The Universal Call to Holiness

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The document is titled “Gaudete et Exsultate” which is taken from Matthew 5:12, the last of the Beatitudes:
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.
This could also be translated as Rejoice and exult…

The content may well related to the Beatitudes, as the path to holiness in the contemporary world.
 
These two passages caught my attention right away: “Our defense of the innocent unborn, for example, needs to be clear, firm and passionate, for at stake is the dignity of a human life, which is always sacred and demands love for each person, regardless of his or her stage of development. Equally sacred, however, are the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute, the abandoned and underprivileged, the vulnerable infirm and elderly exposed to covert euthanasia, the victims of human trafficking, new forms of slavery, and every form of rejection.” (emphasis on the words “equally sacred” mine).

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"We often hear it said that, with respect to relativism and to the flaws of our present world, the situation of migrants, for example, is a lesser issue. Some Catholics consider it a secondary issue compared to the "grave’ bioethical questions. That a politician looking for votes might say such a thing is understandable, but not a Christian, for whom the only proper attitude is to stand in the shoes of those brothers and sisters of ours who risk their lives to offer a future to their children. Can we not realize that this is exactly what Jesus demands of us, when he tells us that in welcoming the stranger we welcome him?

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Thank you, Pope Francis ❤️, for your ministry and for this latest exhortation.
 
And this –
“I like to contemplate the holiness present in the patience of God’s people: in those parents who raise their children with immense love, in those men and women who work hard to support their families, in the sick, in elderly religious who never lose their smile. In their daily perseverance I see the holiness of the Church militant. Very often it is a holiness found in our next-door neighbours, those who, living in our midst, reflect God’s presence.”
 
Yes, there are a lot of gems in the this new exhortation, Rejoice and be Glad! I’ve already snipped a few more passages from the online version, and I’ve preordered a hard copy.

Pope Francis certainly challenges me, but also he also validates certain aspects of living in total accord with the Gospel that I’ve long held to be true.

Here’s a gem for all of us online who engage in the new media. It shouldn’t need to be said, but it does, since so many of us feel we can now say whatever we want about another person online, and even revel in those bloggers, politicians, etc., who are especially rude or inconsiderate: “Christians too can be caught up in networks of verbal violence through the internet and various forms of digital communication. Even in Catholic media, limits can be overstepped, defamation and slander came become commonplace, and all ethical standards and respect for the good name of others can be abandoned.”

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I’ve been focusing on the social dimension of the exhortation so far, which is important, but there are also many great references and examples for us here from the lives of the saints, and other passages that resonate, like a ringing endorsement for silent prayer, and even a reference to the Russian Pilgrim from The Way of a Pilgrim!
 
I’ve been focusing on the social dimension of the exhortation so far, which is important, but there are also many great references and examples for us here from the lives of the saints, and other passages that resonate, like a ringing endorsement for silent prayer, and even a reference to the Russian Pilgrim from The Way of a Pilgrim!
Also St. John of the Cross (as a Secular Carmelite, that really jumped out at me!). 🙂
 
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