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Pope Francis’ greetings to the community of the seminary of Madrid
Saturday, 3rd February 2024
“In order to place God at the centre – This can only be achieved through adoration”
Dear brother, dear seminarians,
We are here thanks to a happy coincidence: Don José, Your Eminence, will take possession of the church of Santiago and Monserrat, which combines in its titular saints the apostolic faith and the love for Mary that characterizes all of Spain.
And Don José also comes accompanied by his most valuable treasure, which is you, his seminarians.
Many holy bishops of Spain have confronted the difficult reality in which their churches found themselves, and have thought of the seminary as the place where their pastoral dream could take solid roots and expand. In reality, if we want to make the Church the Body of Christ, it is easy because, as God said to Moses, we only have to look at the model we saw on the mountain (Ex 26:30 – you shall erect the tabernacle according to the plan for it which has been shown to you on the mountain), the Transfigured Christ present in the Eucharist.
A saying of one of these holy bishops, whom you surely know, comes to mind:
He wanted “a seminary in which the Eucharist would be:
the most effective stimulus in the pedagogical order;
the first teacher and the first subject in the scientific order;
the most vigilant inspector in the disciplinary order;
the liveliest model in the ascetical order;
the great providence in the economic order;
and the cornerstone in the architectural order “
(St. Manuel González, Un sueño pastoral/A pastoral dream).
Let us review these points in order to place God at the centre, or rather, to let Him to be the foundation, the plan and the architect, the cornerstone. This can only be achieved through adoration.
Our saint tells us “Jesus will be our pedagogue, patient, severe, gentle or firm as we need in our discernment, because he knows us better than we know ourselves, and he waits for us, encourages us and sustains us in all our journey”. He is our greatest encouragement, because we have consecrated our lives to follow Him.
I think it is crucial that St. Manuel unites being a teacher with being the subject. God wants to give His people pastors according to His heart (Jer 13:15 –Hear and give ear; be not proud, for the Lord has spoken.);
from Jesus we do not learn things, we welcome Him, we hold on to Him in order to be able to bring Him to others. And the great lesson that the Lord gives us is humility, He became flesh, earth, man, humus (ie partial decomposition of organic material) for us, out of love.
And in this matter, there is no other example than Himself; of other virtues and circumstances Jesus will present parables, comparisons, figs, seeds and storms, but the great lesson of His life we can only learn from those who are “gentle and lowly in heart” (Mt 11: 29 – Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls).
For discipline, confronting ourselves with the Eucharist every morning – the most vigilant inspector – makes us reflect on the futility of our worldly ideas, our desires to ascend, to appear, to stand out.
He who is immense makes a total gift of Himself and in my hands, before communion, He asks me: have you reconciled with your brother? Have you dressed yourself in your festive garb? Are you ready to enter my eternal banquet?
Up to now we have seen discernment, science and vigilance; surely they are key facets in your seminary, but they would be worthless without asceticism, copying a model requires effort, making a work of art needs inspiration, but also work, Jesus did not shy away from it.
It is necessary to enter into the desert, so that He may speak to our heart.
If this is filled with worldliness, with things, however “religious” they may be called, God will not find room, nor will we hear Him when He knocks on our door.
Therefore, silence, prayer, fasting, penance, and ascesis are necessary to free ourselves from what enslaves us, and to be fully God’s. And this not only inwardly, but also outwardly, in our work, in our projects, abandoning ourselves to Jesus: the Lord will be the great providence, let us leave it to Him to plan and execute. Let us merely put ourselves at His command with docility of spirit.
Dear brothers, have confidence in the One who has called you to this beautiful task, and place yourselves in adoration in order to build with docility the temple of God in your persons and in your communities.
And when you receive communion, and one day when you celebrate, do not forget to pray for me.
Thank you very much.
