Witnesses of bright paths

After praying the Angelus with the faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Square on Friday, 1 November, Solemnity of All Saints, Pope Francis invited them to pray for all people who are suffering because of war. “War is always a defeat”, he said, because in war, “one seeks the greatest interest for oneself and the greatest damage for the adversary, trampling on human lives, the environment, infrastructure, everything; and all disguised with lies”. Earlier, the Pope had reflected on the Gospel passage about the Beatitudes, which he described as the Christian’s identity card. The following is a translation of the Holy Father’s words.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Good morning, and happy feast day!

Today, Solemnity of All Saints, in the Gospel (cf. Mt 5:1-12), Jesus proclaims the Christian’s identity card. And what is the Christian’s identity card? The Beatitudes. It is our identity card, and also the way of holiness (cf. Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate, 63). Jesus shows us a path, that of love, which he himself took first by making himself man, and which for us is both a gift from God and our response. Gift and response.

It is a gift from God because, as Saint Paul says, it is He who sanctifies (cf. 1 Cor 6:11). And this is why the Lord is the first one we ask to make us holy, to make our heart similar to his (cf. Encyclical Letter Dilexit Nos, 168). With his grace, he heals us and frees us from all that prevents us from loving as he loves us (cf. Jn 13:34), so that in us, as Blessed Carlo Acutis used to say, there may always be “less of me to make room for God”.

And this leads us to the second point: our response. The Father of Heaven indeed offers us his holiness, but he does not impose it. He sows it in us, he makes us taste its flavour and see its beauty, but then he awaits our response. He leaves us the freedom of following his good inspirations, of letting ourselves be involved in his plans, of making his sentiments ours (cf. Dilexit Nos, 179), putting ourselves, as he taught us, at the service of others, with an ever more universal charity, open and addressed to all, to the entire world.

We see all of this in the lives of saints, even in our time. Consider, for example, Saint Maximilian Kolbe, who volunteered to take the place of a family man who had been condemned to death, in Auschwitz; or Saint Teresa of Calcutta, who spent her life at the service of the poorest of the poor; or Bishop Saint Oscar Romero, who was murdered at the altar for defending the rights of the least ones against their oppressors’ abuse. And in this way we can make a list of many saints, many of them: those we venerate on the altars and others — who I like to call the saints “next door” — the everyday ones, hidden, who carry on their daily Christian life. Brothers and sisters, there is much hidden saintliness in the Church! We recognize so many brothers and sisters formed by the Beatitudes: the poor, the meek, the merciful, the hungry and those who thirst for justice and the peacemakers. They are people “filled with God”, who are incapable of being indifferent to the needs of their neighbour; they are witnesses of bright paths, that are possible for us too.

Let us ask ourselves, now: do I ask God, in prayer, for the gift of a holy life? Do I let myself be guided by the positive encouragement that his Spirit inspires in me? And do I commit myself personally to practising the Beatitudes of the Gospel, in the environments in which I live?

May Mary, Queen of all Saints, help us to make our lives a path of holiness.

After the Angelus the Holy Father continued:

Dear brothers and sisters, I express my closeness to the people of Chad, in particular the families of the victims of the grave terrorist attack a few days ago, as well as those who have been affected by floods. And, speaking of these environmental disasters, let us pray for the populations of the Iberian peninsula, especially the Valencian community, engulfed by the dana storm: for the deceased and their loved ones, and for all the families affected. May the Lord sustain those who are suffering, and those who are bringing relief. Our closeness to the people of Valencia.

I affectionately greet you all, pilgrims from various countries, families, parish groups, associations and school groups, and in particular, the faithful from Rignac (France).

And I greet the participants in the “Corsa dei Santi”, organized by the Don Bosco Missions Foundation. Dear friends, again this year you remind us that Christian life is a race, but not like the world runs, no! It is the race of a loving heart! And thank you for your support for the construction of a sports centre in Ukraine.

Let us pray for martyred Ukraine, let us pray for Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan, and for all the people who are suffering because of war. Brothers and sisters, war is always a defeat, always! And it is ignoble, because it is the triumph of lies, of falsehood: one seeks the greatest interest for oneself and the greatest damage for the adversary, trampling on human lives, the environment, infrastructure, everything; and all disguised with lies. And the innocent suffer! I think of the 153 women and children massacred in Gaza in recent days.

Tomorrow will be the annual Commemoration of all the faithful departed. Those who can, go in these days to pray at the tomb of your own loved ones. I too, tomorrow morning, will go to celebrate Mass at the Laurentino Cemetery in Rome. Let us not forget: the Eucharist is the greatest and most effective prayer for the souls of the departed.

I wish you all a happy feast day, in the company of the Saints. I greet you all, I greet the young people of the Immacolata, who are good! And please, do not forget to pray for me. Happy feast day! Enjoy your lunch. Arrivederci.