In Rome this year, the summer of St. Martin was particularly hot. Perhaps this is to make more evident to all the need for a common effort to combat climate change: the truth is that during the days around November 11 in the capital of Christianity the temperature reached 20 degrees, equaling the historical records of 1978 and 2005.
The meteorological phenomenon prompted me to revisit the history of the traditional miraculous event and, consequently, the figure of a saint who, for centuries, has been acclaimed as one of the most popularly devoted, being "the first" - or among the first - "non-martyr saints". That his figure shines with a special light is shown by the office composed for his feast. There it is emphasized that in order to be "martyr", o "saint"It is not necessary to make a bloody sacrifice of one's own life. "Most holy soul"as it is written in the Antiphon of the Magnificat of his memory, "although the sword has not reached you, you have not lost the glory of martyrdom". His life took place in the years around the Edict of Constantine and this liturgical emphasis is very important.
It is especially important for those who hold the idea that holiness concerns all Christians, even those of ordinary life, even those who have no possibility of dying as martyrs. Even those who today are called to be saints and to put into practice the many gestures of daily life, which the encyclical Laudato Si (LS) presents as virtuous practices worthy of being promoted because they are oriented to the care of the common home. To cite a few examples, I can mention the invitation to be more careful in the recycling of paper (LS, n. 22), not to waste a precious good such as water (LS, n. 27), not to overcook and not to throw away food (LS, n. 50), not to abuse the environment (LS, n. 50), nor the use of the environment (LS, n. 50). 50), not to abuse the environment (LS, n. 50), not to abuse the use of air conditioners (LS, n. 55), to pay attention to selective waste collection (LS, n. 192), to reduce the use of plastic materials, to plant trees, to turn off unnecessary lights (LS, n. 211), etc.
Alongside these gestures there are also other examples that have a broader social dimension, since they affect the world of business and research (LS, n. 112) or urban communities, such as the improvement of the public transport system to reduce the use of private cars (LS, n. 153). In short, with his particularly hot summer, perhaps this year St. Martin wanted to encourage us to be saints, not by the sword, but by our commitment to care for our common home.
