Without saints, the Church cannot live: Father Lombardi

October 20, 2012: While the Synod Fathers gathered in Rome continue their often difficult and complex reflections on the New Evangelization, looking for unifying themes and threads running through the literally hundreds of speeches made in the last few days by bishops, guests and observers, the canonisation ceremony on 21 October breaks onto the scene like a powerful beam of light and joy. No fewer than seven Blesseds are being proclaimed as models of sanctity for the whole Church, said Jesuit Father Frederico Lombari in his weekly editorial on Saturday.

Priests, men and women religious, lay men and women. They lived in Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Oceania. From the missionary Jesuit in distant lands who died a martyr in Madagascar to the priest who was an educator of troubled youth, to the sick woman who for decades carried out the invaluable spiritual mission of suffering in her bed. There is the young Filipino lay catechist – he, too, a martyr; there is the religious sister dedicated to caring for lepers; the religious sister who spent her energy for the education of children, young people and workers. Then, there is the true flower of this wonderful group, the young Kateri Tekakwitha, an extraordinary fruit of the first proclamation of the faith among the tribes of Native Americans.

Saints have always been the most credible witnesses of the Christian faith, of the living and working Spirit of the Risen Jesus, of the transformation of humanity thanks to the mysterious power of the Gospel. Without them, the Church cannot live, cannot at all effectively spread the Gospel in a world that perhaps has trouble accepting it, even though that same world has an immense need for it. The world needs the saints, the world needs the Gospel: in order to rediscover the gratuitousness of love, joy and hope. The New Evangelization will also start again with the saints of our time., Fr Lombardi added.