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Blessed Guadalupe An Ovation to God

On Sunday May 19, as the Thanksgiving Mass for the beatification of the Spanish chemist Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri was ending in Madrid, Pope Francis led the praying of the Regina Coeli from the window of the pontifical apartments overlooking St. Peter's Square in Rome.

The Pope announced that this “lay faithful of Opus Dei who gladly served her brothers and sisters by teaching and proclaiming the Gospel,” had just been beatified in Madrid. The Roman Pontiff said that the witness of the new Blessed is “an example for Christian women engaged in social activities and in scientific research.” And he concluded: “Let’s give an applause to the new Blessed!”

This issue of Romana is filled with gratitude to the Holy Father for his decision to beatify Guadalupe, who strove to respond to God’s call to seek sanctity in her ordinary tasks and to serve others through her work, friendships, and social relationships.

It is also meant to be a message of special thanks to Blessed Guadalupe, who leaves us a living example of holiness in everyday life. Her deep Christian joy, also when faced with difficulties in her life, including the execution of her father during the civil war in Spain, and her other virtues open an attractive path that can inspire many other Christians.

But this issue is above all a grateful ovation to God, the architect of all holiness. As Pope Francis often reminds us, holiness is not attainable by our own strength, but is the fruit of God’s grace and of our free response.

We conclude with the petition found in the collect prayer for the Mass of Beatification: “O God, who gave Blessed Guadalupe the grace to transform her daily work into a place of encounter with Christ and service to others, grant, we pray, that, following her example, we may transmit faith and joy to our brothers and sisters. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.”

Romana, n. 68, January-June 2019, p. 13-14.

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