Pope Francis receives the participants of the “Holy Today” seminar at the Vatican on October 6. The Pope pointed out that living the Gospel fully is not only possible, but beautiful.
(Vatican News Network)Pope Francis receives all participants of the “Holy Today” seminar at the Vatican on October 6. The 3-day seminar, facilitated by the Congregation for the Congregation of the Holy See, brought together some 50 experts and scholars from around the world to discuss the contemporary significance of heroic holiness and the reputation of holiness in the digital age.
The Pope began by pointing out that the theme chosen for this seminar echoes the Apostolic Exhortation “Rejoice and Rejoice,” reaffirming the need to respond in a practical way to the call to sanctification in our own time (see: Rejoice and Rejoice Apostolic Exhortation, No. 2). The call to sanctification of all is at the heart of the teaching of the Second Vatican Council. The Pope noted the importance of “discovering the holiness of the moment” in the daily life of “God’s holy people”.
The Pope went on to speak of what he often calls the “saint next door” (cf. Apostolic Exhortation “Rejoice and rejoice”, No. 7). Among God’s holy people, the beatified and anointed are “models, intercessors and teachers”, reminding us that living the Gospel fully is not only possible, but beautiful.
The Pope went on to stress that holiness “is first and foremost the experience that we are loved by God and receive his love and mercy freely”. This divine grace leads to the gratitude and joy that characterizes the lives of saints such as John Paul I, Carlo Acutis and Francis of Assisi.
The Pope pointed out that holiness emerges in the concrete life of the Christian community, and that saints and saints in every situation carry out the will of God without fear. “The People of God are able to recognize a model of holiness and an outstanding witness of the Gospel by having a special ‘innate intuition'”. The fame of this holiness is an important factor in the recognition of the holiness of future saints.
The Pope continued: “In any case it is necessary to verify that the prestige of such holiness is natural, stable and enduring, and spread among the majority of the Christian community.” “All who examine the reputation of holiness should have wise discernment.” Furthermore, an element that bears witness to the reputation of holiness is the miracles obtained through intercession. When the faithful believe in the holiness of a certain Christian, they earnestly implore this well-known man to intercede for themselves in heaven.
The Pope stressed that “saints are treasures, eternal and relevant” and “never lose their importance”. The Pope hopes that “the example of the saints will enlighten the minds of men and women in our time, restore faith, and kindle hope and charity, so that everyone can be drawn to the beauty of the Gospel and not be lost in meaninglessness and despair. in the haze”.
Finally, the Pope expressed his sincere wishes to all the participants in the “Holy Today”, saying: “I hope that the insights and suggestions of your seminar will help the Church and society as a whole to realize that the Lord has never ceased to raise up the Holy Spirit. signs of virtue. These signs sometimes appear in even the most unimaginable ways.”
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