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(Letter from the Prelate: May 2013)

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

The month of May is a time rich in liturgical feasts and in anniversaries of the Work. We

want to spend it led by the hand of our Lady our Mother who always brings us to her on andthrough him and with him to the "oly pirit and to #od the $ather. We ask our Lady now to

accompany us very closely and to always obtain for us abundant graces to be docile to the

%araclete as she was and thus to resemble her on Jesus ever more and more.

&n the weeks since %ope $rancis' election we have seen an eagerness for interior renewalawoken in so many hearts with many people manifesting publicly the need to return or go more

fre(uently to the sacrament of %enance. Let us thank our Lord for these gifts by trying first of

all to take full advantage of them ourselves while also striving to help our relatives friends and

work or study companions to decide to undertake each day)as we ourselves have to do)a

*hristian life that is fully consistent with the faith we profess.

*ontinuing the e+position of the articles of the *reed let us go more deeply into the mystery

of the ,scension of our Lord. We believe that Jesus *hrist risen from the dead ascended into

heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father .- The solemnity that we celebrate this month )on Thursday the th or unday the -/th in places where the feast has been transferred)

should be for all of us a forceful reminder to stop and reflect on the 0oyful goal to which we are

called. This truth reminds us at the same time both of an historical fact and a salvific event. ,san historical fact the ,scension 1marks the definitive entrance of Jesus' humanity into #od's

heavenly domain whence he will come again although in the meantime it hides him from the

eyes of men.2/ 3ow he is found present in the 4ucharist in a sacramental manner5 but in his

natural being he is found only in heaven whence he will come at the end of time manifestinghis glory and ma0esty to 0udge everyone.

The 4vangelist who recounts this event in the greatest detail is t. Luke. ,t the beginning of

the book of the ,cts he writes that our Lord presented himself alive to them 6to the apostles andother disciples7 after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and

speaking of the kingdom of #od.8 "e also tells us that during one of his apparitions to the

,postles our Lord opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is

written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and thatrepentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning

from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.29

t. Josemara often considered these scenes in the family gatherings that he used to havewith large groups of people. ;n one occasion for e+ample he invited those listening to reflect

on our Lord after the <esurrection when 1he spoke about many things about everything his

disciples asked him. We are imitating that scene here at least a little bit since you and & are our

- <oman Missal 3icene=*onstantinopolitan *reed.

/ Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. >>?.

8 cts -:8.

9 !k /9:9>:9@.

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Lord's disciples and we want to e+change impressions.2? ,nd at another moment he added: 1"e

spoke to them as we are speaking here now. 4+actly the same! That is contemplation: conversing

with #od. ,nd contemplation and conversation with #od lead us to have Aeal for souls to ahunger to bring to *hrist those who have separated themselves from him.2>

But let us return to the moment of the ,scension when Jesus led them out as far as

"ethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. #hile he blessed them, he parted from them,and was carried up into heaven.C &n one of his recent audiences reflecting on this mystery %ope$rancis asked: 1What does this event meanD "ow does it affect our lifeD What does

contemplating Jesus seated at the right hand of the $ather meanD2@

;ur Lord in ascending to heaven was acting as "ead of the *hurch: he went to prepare for

us a place as he had promised. "e 1precedes us into the $ather's glorious kingdom so that wethe members of his Body may live in the hope of one day being with him for ever.2-E "owever

to enter with *hrist into his glory we have to follow in his footsteps. peaking of *hrist's

0ourney to Jerusalem for his final %asch where he was to consummate his redemptive sacrificethe %ope said: 1While he was Fgoing up' to the "oly *ity where his own Fe+odus' from this life

was to occur Jesus already saw the destination heaven but he knew well that the way which

would lead him to the glory of the $ather passed through the *ross through obedience to thedivine design of love for mankind . . . We too should be clear in our *hristian life that entering

the glory of #od demands daily fidelity to his will even when it demands sacrifice and

sometimes re(uires us to change our plans.2-- Let us never forget my daughters and sons that

there is no *hristianity without the *ross no true love without sacrifice and let us try toconform our daily life to this 0oyful reality because it means following in the footsteps of the

Master who is the #ay, the Truth and the !ife.-/

"ence the great feast of the ,scension invites us to e+amine if our adhesion to #od's will is

as it should be: without hindrances without attachments to our ego with full determinationrenewed every day to seek it to accept it and love it with all our strength. 1;ur Lord does not

disguise the fact that his wholehearted obedience to #od's will calls for renunciation andself=sacrifice. Love does not claim rights it seeks to serve. Jesus has led the way. "ow did heobeyD FGnto death death on a cross' H $hil /:@I. ou have to get out of yourself5 you have to

complicate your life losing it for love of #od and souls.2-8

acred cripture says that after the ,scension the apostles returned to Jerusalem with

great %oy, and were continually in the temple blessing &od .-9 , few days earlier when Jesusannounced that they would lose his physical presence they had been filled with sadness5 -? now

in contrast they were filled with 0oy. "ow can this change be e+plainedD Because with the eyes

of faith even before the visible arrival of the "oly pirit 1they understand that although he has

? t. Josemara 3otes from a family gathering ;ctober / -C/.

> t. Josemara 3otes from a family gathering 3ovember 8 -C/.C !k /9:?E=?-.

@ %ope $rancis ,ddress at a general audience ,pril -C /E-8. ee Jn -9:/=8.

-E Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. >>>.

-- %ope $rancis ,ddress at a general audience ,pril -C /E-8.

-/ Jn -9:>.

-8 t. Josemara Christ is $assing "y, no. -.

-9 !k /9:?/=?8.

-? ee Jn ->:>.

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been removed from their sight Jesus stays with them forever5 he does not abandon them and in

the glory of the $ather supports them guides them and intercedes for them.2->

Today too by faith we know that Jesus continues to be close to us and in us through gracewith the $ather and the "oly pirit and in the "oly 4ucharist. "e is our support and our

strength our older brother our most intimate friend who will never abandon us especially in

moments of tribulation or struggle. 1,s t. John says in his $irst Letter he is our ,dvocate: "ow beautiful it is to hear this! When someone is summoned by the 0udge or is involved in legal proceedings the first thing he does is to seek a lawyer to defend him. We have ;ne who always

defends us who defends us from the snares of the devil who defends us from ourselves and

from our sins! . . . Let us not be afraid to turn to him to ask forgiveness to ask for a blessing toask for mercy!2-C Ko we strive to keep #od present no matter what happensD Ko we welcome

his will for usD "ow intensely do we invoke himD

The certainty that the Master accompanies us is another conse(uence of the fact of the

,scension which fills us with peace and 0oy. , peace and a 0oy that we need to communicate toothers to all those around us and especially to those who are suffering Hperhaps without fully

realiAing itI because they are distant from #od. "ow forcefully t. Josemara stressed this when

writing about this feast: 1, great task awaits us. We cannot remain inactive because our Lord hastold us clearly FTrade till & come' H !k -:-8I. ,s long as we are awaiting the Lord's return when he

will come to take full possession of his kingdom we cannot afford to rela+. preading the kingdom

of #od isn't only an official task of those members of the *hurch who represent *hrist because they

have received sacred powers from him. Fou are also the body of *hrist' H' Cor -/:/CI says the,postle with a specific command to fulfill.2-@

This month dedicated to Mary in many countries has always been an especially apostolic

month in the Work. ;ur $ather taught us to make a pilgrimage to a shrine or church dedicated to

our Lady accompanied if possible by a friend or companion of ours. We all have the e+periencethat on returning afterwards to our daily life Hto our work to our familyI we take it up with a

new interior strength which our Mother obtains for us to direct our life or redirect it to her onJesus. & recall now our $ather's first pilgrimage to a Marian shrine Hto onsoles in ,vila:tomorrow is its anniversaryI and the unforgettable novena to ;ur Lady of #uadalupe in -CE

during which with so much faith he prayed for the *hurch for the %ope and for ;pus Kei. &

suggest that in doing the May pilgrimage this year we unite ourselves closely to the intentionsour $ounder continues to have in heaven.

&n the second half of the month on the -th the liturgy presents us with the solemnity of

%entecost5 and on the following unday the feast of the "oly Trinity. The %araclete now as in

the apostolic era and always in the life of the *hurch is the one who strengthens *hristians andgives them courage to announce Jesus everywhere. Meditate on what happened after the death of

tephen the first martyr. (n that day Hthe book of ,cts says succinctlyI a great persecution

arose against the church in Jerusalem) and they were all scattered throughout the region of Judea and *amaria, e+cept the apostles.- That persecution rather than slowing down the growth

of the *hurch led to its spread beyond the confines of Jerusalem5 the *hurch took root in new

places in new peoples including those who were not part of the people of &srael such as the

-> %ope $rancis ,ddress in a general audience ,pril -C /E-8.

-C bid.

-@ t. Josemara Christ is $assing "y no. -/-.

- cts @:-.

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amaritans. omething similar happened to t. %aul during his apostolic trips.

&n considering these events recorded in the readings for 4aster time we should ask

ourselves: Ko & give testimony to my faith in *hristD Ko & ask #od to increase in me thistheological virtue together with hope and charity especially in this ear of $aithD Ko &

decisively overcome the fear of what others may think and other impediments that hold me back

in my apostolic workD ,m & helped to be daring by the realiAation that the risen Jesus is walkingwith me on all the paths of my ordinary lifeD Ko & go fre(uently to the Tabernacle to ask forgreater piety in dealing with "im and with his Blessed MotherD Let us listen to the (uestions that

%ope $rancis asks us: 1ou & do we worship the LordD Ko we turn to #od only to ask him for

things to thank him or do we also turn to him to worship himD . . . Worshipping the Lord meansgiving him the place that he must have5 worshipping the Lord means stating believing)not only

by our words)that he alone truly guides our lives.2/E

This past month & made a (uick trip to Lebanon5 as always & counted on your help to spur

forward the apostolic work of the faithful of the %relature in that beloved country a crossroads inthe Middle 4ast. ,ccompanied by each and every one of you & prayed before our Lady of

Lebanon in the shrine of "arissa asking especially for peace in that whole region and in the rest

of the world. Let us go to our Lady without ceasing for all the needs of the *hurch and society.This is the attitude that our Mother teaches us on the feast of the isitation on the last day of this

month: fostering at every moment the disposition to serve others in every circumstances that may

arise as Mary served her cousin 4liAabeth.

%resent to our Lady my intentions: there is nothing selfish about this petition since includedthere)among many other concerns)is your daily faithfulness marked by 0oy by perseverance

by a hunger for personal holiness and apostolic Aeal. ,sk the Mother of the *hurch to obtain

from the Blessed Trinity for the entire *hurch and for this small 1portion2 of the *hurch that is

the %relature many priests fully dedicated to their ministry. 4ntrust to her in a special way thenew priests of the Work who will receive priestly ordination on the 9th of May so that they be

Has our $ather wantedI 1holy learned cheerful and with a sporting spirit in the spiritual field.2With all my affection & bless you

our $ather

Javier

<ome May - /E-8

/E %ope $rancis "omily in the Basilica of t. %aul ;utside the Walls ,pril -9 /E-8.

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