Romana

As recounted in the first reading (Num 8:2), the priest Ezra brought the book of the Law of God before the assembly of men, women, and all those who were able to understand it, and after reading several parts, he explained its meaning to them.

For 60 years, every day, and especially on the first day of each week (Sunday), the encounter between God’s children and his Word has been renewed in this holy temple.

The Word of God, which reaches the hearts of all, young and old, if we allow it to, opens our minds so that we can read God’s plan for our lives.

Just as this church was built on solid foundations and has remained physically intact over the years (even becoming more welcoming, thanks also to the splendid work of art of the stained-glass windows), so too the community of Casalbruciato, with its pastors and faithful, has grown and become a sure point of reference for many persons and families who have also benefited from the countless services offered by the Elis Center.

In this regard, St. Paul reminded us in the second reading (1 Cor 3:16) that each of us is, and is called to be, thanks to the baptism we have received, a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in us.

In the Gospel, we heard the example of Zacchaeus, a rich and powerful man who feels the need to meet Jesus. He realizes that he is too short to see him, but he is willing to climb a tree, without fear of looking ridiculous.

In this way, he is able to meet Jesus, who passes by and says to him, “Today I must stay at your house.” With this encounter, a new life begins for him.

We too can put ourselves in a position to meet Jesus, who passes through our lives as well, through the streets of our parish and the diverse activities of Elis. Jesus calls us to work in this part of the Church and in this workshop of God, wisely shaping us according to his plans for salvation (cf. Leo XIV, Homily, November 9, 2025).

It might be useful to pause and consider these long years of the history of Elis, as one often does in a good family: without haste, reviewing like in a movie the images of so many young and old, single and married persons, who have come and gone over time and entrusted their professional work, willingly and out of love, to this great undertaking in the Casalbruciato neighborhood.

St. Josemaría stressed that “the ordinary life of a Christian who has faith, when he works or rests, when he prays or when he sleeps, at all times, is a life in which God is always present” (Meditation, March 3, 1954). In other words, we cannot consider that our Christian life is reduced to the witness of some practices of piety. “You and I are Christians but at the same time, and without any break in continuity, we are citizens and workers with clear obligations, which we have to fulfil in an exemplary manner if we really want to become saints” (Friends of God, no. 61).

St. Josemaría also said: “Professional work, whatever it is, becomes a lamp to enlighten your colleagues and friends. That is why I usually tell those who become members of Opus Dei, and the same applies to all of you now listening to me: ‘What use is it telling me that so and so is a good son of mine — a good Christian — but a bad shoemaker?’ If he doesn’t try to learn his trade well, or doesn’t give his full attention to it, he won't be able to sanctify it or offer it to our Lord. The sanctification of ordinary work is, as it were, the hinge of true spirituality for people who, like us, have decided to come close to God while being at the same time fully involved in temporal affairs” (ibid.).

We can ask our Lord to help us discover, at every moment, the divine meaning that transforms our professional vocation into the hinge on which our call to holiness rests and revolves. Let us remember in this regard that Christ our Lord, true God and true man, was also recognized by his contemporaries as the craftsman, the son of Mary, thus eloquently pointing out to each of us the value of our hidden and silent work.

St. Josemaría, the saint of the ordinary, as St. John Paul II called him, presents us with a challenge that is always relevant: our work needs to be personal prayer; it needs to be transformed into a beautiful conversation with our heavenly Father. On one occasion, many years ago, during the Spanish Civil War, while in the city of Burgos with some young men, he gave them an example inspired by the beautiful cathedral of that city. He himself recounted it in these words: “I used to enjoy climbing up the cathedral towers to get a close view of the ornamentation at the top, a veritable lacework of stone that must have been the result of very patient and laborious craftsmanship. As I chatted with the young men who accompanied me I used to point out that none of the beauty of this work could be seen from below. To give them a material lesson in what I had been previously explaining to them, I would say: ‘This is God's work, this is working for God! To finish your personal work perfectly, with all the beauty and exquisite refinement of this tracery stonework.’ Seeing it, my companions would understand that all the work we had seen was a prayer, a loving dialogue with God. The men who spent their energies there were quite aware that no one at street level could appreciate their efforts. Their work was for God alone. Now do you see how our professional work can bring us close to our Lord? Do your job as those medieval stonemasons did theirs, and your work too will be operatio Dei, a human work with a divine substance and finish” (Friends of God, no. 65).

St. Josemaría, who was present during St. Paul VI’s visit to Elis on that memorable November 21, 1965, asked the Pope to bless the image of Our Lady of Fair Love, destined to preside over the campus of the University of Navarra.

We too gladly entrust to Our Lady of Fair Love this undertaking (Elis and the parish of San Giovanni Battista al Collatino) that our Lord has wanted, that our Lord has allowed to develop over these years of constant and silent work. And we thank God for the many gifts he has granted us through his mercy.