Today is July 4, the optional memorial of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati.
We hear Our Lord say at today’s Mass, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners” (Mt 9:12-13).
Today is the feast of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati! And it’s the last time we’ll observe his feast as a blessed.
I think it’s beautifully fitting that today’s Beatitude, in our ongoing devotional on Pier Giorgio’s life, is this: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
This describes Pier Giorgio’s life with stunning precision. His deep Catholic faith led him not only to personal holiness but also to Catholic action — concrete work for justice, especially on behalf of the working class. His political engagement wasn’t fueled by ideology or resentment — it was animated by love, by a profound desire for righteousness rooted in the Gospel.
The source of mercy
In a letter to Catholic students in Bonn, dated January 12, 1923 — just a few years after the devastation of World War I — he wrote, “Governments today are not heeding the Pope’s warning: ‘True peace is more a fruit of Christian love for one’s neighbor than it is a fruit of justice.’ … Peace cannot return to the world without God.”
That last line — “peace cannot return to the world without God” — should stop us in our tracks. In an era of political turmoil, Pier Giorgio called for a return to faith as the basis of peace. Not simply systems, structures or legislation — but love. Charity as the foundation of justice.
And so today, as we celebrate our country’s freedom, we’re reminded that the true task of freedom is love. The highest aim of any just society is not merely order but mercy. And the source of mercy is God.
Let’s allow Pier Giorgio to challenge us. Do we hunger and thirst for righteousness — not just in our words or votes — but in the way we live and serve? Is love our starting point? Do we see our faith as a contribution to the peace our world so desperately needs?
Let us pray,
God of justice, Father of truth, who guide creation in wisdom and goodness to fulfillment in Christ your Son, open our hearts to the truth of his Gospel, that your peace may rule in our hearts and your justice guide our lives. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
