Reflections from Pope Francis
May the words of Pope Francis inspire faith and courage in our hearts as we journey on the path to Sainthood.
Homily, All Saints Day, Sweden, November 1, 2016
“Holiness consists in the love of God and the love of our brothers and sisters — something that makes a person deeply happy, as the saints showed. The saints found the secret of authentic happiness, which lies deep within the soul and has its source in the love of God. That is why we call the saints blessed. The Beatitudes are their path, their goal, their native land. The Beatitudes are the way of life that the Lord teaches us, so that we can follow in his footsteps…Meekness is a way of living and acting that draws us close to Jesus and to one another. It enables us to set aside everything that divides and estranges us, and to find ever new ways to advance along the path of unity…Meekness is the attitude of those who have nothing to lose, because their only wealth is God.”
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“The call to holiness is directed to everyone and must be received from the Lord in a spirit of faith. The saints…spur us on by their lives and their intercession before God. We ourselves need one another if we are to become saints…Together let us implore the grace to accept this call with joy and to join in bringing it to fulfillment. To our heavenly Mother, Queen of All Saints, we entrust our intentions and the dialogue aimed at the full communion of all Christians, so that we may be blessed in our efforts and may attain holiness in unity.”
Mass at Casa Santa Marta, January, 2016
“We have all been chosen by the Lord to be Baptized, to be part of His people, to be saints; we have been consecrated by the Lord on the path towards sainthood… During the Christian journey, the journey the Lord has invited us to undertake, there is no saint without a past and no sinner without a future”.
Homily, Thursday Morning Mass, December 4, 2014
“Let us consider the smallest… the sick who offer their sufferings for the Church, for others. Let us consider so many of the elderly who are alone, who pray and make offerings. Let us consider so many mothers and fathers of families, who, with so much effort, raise their families, educate their children, carry on their daily work, bear their problems, but always with hope in Jesus, who do not strut about, but do what they can… these are the saints of daily life.”
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“Let us consider so many priests who are not seen, but who work in their parishes with such love: doing the work of catechesis for children, care of the elderly, of the sick, marriage preparation …and every day the same, the same, the same. They are not bored because their foundation is the rock. It is Jesus, it is this that gives holiness to the Church, it is this that gives hope!”
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“Let us ask the Lord to be founded firmly on the rock that is Him, our hope which is Him. We are all sinners, we are weak, but if we place our hope in Him we can go forward. And this is the joy of a Christian: knowing that in Him there is hope, there is pardon, there is peace, there is joy.”
Pope Francis greeting pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square, 10/30/13
“They are like us, they are like each of us, they are people who before reaching the glory of heaven lived a normal life, with joys and griefs, struggles and hopes… When they recognized the love of God, they followed Him with all their heart, without conditions and hypocrisies. They spent their lives in the service of others, they endured suffering and adversity without hatred and responded to evil with good, spreading joy and peace… Sanctity is beautiful! It is a beautiful way!
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The saints give us a message. They tell us: be faithful to the Lord, because the Lord does not disappoint! He does not disappoint ever, and He is a good friend always at our side. To be a saint is not a privilege of a few… all of us in baptism have the inheritance of being able to become saints. Sanctity is a vocation for everyone.”
Pope Francis greeting pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square, 10/30/13
“The saints encourage us with their witness not to have fear of going against the current or fear of being misunderstood and derided when we speak of the Lord and of the Gospel… They show us with their lives that the one who remains faithful to God and to His words experiences now on this earth the comfort of His love and then experiences it a ‘hundredfold’ in eternity.”
Homily, Basilica of Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls, Sunday, April 14, 2013 – Eucharistic Celebration
“To be sure, the testimony of faith comes in very many forms, just as in a great fresco, there is a variety of colors and shades, yet they are all important, even those who do not stand out. In God’s great plan, every detail is important, even yours, even my humble witness, even the hidden witness of those who live their faith with simplicity in everyday family relationships, work relationships, friendships. There are the saints of everyday, the ‘hidden’ saints, a sort of ‘middle class of holiness,’ as a French author said, that “middle class of holiness” to which we can all belong.”
All Saints Day Homily, 11/01/13
“If today we are remembering these brothers and sisters of ours who lived before us and are now in heaven, they are there because they were washed in the blood of Christ. That is our hope, and this hope does not disappoint. If we live our lives with the Lord, he will never disappoint us…On the feast of All Saints and before the Day of the Dead, it is important to think about hope.”