Vatican City, Mar 21, 2011 / 17:11 pm
The saints are “stars in the firmament of history” who show that great love “sees farther than reason alone,” Pope Benedict XVI said in a reflection on the conclusion of his Lenten spiritual exercises.
The upcoming beatification of John Paul II focused the exercises on the topic of sainthood.
“Such reflection and contemplation on the mystery of Christ, reflected in the existence of its most faithful followers, constitutes a fundamental element that I have inherited from Pope John Paul II and that I continue with full conviction and great joy,” Pope Benedict said in a letter thanking Fr. Francois-Marie Lethel, who guided the March 13-19 exercises.
The Pope said the French Carmelite priest’s discussions of sainthood matched the catechesis of his own Wednesday general audiences. These audiences intended to make the Church “better known and loved as she appears in the lives, the works, and the teachings of the saints.”