"Love for Christ is the secret of holiness," says John Paul II

Vatican City, Apr 25, 2004 / 22:00 pm

The Holy Father urged young people to follow the model of the six servants of God he beatified this morning in St. Peter´s square, and “to ardently ask for the light of the Holy Spirit and prudent guides through prayer.”

Servants of God Augustus Czartoryski, a priest; Laura Montoya, Maria Guadalupe Garcia Zavala, Nemesia Valle, Eusebia Palomino Yenes, women religious; and Alexandrina Maria da Costa, a laywoman were all proclaimed blessed today.
Beginning with Blessed Czartoryski of the Salesian Society of St. John Bosco, a Pole, the Pope said that he “presented all his questions and doubts to God in prayer and then in a spirit of obedience followed the advice of his spiritual guides. In this way, he understood his vocation to live poverty in order to serve the least of his brethren.”

He then spoke of Colombian Blessed Laura Montoya, who, “realizing that so many indigenous people who lived far from big cities did not know God, decided to found the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of Mary Immaculate and St. Catherine of Siena, in order to bring the Gospel to those who live in the jungle. … Inspired by her peaceful message, we pray to her today so that the beloved nation of Colombia may soon enjoy peace, justice and integral progress.”

“Blessed Guadalupe Garcia Zavala from Mexico, who renounced marriage,” he continued, “dedicated herself to the service of the poor, needy and sick, and founded the Congregation of the Servants of St. Margaret Mary and of the Poor. With deep faith, boundless hope and a great love for Christ, Mother Lupita sought holiness through love for the heart of Jesus and in fidelity to the Church.”
The mission of Italian Blessed Nemesia Valle, virgin, of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Charity of St. Jeanne-Antida Thouret was “to show God’s love to the needy, the poor and to all human beings in every corner of the earth. … She is an example of luminous holiness, aiming for the high summits of evangelic perfection, and translated into the simple gestures of daily life entirely dedicated to God,” said the Pope.

Salesian Eusebia Palomina Yenes, of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians, “was driven by love for the Eucharist and for Our Lady. What was important to her was to love and to serve; the rest did not matter. … In a radical way and while adhering to her opinions, she forged a fascinating and demanding path of sanctity for all of us and especially for the young people of our age,” said the Pope of the Spanish religious.

Finally, the Pope spoke about Portuguese Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa, lay person, of the Union of Salesian Cooperators. He emphasized her “strong will which accepted everything in order to show her love for God. … She mystically relived Christ’s passion and offered herself as a victim for sinners, receiving strength from the Eucharist which was her only sustenance during the last thirteen years of life.”

"Love for Christ is the secret of holiness,"said the Holy Father at the end of his homily, "Let us follow the example of these blessed! Like them, let us offer a consistent testimony of faith and love in the living and working presence of the Risen One!"