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May 19th. Thanksgiving Mass, Vistalegre Arena and words of Pope Francis at the “Regina Coeli”

The Prelate of Opus Dei, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz, presided over a Mass of Thanksgiving and encouraged those present to open themselves “more fully to the works that God wants to accomplish through each one of us.” In his homily, he referred to one of the letters written by Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri to St. Josemaría from Mexico in 1954, in which the new Blessed opened her heart to the founder of Opus Dei and expressed to him her desire to be holy.

“Wanting to be holy is the challenge that Guadalupe accepted for her life and that filled her with happiness,” the Prelate stressed. And to achieve this she did not have to do extraordinary things: “In the eyes of the people around her she was an ordinary person: concerned about her family, going from place to place, finishing one task and starting another, trying to correct her defects little by little.”

“Each saint is a work of God, a way of making himself present in our world, and ‘the most atttractive face of the Church.’” The beatification of Guadalupe—the first lay faithful of Opus Dei to be set forth by the Church as a model of sanctity—reminds all the Christian faithful of God’s call to be holy, as St. Josemaría preached since 1928 and which was one of the main teachings of the Second Vatican Council.

Guadalupe traveled widely to make that mission a reality, from Madrid to Bilbao, to Mexico, to Rome... And as with the first apostles, she had a lot of work and faced many difficulties, including the heart disease that robbed her of strength and eventually led to her death in 1975.

“We too will face difficulties along our path: moments of fatigue, physical pain, misunderstandings... In these moments, we can remember the attitude of the saints, seeking in our relationship with Jesus the way to encourage, console and do good to those around us.”

The Prelate encouraged those present to let our Lord transform them in order to continue “writing the true history of our world,” the history of the saints.

Before the ceremony, a niece of the new Blessed who is named after her, Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri, gave thanks on behalf of the family. “We are moved and very grateful. How many people have devotion to our beloved aunt,” she said with deep emotion. She recalled that for the family “aunt Guadalupe” was always exceptional, and thanked the Holy Father, St. Josemaría, Cardinal Angelo Becciu and the Prelate of Opus Dei, Fernando Ocáriz.

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Words of Pope Francis about the beatification of Guadalupe, St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican

My dear brothers and sisters!

Yesterday in Madrid, María Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri, a lay faithful of Opus Dei who gladly served her brothers and sisters by teaching and proclaiming the Gospel, was beatified. Her witness is an example for Christian women engaged in social activities and in scientific research. Let’s give a round of applause to the newBblessed, all together!

Romana, n. 68, January-June 2019, p. 24-26.

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