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Pontiff Talk About Saints
“Dear brothers and sisters, day after day the Church offers
us the possibility to walk in company of the saints. Hans Urs von
Balthasar wrote that the saints constitute the most important commentary
of the Gospel, their actualization in the day-to-day routine and,
therefore, they represent for us a real path of access to Jesus/”
Pope Benedict XVI gave this message on August 20 the weekly general
audience, held at Castel Gandolfo, Italy.
Below is a copy of the Pope’s address translated y Zenit:
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Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Every day the Church offers for our consideration one or more saints
and blesseds whom we can invoke and imitate. This week, for example,
we remember some who are much loved by popular devotion.
Yesterday, St. John Eudes who, in face of the rigor of the Jansenists
-- we are talking about the 17th century -- promoted a tender devotion,
whose inextinguishable sources, he indicated, are in the Sacred
Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
Today we remember Bernard of Clairvaux, whom Pope Pius VIII called
"mellifluous doctor" because he was outstanding in "distilling
from the biblical texts the meaning hidden in them." Events
led this mystic, desirous of living submerged in the "luminous
valley" of contemplation, to travel through Europe to serve
the Church in the needs of his time and to defend the Christian
doctrine. He has also been described as "Marian doctor,"
not because he wrote very much on the Mother of God, but because
he was able to understand her essential role in the Church, presenting
her as the perfect model of monastic life and of every form of Christian
life.
Tomorrow we will remember St. Pius X, who lived in a tormented historical
period. Of him John Paul II said, when he visited his birthplace
in 1985: "He fought and suffered for the freedom of the Church
and for this freedom he offered his willingness to sacrifice privileges
and honors, to face misunderstandings and ridicule, as he valued
this freedom as the ultimate guarantee for the integrity and coherence
of the faith" (Teachings of John Paul II, VIII, 1, 1985, page
1818).
Next Friday will be dedicated to the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, memorial instituted by the Servant of God Pius XII in 1955,
and which the liturgical renewal, desired by Vatican Council II,
established as complement to the festivity of the Assumption, given
that both privileges form only one mystery.
Finally, on Saturday we will pray to St. Rose of Lima, the first
canonized saint of the Latin American continent, of which she is
the principal patron. St. Rose often repeated: "If men knew
what it is to live in grace, they would not be afraid of any suffering
and would suffer gladly any sorrow, because grace is the fruit of
patience." She died at 31 in 1617, after a brief life full
of privations and sufferings, on the feast of the Apostle St. Bartholomew,
to whom she was very devoted, because he had suffered a particularly
painful martyrdom.
Dear brothers and sisters, day after day the Church offers us the
possibility to walk in company of the saints. Hans Urs von Balthasar
wrote that the saints constitute the most important commentary of
the Gospel, their actualization in the day-to-day routine and, therefore,
they represent for us a real path of access to Jesus. The writer
Jean Guitton described them as "the colors of the spectrum
in relation with the light," because with their own hues and
accents each one of them reflects the light of God's holiness. How
important and advantageous, therefore, is the determination to cultivate
the knowledge and devotion of the saints, together with the daily
meditation of the word of God and filial love for the Virgin!
The period of vacation is certainly a useful time to review the
biography and writings of some men or women saints in particular,
but each day of the year offers us the opportunity to become familiar
with our heavenly patrons. Their human and spiritual experience
shows that holiness is not a luxury, it is not the privilege of
a few, an impossible goal for a normal man. In reality, it is the
common destiny of all men called to be children of God, the universal
vocation of all those who are baptized. Holiness is offered to all.
Naturally, not all the saints are the same. They are, in fact,
as I have said, the spectrum of divine light. And one who possesses
extraordinary charisms is not necessarily a great saint. The name
of many of them is known only by God, because on earth they seemed
to have lived a very normal life. And it is precisely these "normal"
saints that God usually wants. Their example testifies that, only
when one is in contact with the Lord, is one full of peace and joy
and in this way it is possible to spread everywhere serenity, hope
and optimism. Considering precisely the variety of their charisms,
Bernanos, great French writer who was always fascinated by the idea
of the saints -- he quotes many of them in his novels -- points
out that every saint's life is like "a new flowering of spring."
May this also happen to us! Let us allow ourselves to be attracted
by the supernatural fascination of holiness! May Mary, Queen of
all Saints, Mother and refuge of sinners obtain this grace for us!
[The Holy Father then greeted pilgrims in several languages. In
English, he said:]
I cordially greet all the English-speaking pilgrims present at
today's audience. I particularly welcome the altar servers from
Malta -- along with their families -- who have been assisting at
St. Peter's Basilica. I also greet a group of university students
from Ireland.
This week, the liturgical calendar celebrates several remarkable
examples of holiness: St. John Eudes, St. Bernard of Clairvaux,
St. Pius X and St. Rose of Lima. The summer months provide an opportunity
for us to read about the lives of these and all the saints, who
show us that holiness is not the privilege of a few, but the vocation
of all the baptized. Through their intercession and inspiration,
may you learn to love and serve the Lord more ardently in your daily
lives. God bless you all!
[In Polish, he said:]
I greet the pilgrims who have come from Poland. Last week Poland
was affected by storms and hurricanes, unusual events for that region.
There have been dead and wounded. Many have lost the patrimony of
a whole life. To all those who in some way have suffered damages
because of this tragedy, I wish to assure my spiritual closeness
and remembrance in my prayer. May the Lord's blessing descend upon
them and on those here present.
Copyright 2008 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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“Jesus’
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