Pope Francis - Gaudete et Exsultate: On the Call to Holiness in Todays World

Gaudete et Exsultate

On the Call to Holiness in Todays World

Gaudete et Exsultate

On the Call to Holiness in Todays World

Apostolic Exhortation

Pope Francis

Our

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Contents

1. Rejoice and be glad (Mt 5:12), Jesus tells those persecuted or humiliated for his sake. The Lord asks everything of us, and in return he offers us true life, the happiness for which we were created. He wants us to be saints and not to settle for a bland and mediocre existence. The call to holiness is present in various ways from the very first pages of the Bible. We see it expressed in the Lords words to Abraham: Walk before me, and be blameless (Gen 17:1).

2. What follows is not meant to be a treatise on holiness, containing definitions and distinctions helpful for understanding this important subject, or a discussion of the various means of sanctification. My modest goal is to re-propose the call to holiness in a practical way for our own time, with all its risks, challenges and opportunities. For the Lord has chosen each one of us to be holy and blameless before him in love (Eph 1:4).

Chapter One

The Call to Holiness

The saints who encourage and accompany us

3. The Letter to the Hebrews presents a number of testimonies that encourage us to run with perseverance the race that is set before us (12:1). It speaks of Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Gideon and others (cf. 11:112:3). Above all, it invites us to realize that a great cloud of witnesses (12:1) impels us to advance constantly towards the goal. These witnesses may include our own mothers, grandmothers or other loved ones (cf. 2 Tim 1:5). Their lives may not always have been perfect, yet even amid their faults and failings they kept moving forward and proved pleasing to the Lord.

4. The saints now in Gods presence preserve their bonds of love and communion with us. The Book of Revelation attests to this when it speaks of the intercession of the martyrs: I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne; they cried out with a loud voice, O sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge? (6:910). Each of us can say: Surrounded, led and guided by the friends of God I do not have to carry

5. The processes of beatification and canonization recognize the signs of heroic virtue, the sacrifice of ones life in martyrdom, and certain cases where a life is constantly offered for others, even until death. This shows an exemplary imitation of Christ, one worthy of the admiration of the faithful. We can think, for example, of Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu, who offered her life for the unity of Christians.

The Saints Next Door

6. Nor need we think only of those already beatified and canonized. The Holy Spirit bestows holiness in abundance among Gods holy and faithful people, for it has pleased God to make men and women holy and to save them, not as individuals without any bond between them, but rather as a people who might acknowledge him in truth and serve him in holiness. In salvation history, the Lord saved one people. We are never completely ourselves unless we belong to a people. That is why no one is saved alone, as an isolated individual. Rather, God draws us to himself, taking into account the complex fabric of interpersonal relationships present in a human community. God wanted to enter into the life and history of a people.

8. Let us be spurred on by the signs of holiness that the Lord shows us through the humblest members of that people which shares also in Christs prophetic office, spreading abroad a living witness to him, especially by means of a life of faith and charity.

9. Holiness is the most attractive face of the Church. But even outside the Catholic Church and in very different contexts, the Holy Spirit raises up signs of his presence which help Christs followers.

The Lord Calls

10. All this is important. Yet with this Exhortation I would like to insist primarily on the call to holiness that the Lord addresses to each of us, the call that he also addresses, personally, to you: Be holy, for I am holy (Lev 11:44; cf. 1 Pet 1:16). The Second Vatican Council stated this clearly: Strengthened by so many and such great means of salvation, all the faithful, whatever their condition or state, are called by the Lord each in his or her own way to that perfect holiness by which the Father himself is perfect.

11. Each in his or her own way the Council says. We should not grow discouraged before examples of holiness that appear unattainable. There are some testimonies that may prove helpful and inspiring, but that we are not meant to copy, for that could even lead us astray from the one specific path that the Lord has in mind for us. The important thing is that each believer discern his or her own path, that they bring out the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts that God has placed in their hearts (cf. 1 Cor 12:7), rather than hopelessly trying to imitate something not meant for them. We are all called to be witnesses, but there are many actual ways of

12. Within these various forms, I would stress too that the genius of woman is seen in feminine styles of holiness, which are an essential means of reflecting Gods holiness in this world. Indeed, in times when women tended to be most ignored or overlooked, the Holy Spirit raised up saints whose attractiveness produced new spiritual vigor and important reforms in the Church. We can mention Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Saint Bridget, Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint Thrse of Lisieux. But I think too of all those unknown or forgotten women who, each in her own way, sustained and transformed families and communities by the power of their witness.

13. This should excite and encourage us to give our all and to embrace that unique plan that God willed for each of us from eternity: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you (Jer 1:5).

For you too

14. To be holy does not require being a bishop, a priest or a religious. We are frequently tempted to think that holiness is only for those who can withdraw from ordinary affairs to spend much time in prayer. That is not the case. We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves. Are you called to the consecrated life? Be holy by living out your commitment with joy. Are you married? Be holy by loving and caring for your husband or wife, as Christ does for the Church. Do you work for a living? Be holy by laboring with integrity and skill in the service of your brothers and sisters. Are you a parent or grandparent? Be holy by patiently teaching the little ones how to follow Jesus. Are you in a position of authority? Be holy by working for the common good and renouncing personal gain.