By pronouncing this formula, the pope canonized 35 new saints. They included Spanish Faustino Míguez, and the first martyrs of the Americas: indigenous children Cristóbal, Antonio and Juan. Also among them was the group of Brazilian martyrs led by Jesuit André de Soveral.
During the intense ceremony, the pope warned of one of the most dangerous evils for one's faith life: routine.
POPE FRANCIS
'This is the danger – a Christian life that becomes routine, content with “normality”, without drive or enthusiasm, and with a short memory.'
The pope explained that a Christian's relationship with God cannot be reduced to a simply fulfilling the commandments for no good reason. It has to be a relationship of love, which, as in all relationships, runs the risk of being extinguished not by evil, but by selfishness.
POPE FRANCIS
'This is how love grows cold: not out of malice but out of a preference for what is our own: our security, our self-affirmation, our comfort… We settle into the 'easy chair' of profits, pleasures, or a hobby that brings us some happiness. We end up aging poorly and quickly, because we grow old inside. When our hearts do not expand, they become closed in on themselves and they age.'
Pope Francis said the Christian life must be constant because it is not enough to say 'yes' to the Lord once. It must be renewed every day, just as the 35 saints who were canonized did. He said they knew how to fulfill their yes until the end and keep alive a love that was not plagued by the virus of routine.
