This poem has gone viral on social media since Pope Francis’ strong call to young people to “Go, do not be afraid, and serve” – being part of the world rather than apart from the world – at last weekend’s World Youth Day Celebrations at the Copacabana (read the full text of Pope Francis’ homily here).
ACI members have discussed, at many of our meetings, a concern at the perceived conservatism of young adults in our church today. Perhaps this poem serves a good talking point and encouragement for young people to be themselves and enjoy the best of this world.
If you like this share it on Facebook or Twitter, you never know where you are sowing a seed…
We Need Saints.
World Youth Day 2013, Río de Janeiro
‘We need saints without cassocks, without veils – we need saints with jeans and tennis shoes. We need saints that go to the movies that listen to music, that hang out with their friends. We need saints that place God in first place ahead of succeeding in any career. We need saints that look for time to pray every day and who know how to be in love with purity, chastity and all good things. We need saints – saints for the 21st century with a spirituality appropriate to our new time. We need saints that have a commitment to helping the poor and to make the needed social change.
We need saints to live in the world, to sanctify the world and to not be afraid of living in the world by their presence in it. We need saints that drink Coca-Cola, that eat hot dogs, that surf the internet and that listen to their iPods. We need saints that love the Eucharist, that are not afraid or embarrassed to eat a pizza or drink a beer with their friends. We need saints who love the movies, dance, sports, theater. We need saints that are open sociable normal happy companions. We need saints who are in this world and who know how to enjoy the best in this world without being callous or mundane. We need saints.’
There are saints all around us who fit these descriptions. Often we don’t recognize them because of our preconceived ideas of what a saint is.
This just sounds like the “sort of Saints In the ordinary world” (See Youtube: Faith At 20) Opus Dei teaching. They are all for saints in jeans ! Personally, I prefer priests in black suits or cassocks and nuns in veils — just like I prefer to see police in uniform, I then can identify them and open my heart [if I need to] . It’s only lazy priests – like the English bishop who said he didn’t want to be bothered by the “ordinary laity” on trains and buses – who don’t want to dress like priests. The shepherds need to be able to be spotted by the poor old sheep, but many priests don’t like that sort of ministry.
But surely, Peter, Pope Francis is not talking about priests here and how they should dress? Isn’t he simply saying, as many popes have said before him – and as the history of the church proves – that lay people can also be, and should try to be, saints? Are you seriously questioning that?