Chat a wonderful surprise, Pope Francis's latest apostolic exhortation. The title itself rings with joy: "Rejoice and be glad."
In these few lines, I want to share with you some thoughts about people with disabilities, above all. First, the Pope invites us to discover "the saint next door," the one who belongs to the "middle class of holiness." He insists with new force on the call to sanctity for each of us: "You have a unique mission." If we do not discover it, or if we do not fulfill it, something will always be missing from Heaven.
At OCH, at Ombre e Luci, at Fede e Luce, at L'Arca, and in many other movements and associations, we have come to recognize the special vocation of people with handicaps. The Pope does not overlook them. He remembers them, beginning with those most severely affected:
"God is there, because in each brother, especially the smallest, the fragile, the defenseless, and in the one who is in need, the very image of God is present."
But how does one become holy? Jesus explained it quite simply, above all by teaching us the Beatitudes—which are like the "Christian identity card." Saint Vincent de Paul said that among the poor, "the poor are our teachers." Many of them, in their simplicity and their way of being, remind us of their hunger to be loved and to love. Jean Vanier witnessed: "There is a mysterious power in those who have no power; they attract and awaken hearts."
Benevolent attention toward them can become a communion of hearts that harmonizes with communion with God and holiness. Even people with the most severe handicaps respond to love with love. I want to bear witness to this capacity for sanctity through true stories—signs of encounters between disabled people and God.
Blessed are the poor in spirit. During a retreat at L'Arca, Alain is paired with Jeanne, a young friend:
- "Alain, they're asking us to write a letter to Jesus. Will you do it? I'll write what you tell me."
– "No, give me paper and a pen."
- "But you can't write!"
– "That's true, but Jesus—He can read!" And Alain sets about making a series of scribbles in which he pours out all his love.
Blessed are the meek. A prayer gathering in my Fede e Luce community:
- "Vincent, what do you want to say to Jesus?"
- "Jesus, You love me so much." His mother corrects him:
- "No Vincent, you say, 'Jesus, I love You very much.'"
Vincent repeats:
- "Jesus, You love me so much." Perhaps he is simply echoing Saint Thomas Aquinas's prayer: "Jesus, You who love me so dearly, hear me, I beg You." How hard it is for us to accept that.
Blessed are those who mourn. Emmanuel is in the last days of his life. After a procession to receive communion in a church in Auxerre, he kneels in a pew near the altar. His father asks him:
- "What are you doing, Emmanuel?"
- "I'm praying to Mary so that Mother won't cry anymore." A few weeks later, on his deathbed, he draws his parents close and says:
- "Mom, I love you, you know that. Dad, I love you, you know that…" A carrier of Down syndrome, he was reaching toward Jesus and Mary, whom he loved so dearly. He was about to turn thirteen.
Blessed are the peacemakers. Jérôme, with an intellectual disability, reveals himself as a "peacemaker" through love. He loves everyone he meets and wants to be loved by them. As a young man, when he would encounter someone, at a certain moment he would say, all in one breath: "I love you…and you love me? How much do you love me?..."
Blessed are the pure of heart. "Man looks at the face, but God looks at the heart" (1 Samuel). The hearts of disabled people are often simple, without turning, without crooked paths.
One day Jean Claude comes to greet us, beaming: "My heart was twisted. I met Father Thomas and he straightened it out."
Another thing worth noting is the importance of community. This reflection holds even more for someone with a handicap who depends on those near him, beginning with his parents—who are so often hidden saints, full of love and heroism.
Father Henri Bissonier, who supported me in founding OCH, used to say: "To the children most severely affected by handicap, God says: You are a great prophet." Yes! We can witness that they are able to transform us, if we put our hand in theirs and let them lead us.
What grace it would be if Pope Francis recognized one of them as a saint to be venerated officially! It would be an immense gift, especially in these times when the lives of weak people are mocked. His words and his actions allow us to hope. But even now, we can say: "Lord, how beautiful are Your works." OL
Marie-Hélène Mathieu
trans. by Rita Massi (from O&L no. 221)