Editorial – And we, do we want to be saints?
“I want to become a saint, writes Zélie to her two daughters Marie and Pauline, it won't be easy, there's plenty to burn and the wood is hard as a stone." (1er November 1873, FC 110)
And we, like Zélie, are we inhabited by the desire for holiness, for ourselves and for those who are dear to us? The question deserves to be asked in this month of All Saints. Some will answer yes, remembering that this word meant the first Christians, " the Saints ". Others dare not think about it, rather discouraged by such a prospect, perhaps confusing it with an inaccessible perfection.
To these, I say: look for what you aspire to, deep within yourself, what you wish not only for yourself, but also for those who are dearest to you, your children or grandchildren, your nephews or godchildren… Then perhaps words like: live according to the Gospel, follow Christ as closely as possible, respond to the call to love…
Pope Francis in his apostolic exhortation Gaudete et exultate encourages us when he says, for example: “Holiness does not make you less human, for it is the meeting of your weakness with the strength of grace. Basically, as Léon Bloy said, in life “there is only one sadness, it is not being saints (34)” (Leon Bloy, The poor woman, II, 27, Paris 1897, p. 388. )
The pilgrims who, all year round, come to the Sanctuary, those who stop there to experience a highlight like the very recent Family Festival, those who take advantage of the Louis and Zélie Welcome House for a time of resources discover, in the company of the Martin family, the happiness that there is in letting oneself be encountered by the Lord and adjusted by his grace.
Fr. Thierry Hénault-Morel, rector of the sanctuary
November 2019 (?)
