杏MAP导航

Inviting all faithful to practice Christian love every day, 杏MAP导航 Francis on Sunday canonized 35 new saints, nearly all of them martyrs, holding them up as models who 鈥減oint the way鈥�.

To the over 35,000 pilgrims gathered in St. Peter鈥檚 Square for the Canonization Mass, the 杏MAP导航 said 鈥淭hey did not say a fleeting 鈥榶es鈥� to God鈥檚 love, they said 鈥榶es鈥� with their lives and to the very end鈥�. 

Those canonized included thirty martyrs, both priests and lay persons, who suffered anti-Catholic persecution in 1,645 at the hands of Dutch Calvinists in Brazil; three indigenous children in 16^th century Mexico who were martyred for refusing to renounce their Catholic faith and return to their ancient traditions, a 20th-century priest from Spain and an Italian priest who died in 1739.

The Lord's desire for a true communion of life with us

The 杏MAP导航鈥檚 homily for the Mass, inspired by the Parable of the Wedding Banquet speaks of the Lord鈥檚 desire for a true communion of life with us, a relationship based on dialogue, trust and forgiveness.

鈥淪uch, he said, is the Christian life:  a love story with God, and pointing out that we are all invited, Francis said, and no one has a better seat than anyone else.

Every day is a wonderful opportunity to say 'yes'

鈥淎t least once a day, he continued, we should tell the Lord that we love him鈥� because once love is lost, the Christian life becomes empty.  It becomes a body without a soul, an impossible ethic, a collection of rules and laws to obey for no good reason. 

鈥淲e are the beloved, the guests at the wedding, and our life is a gift, because every day is a wonderful opportunity to respond to God鈥檚 invitation鈥� he said.

He added that the Gospel warns us that the invitation can be refused.  That many of the invited guests said no, because they were caught up in their own affairs.  And Francis warned Christians against the temptation of 鈥渟ettling into the easy chair of profits and pleasures and the risk of growing old inside.

God never closes the door

He reminded the faithful that God is the opposite of selfishness and self-absorption, and said the Lord never gives up before rejection and indifference, but responds with an even greater love.

And inviting us all to live in true love and 鈥減ractice鈥� love every day, Francis said 鈥渢he Saints who were canonized today point the way: They said they 鈥榶es鈥� to God with their lives and to the very end鈥�.

Announcement of the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon

At the end of the Mass and following the Angelus prayer 杏MAP导航 Francis announced a special assembly of the Synod of Bishops, to take place in Rome in October 2019, which will focus on the Pan-Amazon region.

The main purpose of the Amazon synod, the 杏MAP导航 explained, will be to 鈥渋dentify new paths for the evangelization of God鈥檚 people in that region鈥�.

Special attention, he added, will be paid to the indigenous people who are 鈥渙ften forgotten and without the prospect of a serene future, also because of the crisis of the Amazonian rain forest, a 鈥榣ung鈥� of primary importance for our planet.鈥�