Skip to content

We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.

Help Now >

John Paul II's Homily After Beatification of 5

Free World Class Education
FREE Catholic Classes

"Allowed Themselves to Be Guided by the Word of God"

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 4, 2004 (Zenit) - Here is a translation of John Paul II's homily today, delivered during the solemn Mass in which he proclaimed blessed Peter Vigne (1670-1740); Joseph-Marie Cassant (1878-1903); Anna Katharina Emmerick (1774-1824); María Ludovica De Angelis (1880-1962); and Charles I of Austria (1887-1922).

* * *

[In Italian]

1. "'Verbum Domini manet in aeternum' -- The Word of the Lord remains for ever."

The exclamation of the Song of the Gospel refers us to the very foundations of the faith. In the face of the passage of time and the continual alterations of history, the revelation that God has offered us in Christ remains stable forever and opens a horizon of eternity on our earthly journey.

This is what the five new blessed experienced in a singular way: Peter Vigne, Joseph-Marie Cassant, Anna Katharina Emmerick, María Ludovica De Angelis, Charles of Austria. They allowed themselves to be guided by the Word of God as by a luminous and sure light, which never failed to illuminate their path.

[In French]

2. By contemplating Christ present in the Eucharist and in his salvific passion, Father Peter Vigne was led to be an authentic disciple and faithful missionary of the Church. May his example give the faithful the desire to draw audacity for the mission from the love of the Eucharist and adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament! Let us pray that he will touch the hearts of young people so that they will accept to consecrate themselves totally to him in the priesthood or religious life, if they are called by God. May the Church in France see in Father Vigne a model so that new sowers of the Gospel will arise.

3. Brother Joseph-Marie always put his trust in God, in contemplation of the mystery of the passion, and in union with Christ present in the Eucharist. In this way, he was permeated with the love of God, abandoning himself to him, "sole happiness on earth," and detaching himself from the goods of the world in the silence of a Trappist monastery. In the midst of trials, with his eyes fixed on Christ, he offered his sufferings for the Lord and the Church. May our contemporaries, in particular the contemplatives and the sick, discover, following his example, the mystery of prayer, which raises the world to God and gives strength in trials!

[In Spanish]

4. "God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control."

These words of St. Paul invite us to collaborate in the building of the Kingdom of God, from the perspective of faith. They may well be applied to the life of Blessed Ludovica De Angelis, whose life was totally consecrated to the glory of God and the service of her fellowmen.

Prominent in her figure are the heart of a mother, her leadership qualities, and the very audacity of saints. She had a concrete and generous love for sick children, enduring sacrifices to alleviate them; for her collaborators at the La Plata Hospital she was a model of joy and responsibility, creating a family atmosphere; for her sisters in the community, she was a genuine example of a Daughter of Our Lady of Mercy. In all this, she was sustained by prayer, making of her life a continuous communication with the Lord.

[In German]

5. Blessed Anna Katharina Emmerick showed and experienced in her own flesh "the bitter passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ." The fact that, from being the daughter of poor peasants, who constantly sought closeness to God, she became the famous "mystic of Muenster" is a work of divine grace. Her material poverty is contrasted with her rich interior life. As much as by her patience to endure her physical weaknesses, we are impressed by the strength of character of the new blessed and her firmness in the faith.

She received this strength from the Holy Eucharist. In this way, her example opened the hearts of poor and rich men, educated and humble people, to complete loving passion toward Jesus Christ. Still today she communicates to all the salvific message: "By his wounds you have been healed" (see 1 Peter 2:24).

Deacon Keith Fournier Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you. Help Now >

6. The decisive duty of the Christian is in seeking the will of God in everything, in knowing it and carrying it out. This daily challenge was addressed by the man of state and Christian Charles, of the House of Austria. He was a friend of peace. In his eyes, war was "something horrible." Ascending the throne in the midst of the storm of the First World War, he tried to take up the peace initiative of my predecessor Benedict XV.

From the beginning, Emperor Charles understood his task of sovereign as a holy service to peoples. His first need, in his political conduct, was to follow the call of Christians to holiness. That is why he considered the idea of social love important. May he always be a model for us all, in particular for those today who have a political responsibility in Europe!

[In Italian]

7. Together with the whole Church, we praise and thank the Lord for the wonders he has done in these good and faithful Servants of the Gospel. May Mary Most Holy, whom this month of October we invoke in a special way with the prayer of the rosary, help us in turn to become generous and courageous apostles of the Gospel. Amen!

Contact

The Vatican
https://www.catholic.org , VA
Pope John Paul II - Bishop of Rome, 661 869-1000

Email

info@yourcatholicvoice.org

Keywords

Saint, Homily, Pope, Vatican, Mass

More Catholic PRWire

Showing 1 - 50 of 4,716

A Recession Antidote
Randy Hain

Monaco & The Vatican: Monaco's Grace Kelly Exhibit to Rome--A Review of Monegasque-Holy See Diplomatic History
Dna. Maria St. Catherine Sharpe, t.o.s.m., T.O.SS.T.

The Why of Jesus' Death: A Pauline Perspective
Jerom Paul

A Royal Betrayal: Catholic Monaco Liberalizes Abortion
Dna. Maria St.Catherine De Grace Sharpe, t.o.s.m., T.O.SS.T.

Embrace every moment as sacred time
Mary Regina Morrell

My Dad
JoMarie Grinkiewicz

Letting go is simple wisdom with divine potential
Mary Regina Morrell

Father Lombardi's Address on Catholic Media
Catholic Online

Pope's Words to Pontifical Latin American College
Catholic Online

Prelate: Genetics Needs a Conscience
Catholic Online

State Aid for Catholic Schools: Help or Hindrance?
Catholic Online

Scorsese Planning Movie on Japanese Martyrs
Catholic Online

2 Nuns Kidnapped in Kenya Set Free
Catholic Online

Holy See-Israel Negotiation Moves Forward
Catholic Online

Franchising to Evangelize
Catholic Online

Catholics Decry Anti-Christianity in Israel
Catholic Online

Pope and Gordon Brown Meet About Development Aid
Catholic Online

Pontiff Backs Latin America's Continental Mission
Catholic Online

Cardinal Warns Against Anti-Catholic Education
Catholic Online

Full Circle
Robert Gieb

Three words to a deeper faith
Paul Sposite

Relections for Lent 2009
chris anthony

Wisdom lies beyond the surface of life
Mary Regina Morrell

World Food Program Director on Lent
Catholic Online

Moral Clarity
DAN SHEA

Pope's Lenten Message for 2009
Catholic Online

A Prayer for Monaco: Remembering the Faith Legacy of Prince Rainier III & Princess Grace and Contemplating the Moral Challenges of Prince Albert II
Dna. Maria St. Catherine Sharpe

Keeping a Lid on Permissiveness
Sally Connolly

Glimpse of Me
Sarah Reinhard

The 3 stages of life
Michele Szekely

Sex and the Married Woman
Cheryl Dickow

A Catholic Woman Returns to the Church
Cheryl Dickow

Modernity & Morality
Dan Shea

Just a Minute
Sarah Reinhard

Catholic identity ... triumphant reemergence!
Hugh McNichol

Edging God Out
Paul Sposite

Burying a St. Joseph Statue
Cheryl Dickow

George Bush Speaks on Papal Visit
Catholic Online

Sometimes moving forward means moving the canoe
Mary Regina Morrell

Action Changes Things: Teaching our Kids about Community Service
Lisa Hendey

We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.

Help Now >

Easter... A Way of Life
Paul Spoisite

Papal initiative...peace and harmony!
Hugh McNichol

Proclaim the mysteries of the Resurrection!
Hugh McNichol

Jerusalem Patriarch's Easter Message
Catholic Online

Good Friday Sermon of Father Cantalamessa
Catholic Online

Papal Address at the End of the Way of the Cross
Catholic Online

Cardinal Zen's Meditations for Via Crucis
Catholic Online

Interview With Vatican Aide on Jewish-Catholic Relations
Catholic Online

Pope Benedict XVI On the Easter Triduum
Catholic Online

Holy Saturday...anticipation!
Hugh McNichol

We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.

Help Now >

Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.

Lent logo
Saint of the Day logo

Catholic Online Logo

Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.

Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.