Romana

My dear children: may Jesus watch over my daughters and sons for me!

I give great thanks to God for the days I have spent in Mexico. Once again, I have seen, through the love and care of so many people, that the Work is a true family.

Before Our Lady of Guadalupe, I remembered and tried to make my own Saint Josemaría’s words to our Lady, also on his trip to Mexico: “Now I tell you with my heart enkindled: monstra te esse Matrem! – “show us that you are our Mother!” And he continued: “If a small child asked his mother this, we can be sure that no mother would fail to be moved.” This is how we approach our dialogue with our Lord and our Lady: with the trust and naturalness of children.

We are certain that Jesus and his Mother are ready to receive our prayer at any time. Therefore, I encourage you to abandon in their hands the needs of the world and of the Church. Perhaps you remember that Don Javier recounted how, on one occasion, Saint Josemaría asked him: “Are you praying now, my son?” And, without waiting for an answer, he added: “I never stop.”

Let us never stop praying – often without words – with a faith that brings with it “a hope that does not disappoint” (cf. Rom 5:5). As the Pope says: “Even if the sky grows dark, a Christian doesn’t stop praying. Prayer goes hand in hand with faith.” When we fail to see the immediate fruit of our prayer, let us continue to turn to our Lord, with perseverance, secure in the love that God has for us (cf. 1 Jn 4:16).

I especially ask you to pray for the twenty-five new deacons of the Prelature who will be ordained tomorrow in Rome.

Rome, November 18, 2022