Pastor’s Corner for the Solemnity of All Saints, Year A, by Fr. Bruce Botha SJ
Pope Francis and the Call to Holiness
On 1 November, the Solemnity of All Saints, Pope Francis used his Angelus address to give a teaching on who the saints are, and what true holiness is. The following is a report from Vatican News on his speech.
The Pope explained how the gift of holiness has come with our baptism and we need to nurture it so that it can grow and transform our lives. The Saints started out like us, the Pope pointed out, receiving the same gift we have received, and they are our friends who are very close to us, accompanying us on our journey.
We have certainly encountered some saints in our daily lives, the Pope remarked, such as a just person who lives out the Christian vocation with commitment and simplicity, people he likes to call “the saints next door.” And holiness is a gift offered to all for “a happy life.”
As with any gift, when we choose to accept it and show our gratitude, we take on a responsibility to maintain and build on the holiness we have received.
The Pope emphasized how the Saints are “our elder brothers and sisters, on whom we can always count,” as they can help us when we make mistakes and get on the right path again, like “sincere friends, whom we can trust because they desire our wellbeing.” Their lives and witness in faith provide us with inspiration, the Pope said, and “in their prayers, we receive help” and united with them we embrace one another in “a bond of brotherly love.”
In conclusion, the Pope encouraged everyone to know more about the lives of the Saints and learn from them how to face their own challenges in life. He also suggested personal reflection by remembering that in receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit we are called to holiness and always sustained and helped along the way. And the Saints are close to us, we can turn to them in prayer, in communion with them in our gratitude to God for all He has given us and the eternal happiness He calls us to.
It is also right for us to take time today to remember our own personal saints, family and friends whom we love and pray for today. I remember my grandfather, Brian, who though he wasn’t Catholic made sure that my mother and her siblings always went to catechism class. Every Sunday he drove them to church, even if he sat in the car and read the newspaper. He made sure that they lived their baptismal promises, and without his example I am not sure if I would be here today. He isn’t a canonised saint, but still, to those of us who knew him, he was our saint.
Take a moment to recall the saints of your own lives, those people whose lives and example have encouraged you and been a blessing to you. After mass you are welcome to write their names on a pious list and place it here next to the altar. They will be remembered and prayed for every time we celebrate mass.
Fr. Bruce Botha SJ