"The saints are men and women who enter fully into the mystery of
prayer. Men and women who struggle with prayer, letting the Holy Spirit
pray and struggle in them. They struggle to the very end, with all their
strength, and they triumph, but not by their own efforts: the Lord
triumphs in them and with them", said Pope Francis today as he
introduced the qualities of the seven new saints who were canonized
during the mass in St Peter's Square.The facade of the basilica was adorned with the images of the new saints: Solomon Leclercq (1745-1792), of the Christian Brothers, martyred during the French Revolution; Joseph Sánchez del Río (1913-1928), a young martyr of the anti-clerical Mexican regime; Manuel González García (1877-1940), bishop of Palencia, founder Eucharistic Union and Reparation of the Congregation of the Eucharistic Missionary Sisters of Nazareth; Ludovico Pavoni (1784-1849), priest, founder of the Congregation of the Sons of Mary Immaculate; Alfonso Maria Fusco (1839-1910), priest, founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist; Joseph Gabriel del Rosario Brochero (1840-1914), Argentinean priest, very dear to Pope Francis; Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity Catez (1880-1906), a Carmelite nun whose meditations on the Trinity amazed theologians like Hans Urs von Balthasar.
In his homily, in front of 80,000 faithful, the Pope stressed several times that with the canonization these holy men and women "attained the goal. Thanks to prayer, they had a generous and steadfast heart. They prayed mightily; they fought and they were victorious".
The Pope was inspired by the prayer of Moses in the battle against Amalek (Exodus 17.8 to 13), which allowed the victory of the Jewish people. To keep his arms raised in prayer, Moses was supported by Aaron and Hur.
"This is an important message in this story of Moses: commitment to prayer demands that we support one another. Weariness is inevitable. Sometimes we simply cannot go on, yet, with the support of our brothers and sisters, our prayer can persevere until the Lord completes his work"
"The “battle” of perseverance cannot be won without prayer. Not sporadic or hesitant prayer, but prayer offered as Jesus tells us in the Gospel: “Pray always, without ever losing heart” (Lk 18:1). This is the Christian way of life: remaining steadfast in prayer, in order to remain steadfast in faith and testimony.. "
" True, each of us grows weary. Yet we are not alone; we are part of a Body! We are members of the Body of Christ, the Church, whose arms are raised day and night to heaven, thanks to the presence of the Risen Christ and his Holy Spirit. Only in the Church, and thanks to the Church’s prayer, are we able to remain steadfast in faith and witness".
"This is the mystery of prayer: to keep crying out, not to lose heart, and if we should grow tired, asking help to keep our hands raised. This is the prayer that Jesus has revealed to us and given us in the Holy Spirit. To pray is not to take refuge in an ideal world, nor to escape into a false, selfish sense of calm. On the contrary, to pray is to struggle, but also to let the Holy Spirit pray within us. For the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray. He guides us in prayer and he enables us to pray as sons and daughters”.
“The saints are men and women who enter fully into the mystery of prayer” – he concludes – “Men and women who struggle with prayer, letting the Holy Spirit pray and struggle in them. They struggle to the very end, with all their strength, and they triumph, but not by their own efforts: the Lord triumphs in them and with them. The seven witnesses who were canonized today also fought the good fight of faith and love by their prayers. That is why they remained firm in faith, with a generous and steadfast heart. Through their example and their intercession, may God also enable us to be men and women of prayer. May we cry out day and night to God, without losing heart. May we let the Holy Spirit pray in us, and may we support one another in prayer, in order to keep our arms raised, until Divine Mercy wins the victory".
Before the conclusion of the Mass, Pope Francis thanked all those present, including official delegations from Argentina, Spain, France, Italy, Mexico, countries of origin of the new saints.
"May the example and intercession of these luminous witnesses - said the Pope – support the efforts of each in their respective areas of work and service, for the good of the Church and the civil community".
Francis also recalled that tomorrow is World Day against Poverty.
"Let us join forces, moral and economic - he said - to fight together against poverty that degrades, injures and kills many brothers and sisters, by implementing standard policies for families and for work."