The best
description of the saints — in fact, their “identity card” — the pope said, is
found in the beatitudes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which begins, “Blessed
are the poor in spirit.”
And,
he said, as Christian saints have done throughout the ages, Christ’s followers
today are called “to confront the troubles and anxieties of our age with the
spirit and love of Jesus.”
New
situations require new energy and a new commitment, he said, and then he offered
a new list of beatitudes for modern Christians:
—
“Blessed are those who remain faithful while enduring evils inflicted on them
by others and forgive them from their heart.
—
“Blessed are those who look into the eyes of the abandoned and marginalized and
show them their closeness.
— “Blessed are those who see God in every person and strive to make others also
discover him.
—
“Blessed are those who protect and care for our common home.
—
“Blessed are those who renounce their own comfort in order to help others.
—
“Blessed are those who pray and work for full communion between Christians.”
“All
these are messengers of God’s mercy and tenderness,” Pope Francis said. “Surely
they will receive from him their merited reward.”
