Homily in the Mass of Blessed Elisa Martinez, Basilica of Leuca, 8 February 2024.
Dear brothers and sisters,
the memory of the saints is a celebration of the holiness of God. The saints are a reflection of her holiness. With their example of life they invite us to contemplate the holy humanity of Christ in which the holiness of the Father shines.
Raising our prayer to the Lord, with the words of the Preface we will attest that “your glory shines in the saints and their triumph celebrates the gift of your divine mercy”. It is important to understand this Christological and Trinitarian reference. While we remember the holiness of Mother Elisa, we are sent by her to look at the infinite holiness of God that shines in Christ Jesus. There are two fundamental characteristics that characterize the holiness of God: glory and mercy.
Glory means the uncreated beauty of God which is manifested in the created beauty of the humanity of Jesus and the humanity of the saints. Glory shows us everything beautiful we can know and see about God. What manifests itself and appears to our gaze. The rest remains shrouded in mystery. We cannot penetrate deeply into the innermost reality of God’s holiness. We can only glimpse something of the ineffable mystery of him and it is enough to fill us with awe. Looking at the humanity of Jesus, we see a harmony, an order and a balance that fascinates us.
Mercy is the manifestation of love. The Gospel passage recalls the words of Jesus that inspired Mother Elisa: “Whatever you did to the least of my brothers, you did to me” (Mt25.40). They are the fundamental words that guided the life and holiness of Mother Elisa and constitute the fundamental charism that must guide the path of her spiritual family.
The Preface also underlines that “comforted by her testimony, we face the good fight of faith”. As the Lenten season approaches, it is very appropriate to recall the agony dimension of Christian life. The ancient Christians defined the holy person as an “athlete”, someone who undertakes to carry out “spiritual exercises” in order to reach the prize. We are therefore called not only to contemplate, but to follow, imitate and live like Christ following the example left to us by Mother Elisa.
The battle of faith was a difficult undertaking in Mother Elisa’s time, and it is to a greater extent in our times. This is why I am rereading a passage from today’s Office of Readings. This is the final sentence of the circular letter sent in 1977 by Mother Elisa to her daughters. This seems like a very beautiful exhortation to me. «On this journey – she writes – we are not alone: with us is Jesus, who precedes us with his example and accompanies us with his grace».
The path of Christian life is always a community and ecclesial itinerary. The call to holiness is not a personal prerogative, but a universal vocation. I repeat this in a particular way to you, dear Daughters of Santa Maria di Leuca. Being part of a congregation means not only wearing the veil and the external habit, but above all living an internal bond, participating in the life of the community, feeling part of a brotherhood, being inspired by the same model of life, holding hands and doing the same together. same route.
You are not alone. There is Jesus who encourages you and walks with you. He – writes Mother Elisa – «precedes you with his example and accompanies you with his grace». It is a phrase of great spiritual richness. Meanwhile, Christ precedes you. In the document with which he began his ministry, Pope Francis states: «The “outgoing” Church is the community of missionary disciples who take the initiative, who involve themselves, who accompany, who bear fruit and celebrate. “Primerear – take the initiative”: please excuse me for this neologism. The evangelizing community experiences that the Lord took the initiative, preceded it in love (see 1 John 4:10), and for this reason it knows how to take the first step, knows how to take the initiative without fear, go towards , look for those who are far away and reach the crossroads of the streets to invite the excluded. He lives an inexhaustible desire to offer mercy, the fruit of having experienced the infinite mercy of the Father and his diffusive power”[1].
Jesus stands before us, walks before us and is already present where we should go. The Church moves driven by the Spirit to go where Christ has already arrived. We are called to evangelize, that is, to reach Christ where he is already present. Like the shepherd, he precedes his flock, gives an example with his life, traces the path and sets the footsteps of the journey. Dear sisters, it is Mother Elisa herself who invites us to follow Christ who is before you. That is, to take it as a model for your life.
He is the exemplary model to follow and the grace to concretely realize his following. It is not enough to know how we should live. It is also necessary to actually carry out the journey. Following Christ is the fruit of grace. The ascetic and mystical dimensions go together. We need to see Christ to contemplate him. But we also need his help to imitate him. Seeing the beauty of a successful life is not enough. We also need grace to reproduce the same image in our lives.
One is amazed when one thinks of the difficulties, the contradictions, the suffering that Mother Elisa had to face. Despite everything, she continued to walk against the current. Sometimes, she was opposed by her own sisters. However, you persevered in your wide-ranging mission, not only in our territory, but also elsewhere, in many other nations. All this is not just the result of human commitment. It is above all the work of grace. God precedes, accompanies and makes the lives of the saints bear fruit.
Celebrating the memory of Blessed Elisa this evening, we want to consider her life as a reflection of the holiness of Christ and welcome her charisma as the gift of grace that she left us. The Christocentric and Christological tone of her sanctity is the explanation of everything. Let us thank the Lord for having given us Mother Elisa and let us follow her in the example of life that she has shown us: to be a reflection of the glory and mercy of God.
