Caritas organizes an emergency campaign for the earthquake in MoroccoPope's closeness to Morocco and applause for the beatified Ulma familyThe Latin American lay physician José Gregorio Hernández, beatified in the midst of the pandemic (April 2021), was placed this morning by Pope Francis in the General Audience as a "passionate witness to the proclamation of the Gospel", in his series of catecheses on "Passion for evangelization, the apostolic zeal of the believer", which began in January, and of which Omnes has been reporting on a weekly basis.
The Pope said that "charity was truly the polar star that oriented the existence of the Blessed Joseph GregoryHe was a good and sunny person, with a cheerful character, endowed with a strong intelligence; he became a doctor, university professor and scientist".
"But above all," he added, "he was a doctor close to the weakest, so much so that he became known in his country as 'the doctor of the poor'. He preferred the wealth of the Gospel to the wealth of money, spending his life to help those in need. In the poor, in the sick, in the migrants, in those who suffer, Joseph Gregory saw Jesus. And the success he never sought in the world he received, and continues to receive, from the people, who call him "saint of the people", "apostle of charity", "missionary of hope".
Commitment, rather than criticism
The Holy Father also stressed that Blessed Joseph Gregory, whose liturgical feast is celebrated on October 26, "also encourages us in our commitment in the face of the great social, economic and political issues of today. Many speak badly, many criticize and say that everything is going badly".
"But the Christian is not called to this, but to get busy, to get his hands dirty, above all, as St. Paul told us, to pray (1 Tim 2:1-4), and then to engage not in gossip, but to promote the good, to build peace and justice in truth," said the Pope, "This too is apostolic zeal, it is the proclamation of the Gospel, it is Christian beatitude: 'blessed are the peacemakers' (Mt 5:9)."
Available, prayer, mass and rosary
The Roman Pontiff emphasized that Joseph Gregory was a humble, gentle and available man. But "his physical frailty did not lead him to close in on himself, but to become an even more essential doctor. This is apostolic zeal: it does not follow one's own aspirations, but availability to God's designs. He thus came to accept medicine as a priesthood: 'the priesthood of human suffering'. How important it is not to suffer passively, but, as Scripture says, to do everything with good courage, in order to serve the Lord," the Pope stressed.
And wondering where José Gregorio got this enthusiasm and zeal,
The Holy Father answered: "From a certainty and a strength. The certainty was the grace of God. He was the first to feel the need for grace, a beggar of God. Therefore, it came naturally to him to care for those who begged in the streets and were in dire need of God's grace.
love that he received freely every day from Jesus. And this is the strength to which he had recourse: intimacy with God",
The Venezuelan Blessed "was a man of prayer: he participated daily in Mass and recited the rosary. At Mass he united to the offering of Jesus all that he lived: he brought the sick and the poor he helped, his students, the research he undertook, the problems he had in his heart. And in contact with Jesus, who offers himself on the altar for everyone, Joseph Gregory felt called to offer his life for peace. He could not keep for himself the peace he had in his heart by receiving the Eucharist.
"Apostle of peace"
"He wanted to be an "apostle of peace", to immolate himself for peace in Europe: it was not his continent, but he was there at the outbreak of war, the first world conflict," Francis explained. "We thus arrive at June 29, 1919: a friend visits him and finds him very happy. Joseph Gregory had heard that the treaty ending the war had been signed".
"His peace offering has been received, and it is as though he foreshadows that his task on earth has been
finished. That morning, as usual, he had gone to Mass and so he went down the street to take some medicine to a sick person. But as he was crossing the street, he was hit by a vehicle; taken to the hospital, he died while pronouncing the name of Our Lady. His earthly journey ends in this way, in a street while performing a work of mercy, and in a hospital, where he had made of his work a masterpiece of good".
Ulma family heirlooms, Libya, Morocco, Ukraine
In the course of the Audience, the Holy Father has put to the Ulma family, beatified this Sunday, as an example of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as he greeted the Archbishop who brought from Poland the relics of the new Blessed Martyrs, Joseph and Victoria Ulma and their seven children.
Pope Francis recalled and asked for prayers for Libya, whose heavy floods have caused thousands of dead and missing, so "that our solidarity for these brothers of ours may not be lacking", and for Morocco: "My thoughts also go to the noble Moroccan peoplewho has suffered from these earthquakes. Let us pray for MoroccoWe pray that God will give them the strength to recover after this terrible tragedy.
His Holiness also recalled the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy CrossLet us not tire of being faithful to the Cross of Christ, sign of love and salvation," he said. And he asked that "we continue to pray for peace in the world, especially in the tormented Ukrainewhose suffering is always present in our minds and hearts. Precisely these days, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the Italian Bishops' Conference, is in Beijing.
