In his Apostolic Letter "Porta Fidei" the Holy Father says: " The renewal of the Church is also achieved through the witness offered by the lives of believers: by their very existence in the world, Christians are called to radiate the word of truth that the Lord Jesus has left us."

We can see this in the life of St. Paul of the Cross, whom the Church celebrates today. The world wasn't too much different - the Church was sorely oppressed and needed the examples of saints. This is precisely what St. Paul of the Cross set out to do. And his model was Jesus in His Passion. He founded the Congregation of the Passion to preach and spread devotion to Our Lord's Passion. Yet he had to wait patiently for 30 years before it was officially approved. It was the same with the Sisters. He knew the young nun whom Our Lord wished to use for this purpose but it was only after his death that the Sisters were founded. What an example for us - to perservere no matter how dark things look, to never lose hope.