Today we need more than ever a heroism of faith, hope, trust and love. The gift of heroism was particularly evident in the life of Mary. Indeed all the saints are people marked out by great achievements. Heroism means that we want to understand holiness and live holiness with more love, and that our love is a warm love. We also want to be more firm with ourselves and try and fulfil our resolutions more sincerely.

Not one of us should leave this earth without leaving a big space behind. We have to “declare war” on every kind of mediocrity in our spiritual or moral lives. Heroism means that we start to take seriously what we have heard and now know. Heroism means that we don’t wait until tomorrow. We realise how important “today” is. It requires bravery and courage, since we have to face others as well as our own selves in our struggles. This is how the martyrs lived; but in the end the love of Christ gave them their hope.