of Mary, the seven blessed sisters of the first monastery of the
Visitation in Madrid, the Japanese martyrs Saint Paul Miki and companions, the
Korean martyrs Saint Andrew Taegon and companions, or the South American
martyrs Saint Roque González, Saint Alonso Rodríguez and companions. We should
also remember the more recent witness borne by the Trappists of Tibhirine,
Algeria, who prepared as a community for martyrdom. In many holy marriages too,
each spouse becomes a means used by Christ for the sanctification of the other.
Living or working alongside others is surely a path of spiritual growth. Saint
John of the Cross told one of his followers: “You are living with others in
order to be fashioned and tried”.[104]
142. Each community is called to
create a “God-enlightened space in which to experience the hidden presence of
the risen Lord”.[105] Sharing the word and celebrating the Eucharist together fosters
fraternity and makes us a holy and missionary community. It also gives rise to
authentic and shared mystical experiences. Such was the case with Saints
Benedict and Scholastica. We can also think of the sublime spiritual experience
shared by Saint Augustine and his mother, Saint Monica. “As the day now
approached on which she was to depart this life, a day known to you but not to
us, it came about, as I believe by your secret arrangement, that she and I
stood alone leaning in a window that looked onto a garden… We opened wide our
hearts to drink in the streams of your fountain, the source of life that is in
you... And as we spoke of that wisdom and strained after it, we touched it in
some measure by the impetus of our hearts... eternal life might be like that
one moment of knowledge which we now sighed after”.[106]
143. Such experiences, however, are
neither the most frequent nor the most important. The common life, whether in
the family, the parish, the religious community or any other, is made up of
small everyday things. This was true of the holy community formed by Jesus,
Mary and Joseph, which reflected in an exemplary way the beauty of the
Trinitarian communion. It was also true of the life that Jesus shared with his
disciples and with ordinary people.
144. Let us not forget that Jesus
asked his disciples to pay attention to details.
The little detail that wine was running out at a party.
The little detail that one sheep was missing.
The little detail of noticing the widow who offered her two small coins.
The little detail of having spare oil for the lamps, should the bridegroom
delay.
The little detail of asking the disciples how many loaves of bread they had.
The little detail of having a fire burning and a fish cooking as he waited for
the disciples at daybreak.
145. A community that cherishes the
little details of love,[107] whose members care for one another and create an open and evangelizing
environment, is a place where the risen Lord is present, sanctifying it in
accordance with the Father’s plan. There are times when, by a gift of the
Lord’s love, we are granted, amid these little details, consoling experiences
of God. “One winter night I was carrying out my little duty as usual… Suddenly,
I heard off in the distance the harmonious sound of a musical instrument. I
then pictured a well-lighted drawing room, brilliantly gilded, filled with
elegantly dressed young ladies conversing together and conferring upon each
other all sorts of compliments and other worldly remarks. Then my glance fell
upon the poor invalid whom I was supporting. Instead of the beautiful strains
of music I heard only her occasional complaints… I cannot express in words what
happened in my soul; what I know is that the Lord illumined it with rays of
truth which so surpassed the dark brilliance of earthly feasts that I could not
believe my happiness”.[108]
146. Contrary to the growing
consumerist individualism that tends to isolate us in a quest for well-being
apart from others, our path to holiness can only make us identify all the more
with Jesus’ prayer “that all may be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I
in you” (Jn 17:21).
147. Finally, though it may seem
obvious, we should remember that holiness consists in a habitual openness to
the transcendent, expressed in prayer and adoration. The saints are
distinguished by a spirit of prayer and a need for communion with God. They
find an exclusive concern with this world to be narrow and stifling, and, amid
their own concerns and commitments, they long for God, losing themselves in
praise and contemplation of the Lord. I do not believe in holiness without
prayer, even though that prayer need not be lengthy or involve intense
emotions.
148. SaintJohn of the Cross tells
us: “Endeavour to remain always in the presence of God, either real,
imaginative, or unitive, insofar as is permitted by your works”.[109] In the end, our desire for God will surely find expression in our daily
lives: “Try to be continuous in prayer, and in the midst of bodily exercises do
not leave it. Whether you eat, drink, talk with others, or do anything, always
go to God and attach your heart to him”.[110]
149. For this to happen, however,
some moments spent alone with God are also necessary. For Saint Teresa of
Avila, prayer “is nothing but friendly intercourse, and frequent solitary
converse, with him who we know loves us”.[111] I would insist that this is true not only for a privileged few, but for
all of us, for “we all have need of this silence, filled with the presence of
him who is adored”.[112] Trust-filled prayer is a response of a heart open to encountering God
face to face, where all is peaceful and the quiet voice of the Lord can be
heard in the midst of silence.
150. In that silence, we can
discern, in the light of the Spirit, the paths of holiness to which the Lord is
calling us. Otherwise, any decisions we make may only be window-dressing that,
rather than exalting the Gospel in our lives, will mask or submerge it. For
each disciple, it is essential to spend time with the Master, to listen to his
words, and to learn from him always. Unless we listen, all our words will be
nothing but useless chatter.
151. We need to remember that
“contemplation of the face of Jesus, died and risen, restores our humanity,
even when it has been broken by the troubles of this life or marred by sin. We
must not domesticate the power of the face of Christ”.[113] So let me ask you: Are there moments when you place yourself quietly in
the Lord’s presence, when you calmly spend time with him, when you bask in his
gaze? Do you let his fire inflame your heart? Unless you let him warm you more
and more with his love and tenderness, you will not catch fire. How will you
then be able to set the hearts of others on fire by your words and witness? If,
gazing on the face of Christ, you feel unable to let yourself be healed and
transformed, then enter into the Lord’s heart, into his wounds, for that is the
abode of divine mercy.[114]
152. I ask that we never regard
prayerful silence as a form of escape and rejection of the world around us. The
Russian pilgrim, who prayed constantly, says that such prayer did not separate
him from what was happening all around him. “Everybody was kind to me; it was
as though everyone loved me... Not only did I feel [happiness and consolation]
in my own soul, but the whole outside world also seemed to me full of charm and
delight”.[115]
153. Nor does history vanish.
Prayer, because it is nourished by the gift of God present and at work in our
lives, must always be marked by remembrance. The memory of God’s works is
central to the experience of the covenant between God and his people. God
wished to enter history, and so our prayer is interwoven with memories. We
think back not only on his revealed Word, but also on our own lives, the lives of
others, and all that the Lord has done in his Church. This is the grateful
memory that Saint Ignatius of Loyola refers to in his Contemplation for Attaining Love,[116] when he asks us to be mindful of all the blessings we have received from
the Lord. Think of your own history when you pray, and there you will find much
mercy. This will also increase your awareness that the Lord is ever mindful of
you; he never forgets you. So it makes sense to ask him to shed light on the
smallest details of your life, for he sees them all.
154. Prayer of supplication is an
expression of a heart that trusts in God and realizes that of itself it can do
nothing. The life of God’s faithful people is marked by constant supplication
born of faith-filled love and great confidence. Let us not downplay prayer of
petition, which so often calms our hearts and helps us persevere in hope.
Prayer of intercession has particular value, for it is an act of trust in God
and, at the same time, an expression of love for our neighbour. There are those
who think, based on a one-sided spirituality, that prayer should be unalloyed
contemplation of God, free of all distraction, as if the names and faces of
others were somehow an intrusion to be avoided. Yet in reality, our prayer will
be all the more pleasing to God and more effective for our growth in holiness
if, through intercession, we attempt to practise the twofold commandment that
Jesus left us. Intercessory prayer is an expression of our fraternal concern
for others, since we are able to embrace their lives, their deepest troubles
and their loftiest dreams. Of those who commit themselves generously to
intercessory prayer we can apply the words of Scripture: “This is a man who
loves the brethren and prays much for the people” (2 Mac 15:14).
155. If we realize that God exists,
we cannot help but worship him, at times in quiet wonder, and praise him in
festive song. We thus share in the experience of Blessed Charles de Foucauld,
who said: “As soon as I believed that there was a God, I understood that I
could do nothing other than to live for him”.[117] In the life of God’s pilgrim people, there can be many simple gestures
of pure adoration, as when “the gaze of a pilgrim rests on an image that
symbolizes God’s affection and closeness. Love pauses, contemplates the
mystery, and enjoys it in silence”.[118]
156. The prayerful reading of God’s
word, which is “sweeter than honey” (Ps 119:103) yet a “two-edged sword” (Heb 4:12), enables us to pause and listen
to the voice of the Master. It becomes a lamp for our steps and a light for our
path (cf. Ps119:105). As
the bishops of India have reminded us, “devotion to the word of God is not
simply one of many devotions, beautiful but somewhat optional. It goes to the
very heart and identity of Christian life. The word has the power to transform
lives”.[119]
157. Meeting Jesus in the Scriptures
leads us to the Eucharist, where the written word attains its greatest
efficacy, for there the living Word is truly present. In the Eucharist, the one
true God receives the greatest worship the world can give him, for it is Christ
himself who is offered. When we receive him in Holy Communion, we renew our
covenant with him and allow him to carry out ever more fully his work of
transforming our lives.
158. The Christian life is a
constant battle. We need strength and courage to withstand the temptations of
the devil and to proclaim the Gospel. This battle is sweet, for it allows us to
rejoice each time the Lord triumphs in our lives.
159. We are not dealing merely with
a battle against the world and a worldly mentality that would deceive us and
leave us dull and mediocre, lacking in enthusiasm and joy. Nor can this battle
be reduced to the struggle against our human weaknesses and proclivities (be
they laziness, lust, envy, jealousy or any others). It is also a constant
struggle against the devil, the prince of evil. Jesus himself celebrates our
victories. He rejoiced when his disciples made progress in preaching the Gospel
and overcoming the opposition of the evil one: “I saw Satan fall like lightning
from heaven” (Lk 10:18).
160. We will not admit the
existence of the devil if we insist on regarding life by empirical standards
alone, without a supernatural understanding. It is precisely the conviction
that this malign power is present in our midst that enables us to understand
how evil can at times have so much destructive force. True enough, the biblical
authors had limited conceptual resources for expressing certain realities, and
in Jesus’ time epilepsy, for example, could easily be confused with demonic
possession. Yet this should not lead us to an oversimplification that would
conclude that all the cases related in the Gospel had to do with psychological
disorders and hence that the devil does not exist or is not at work. He is
present in the very first pages of the Scriptures, which end with God’s victory
over the devil.[120] Indeed, in leaving us the Our Father, Jesus wanted us to conclude by
asking the Father to “deliver us from evil”. That final word does not refer to
evil in the abstract; a more exact translation would be “the evil one”. It
indicates a personal being who assails us. Jesus taught us to ask daily for
deliverance from him, lest his power prevail over us.
161. Hence, we should not think of
the devil as a myth, a representation, a symbol, a figure of speech or an idea.[121] This mistake would lead us to let down our guard, to grow careless and
end up more vulnerable. The devil does not need to possess us. He poisons us
with the venom of hatred, desolation, envy and vice. When we let down our
guard, he takes advantage of it to destroy our lives, our families and our communities.
“Like a roaring lion, he prowls around, looking for someone to devour” (1
Pet5:8).
162. God’s word invites us clearly
to “stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph 6:11) and to “quench all the flaming
darts of the evil one” (Eph 6:16).
These expressions are not melodramatic, precisely because our path towards
holiness is a constant battle. Those who do not realize this will be prey to
failure or mediocrity. For this spiritual combat, we can count on the powerful
weapons that the Lord has given us: faith-filled prayer, meditation on the word
of God, the celebration of Mass, Eucharistic adoration, sacramental
Reconciliation, works of charity, community life, missionary outreach. If we
become careless, the false promises of evil will easily seduce us. As the
sainted Cura Brochero observed: “What good is it when Lucifer promises you
freedom and showers you with all his benefits, if those benefits are false,
deceptive and poisonous?”[122]
163. Along this journey, the
cultivation of all that is good, progress in the spiritual life and growth in
love are the best counterbalance to evil. Those who choose to remain neutral,
who are satisfied with little, who renounce the ideal of giving themselves
generously to the Lord, will never hold out. Even less if they fall into
defeatism, for “if we start without confidence, we have already lost half the
battle and we bury our talents… Christian triumph is always a cross, yet a
cross which is at the same time a victorious banner, borne with aggressive
tenderness against the assaults of evil”.[123]
164. The path of holiness is a
source of peace and joy, given to us by the Spirit. At the same time, it
demands that we keep “our lamps lit” (Lk 12:35) and be attentive. “Abstain from
every form of evil” (1 Thess 5:22).
“Keep awake” (Mt 24:42; Mk 13:35). “Let us not fall asleep” (1
Thess 5:6). Those who think
they commit no grievous sins against God’s law can fall into a state of dull
lethargy. Since they see nothing serious to reproach themselves with, they fail
to realize that their spiritual life has gradually turned lukewarm. They end up
weakened and corrupted.
165. Spiritual corruption is worse
than the fall of a sinner, for it is a comfortable and self-satisfied form of
blindness. Everything then appears acceptable: deception, slander, egotism and
other subtle forms of self-centredness, for “even Satan disguises himself as an
angel of light” (2 Cor 11:14).
So Solomon ended his days, whereas David, who sinned greatly, was able to make
up for disgrace. Jesus warned us against this self-deception that easily leads
to corruption. He spoke of a person freed from the devil who, convinced that
his life was now in order, ended up being possessed by seven other evil spirits
(cf. Lk 11:24-26). Another biblical text puts
it bluntly: “The dog turns back to his own vomit” (2 Pet 2:22; cf. Pr 26:11).
166. How can we know if something
comes from the Holy Spirit or if it stems from the spirit of the world or the
spirit of the devil? The only way is through discernment, which calls for
something more than intelligence or common sense. It is a gift which we must
implore. If we ask with confidence that the Holy Spirit grant us this gift, and
then seek to develop it through prayer, reflection, reading and good counsel,
then surely we will grow in this spiritual endowment.
167. The gift of discernment has
become all the more necessary today, since contemporary life offers immense
possibilities for action and distraction, and the world presents all of them as
valid and good. All of us, but especially the young, are immersed in a culture
of zapping. We can navigate simultaneously on two or more screens and interact
at the same time with two or three virtual scenarios. Without the wisdom of
discernment, we can easily become prey to every passing trend.
168. This is all the more important
when some novelty presents itself in our lives. Then we have to decide whether
it is new wine brought by God or an illusion created by the spirit of this
world or the spirit of the devil. At other times, the opposite can happen, when
the forces of evil induce us not to change, to leave things as they are, to opt
for a rigid resistance to change. Yet that would be to block the working of the
Spirit. We are free, with the freedom of Christ. Still, he asks us to examine
what is within us – our desires, anxieties, fears and questions – and what
takes place all around us – “the signs of the times” – and thus to recognize
the paths that lead to complete freedom. “Test everything; hold fast to what is
good” (1 Thess 5:21).
169. Discernment is necessary not
only at extraordinary times, when we need to resolve grave problems and make
crucial decisions. It is a means of spiritual combat for helping us to follow
the Lord more faithfully. We need it at all times, to help us recognize God’s
timetable, lest we fail to heed the promptings of his grace and disregard his
invitation to grow. Often discernment is exercised in small and apparently
irrelevant things, since greatness of spirit is manifested in simple everyday
realities.[124] It involves striving untrammelled for all that is great, better and more
beautiful, while at the same time being concerned for the little things, for
each day’s responsibilities and commitments. For this reason, I ask all
Christians not to omit, in dialogue with the Lord, a sincere daily “examination
of conscience”. Discernment also enables us to recognize the concrete means
that the Lord provides in his mysterious and loving plan, to make us move
beyond mere good intentions.
170. Certainly, spiritual
discernment does not exclude existential, psychological, sociological or moral
insights drawn from the human sciences. At the same time, it transcends them.
Nor are the Church’s sound norms sufficient. We should always remember that
discernment is a grace. Even though it includes reason and prudence, it goes
beyond them, for it seeks a glimpse of that unique and mysterious plan that God
has for each of us, which takes shape amid so many varied situations and
limitations. It involves more than my temporal well-being, my satisfaction at
having accomplished something useful, or even my desire for peace of mind. It
has to do with the meaning of my life before the Father who knows and loves me,
with the real purpose of my life, which nobody knows better than he.
Ultimately, discernment leads to the wellspring of undying life: to know the
Father, the only true God, and the one whom he has sent, Jesus Christ (cf. Jn 17:3). It requires no special
abilities, nor is it only for the more intelligent or better educated. The
Father readily reveals himself to the lowly (cf. Mt 11:25).
171. The Lord speaks to us in a
variety of ways, at work, through others and at every moment. Yet we simply
cannot do without the silence of prolonged prayer, which enables us better to
perceive God’s language, to interpret the real meaning of the inspirations we
believe we have received, to calm our anxieties and to see the whole of our
existence afresh in his own light. In this way, we allow the birth of a new
synthesis that springs from a life inspired by the Spirit.
172. Nonetheless, it is possible
that, even in prayer itself, we could refuse to let ourselves be confronted by
the freedom of the Spirit, who acts as he wills. We must remember that
prayerful discernment must be born of a readiness to listen: to the Lord and to
others, and to reality itself, which always challenges us in new ways. Only if
we are prepared to listen, do we have the freedom to set aside our own partial
or insufficient ideas, our usual habits and ways of seeing things. In this way,
we become truly open to accepting a call that can shatter our security, but
lead us to a better life. It is not enough that everything be calm and
peaceful. God may be offering us something more, but in our comfortable
inadvertence, we do not recognize it.
173. Naturally, this attitude of
listening entails obedience to the Gospel as the ultimate standard, but also to
the Magisterium that guards it, as we seek to find in the treasury of the
Church whatever is most fruitful for the “today” of salvation. It is not a
matter of applying rules or repeating what was done in the past, since the same
solutions are not valid in all circumstances and what was useful in one context
may not prove so in another. The discernment of spirits liberates us from
rigidity, which has no place before the perennial “today” of the risen Lord.
The Spirit alone can penetrate what is obscure and hidden in every situation,
and grasp its every nuance, so that the newness of the Gospel can emerge in
another light.
174. An essential condition for
progress in discernment is a growing understanding of God’s patience and his
timetable, which are never our own. God does not pour down fire upon those who
are unfaithful (cf. Lk 9:54), or allow the zealous to uproot
the tares growing among the wheat (cf. Mt 13:29). Generosity too is demanded,
for “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts20:35).
Discernment is not about discovering what more we can get out of this life, but
about recognizing how we can better accomplish the mission entrusted to us at
our baptism. This entails a readiness to make sacrifices, even to sacrificing
everything. For happiness is a paradox. We experience it most when we accept
the mysterious logic that is not of this world: “This is our logic”, says Saint
Bonaventure,[125] pointing to the cross. Once we enter into this dynamic, we will not let
our consciences be numbed and we will open ourselves generously to discernment.
175. When, in God’s presence, we
examine our life’s journey, no areas can be off limits. In all aspects of life we
can continue to grow and offer something greater to God, even in those areas we
find most difficult. We need, though, to ask the Holy Spirit to liberate us and
to expel the fear that makes us ban him from certain parts of our lives. God
asks everything of us, yet he also gives everything to us. He does not want to
enter our lives to cripple or diminish them, but to bring them to fulfilment.
Discernment, then, is not a solipsistic self-analysis or a form of egotistical
introspection, but an authentic process of leaving ourselves behind in order to
approach the mystery of God, who helps us to carry out the mission to which he
has called us, for the good of our brothers and sisters.
* * *
176. I would like these reflections
to be crowned by Mary, because she lived the Beatitudes of Jesus as none other.
She is that woman who rejoiced in the presence of God, who treasured everything
in her heart, and who let herself be pierced by the sword. Mary is the saint
among the saints, blessed above all others. She teaches us the way of holiness
and she walks ever at our side. She does not let us remain fallen and at times
she takes us into her arms without judging us. Our converse with her consoles,
frees and sanctifies us. Mary our Mother does not need a flood of words. She
does not need us to tell her what is happening in our lives. All we need do is
whisper, time and time again: “Hail Mary…”
177. It is my hope that these pages
will prove helpful by enabling the whole Church to devote herself anew to
promoting the desire for holiness. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to pour out upon
us a fervent longing to be saints for God’s greater glory, and let us encourage
one another in this effort. In this way, we will share a happiness that the
world will not be able to take from us.
Given in Rome, at Saint Peter’s, on
19 March, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, in the year 2018, the sixth of my
Pontificate.
Francis
[1] BENEDICT XVI, Homily for the Solemn
Inauguration of the Petrine Ministry (24 April 2005): AAS 97 (2005), 708.
[2] This always presumes a
reputation of holiness and the exercise, at least to an ordinary degree, of the
Christian virtues: cf. Motu Proprio Maiorem Hac Dilectionem (11 July 2017), Art. 2c: L’Osservatore
Romano, 12 July 2017, p. 8.
[7] JOHN PAUL II, Encyclical
Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte (6 January 2001), 56: AAS 93 (2001), 307.
[9] Homily for the Ecumenical
Commemoration of Witnesses to the Faith in the Twentieth Century (7 May 2000), 5: AAS 92 (2000), 680-681.
[29] We need to distinguish
between this kind of superficial entertainment and a healthy culture of
leisure, which opens us to others and to reality itself in a spirit of openness
and contemplation.
[31] REGIONAL EPISCOPAL
CONFERENCE OF WEST AFRICA, Pastoral
Message at the End of the Second Plenary Assembly, 29 February 2016, 2.
[33] Cf. CONGREGATION FOR THE
DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Letter Placuit Deo on Certain Aspects of Christian Salvation (22 February 2018), 4, in L’Osservatore
Romano, 2 March 2018, pp. 4-5: “Both neo-Pelagian individualism and the
neo-Gnostic disregard of the body deface the confession of faith in Christ, the
one, universal Saviour”. This document provides the doctrinal bases for
understanding Christian salvation in reference to contemporary neo-gnostic and
neo-pelagian tendencies.
[36] Homily at Mass in Casa Santa
Marta, 11 November 2016: L’Osservatore
Romano, 12 November 2016, p. 8.
[37] As Saint Bonaventure
teaches, “we must suspend all the operations of the mind and we must transform
the peak of our affections, directing them to God alone… Since nature can
achieve nothing and personal effort very little, it is necessary to give little
importance to investigation and much to unction, little to speech and much to
interior joy, little to words or writing but all to the gift of God, namely the
Holy Spirit, little or no importance should be given to the creature, but all
to the Creator, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”: BONAVENTURE, Itinerarium Mentis in Deum,
VII, 4-5.
[38] Cf. Letter to the Grand
Chancellor of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina for the Centenary
of the Founding of the Faculty of Theology (3 March 2015): L’Osservatore
Romano, 9-10 March 2015, p. 6.
[40] Video Message to
Participants in an International Theological Congress held at the Pontifical
Catholic University of Argentina(1-3 September 2015): AAS 107 (2015), 980.
[42] Letter to the Grand
Chancellor of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina for the Centenary
of the Founding of the Faculty of Theology (3 March 2015): L’Osservatore
Romano, 9-10 March 2015, p. 6.
[47] Cf. Bonaventure, De
sex alis Seraphim, 3, 8: “Non omnes omnia possunt”. The phrase is to be
understood along the lines of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1735.
[48] Cf. THOMAS AQUINAS, Summa Theologiae II-II, q. 109, a. 9, ad 1: “But
here grace is to some extent imperfect, inasmuch as it does not completely heal
man, as we have said”.
[52] In the understanding of
Christian faith, grace precedes, accompanies and follows all our actions (cf.
ECUMENICAL COUNCIL OF TRENT, Session VI, Decree
on Justification, ch. 5: DH 1525).
[61] Lucio Gera, Sobre el misterio del pobre, in
P. GRELOT-L. GERA-A. DUMAS, El
Pobre, Buenos Aires, 1962, 103.
[62] This is, in a word, the
Catholic doctrine on “merit” subsequent to justification: it has to do with the
cooperation of the justified for growth in the life of grace (cf. Catechism of
the Catholic Church, 2010). Yet this cooperation in no way makes justification
itself or friendship with God the object of human merit.
[65] FRANCIS, Homily at Mass for the
Jubilee of Socially Excluded People (13 November 2016): L’Osservatore
Romano, 14-15 November 2016, p. 8.
[67] The order of the second
and third Beatitudes varies in accordance with the different textual
traditions.
[70] From the patristic era,
the Church has valued the gift of tears, as seen in the fine prayer “Ad petendam compunctionem cordis”.
It reads: “Almighty and most merciful God, who brought forth from the rock a
spring of living water for your thirsting people: bring forth tears of
compunction from our hardness of heart, that we may grieve for our sins, and,
by your mercy, obtain their forgiveness” (cf. Missale
Romanum, ed. typ. 1962, p. [110]).
[73] Detraction and calumny
are acts of terrorism: a bomb is thrown, it explodes and the attacker walks
away calm and contented. This is completely different from the nobility of
those who speak to others face to face, serenely and frankly, out of genuine
concern for their good.
[74] At times, it may be
necessary to speak of the difficulties of a particular brother or sister. In
such cases, it can happen that an interpretation is passed on in place of an
objective fact. Emotions can misconstrue and alter the facts of a matter, and
end up passing them on laced with subjective elements. In this way, neither the
facts themselves nor the truth of the other person are respected.
[82] We can recall the Good
Samaritan’s reaction upon meeting the man attacked by robbers and left for dead
(cf. Lk 10:30-37).
[83] SOCIAL AFFAIRS
COMMISSION OF THE CANADIAN CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS, Open Letter to the
Members of Parliament, The
Common Good or Exclusion: A Choice for Canadians (1 February 2001), 9.
[84] The Fifth General
Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops, echoing the Church’s
constant teaching, stated that human beings “are always sacred, from their
conception, at all stages of existence, until their natural death, and after
death”, and that life must be safeguarded “starting at conception, in all its stages, until
natural death” (Aparecida Document,
29 June 2007, 388; 464).
[95] There are some forms of
bullying that, while seeming delicate or respectful and even quite spiritual,
cause great damage to others’ self-esteem.
[101] I recommend praying the
prayer attributed to Saint Thomas More: “Grant me, O Lord, good digestion, and
also something to digest. Grant me a healthy body, and the necessary good
humour to maintain it. Grant me a simple soul that knows to treasure all that
is good and that doesn’t frighten easily at the sight of evil, but rather finds
the means to put things back in their place. Give me a soul that knows not
boredom, grumbling, sighs and laments, nor excess of stress, because of that
obstructing thing called ‘I’. Grant me, O Lord, a sense of good humour. Allow
me the grace to be able to take a joke and to discover in life a bit of joy,
and to be able to share it with others”.
[103] Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi (8 December 1975), 80: AAS 68 (1976), 73. It is worth noting that in
this text Blessed Paul VI closely links joy and parrhesía. While lamenting a
“lack of joy and hope” as an obstacle to evangelization, he extols the
“delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing”, linked to “an interior
enthusiasm that nobody and nothing can quench”. This ensures that the world
does not receive the Gospel “from evangelizers who are dejected [and]
discouraged”. During the 1975 Holy Year, Pope Paul devoted to joy his Apostolic
Exhortation Gaudete in Domino (9 May 1975): AAS 67 (1975), 289-322.
[107] I think especially of
the three key words “please”, “thank you” and “sorry”. “The right words, spoken
at the right time, daily protect and nurture love”: Post-Synodal Apostolic
Exhortation Amoris Laetitia (19 March 2016), 133: AAS 108 (2016), 363.
[113] Meeting with the
Participants in the Fifth Convention of the Italian Church, Florence, (10 November 2015): AAS
107 (2015), 1284.
[118] FIFTH GENERAL CONFERENCE
OF THE LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN BISHOPS, Aparecida
Document (29 June 2007), 259.
[119] CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC
BISHOPS OF INDIA, Final
Declaration of the Twenty-First Plenary Assembly, 18 February 2009, 3.2.
[120] Cf. Homily at Mass in Casa Santa
Marta, 11 October 2013: L’Osservatore
Romano, 12 October 2013, p. 2.
[121] Cf. PAUL VI, Catechesis, General Audience of
15 November 1972: Insegnamenti X (1972), pp. 1168-1170: “One of
our greatest needs is defence against that evil which we call the devil… Evil
is not simply a deficiency, it is an efficiency, a living spiritual being,
perverted and perverting. A terrible reality, mysterious and frightful. They no
longer remain within the framework of biblical and ecclesiastical teaching who
refuse to recognize its existence, or who make of it an independent principle
that does not have, like every creature, its origin in God, or explain it as a
pseudo-reality, a conceptual and imaginative personification of the hidden
causes of our misfortunes”.
[122] JOSÉ GABRIEL DEL ROSARIO
BROCHERO, “Plática de las banderas”, in CONFERENCIA EPISCOPAL ARGENTINA, El Cura Brochero. Cartas y sermones,
Buenos Aires, 1999, 71.
[124] The tomb of Saint
Ignatius of Loyola bears this thought-provoking inscription: Non coerceri a maximo, conteneri
tamen a minimo divinum est (“Not
to be confined by the greatest, yet to be contained within the smallest, is
truly divine”).
© Copyright - Libreria Editrice
Vaticana
