Because of their heroic virtues, they personify the living Christ.
Because of their heroic virtues, they personify the living Christ.
On Nov. 1, the Roman Catholic Church and other Christian denominations commemorate the All Saints Day, a day of remembrance for souls who have attained the beatific vision. In Catholic theology, these are the souls who are now in the presence of God the Almighty after having died in the state of grace, without any stain of sin. Jesus during his earthly ministry often talked about life going on into eternity. He was not saying this metaphorically, but he literally meant they would live on in the presence of God for all eternity.
As Christians we are all called to become saints, that is to live in virtue and shun away all forms of evil and misdeeds which are not pleasing in the eyes of God in order to gain our eternal inheritance which Jesus has stored for us. Being called to be saints does not mean however that we perform extraordinary deeds such as healing the sick, foretelling the future, reading souls and other miracles. These gifts are bestowed by God to a chosen few in order to accomplish his purpose. For us ordinary mortals, to become saints, it is enough that we do ordinary deeds with extraordinary zeal in accordance with the will of God.
Yet all throughout the annals of the history of Christianity, there have been Saints raised on the altar of the Church to be venerated. Because they displayed heroic virtues during their lifetime, the Universal Church has canonized these individuals to become Saints for their unfailing holiness or because they offered themselves as martyrs for the faith. They not only serve as inspiration to those who are still living but these saints intercede for us so that God will grant us spiritual favors. This practice is rooted in the belief in the Communion of Saints where the Church Triumphant, or should already in heaven, the Church militant, or those still living, and the Church Suffering, or souls in purgatory, are spiritually connected and mutually interceding and praying for the other in order to attain the ultimate spiritual goal, which is, life eternal.
During the Pontificate of Pope Francis, new Saints have been canonized by the Catholic Church. These are the individuals who because of their heroic virtues, personify the living Christ. They are now officially recognized as Saints by the Catholic Church to join the thousands of Saints who are similarly conferred the title throughout the 2000-year history of the Catholic Church.
Last Oct. 14, 2018, Pope Francis canonized in Saint Peter’s Square seven new saints. These include a worker priest, a founder of a congregation, a lay person known for his piety, two nuns, a Pope, and a martyred Archbishop.
St. Vincent Romano was born in 1751 and ordained a priest in 1775. He spent his whole life as a priest in Torre del Greco, Italy. He led an exemplar life, caring for orphans. The people of Torre del Greco nicknamed him “The Worker Priest” because of his tireless work with the poor and for his commitment to the social needs of all people in the Neapolitan region.
St. Francesco Spinelli was a 19th century Italian Roman Catholic Priest who distinguished himself by founding the Institute of the Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament. The sisters dedicated themselves to Eucharistic adoration day and night, which inspired their service to the poor and suffering. St. Spinelli spent most of his life educating the poor, serving as spiritual director, and counselor for several women’s religious communities.
St. Nunzio Sulprizio was a pious Roman Catholic from Italy. All throughout his brief life he suffered from poor health. On his path to sainthood he was known for his gentleness, holiness and patience.
St Nazaria Ignacia March Mesa was born in Madrid Spain in 1889. Despite hostility from her family members, she entered the religious life and became a nun of the Franciscan Third Order. For economic reasons, his family moved to Mexico and there she joined with the Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly in 1908. St. Nazaria Ignacia died in Buenos Aires, Argentina on July 6, 1943, leaving great reputation for holiness.
St. Maria Katharina Kasper was born in Dembach, Germany in 1820 as Catherine Kasper. Despite poor health, she began to help the poor, the abandoned, and the sick at a young age. As a nun she founded the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ. Today the Congregation has spread to Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, Mexico and India with 690 sisters in 104 houses.
Of the seven new saints, Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Oscar Romero have had the strongest influence on me. In the last 35 years, as I matured in the faith, I always ask for their intervention when faced with crisis and doubts about my mission.
St. Pope Paul VI, known as Giovanni Battista Montini. At the age of 65, he was elected Pope Paul VI in 1963. Pope Paul the VI is best known for his encyclical Humanae Vitae which served as the Church’s official rebuke to the sexual revolution of the time. It re-affirmed the orthodox teaching of the Church regarding responsible parenthood, and the rejection of artificial contraception. For me though, it is Populorum Progressio, the encyclical of Pope Paul VI on the development of peoples, which has had a greater influence. In that encyclical, Pope Paul positioned the Catholic Church completely on the side of “those peoples who are trying to escape the ravages of hunger, poverty, endemic disease and ignorance; of those who are seeking a larger share in the benefits of civilization and a more active improvement of their human qualities; of those who are consciously striving for fuller growth.”
St. Oscar Romero took Pope Paul VI’s commitment seriously. He was an auxiliary bishop of San Salvador before being elevated to Archbishop in 1977. An outspoken critic of the military death squads which terrorized the poor of El Salvador. He fearlessly spoke out against the government’s actions in El Salvador. During Romero’s beatification, Pope Francis stated, “His ministry was distinguished by his particular attention to the most poor and marginalized.” Hailed as a hero by supporters of liberation theology inspired by his work, Romero, according to his biographer, “was not interested in liberation theology” but faithfully adhered to Catholic teachings on liberation and a preferential option for the poor, desiring a social revolution based on interior reform. In March 1980, Romero succumbed to an assassin’s bullet while celebrating Mass. These were the last words of Archbishop Romero, delivered as a homily in that last mass:
“The holy Mass, now, this Eucharist, is just such an act of faith. To Christian faith at this moment the voice of diatribe appears changed for the body of the Lord, who offered himself for the redemption of the world, and in this chalice the wine is transformed into the blood that was the price of salvation. May this body immolated and this blood sacrificed for humans nourish us also, so that we may give our body and our blood to suffering and to pain—like Christ, not for self, but to bring about justice and peace for our people.”
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