Pope Leo XIV during the Eucharistic celebration and canonization rite (Reuters photo).
They are lay and religious, four men and three women, they are martyrs of the faith, benefactors, missionary and charismatic figures, they come from different continents and contexts, precisely to underline the universality of the Church, the seven new saints. the Venezuelan doctor José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros and the also Venezuelan nun María Carmen Rendiles Martínez, the catechist from Papua New Junea (the first saint of this nation) Peter To Rot, Monsignor Ignazio Choukrallah Maloyan, Armenian archbishop martyr of the genocide of 1915 in Turkey, the Italian nuns Sister Vincenza Maria Poloni and sister Maria Troncatti, the third Italian Bartolo Longo, founder of the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii, they were canonized today 19 October in the Eucharistic celebration celebrated by Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square, packed with faithful.
«The question that closes the Gospel just proclaimed opens our reflection: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”. This question reveals to us what is most precious in the eyes of the Lord: faith, that is, the bond of love between God and man. Precisely today seven witnesses stand before us, the new Saints, men and women, who with the grace of God they kept the lamp of faith burning, indeed, they themselves became lamps capable of spreading the light of Christ”, Pope Leo began his homily. «Compared to great material and cultural, scientific and artistic goods, faith excels not because they are to be despised, but because without faith they lose meaning».
Leo XIV continued: «Jesus questions himself about faith: if he disappeared from the world, what would happen? Heaven and earth would remain as before, but there would no longer be hope in our hearts; everyone’s freedom would be defeated by death; our desire for life would collapse into nothingness. Without faith in God, we cannot hope for salvation.” Christ, the Pope recalled, asks his disciples to always pray without ever getting tired: «Just as we don’t get tired of breathing, so let’s not get tired of praying! Just as breathing supports the life of the body, so prayer supports the life of the soul: faith, in fact, is expressed in prayer and authentic prayer lives on faith. Jesus shows us this connection with a parable: a judge remains deaf to the pressing requests of a widow, whose insistence finally leads him to act. At first glance, such tenacity becomes a beautiful example of hope for us, especially in times of trial and tribulation. The woman’s perseverance and the behavior of the judge, who works reluctantly, however prepare a provocative question from Jesus: God, the good Father, “will he not do justice to his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?”. Let these words resonate in our conscience: the Lord is asking us if we believe that God is a just judge towards everyone. The Son asks us if we believe that the Father always wants our good and the salvation of every person. By the way, two temptations put our faith to the test: the first takes strength from the scandal of evil, leading us to think that God does not listen to the cries of the oppressed and has no mercy on innocent pain. The second temptation is the claim that God must act as we want: prayer then gives way to a command on God, to teach him how to be just and effective.”
«Jesus frees us from both temptations. Especially during his passion he prays like this: «“Father, your will be done”. They are the same words that the Master gives us in the Our Father prayer. Whatever happens, Jesus entrusts himself as Son to the Father.” The Pontiff further said: «The prayer of the Church reminds us that God does justice to all, giving his life for all. Thus, when we cry out to the Lord: “where are you?”, we transform this invocation into prayer and then we recognize that God is there where the innocent suffer. The cross of Christ reveals the justice of God. And the justice of God is forgiveness: He sees evil and redeems it, taking it upon himself. When we are crucified by pain and violence, by hatred and war, Christ is already there, on the cross for us and with us. There is no cry that God does not console; there is no tear that is far from his heart. The Lord listens to us, embraces us as we are, to transform us as He is. However, those who reject God’s mercy remain incapable of mercy towards others. Whoever does not welcome peace as a gift will not know how to give peace.”
Jesus’ questions are an invitation to hope and action: «When we hear the appeal of those in difficulty, are we witnesses of the Father’s love, as Christ was towards everyone? He is the humble one who calls the bullies to conversion, the just one who makes us just, as the new Saints of today attest: not heroes, or champions of some ideal, but authentic men and women. These faithful friends of Christ they are martyrs for their faith, such as bishop Ignazio Choukrallah Maloyan and the catechist Pietro To Rot; I am evangelizers and missionaries, like Sister Maria Troncatti; I am charismatic founders, such as Sister Vincenza Maria Poloni and Sister Carmen Rendiles Martínez; with their hearts burning with devotion, they are benefactors of humanitylike Bartolo Longo and José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros. May their intercession assist us in trials and their example inspire us in our common vocation to holiness.”
At the Angelus prayer, Pope Leo greeted and thanked the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella and his Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun who were visiting Italy for their presence at the celebration, as well as the official delegations of Armenia and Venezuela, the spiritual daughters of the foundresses now canonized and the communities and associations inspired by the charisms of the new saints. The Pontiff recalled World Mission Day which occurs today. «The Church is entirely missionary, but today we pray especially for those men and women who have left everything to go and bring the Gospel to those who do not know it. They are missionaries of hope among the people.”
Leo XIV then mentioned the difficult and painful situation of Myanmar torn by violence, from which news comes that “report continuous armed clashes and aerial bombings, including on people and civilian infrastructure”. The Pope renewed his appeal “for an immediate and effective ceasefire to be reached” through “inclusive and constructive dialogue”. And once again he asked to pray for peace «in the Holy Land, in Ukraine and in other places of war. May God grant all those responsible wisdom and perseverance to advance in the search for a just and lasting peace.”
(Reuters photo: the portraits of the seven new saints displayed in St. Peter’s Square during the Eucharistic celebration and the canonization rite)
