Vatican City, Feb 19, 2017 / 13:21 pm
The path to holiness and sainthood, Pope Francis said, requires imitating Christ by loving our enemies and praying for those who wrong us even when it is difficult.
"It's true, God the Father is merciful," he said Feb. 19. "And you? Are you merciful, are you merciful with the people who have hurt you? Or who do not love you?"
"If He is merciful, if He is holy, if He is perfect, we must be merciful, holy and perfect like Him," he continued. "This is holiness. A man and a woman who do this deserve to be canonized: they become saints. So simple is the Christian life."
Pope Francis gave his homily during Mass at the parish of Santa Maria Josefa of the Heart of Jesus, where he visited Sunday. Before Mass he visited with young people, the sick, families and those in charge of the parish's Caritas organization. He also heard the confessions of four parishioners.