The Pope (below) speaks of a "happy coincidence" regarding the timing
of the naming of the seven new Saints, but there is nothing
coincidental about his focus on three characteristics of the seven: they
were evangelistic, they were holy, and they pursued lives of radical
discipleship with a sensitivity to culture. This is notable as these
three things are at the heart of the work and texts of the Second
Vatican Council. For example, Lumen Gentium contains the following statements:
Fortified by so many and such powerful means of salvation, all the faithful,
whatever their condition or state, are called by the Lord, each in his own way,
to that perfect holiness whereby the Father Himself is perfect. (par 11)
The Church has received
this solemn mandate of Christ to proclaim the saving truth from the apostles and
must carry it out to the very ends of the earth. Wherefore she makes the
words of the Apostle her own: "Woe to me, if I do not preach the Gospel",
and continues unceasingly to send heralds of the Gospel until such time as the
infant churches are fully established and can themselves continue the work of
evangelizing. For the Church is compelled by the Holy Spirit to do her part that
God's plan may be fully realized, whereby He has constituted Christ as the
source of salvation for the whole world. By the proclamation of the Gospel she
prepares her hearers to receive and profess the faith. (par 17)
Through her work, whatever good is in the minds
and hearts of men, whatever good lies latent in the religious practices and
cultures of diverse peoples, is not only saved from destruction but is also
cleansed, raised up and perfected unto the glory of God, the confusion of the
devil and the happiness of man. The obligation of spreading the faith is imposed
on every disciple of Christ, according to his state. (par 17)
Moreover, let the laity also by their combined efforts remedy the customs
and conditions of the world, if they are an inducement to sin, so that they all
may be conformed to the norms of justice and may favor the practice of virtue
rather than hinder it. By so doing they will imbue culture and human activity
with genuine moral values; they will better prepare the field of the world for
the seed of the Word of God; and at the same time they will open wider the doors
of the Church by which the message of peace may enter the world. (par 36)
Many
other examples could be given from LG and other documents.
Unfortunately, the dominant narrative in the mainstream media (and even
in some Catholic media) about the 50th anniversary of the Council
consists largely of "convervative vs. liberal", the Church "opening"
herself up the world (often misunderstood and misrepresented), the
loosening of this or that discpline and norm, and a focus on
"modernising". But the heart of the Council was Christo-centric,
Gospel-oriented, and focused on regaining and deepening a better
understanding of the who, what, why, and where of the Church. The seven
new saints, although "pre-Vatican II" chronologically, are wonderful
examples of what Vatican II was really about. Here is the Vatican Information Service report:
Vatican City, 21 October 2012 (VIS) - This morning in St. Peter's
Square, some eighty thousand people participated in a papal Mass for the
canonisation of seven new saints: Jacques Berthieu, French martyr and
priest of the Society of Jesus (1838-1896); Pedro Calungsod, Filipino
lay catechist and martyr (1654-1672); Giovanni Battista Piamarta,
Italian priest and founder of the Congregation of the Holy Family of
Nazareth and of the Congregation of the Humble Sister Servants of the
Lord (1841-1913); Maria del Carmen (born Maria Salles y Barangueras),
Spanish foundress of the Conceptionist Missionary Sisters of Teaching
(1848-1911); Marianne Cope, nee Barbara, German-American religious of
the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in Syracuse U.S.A.
(1838-1918); Kateri Tekakwitha, American laywoman (1656-1680), and Anna
Schaeffer, German laywoman (1882-1925).
In his homily, the Holy Father drew attention to the "happy
coincidence" between the current assembly of the Synod of Bishops on new
evangelisation World Mission Sunday which falls today, and the readings
during today's Mass which, he said, show us "how to be evangelisers,
called to bear witness and to proclaim the Christian message,
configuring ourselves to Christ and following His same way of life. This
is true both for the mission 'ad Gentes' and for the new evangelisation
in places with ancient Christian roots.
"The Son of Man came to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for
many", the Pope added. "These words were the existential blueprint of
the seven blessed men and women that the Church solemnly enrols this
morning in the glorious ranks of the saints. ... They are sons and
daughters of the Church who chose a life of service following the Lord.
Holiness always rises up in the Church from the well-spring of the
mystery of redemption. ... Today’s canonisation is an eloquent
confirmation of this mysterious salvific truth".
The Holy Father then turned his attention to the life and example of
each of the new saints, beginning with Jacques Berthieu. Born in France
in 1838, he was "a tireless pastor on the island of Sainte Marie, then
in Madagascar, he struggled against injustice while bringing succour to
the poor and sick. ... He made himself all things to all men, drawing
from prayer and his love of the sacred heart of Jesus the human and
priestly force to face martyrdom in 1896. ... May the life of this
evangeliser be an encouragement and a model for priests that, like him,
they will be men of God! May his example aid the many Christians of
today persecuted for their faith! In this Year of Faith, may his
intercession bring forth many fruits for Madagascar and Africa".
Pedro Calungsod was born around 1654 in the Visayas region of the
Philippines. In 1668, he and other young catechists accompanied Father
Diego Luis de San Vitores to the Marianas Islands to evangelise the
Chamorro people. "Life there was hard and the missionaries also faced
persecution arising from envy and slander", the Pope explained. "Pedro,
however, displayed deep faith and charity and continued to catechise his
many converts, giving witness to Christ by a life of purity and
dedication to the Gospel. Uppermost was his desire to win souls for
Christ, and this made him resolute in accepting martyrdom. ... May the
example and courageous witness of Pedro Calungsod inspire the dear
people of the Philippines to announce the Kingdom bravely and to win
souls for God".
The Italian priest Giovanni Battista Piamarta "was a great apostle of
charity and of young people. He raised awareness of the need for a
cultural and social presence of Catholicism in the modern world. ...
Animated by unshakable faith in divine providence and by a profound
spirit of sacrifice, ... when he was overburdened with work, he
increased the length of his encounter, heart to heart, with the Lord,
... to gain spiritual fortitude and so return to gaining people’s
hearts".
The educational work of the Spanish religious Maria del Carmen Salles
y Barangueras, which she "entrusted to the Immaculate Virgin Mary,
continues to bear abundant fruit among young people through the generous
dedication of her daughters who, like her, entrust themselves to God
for Whom all is possible", the Holy Father said.
Marianne Cope "willingly embraced a call to care for the lepers of
Hawaii after many others had refused". Later, on the island of Molokai,
she nursed Father Damien and, following his death, continued his work
among those stricken with leprosy. "At a time when little could be done
for those suffering from this terrible disease, Marianne Cope showed the
highest love, courage and enthusiasm".
"Kateri Tekakwitha was born in today’s New York state in 1656 to a
Mohawk father and a Christian Algonquin mother. ... She was baptised at
twenty years of age and, to escape persecution, took refuge in the St.
Francis Xavier Mission near Montreal. There she worked, faithful to the
traditions of her people although renouncing their religious
convictions, until her death at the age of twenty-four. ... Kateri
impresses us by the action of grace in her life in spite of the absence
of external help and by the courage of her vocation, so unusual in her
culture. In her, faith and culture enrich each other. May her example
help us to live where we are, loving Jesus without denying who we are.
St. Kateri, Protectress of Canada and the first native American saint,
we entrust to you the renewal of the faith in the first nations and in
all of North America. May God bless the first nations".
The young German Anna Schaeffer from Mindelstetten suffered a serious
accident which left her with incurable burns on her legs and forced her
to be bed-ridden for the rest of her life. "Her sickbed became her
cloister cell and her suffering a missionary service", said Benedict
XVI. "May her intercession strengthen the Christian hospice movement in
its beneficial activity".
"These new saints, different in origin, language, nationality and
social condition, are united among themselves and with the whole People
of God in the mystery of salvation of Christ the Redeemer. ... May the
witness of ... their lives generously spent for love of Christ, speak
today to the whole Church, and may their intercession strengthen and
sustain her in her mission to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world",
the Holy Father concluded.
Before praying the Angelus, the Pope invoked Mary Queen of all
saints, recalling how the French Marian shrine of Lourdes is currently
suffering the consequences of the flooding of the Gave River. He went
on: "Today too we entrust to the protection of the Virgin Mary
missionary men and women - priests, religious and lay people - who
spread the good seed of the Gospel all over the world. We pray also for
the Synod of Bishops which is meeting during these weeks to examine the
challenge of the new evangelisation for the transmission of the
Christian faith".