Vatican City, 18 October 2015 (VIS) –
This Sunday in St. Peter's Square the Pope celebrated Holy Mass for
the canonisation of Blesseds Vincenzo Grossi (1845-1917), diocesan
priest and founder of the Institute of the Daughters of the Oratory;
Maria Isabel Salvat Romero (Mary of the Immaculate Conception),
(1926-1998), superior general of the Congregation of the Sisters of
the Company of the Cross; and the spouses Louis Martin (1823-1894)
and Zelie Guerin (1831-1877).
In his homily, Pope Francis emphasised
that “service is the way for authority to be exercised in the
Christian community. Those who serve others and lack real prestige
exercise genuine authority in the Church. Jesus calls us to see
things differently, to pass from the thirst for power to the joy of
quiet service, to suppress our instinctive desire to exercise power
over others, and instead to exercise the virtue of humility. … By
imitating the Master, the community gains a new outlook on life: 'The
Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life
as a ransom for many'”.
“In the biblical tradition, the Son
of Man is the one Who receives from God 'dominion, glory and
kingship'”, the Holy Father affirmed. Jesus fills this image with
new meaning. He shows us that He enjoys dominion because He is a
servant, glory because He is capable of abasement, kingship because
He is fully prepared to lay down His life. By His passion and death,
He takes the lowest place, attains the heights of grandeur in
service, and bestows this upon His Church. There can be no
compatibility between a worldly understanding of power and the humble
service which must characterise authority according to Jesus’
teaching and example. Ambition and careerism are incompatible with
Christian discipleship; honour, success, fame and worldly triumphs
are incompatible with the logic of Christ crucified”.
Instead, he continued, “compatibility
exists between Jesus, 'the man of sorrows', and our suffering. …
Jesus knows our difficulties at first hand, He knows from within our
human condition; the fact that He is without sin does not prevent Him
from understanding sinners. His glory is not that born of ambition or
the thirst for power; it is the glory of one Who loves men and women,
Who accepts them and shares in their weakness, Who offers them the
grace which heals and restores, and accompanies them with infinite
tenderness amid their tribulations”.
“The men and women canonised today
unfailingly served their brothers and sisters with outstanding
humility and charity, in imitation of the divine Master. … The
radiant witness of these new saints inspires us to persevere in
joyful service to our brothers and sisters, trusting in the help of
God and the maternal protection of Mary. From heaven may they now
watch over us and sustain us by their powerful intercession”.
Following Mass and before the Sunday
Angelus prayer, the Pope spoke about the situation of tension and
violence that continues to afflict the Holy Land. “At this time,
there is a need for great courage and fortitude to reject hatred and
revenge and to make gestures of peace”; he remarked. “We pray
that God may reinforce in all, governors and citizens alike, the
courage to oppose the violence and to take concrete steps towards
pacification. In the current context of the Middle East, it is
crucial, more than ever, that there be peace in the Holy Land: God
and the good of humanity demand this of us”.
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