Comediographer Molière and false devotees

Celebration of Molière Year

France celebrates the Year Molière on the occasion of the fourth centenary of the birth of the great comediographer, on January 15, 1622.

He is a basic name in universal theater, an actor and author who was surprised by death in the middle of the performance of The Imaginary Sick Man. Molière is forever associated with the vivacity and joy of a comedy troupe, wandering by nature until a powerful person deigns to sponsor it or take it into his service, as happened to our author with Louis XIV.

But the passage of time has made Molière more of a stereotype than a real person.He has sometimes been presented as someone opposed to the established powers, in particular the Church, which supposedly forbade the burial of comedians on sacred ground.

No document confirms this statement and in the case of Molière it was not true either. In spite of everything, the easy recourse is to consider the author of Tartuffe as an anticlerical and libertine.. In reality, Molière limited himself in this play to criticizing the hypocrisy of false devotions..

However, trying to distinguish true from false devotions always carries risks: many unbelievers are usually not interested in making such a distinction, since it forces them to qualify their judgments, and some believers are too suspicious and stubbornly think that their way of understanding the faith is the only acceptable one. In reality, neither position has the sense of humor embodied by Molière's life and work.

Molière in Tartuffe

Molière y los falsos devotos - Artículos de Expertos - Francia — Molière (1622 - 1673) French-born comedian.

The marquises, the doctors, the mocked husbands, the pedantic "precious" women... had been the protagonists of Molière's satires, but they accepted these criticisms better than the religious hypocrites who fought to ban Tartuffe.

They did not want to admit, as the author states, that comedies have the purpose of correcting vices of the companyand that to love or not to love the stage is a matter of taste. Molière writes in his prologue to Tartuffe that there were fathers of the Church who liked the theater, and others did not.

To present a character almost always kneeling in the temple, between sighs and glances to the sky and the ground did not mean to attack religion. Highlighting the scrupulousness of someone who felt annoyed for having killed a flea by being distracted in prayer was not criticizing those who prayed.

Nor was it a sign of atheism to denounce the attitude of those who had improved their fortunes while exercising flattery and filling their lips with expressions about humility, grace and the goodness of heaven.

In addition, Molière in Tartuffe lambastes false humility, for he should be wary of those who consider themselves to be worthless and inwardly all sin and iniquity. But at the end of the comedy, Tartuffe, the hypocrite, will be unmasked because Orgon, his protector, hears him say what he really thinks.

Tartuffe is really only concerned with external scandal: "It is the scandal of this world that makes offense, and it is not a matter of sinning, but of sinning in silence.". It is an example of how the appearance of virtue can lead to the greatest vices.

It is no exaggeration to say that false virtue is usually related to a progressive loss of the sense of sin. False virtue is the daughter of lukewarmness.

Where there is no solid Christian virtue, the axis of the spiritual life is not the love of Christ, nor the love of God. ChristThe individual who seeks himself by wanting to earn his salvation with a repertoire of devotions.

Antonio R. Rubio PloDegree in History and Law. Writer and international analyst @blogculturayfe / @arubioplo

Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary

The sorrowful mysteries form, together with the joyful mysteriesThe Luminous Mysteries, the Luminous Mysteries and the Glorious Mysteries, the complete prayer of the Holy Rosary. These mysteries are prayed exclusively on Tuesdays and Fridays. Except during Lent, which are usually prayed also on Sundays.

They go through all the moments of the Passion of Our Lord. From his agony in the Garden of Olives to his death on the cross, with the palpable manifestation of all his love for mankind, and which are the origin of the mystery of our salvation.

For all these reasons, Pope St. John Paul II tells us in his encyclical letter Rosarium Virginis Mariaewhich the sorrowful mysteries guide the Christian to relive the death of Jesus, placing ourselves at the foot of the cross and at Mary's side, in order to understand with her the great love of God.

First sorrowful mystery: we contemplate The prayer of Jesus in the garden

And he said to his disciples: -Sit here, while I pray.

Gospel of St. Matthew 14:36-39:
Then Jesus went with them to a garden, called Gethsemane, and said to his disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray." And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to feel sadness and anguish. Then he said to them, "My soul is sorrowful to the point of death; remain here and watch with me." And he went forward a little, and fell on his face to the ground, and he prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me, yet not as I will, but as you will."

Unconditional acceptance of suffering "Not my will, but yours be done".

With our spirits stirred, we come back again and again to the image of Jesus praying, who in his anguish accepts the will of the Father and rejects the temptations of the devil.

Am I able, like Jesus, to reject temptations and wait patiently and lovingly for God's will to be done, just as Jesus did?

Lord Jesus, I ask that, when I falter in prayer, your example may encourage me even though what I had hoped for may not happen. Help me to accept Your will, not to fall asleep in the most important vigils of my life.

Second Sorrowful Mystery: we contemplate The Scourging of the Lord

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.

Gospel of St. Matthew 27:26.
Pilate released Barabbas; and Jesus, having had him scourged, he handed him over to be crucified.

Jesus was unjustly bound and scourged by sinners

This mystery brings to mind the merciless torture, of innumerable lashes on the holy and immaculate members of the Lord. The Virgin Mary, in pain, accompanies him during his suffering. Let us think with what concern, pain and bitterness many mothers suffer today the injustices, illnesses or problems that their children experience.

Lord Jesus, in the face of injustice, may love and peace reign in my heart. May I know how to endure the scourges of life and be able to forgive those who wield the whip. Help me to rise again and to persevere in the mission you have entrusted to me.

Third sorrowful mystery: we contemplate The crowning of thorns

And the soldiers put on his head a crown of thorns which they had plaited and clothed him with a purple robe.

Gospel of John 19:1-3
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged. And the soldiers put a crown of thorns which they had twisted together on his head and clothed him with a purple robe. And they came to him and said, "Hail, King of the Jews! And they slapped him.

Jesus, in chains, was subjected to mockery with the crown of thorns

Each thorn tore his skin, and the spilled blood prevented him from seeing, and yet he continued on his way to the Cross. -You and I, haven't we crowned him with thorns, and slapped him, and spat on him again? No more, Jesus, no more... And a firm and concrete resolution arises in our hearts.

Lord Jesus, may I be able to understand all my brothers and sisters and may my actions conform to your merciful love.

Fourth Sorrowful Mystery: we contemplate Jesus with the Cross on his shoulders

And, carrying the Cross, he went out to the place called the place of the Skull, in Hebrew Golgotha.

Gospel of St. Mark 15:21-22:
And they compelled one who was passing by, a certain Simon of Cyrene, returning from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. And they led him to the place of Golgotha, which means the place of the Skull.

Jesus carries the cross for all of us.

Jesus walked with the great weight of the Cross that bore all our sins, and his great love for us strengthened his every step.. In this mystery Jesus Christ represents the human race with his continuous walk along the path of life. Contemplating Jesus Christ ascending Calvary, we learn, with our hearts rather than with our minds, to embrace and kiss the cross, to carry it generously and joyfully.

Jesus carries the Cross for you: you carry it for Jesus.. But do not carry the Cross dragging .... Carry it plumb, because your Cross, thus borne, will not be just any Cross: it will be . the Holy Cross.

Lord Jesus, may we be humble in carrying our cross and when we falter may we turn to the consolation of our Heavenly Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Fifth Sorrowful Mystery: we contemplate the Death of Jesus on the Cross

There they crucified him with two others, one on either side of Jesus. Pilate had a title written and had it placed on the cross. It was written: "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.

Gospel of Luke 23:33-34:
When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified him and the two malefactors, one on the right and the other on the left. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do"... It was about noon when, the sun being eclipsed, there was darkness over the whole land until mid-afternoon. The veil of the sanctuary was torn in the middle, and Jesus, with a loud cry, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit," and, having said this, he breathed his last.

Jesus makes his great sacrifice of love for us all

Life and death represent the two extremes of Christ's sacrificeFrom his birth in Bethlehem, where he reveals himself to all men in his first appearance on earth, to the final sigh that gathers all the pains to sanctify us. And Mary is by the Cross, as she was by the Child of Bethlehem.

"What a great sacrifice of love You, Lord, have made for us! Detached from the earth, you gave everything you had, your Mother, your Spirit, and what do we do for you?".

Lord, I ask you to help me to be obedient to your commands and submissive to all the precepts of the Church you founded. Help me Lord to intensely desire "to be with you in Paradise..." to recognize your Sacrifice of the Cross as the greatest act of love that can exist in the world and to come to meet you since you are waiting for me with open arms.

Bibliography:

The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, St. Josemaría Escrivá.
Meditation of Pope John XXIII for the sorrowful mysteries.

60th anniversary of Vatican Council II

Living faith, mission and unity

In his homily, Pope Francis built his preaching around the words that Christ addressed to Peter in the Gospel: "Do you love me? (...) Feed my sheep". (Jn 21:15 and 17).

Living Faith: "Do you love me?"

First a look from above. This gaze corresponds to Jesus' question to Peter: "Do you love me? A question that the Lord always asks us and that he asks the Church. Far from pessimistic perspectives as well as humanly too optimistic perspectives, and without going into it, says the Pope in line with previous Popes:

"The Second Vatican Council was a great answer to that question. It was to rekindle her love for what the Church, for the first time in history, dedicated a council to questioning herself, to reflecting on her own nature and her own mission. And she rediscovered herself as a mystery of grace generated by love, she rediscovered herself as the People of God, the Body of Christ, the living temple of the Holy Spirit".

Indeed. And these are not pseudo-theological abstractions, but realities that belong to faith. And not to a theoretical faith but to a living faith, that is, the faith that works and lives by love (cf. Gal 5:6). And the Church is a "sacrament" (a sign and instrument) of God's love (cf. LG, 1).

And now it's our turn: "Let us ask ourselves -Francisco invites if in the Church we start from GodHis enamored gaze upon us. There is always the temptation to start from self rather than from God, to put our agendas before the Gospel, to let ourselves be carried away by the wind of worldliness to follow the fashions of the times or to refuse the time that Providence gives us to turn back".

He goes on to warn against two mistaken extremes: "Let us be vigilant: neither progressivism that adapts to the world, nor traditionalism or 'involutionism' that longs for a past world are proofs of love, but of infidelity. They are Pelagian selfishness, which puts one's own tastes and plans before those of others. to the love that pleases God, that simple, humble and faithful love that Jesus asked of Peter".

Francis invites us to rediscover the Council from God's love and from the essential saving mission of the Church, which she must fulfill with joy (cf. John XXIII, Allocution to the Council of Trent, "The Church's mission of salvation"). Gaudet Mater Ecclesia at the inauguration of the Second Vatican Council, October 11, 1962). A Church that knows how to overcome conflicts and controversies in order to bear witness to the love of God in Christ.

"We thank you, Lord, for the gift of the council. You who love us, deliver us from the presumption of self-sufficiency and the spirit of worldly criticism. Deliver us from self-exclusion from unity. You who feed us with tenderness, lead us out of the precincts of self-referentiality. You, who want us to be a united flock, deliver us from the diabolical deception of polarizations, of 'isms'. And we, your Church, with Peter and like Peter, say to you: "Lord, you know everything; you know that we love you" (cf. Jn 21:17).

Pope Francis.

The mission and unity: "feed my sheep".

The second lookThe Church's mission is to "shepherd" because she is a "pastoral people" at the service of salvation. She "shepherds" because she is a "pastoral people", at the service of salvation. This is how she is and she carries it out by relying on the work of her pastors, even if not exclusively, because the Church's mission calls for "organic cooperation" between pastors and faithful, each according to his or her condition and vocation, ministries and charisms. This is being rediscovered in the process of the current synod on synodality, which the Pope has extended until October 2024.

This gaze - the Pope continues - leads to "being in the world with others and without ever feeling ourselves above others, as servants of the Kingdom of God (cf. LG 5), and without clericalism".

The third look: is an overall view. Because it is a matter, Jesus tells Peter, of feeding "my sheep", all the sheep, the Pope observes, and not just some of them. For that would be to give in to polarization (to devote oneself to only part of the sheep). And, therefore, to tear the heart of the mother Church. Our outlook must be one that seeks unity, ecclesial communion, avoiding disunity and extremism.

Importance of unity: "All Church, all. The Lord does not want us like this, we are his sheep, his flock, and we are only together, united. Let us overcome polarization and defend communion, let us become more and more 'one'. (...) Let us leave aside the 'isms' - both progressivism and traditionalism - the people of God do not like this polarization. The people of God is the holy faithful people of God, this is the Church".

The Pope's message moves, therefore, in these coordinates: living faith, mission, unity.

In these days some articles have been and are being published that air what they consider to be the fundamental failure of the Council. One of them is by R. Douthat ("How Catholics became prisoners of Vatican II", New York Times, October 11, 2022). The author further argues that Vatican II was necessary and cannot be undone. Therefore, he concludes, there is no choice but to try to resolve the contradictions it bequeathed to us. Thus, the Catholicism that will one day overcome the Council "will continue to be marked by the unnecessary ruptures created by its attempt at necessary reform". A perspective that, it seems to me, does not exactly help to understand the reality of the Council, nor the present moment of the Church and its mission.

Mr. Ramiro Pellitero Iglesias
Professor of Pastoral Theology
Faculty of Theology
University of Navarra

Published in "Church and new evangelization".

Fratelli tutti: friendship and fraternity

These Christian convictions of Fratelli tutti are contained in the reference to the Second Vatican Council: "The joys and hopes, the sorrows and anxieties of the people of our time, especially the poor and those who suffer, are at once the joys and hopes, the sorrows and anxieties of Christ's disciples" (Gaudium et spes, 1).

Fratelli tutti a social encyclical

Therefore, it starts from a look at the world that "is more than an aseptic description of reality". Fratelli tutti st is an "attempt to seek a light in the midst of what we are living", a search open to dialogue and with the purpose of "proposing lines of action" (56).

The method is that proper to ethical and pastoral discernment, which seeks, as the word indicates, to distinguish the path of good for the good of the people. to channel, by overcoming the risks of unilateral polarization, personal actions in the context of society and cultures.

When dealing with fraternity and social friendship, in Fratelli tuttithe Pope declares that he stops at the universal dimension of fraternity. It is not in vain that one of the key points of the document is the rejection of individualism. "We are all brothers", members of the same human family, which comes from a single Creator, and which sails in the same boat..

. Globalization shows us the need to work together to promote the common good and care for life, dialogue and peace.

Fratelli tutti, on fraternity and social friendship is a social encyclical, written from "Christian convictions".

Fratelli tutti in a world marked by individualism

Although there is no lack of recognition of scientific-technological advances and of the efforts of many to do good - as we have seen on the occasion of the pandemic -, we are faced with the "the shadows of a closed world"(chapter 1): manipulations, injustices and selfishness, conflicts, fears and "culture of walls", xenophobia and contempt for the weak.

Dreams are broken, a common project is lacking and the difficulty in responding to personal and social crises is evident. "We are more alone than ever in this overcrowded world where individual interests prevail. and weakens the communitarian dimension of existence" (12).

All this manifests the "accentuation of many forms of individualism without contents"(13) and it is happening in the face of "an unacceptable international silence" (29). To overcome cynicism, to fill the void of meaning in life and to avoid violence, we need, says the Pope, "to recover the shared passion for a community of belonging and solidarity" (36).

Opening to the world from the heart to Fratelli tutti

How to respond to this situation? How to achieve a true openness to the world, that is to say, communication that makes us better and contribute to the betterment of society?

The gospel presents the figure of the good Samaritan (chapter 2: "A stranger on the road"). He makes it clear to us that "the existence of each of us is linked to that of others: life is not a passing time, but a time of encounter" (n. 66).

We are made for a fullness that can only be reached in loveIt is not an option to live indifferent to pain, we cannot let anyone remain 'on the sidelines of life'. This we should be outragedto the point of bringing us down from our serenity to altered by human suffering" (68).

In our lives there are always an opportunity to start living fraternity again. To answer the question "Who is my neighbor?", Jesus "does not invite us to ask ourselves who are those who are close to us, but rather to to become close to us, our neighbors" (80).

For this reason there is no excuse for slavery, closed nationalism and mistreatment. towards those who are different: "It is important that catechesis and preaching include in a more direct and clear way the social meaning of existence, the fraternal dimension of spirituality, the conviction about the inalienable dignity of each person and the motivations to love and welcome everyone" (86).

The opening is a key word in Fratelli tutti. For "thinking and creating an open world"(title of chapter 3), you need ".a heart open to the whole world"(chapter 4). One guarantee is the openness to transcendence, openness to Godthe opening to the Father of allGod is love, and he who abides in love abides in God" (1 Jn 4:16).

Declares Francis: "I was particularly encouraged by the Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, whom I met in Abu Dhabi to recall that God 'has created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity, and has called them to live together as brothers among themselves' (Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Common Coexistence, Abu Dhabi, 4-II-2019) (5).

For Christians, "faith fills with unheard-of motivations in recognition of the other, because the one who believes can come to recognize that God loves every human being with infinite love and that 'this confers on him an infinite dignity' (John Paul II, Message to the Disabled, November 16, 1980)" (85). Proof of this is that "Christ shed his blood for each and every one, so that no one remains outside his universal love" (Ibid.).

Truth and dignity

In the background of this universal dimension of human fraternity that the Pope wishes to promote is what is truly valuable, because not everything is worth the same: "A culture without universal values is not a true culture" (John Paul II, Discourse, December 2, 1987) (146). The truth is discovered with wisdomwhich involves the encounter with reality (cf. n. 47).

The truth does not impose or violently defend itselfbut opens up in love. Also the truth of human dignityThe inalienable dignity of every human person, regardless of origin, color or religion, and the supreme law of fraternal love" (39). At the same time, the relationship of love with truth protects it from being mere sentimentalism, individualism or humanism closed to transcendence (cf. 184),

Dialogue, encounter, search for peace

The real dialogue (see chapter 6: "Dialogue and social friendshipThe "negotiation") has nothing to do with mere negotiation in search of particular benefits: "...".Heroes of the future will be the ones who will be able to break this unhealthy logic and decide to hold with respect a word loaded with truthbeyond personal convenience. God willing, these heroes are silently brewing in the heart of our society" (202).

Nor does dialogue have anything to do with manipulated consensus or imposed relativism: "Dialogue has nothing to do with manipulated consensus or imposed relativism.There are no privileges or exceptions for anyone in the face of moral norms that prohibit intrinsic evil.. There is no difference between being the master of the world or the last of the wretched of the earth: before moral demands we are all absolutely equal" (John Paul II, Enc. Veritatis splendor, 96) (209).

It is necessary to look for a new culture that recovers kindness. To start again from truth, together with justice and mercy, and the craftsmanship of peace (see chapter 7: "Roads of reunion"). This is why war and the death penalty must be opposed. And religions are called upon to collaborate in the front line of this project (cf. chapter 8: "Religions, at the service of fraternity in the world"). It is not possible to silence God neither in society nor in the heart of man:

"When, in the name of an ideology, one wants to expel God from society, you end up worshipping idolsand immediately man is lost, his dignity is trampled upon, his rights violated" (274). Christians believe that in him we find the authentic source of human dignity and universal brotherhood (cf. 277).

Mr. Ramiro Pellitero IglesiasProfessor of Pastoral Theology at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Navarra.

Published in Church and new evangelization

Prayer in uncertain times

Because today there are so many situations of injustice, war and self-interested oblivion in many corners of the world. Let us listen to the plea for help from persecuted Christians in many countries, the poor, the sexually exploited children and abused women in countries where protests are systematically put down. Many are silenced by terrorism or economic interests. We cannot remain indifferent to the climatic disasters that leave many without resources, nor to the number of entire families who drown in silence with the unfulfilled dream of reaching Europe by sea. Today, the whole world is experiencing a situation of political, economic and cultural uncertainty that is disturbing. Also today we see thousands of elderly people alone, abandoned in the big cities of the whole planet. And without forgetting Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, up to a total of 57 armed conflicts, of which we do not speak.

As Christians we cannot leave in silence so many realities for which we must pray together. We want to be a united body that suffers and celebrates as a family. This is our way to Easter, and the sense of union, with Mary and Joseph, who already at the foot of so many crosses of history, visible and invisible, announces the morning of resurrection. "Like the soldier who stands guard, so must we stand at the door of God our Lord: and that is prayer". St. Josemaría, Fork 73.

To pray is to awaken and to set out on the way, in communion.

If Christianity," said John Paul II, "is to be distinguished in our time above all by the art of prayer, how can we not feel a renewed need to spend long periods in spiritual conversation, in silent adoration, in an attitude of love, before Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament? How often, my dear brothers and sisters, have I made this experience and found strength, consolation and support in it!

St. Josemaría defines it as necessary for the spiritual life. Prayer is the breath that allows the life of the spirit to develop, and actualizes faith in the presence of God and his love. This can sometimes be a glance at an image of the Lord or his Mother; sometimes a request, with words; sometimes the offering of good works, a rosary in familyWe can attend Holy Mass or embark on a pious novena.

"Praying is the way to stop all the evils from which we suffer". Forge, 76. no two times of prayer are the same. The Holy Spirit, source of continuous novelty, takes the initiative, acts and waits. "Fruit of the action of the Holy Spirit who, infusing and stimulating faith, hope and love, leads us to grow in the presence of God, until we know that we are at once on earth, where we live and work, and in heaven, present through grace in our own hearts". St. Josemaría, Conversations, 116.

There is a need for "true Christians, men and women of integrity, capable of facing with an open spirit the situations that life throws at them, of serving their fellow citizens and contributing to the solution of the great problems of humanity, of bearing witness to Christ wherever they find themselves later in society". It is Christ who passes, 28.

St. Josemaría Escrivá.

The antidote for uncertain times: prayer

Sometimes it seems that prayer, although important, can hardly stop something as big as armed conflict or social injustice. But it has already shown that it can prevent wars or, if they are already happening, minimize their effects or even put an end to them. An example of this situation happened with the apparitions at Fatima. When on May 13, 1917, in the midst of World War I, the apparitions took place at Fatima, The Virgin Mary asked: "Pray the Rosary every day to achieve peace in the world and an end to war".

God tirelessly calls each person to the mysterious encounter of prayer. God is the one who takes the initiative in prayer, placing in us the desire to seek him, to speak to him, to share our life with him. The person who prays, who is ready to listen to God and to speak to him, responds to this divine initiative. When we pray, that is, when we speak to God, the one who prays is the whole person. To designate the place from which prayer springs, the Bible sometimes speaks of the soul or the spirit, and more often of the heart (more than a thousand times): It is the heart that prays.

Therefore, "Prayer is not a matter of speaking or feeling, but of loving. And one loves by making an effort to try to say something to the Lord, even if nothing is said". St. Josemaría, Furrow, no. 464. We must awaken ourselves not to the terror of difficulties, but to the humble courage of those who unite, like the early Christians, to pray with the certain conviction that Jesus on the cross is the victor of history.

Because the God of our faith is not a distant being, who contemplates indifferently the fate of mankind. He is a Father who ardently loves his children, a Creator God who overflows with affection for his creatures. And he grants man the great privilege of being able to love, thus transcending the ephemeral and transitory. St. Josemaría, Speeches about the University.

We are all in the same fight

St. Paul says, if one part of the body suffers, we all suffer. As Christians we are against suffering, war, hopelessness and lack of freedoms. We stand with those who suffer, even if they do not make the news. "Current events often make it clear that we are outraged, but not awake; frightened, but not on our feet; angry, but not on our way; in solidarity with those far away, but not so attentive to those nearby; generous, but safe in our enclosures of comfort. To pray is to wake up to what we are not seeing and recognizing about ourselves, our family, community and country, in this crucial hour of the world and the Church. What would our prayer be like if we have enough to eat and to clothe, house and roof, and we see those caravans of mothers with their children passing by and we do not offer, I do not say what we need, but what we do not use and what is empty. We must open our hearts, welcome and receive Jesus who is asking for lodging.". Miguel Márquez Calle, G. Carmelita.

Pope Francis asks all Christians to pray "that those who suffer may find ways of life, allowing themselves to be touched by the Heart of Jesus".

For our prayer to be effective

Pope Francis tells us in his Catechesis on prayer that began on May 6, 2020. "In the face of all these difficulties we must not be discouraged, but continue to pray with humility and trust." Pope Francis.

Recollection against distractions

Prayer, like every fully personal act, requires attention and intention, awareness of God's presence and effective and sincere dialogue with Him. A condition for all this to be possible is recollection. This attitude is essential in the moments dedicated especially to prayer, cutting off other tasks and trying to avoid distractions. But it should not be limited to those times, but should extend to habitual recollection, which is identified with a faith and a love that, filling the heart, lead one to try to live all one's actions in reference to God, whether expressly or implicitly.

Hope against aridity

Many times we are down, that is to say that we have no feelings, we have no consolations, we can't go on any longer. They are those gray days..., and there are many of them in life! But the danger is in having a gray heart. When this "being down" reaches the heart and makes it ill..., and there are people who live with a gray heart. This is terrible: one cannot pray, one cannot feel consolation with a gray heart! Or one cannot carry on a spiritual aridity with a gray heart. The heart must be open and luminous, so that the light of the Lord may enter. And if it does not enter, it is necessary to wait for it with hope. But do not close it in the gray.

Perseverance against acedia

What is a real temptation against prayer and, more generally, against the Christian life.. Acedia is "a form of harshness or unpleasantness due to laziness, laxity of asceticism, carelessness of vigilance, negligence of the heart". CIC, 2733. It is one of the seven "deadly sins" because, fueled by presumption, it can lead to the death of the soul. In these moments, the importance of another of the qualities of prayer, perseverance, becomes evident.. The raison d'être of prayer is not the obtaining of benefits, nor the search for satisfactions, pleasures or consolations, but communion with God; hence the necessity and value of perseverance in prayer, which is always, with or without encouragement and joy, a living encounter with God. Catechism 2742-2745, 2746-2751.

Trust

Without a full trust in God and in his love, there will be no prayer, at least sincere prayer and capable of overcoming trials and difficulties. It is not only a matter of trusting that a particular request will be answered, but of the security that we have in the one we know loves us and understands us, and to whom we can therefore open our hearts without reserve. Catechism , 2734-2741.

Bibliography

- Opusdei.org.
-Catechesis of Pope Francis on prayer, 2020.
-Catechism of the Catholic Church.
- Carmelitaniscalzi.com.
-John Paul II, Litt. Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 2004.
-St. Josemaría, Discourses on the University. The commitment to truth (May 9, 1974).

Who is Blessed Álvaro del Portillo?

Beatification of Álvaro del Portillo: September 27th

To his beatification, more than 200,000 people from all over the world attended the event.. The ceremony was presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato. He was accompanied by Cardinal Antonio María Rouco, Archbishop Emeritus of Madrid and the former prelate of Opus Dei, Don Javier Echevarría. Seventeen cardinals and 170 bishops from around the world concelebrated at the same ceremony.

Cardinal Angelo Amato emphasized in his homily, Alvaro del Portillo's fidelity to the Gospel, to the Church and to the Pope. He explained: "he fled from all personalism, because he transmitted the truth of the Gospel, not his own opinions". And he emphasized that Don Alvaro, "stood out for his prudence and rectitude in evaluating events and people; justice in respecting the honor and freedom of others".

Pope Francis was present at the ceremony in a letter in which he painted this portrait of the new Blessed: "Especially outstanding was his love for the Church, the spouse of Christ, which he served with a heart stripped of worldly interests, far from discord, welcoming to all and always looking for the positive in others, what unites, what builds. She never complained or criticized, not even in particularly difficult moments, but, as she had learned from St. Josemaría, she always responded with prayer, forgiveness, understanding and sincere charity.

"The elevation to the altars of Alvaro del Portillo reminds us once again of the universal call to holiness proclaimed with great force by the Second Vatican Council. He also referred to "the joy of St. Josemaría Escrivá, seeing that this most faithful son of his has been proposed as an intercessor and example for all the faithful.

Bishop Javier Echevarría, on the occasion of the beatification of Don Álvaro del Portillo.

Life of don Álvaro del Portillo

His life is a great lesson for men today. St. Josemaría called him very early on "rock", saxuman appellation that defined him from a young age. Alvaro del Portillo was a faithful man, a tireless worker in the service of the Church and Opus Dei. He was a close collaborator of St. Josemaría and became his first successor at the head of Opus Dei in 1975, after the founder's death. He is an example that is close to everyone, despite living in circumstances different from his own.

He was born in Madrid into a large and devout family on March 11, 1914. He was a Doctor of Civil Engineering, Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Canon Law.

1935: joined Opus Dei

While studying engineering, he joined Opus Dei, an institution that had been founded seven years earlier. He received directly from St. Josemaría Escrivá the formation and spirit proper to that new path of the Church.. He developed an extensive work of evangelization among his fellow students and co-workers.

During the Spanish Civil War, he suffered greatly and nearly lost his life, but Don Alvaro rarely spoke of that period. One of those few occasions was in Cebu, at the end of 1987. And he did so to stress the need for love and promote peaceincidentally alluded to the persecution against the Church unleashed in Spain during the civil war: "I had not been involved in any political activity, and I was not a priest, nor a religious, nor a seminarian, but an engineering student; and they put me in jail, just for being from a Catholic family. At that time I wore glasses, and once one of the guards came up to me -they called him Petrof, a Russian name-, put a gun to my temple and said: you are a priest, because you wear glasses. He could have killed me at any moment. He didn't do it because God thought he could still give a lot of war to the devil, or that he was not worthy of Heaven. It was a tremendous thing. Since 1939, he carried out an intense apostolate in different cities of Spain that he promoted throughout his life.

1944: received priestly ordination

On June 25, 1944 he was ordained together with José María Hernández Garnica and José Luis Múzquiz: were the first three priests of Opus Dei, after the founder. Since then, devoted himself entirely to pastoral ministryin service to the members of Opus Dei and to all souls.

1946-1975: lived in Rome with St. Josemaria

He manifested his tireless service to the Church by dedicating himself to the numerous assignments of the Holy See as consultor to various Dicasteries of the Roman Curia. He actively participated in the Second Vatican Council. Between 1947 and 1950 promoted Christian formation activities and provided priestly care to numerous people. He contributed to the apostolic expansion of Opus Dei in different Italian cities.

In 1948, he obtained a doctorate in Canon Law at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas (Angelicum). In the same year, the Roman College of the Holy Cross was established in Rome as an international center of priestly formation.

In addition, Álvaro del Portillo was always at St. Josemaría's side, helping him in the tasks of evangelization and pastoral government of Opus Dei, and accompanied him on his many apostolic journeys. to countries in Europe and the Americas.

1975-1994: successor to St. Josemaría

On September 15, 1975, he was elected the first successor of St. Josemaría.. And on November 28, 1982, upon erecting the Work as a Personal Prelature, the Holy Father St. John Paul II named him Prelate of Opus Dei.

1991: received episcopal ordination

St. John Paul II conferred episcopal ordination on him. on January 6 of that year. All his work was characterized by fidelity to the Founder and his message and to the Church, and by tireless pastoral work to extend the apostolates of the Prelature in service to the Church.

Don Álvaro del Portillo He sought identification with Christ in a trusting abandonment to the will of God the Father, constantly nourished by prayer, the Eucharist and a tender devotion to the Blessed Virgin. His love for the Church was manifested by his deep communion with the Pope and the Bishops. His charity towards all, his untiring solicitude for his daughters and sons in Opus Dei, his humility, prudence and fortitude, his joy and simplicity, his forgetfulness of self and his ardent desire to win souls for Christ, also reflected in his episcopal motto - "I will never forget you," he said.Regnare Christum volumus!-Together with the kindness, serenity and good humor that radiated from his person, these are traits that make up the portrait of his soul.

1994: Road to Heaven

He died suddenly in the early hours of March 23, 1994, at the Prelature's headquarters in Rome, hours after returning from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where he had followed the earthly footsteps of Our Lord Jesus with intense piety. The previous morning he had celebrated his last Mass in the Upper Room in Jerusalem.

Prayer to Blessed Álvaro del Portillo. If you wish you can send here the account of the favors received by Blessed Alvaro del Portillo.

On the same day, March 23, St. John Paul II went to pray before His mortal remains, which now rest in the crypt of the Prelatic Church of Santa Maria della Pace in Rome. Continually accompanied by the prayers and affection of the faithful of Opus Dei and thousands of other people.

From the day of her death, many people began to ask for her intercession to obtain her favors from heaven. In addition, thousands of people testified about her love for the Church.

In 2004, ten years after his death, the process for his beatification and canonization was opened in Rome. After the intense analysis of all the documentation presented by the postulator for the Cause of the Saints, the process for his beatification and canonization was opened in Rome in 2004, On June 28, 2012, Bishop Álvaro del Portillo y Diez de Sollano was declared Venerable and was finally beatified on September 27, 2014. Her feast day is celebrated on May 12, the anniversary of her first communion.

Blessed Álvaro del Portillo

St. Josemaría Escrivá had a phrase from the Book of Proverbs carved on the door of Don Álvaro's office: Vir fidelis multum laudabitur. (The faithful man shall be highly praised).

His life is so powerful that it moves us to live faithfully our own vocation with the same joy that he showed to everyone.

Bibliography

Opusdei.org.