November 01, 2013: “The feast of All Saints, which we celebrate today, reminds us
that the goal of our existence is not death, is Heaven” said Pope Francis on Friday,
in his Angelus address on the occasion of the Feast of all Saints. The Pope was addressing
a large holiday gathering of faithful at the St. Peter’s square in the front of the
Vatican Basilica.
He said “The Saints are not supermen, nor were born perfect.
They are people who before reaching the glory of heaven have lived a normal life,
with joys and sorrows, struggles and hopes. But when they came to know of the love
of God, they followed him with all their heart, without conditions or hypocrisy, they
have spent their lives in the service of others, have endured suffering and adversity
without hate and responded to evil with good, spreading joy and peace. The Saints
are men and women who have joy in their heart and transmit it to others.”
He
further said that, to be holy is not a privilege of a few, but that it is a vocation
for everyone. “All, therefore we are called to walk the path of holiness, and this
pathway has a name and a face: Jesus Christ. He shows us the way in the Gospel: that
of the Beatitudes” He added.
After the recitation of the Angelus, Pope Francis
greeted the thousands of faithful gathered in the square, especially those who participated
in Friday morning’s Race of the Saints, organized by the "Don Bosco in the world"
Foundation. “St. Paul would say that the whole life of a Christian is a "race" to
win the prize of holiness” said Pope Francis. He also informed those gathered, that
he would be celebrating Mass in the evening at the Verano cemetery, assuring his prayers
for the dear departed especially for Christians who have lost their lives because
of persecution. He also remembered the many migrants, mostly women and children, who
died of dehydration in the Sahara Desert recently, trying to make the crossing from
Niger to Algeria in order to make a better life for themselves.
In conclusion,
he wished everyone a happy feast of All Saints and with his customary and well appreciated
practice, he wished everyone “have a good Lunch”