On November 5, the Society of Jesus celebrates the feast of all its saints, and on November 6, its deceased members. Other religious institutes do the same during these days, close to 1 and 2 November, when the Church commemorates them. It is usually within these dates (1 and 2 November) that we can group together all the saints recognized by the Church throughout the year.

Currently, there are 53 saints (34 of them martyrs) and 158 blessed ones (149 of them martyrs) among the Jesuits. In addition, there are 15 venerable servants of God on the path to sainthood. The journey to “official” sainthood is usually slow, mostly because the Church wants to be sure of them.

Saints are people who have understood well what the Kingdom is all about. Martyrs are quickly recognized because, since the beginning of the Church, they have been the ones who most resembled Christ in their dedication. If the Society of Jesus has a considerable number of martyrs, it is because it has been present in places where death was not unlikely, and it has wanted to remain in these places despite all the risks. Service to the people, their evangelization, and witness to Christ have outweighed fear and have been well worth it. Even today, we continue to follow in their footsteps in situations of conflict not so distant in time, in many countries, across all continents.

The latest and upcoming beatifications of Jesuits are precisely about martyrs: on 6 September it was that of the German Eduard Profittlich, deported from Estonia to Russia and died in 1942. The next, on 13 December, will be that of the Frenchman Victor Dillard, who died in the Dachau concentration camp (Germany) in 1945. Once it has been proven that they died for their faith, they are beatified, and their public cult begins.

Of course, before this public cult, people would have been devoutly attracted to them, drawn by their example. The same is true of those who die – as it is traditionally said – “in the odour of sanctity”; that is, after living a life so rich in Christian attitudes and behaviours that it stood out as soon as you saw them. This is what is meant by the “heroic virtues” sought in future saints and blessed ones: that, in the various facets of their behaviour, their faith, hope, charity, patience, justice, fortitude, and temperance... were evidently and strongly rooted, a love that overflowed toward God and others.

In cases where there has been no violent death, the Church asks that, in some way, “the finger of God” be shown – as the last popes have repeatedly expressed – pointing to and confirming this person as his intercessor with mankind. This, in fact, is the miracle required for beatification, with a second one for canonization. With this, the new blessed or saint becomes a suitable bridge for following Christ. And, since we are all different, the Church proposes different models whose knowledge and inspiration pave the way for us to love more and better.

This is what the Jesuits celebrate on this day. Learning about the details of these men’s lives, the crossroads they encountered, the decisions they made, and even their own frailties is a great help in looking at ourselves and outwardly and walking better. These saints, through their lives, do not speak of distant times, but of current situations close to us in which, with the help of God’s grace, they chose to remain and take a stand.