Vatican City, Apr 27, 2009 / 08:38 am
During yesterday's Mass and canonization ceremony, Pope Benedict reflected on the relevance and story of each of the five new saints.
At the beginning of his homily, the Holy Father commented on today's Gospel which recounts how the two disciples of Emmaus, returning to Jerusalem, told the eleven disciples that they had recognized Jesus "in the breaking of the bread."
"Each community relives this same experience in the celebration of the Eucharist, especially on Sundays," said the Pope. "In celebrating the Eucharist we communicate with Christ, victim of atonement, and from Him we draw forgiveness and life. What would our lives as Christians be without the Eucharist?"
Going on then to recall certain fundamental aspects of the lives of the five new saints, the Holy Father began by referring to the "concrete and courageous initiatives" of St. Arcangelo Tadini. These included establishing the Catholic Workers' Mutual Assistance Association, building a textile mill and a residence for female workers, and founding the Congregation of Worker Sisters of the Holy House of Nazareth in 1900, his aim being to evangelize the world of work, sharing in its fatigues and following the example of the Holy Family of Nazareth.