AS MANY seek the height of success, comfort and recognition, Catholics must emulate St. Pier Giorgio Frassati by descending into the pain and discomfort of others, Manila Archbishop Cardinal Jose Advincula said.
Advincula called on Catholics to allow their prayer and participation in the Eucharist to bear fruit in mercy, solidarity and concrete acts of charity. He warned that authentic encounters with God become hollow if they fail to lead believers toward those who suffer.
“The Gospel never allows us to stay comfortably on the mountaintop. Every authentic encounter with God sends us back into the valleys of human suffering,” he said during the feast of St. Pier Giorgio Frassati on July 4.
Drawing from the Gospel, the prelate explained that Jesus’ decision to proclaim the Beatitudes from a mountain revealed that true encounters with God are meant to transform hearts before sending believers back to the world.
The mountain, he said, is not merely a place of prayer, but a place where Christians learn to see others through God’s eyes, become merciful, poor in spirit, pure of heart and hungry for righteousness.
“The only way to ascend to God is by humility,” he said, emphasizing that every ascent toward God is, in reality, an act of lowering oneself in humility, allowing the Lord to purify the heart and bestow His grace,” Advincula said.
Citing the life of Frassati, Advincula said the young saint embodied the Beatitudes by allowing every encounter with God to lead him toward those who suffered.
While every climb drew Frassati closer to the Creator through prayer and contemplation, the archbishop said the young saint understood that every ascent must be followed by a descent.
He explained that for Frassati, every ascent was followed by a descent into the streets of Turin, where he visited the sick, accompanied the lonely, delivered food and medicine to poor families and spent his own allowance to help those living in poverty.
Advincula said Frassati’s love for the mountains never became an escape from the world. Rather, every encounter with God strengthened his desire to descend into the lives of the poor, where he recognized Christ in those who suffered.
“To the heights with God, to the depths with our brothers and sisters,” he said, describing it as the rhythm that defined Frassati’s spirituality.
The saint’s witnessing was rooted in the Beatitudes, which transformed both his spiritual life and his service to others, he added.
“He was poor in spirit because he trusted God more than wealth. He was merciful because he saw Christ in those who suffered. He was pure of heart because his love was undivided. He hungered and thirsted for righteousness because he believed that every person possesses an inviolable dignity,” the Manila archbishop said.
The prelate also reminded Catholics that prayer, the Eucharist and the sacraments are not ends in themselves, but encounters that should transform Christians into instruments of mercy.
“If our prayer does not make us more compassionate, then perhaps we have not truly met the Lord. If our Eucharistic communion does not open our eyes to those who hunger, then we have not truly become one with the Bread of Life,” he said.
“If our holiness separates us from the people instead of drawing us closer to them, then it is not the holiness of Jesus.”
Advincula said Frassati ultimately reflected Christ Himself, who did not remain distant from humanity’s suffering but chose to enter it.
“Many people avoid descending into the pain of others because it is inconvenient, demanding and uncomfortable. Yet Christ himself descended from heaven, entered our poverty, carried our cross, and lifted us into the Father’s embrace,” he said.
The archbishop encouraged the youth to make prayer, the Eucharist and the Beatitudes the foundation of their daily lives and allow every encounter with God to lead them toward loving service of their brothers and sisters.
“The true summit of the Christian life is not that we stand above others, but when, having encountered God, we bend down in love to lift others up,” he said.
The Holy Mass marked the first liturgical observance of the feast of St. Pier Giorgio Frassati following his inclusion in the General Roman Calendar. Priests, deacons, religious and lay faithful gathered in thanksgiving for the young saint, whose witness continues to inspire Catholics, especially the youth.
Frassati, an Italian philanthropist, activist and mountaineer, died of polio in 1925 at the age of 24. Known as the “Saint of the Beatitudes” because of his charitable works, Frassati is the patron saint of the UST Senior High School. F
