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(Letter from the Prelate: September 2013)

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

I am writing to you from Germany, after the trip I made through several countries of South

America. here I had the oy of "eing with so many sisters and "rothers of yours and with manyother people who share in the spirit of the #or$. %et us give than$s to &eaven "ecause we have

e'perienced, also during #orld (outh )ay, as *enedict +I said, that the -hurch is and always

will "e youthful and "eautiful. And ust as you accompanied me spiritually during those wee$s,continue doing so now, so that the apostolic fruit may "e very a"undant.

)uring recent months we have "een considering the -hurchs "eauty, reflecting on the notes

that distinguish her and that we profess in the -reed. *y *aptism, we were introduced into

-hrists sheepfold, and made sheep of his floc$. he Good Shepherd continues watching overeach one of us, especially with the grace that he pours into us through the other sacraments,

a"ove all in the /ucharist, which identifies us ever more closely with -hrist and ma$es us activemem"ers of his Mystical *ody, living stones of the spiritual emple animated "y the 0araclete.And also in 0enance, where our %ord pardons our sins and grants us renewed strength to win out

in the spiritual struggle.

It gives me oy to consider this reality as we draw close to the feast of the *irth of our %ady,

on the 1th. In Mary we see fully reali2ed the ideal to which we have all "een called. 3ight fromher Immaculate -onception, our %ady4immune from all sin and filled with grace4is the

specially "eloved daughter of God the 5ather, the living emple of the &oly Spirit, predestined

to "e the Mother of the #ord Incarnate. %et us prepare for this feast with filial affection,congratulating our %ady and "ringing her4as the good children of hers that we want to "e4the

gift of our filial love and our undisputed faithfulness to her Son Jesus. %et us try to stay very

close to her during the other Marian feasts we will cele"rate this month, and always.

I would also li$e to draw our attention to the feasts we will cele"rate in the middle of thismonth: the /'altation of the &oly -ross, on the 67th, and the following day, the liturgical

memorial of our %ady at the foot of the -ross, which is also the anniversary of the election of our

"eloved )on Alvaro, the first successor of our 5ather at the head of 8pus )ei.

hese dates are intimately connected to the -hurch. he -hurch receives her salvificstrength from -hrists open side on the -ross, with the colla"oration of his Mother, the new Evewho, "y Gods plan, cooperated with -hrist, the new Adam, in humanitys redemption. hus at

the conclusion of one of the sessions of the Second atican -ouncil, 0ope 0aul I proclaimed

Mary Mother of the Church, 9that is to say Mother of all the 0eople of God, of the faithful as

well as of the pastors, who call her their most loving Mother. And we wish that she should "ehonored and invo$ed "y the entire -hristian people "y this very pleasing title.6 It isnt easy to

descri"e how great was our 5athers oy in invo$ing our %ady with that title, which he hadalready "een using in his private prayer.

In Mary all the essential characteristics of the -hurch shine forth with the greatest splendor:

intimate unity with God and with man$ind; eminent holiness; the catholicity "y which her heart

6 0ope 0aul I, Address at closing of the hird Session of the Second atican -ouncil, <ovem"er =6, 6>?7, no. =@.

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is open to all her childrens needs; and also apostolicity. )uring these wee$s, it fills me with oy

to remind you of this note, "y which we confess that the -hurch 9is "uilt on a lasting foundation:

the twelve apostles of the %am" B Rev =6:67C. She is indestructi"le Bsee Mt 6?:61C. She is upheldinfalli"ly in the truth: -hrist governs her through 0eter and the other apostles, who are present in

their successors, the 0ope and the college of "ishops.=

his aspect of the -hurch shines forth "rightly in our %ady. 5or it was Mary who, at -ana ofGalilee, made it easier for the Masters first disciples to have faith in him, preparing them for thecall to the apostolate they would later receive.D And from the -ross Jesus addressed his Mother,

entrusting to her the care of the "eloved apostle and, in him, of all the disciples. 7 &oly Mary,

faithful to this commission, $ept the apostles united while waiting for 0entecost. @ It is moving tosee how closely she followed their initial steps in the first evangeli2ation, after the coming of the

0araclete, as testimonies from the early -hurch tell us. 98ur %ady not only encouraged the holy

apostles and the other faithful to "e patient and strong in all their trials; she shared with them intheir fatigue, sustained them in their preaching, and was in spiritual union with the %ords

disciples in their privations and ordeals, in their imprisonment.? <ow from heaven, and with

even greater effectiveness, she continues urging forward the -hurchs apostolate all over the

world; she strengthens the pastors and faithful so that, each in accord with the gifts and gracesreceived, all may give witness to Jesus -hrist and "ring his name, li$e St. 0aul, to the gentiles,

and kings and the sons of Israel ,E to the environment where their human and divine vocation has

placed them.

he Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us: 9the whole -hurch is apostolic, in thatshe remains, through the successors of St. 0eter and the other apostles, in communion of faith

and life with her origin: and in that she is sent out into the whole world. All mem"ers of the

-hurch share in this mission, though in various ways.1 So no one should thin$ that the missionreceived "y the welve "efore -hrists ascension to heaven is meant only for the sacred

ministers. 9In the -hurch there is a diversity of ministries, "ut there is only one aim: the

sanctification of men. And in this tas$ all -hristians participate in some way, through thecharacter imprinted "y the sacraments of "aptism and confirmation. #e must all feel responsi"le

for the mission of the -hurch, which is the mission of -hrist. &e who does not have 2eal for the

salvation of souls, he who does not strive with all his strength to ma$e the name and doctrine of-hrist $nown and loved, will not understand the apostolicity of the -hurch.>

In his first months as universal 0astor, 0ope 5rancis has not tired of reminding all -atholics

of this oyful mission. In one way or another he invites us to as$ ourselves: 9&ow do we live our

"eing -hurchF Are we living stones or are we, as it were, stones that are weary, "ored orindifferentF &ave you ever noticed how grim it is to see a tired, "ored and indifferent -hristianF

A -hristian li$e that is all wrong. -hristians must "e alive, reoicing in "eing -hristian; he or she

must live this "eauty of "elonging to the 0eople of God which is the -hurch. )o we open

= Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1?>.

D See Jn =:66; Mk D:6D6@.

7 See Jn 6>:=?=E.

@ See Acts 6:6=67.

? St. Ma'imus the -onfessor, Life of Mary III, >E.

E Acts >:6@.

1 Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1?D.

> St. JosemarHa, &omily Loyalty to the Church, June 7, 6>E=.

=



ourselves to the action of the &oly Spirit . . . or do we withdraw into ourselves, saying; I have so

much to do, it isnt my o"!F6 And recently, in concluding the #orld (outh )ay in 3io de

Janeiro, he addressed the same call with special insistence to young people when he summed uphis message in three clear ideas: 9Go, do not "e afraid, and serve. And he continued: 9-areful,

though! Jesus did not say: go, if you would li$e to, if you have the time, "ut he said: Go and

ma$e disciples of all nations. Sharing the e'perience of faith, "earing witness to the faith, proclaiming the Gospel: this is a command that the %ord entrusts to the whole -hurch, and that

includes you; "ut it is a command that is "orn not from a desire for domination, from the desire

for power, "ut from the force of love, from the fact that Jesus first came into our midst and . . .gave us the whole of himself, he gave his life in order to save us.66

A lu$ewarm -hristian, a passive -hristian, 9has failed to understand what -hrist wants from

all of us. A -hristian who goes his own way, unconcerned a"out the salvation of others, does not

love with the heart of Jesus. Apostolate is not a mission reserved for the hierarchy, priests andreligious. he %ord calls all of us to "e, with our e'ample and word, instruments of the stream of

grace which springs up to eternal life.6= his was St. JosemarHas teaching right from the first

moments of 8pus )eis founding, as a most important part of the mission he had received from

God in the -hurch. &is message, valid for everyone, was directed more specifically to ordinary-atholics, to the women and men who, "y divine vocation, live in the midst of earthly realities,

striving to turn them into means for spreading the ingdom of God. “*ear in mind, son, he

wrote as early as the 6>Ds, 9that you are not ust a soul who has oined other souls in order todo a good thing. hat is a lot, "ut itKs still little. (ou are the Apostle who is carrying out an

imperative command from -hrist.6D

wo main conditions are reLuired if the participation "y the faithful in the -hurchs

apostolic mission is to "ear fruit: docility to the inspirations of the 0araclete and close union withthe 0ope and the "ishops in communion with the Apostolic See. he two are indispensa"le.

he &oly Spirit, as 0aul I said, is 9the principal agent of evangeli2ation,67 the inspirer of

apostolate in our personal life and in that of everyone in the -hurch. o evangeli2e is 9the graceand vocation proper to the -hurch, her deepest identity. She e'ists in order to evangeli2e. 6@ Andthe same is true for every -atholic: the meaning of our life is to reach &eaven "ringing with us

many other people. #e should "eseech the 0araclete for the light and strength needed to carry

out the tas$ of the new evangelization, which has "een entrusted to all of us.

“o evangeli2e, therefore, it is necessary to open ourselves once again to the hori2on ofGods Spirit, without "eing afraid of what he as$s us or of where he leads us. %et us entrust

ourselves to him! &e will ena"le us to live out and "ear witness to our faith, and will illuminate

the heart of those we meet.6?

#hat a great oy it is to spread $nowledge and love of Jesus! %et us not lessen our efforts in

the face of possi"le difficulties. 8n the contrary, li$e the first -hristians, sheltered under the6

0ope 5rancis, Address at a general audience, June =?, =6D.66

0ope 5rancis, &omily at closing Mass for #orld (outh )ay, 3io de Janeiro, July =1, =6D.6=

St. JosemarHa, &omily Loyalty to the Church, June 7, 6>E=.6D

St. JosemarHa, he !ay, no. >7=.67

0ope 0aul I, Apostolic /'hort. Evangelii nuntiandi, )ecem"er 1, 6>E@, no. [email protected]@

I"id . no. 67.6?

0ope 5rancis, Address at a general audience, May ==, =6D.

D



mantle of Mary, let us strive to "e ever more effective 9loudspea$ers for the 0araclete wherever

we may find ourselves: "y our upright -hristian conduct, "y our opportune word spo$en in the

ear of that person who is vacillating, "y the charity with which we always have to treat everyone.

he second condition is union with the 0ope and the "ishops: a union of prayer and

intentions. I always insist on this point "ecause only with 0eter and under 0eter, in union with

the /piscopal -ollege, will we serve the -hurch effectively. 9#e help to ma$e that apostoliccontinuity more evident in the eyes of all men "y demonstrating with e'Luisite fidelity our unionwith the 0ope, which is union with 0eter. %ove for the 3oman 0ontiff, our 5ather wrote, 9must

"e in us a delightful passion, for in him we see -hrist. If we deal with the %ord in prayer, we will

go forward with a clear ga2e that will permit us to perceive the action of the &oly Spirit, even inthe face of events we do not understand or which produce sighs or sorrow.6E

#e will find the strength needed to press forward without misgivings or fear in the effort to

restore the world to -hrist, loving our %ord on the -ross. his is what the feast of the /'altation,

the feast of the glorious -ross teaches us. he path of glory passes through the voluntary and oyful acceptance of the suffering, physical and moral, that God permits in our life: #er crucem

ad lucem, through the cross to the light, our 5ather used to pray. #ith Marys constant presence

at our side, the -ross is filled with oy; on the wood roses "loom Bas on the wooden crosses inour oratoriesC, although at times thorns are also present. *ut despite our own littleness, the oy of

assisting Jesus in the salvation of souls is a marvelous reality!

In a few days I will "e "ac$ in 3ome where, as always, many tas$s await that have to "e

tac$led and resolved. Among others, preparing for the "eatification of our "eloved )on Alvaro,although the date has not yet "een set. 0ray especially for this intention and ta$e advantage of the

time that still remains to get to $now him and his writings "etter, and to spread them; to show

gratitude for his response of full fidelity to the *lessed rinity, to the spirit of the #or$, to our

5ather.

And continue praying for the sic$4for those in the #or$ and for everyone4so that they

$now how to unite themselves to our %ords -ross. And thus they will participate more intenselyin applying the redemption wor$ed "y -hrist to all souls.

#ith all my affection, I "less you,

(our 5ather,

Javier

Solingen, Septem"er 6, =6D

6E St. JosemarHa, &omily Loyalty to the Church, June 7, 6>E=.

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