By Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Christian joy is neither a passing emotion nor an optimistic worldview but a sign of holiness that bears witness to God’s love, even in the direst circumstances, Pope Francis said on the feast of All Saints.
“The saints, even amid many tribulations, have experienced this joy and have borne witness to it. Without joy, faith becomes a rigorous and oppressive exercise, and risks falling ill with sadness,” the pontiff said.
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Before reciting the Angelus Nov. 1 with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square, the Holy Father reflected on the Eight Beatitudes, which are the path of “humility, compassion, meekness, justice and peace” laid out by Jesus to show all men and women a way “that leads to the kingdom of God and to happiness.”
The church’s saints, he continued, walked along the path of “joy and prophecy,” which are “two aspects that are proper to this saintly way of life.”
Focusing on joy, Pope Francis explained that achieving holiness is not solely a matter of “effort and renunciation” but instead it is found when people discover that they are “God’s beloved sons and daughters.”
Blessed be Jesus Christ, the only Saviour of the world, together with this immense flowering of saintly men and women who populate the earth and who have made their life a hymn to God. #AllSaintsDay
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) November 1, 2021
“It is not a human achievement, it is a gift we receive: We are holy because God, who is the Holy One, comes to dwell in our lives,” the pontiff said. “It is he who gives holiness to us. For this we are blessed!”
Prophecy is another aspect of holiness underlined in the beatitudes, especially when crying out on behalf of “the poor, the afflicted and those who hunger for justice,” he said.
While a worldly mentality can lead one to believe that happiness comes from being “rich, powerful, always young and strong,” Jesus makes a “prophetic proclamation” that holiness can be achieved by “putting his word into practice.”
“Those who believe themselves to be rich, successful and secure base everything on themselves and close themselves off from God and their brothers and sisters, while those who know that they are poor and not self-sufficient remain open to God and to their neighbor. And they find joy,” the pontiff said.
Pope Francis said the beatitudes are the “prophecy of a new humanity” and a new way of living that would require “making oneself small and entrusting oneself to God, instead of prevailing over others.”
“Holiness is accepting and putting into practice, with God’s help, this prophecy that revolutionizes the world,” he said.
