 |
A young St. Oscar Romero at the Old Basilica of Guadalupe.
The sign over the church reads "Non fecit taliter omni nationi."
|
#SaintOscarRomero
#Canonization
#Beatification
They
say that when Pope Benedict XIV (PP. 1740-1758) was told about the apparitions
of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico, he exclaimed, “Non fecit taliter omni nationi.” The Latin phrase derives from
Psalm 147 and means “He has not done thus
for any other nation.” The same could be said for El Salvador, the only
country that bears the Lord’s name, recently blessed with a new saint, the
martyr Oscar Romero.
On
the eve of the conclusion of this blog in a few days, I would like to recall
some of the blessings we have had in this space, seen in the support of so many
people who have helped us, who have supported and sustained this effort,
helping us to reap some truly valuable fruits. As a tool for a reader who might
visit this page a year hence (or more), here are what I consider to be the most
interesting posts, the ones I have considered to be helpful, the ones that have helped
to deepen my own knowledge, or made me learn something new while writing them. [See also: reflection on the blog’s first 10 years.]
In
October 2011, I published a Homiliarium
that brings together in one place all of St. Romero’s homilies—not just in
English but also the original Spanish texts—organized according to the liturgical
cycles (with a supplement
for the irregular homilies). It is very helpful
for finding the texts of homilies, and I use it all the time.
In
October 2010, I published an index
of blogposts to date (as of that time), and I last updated it a year later
(there is also a Spanish
version). It is useful for
navigating the earliest posts on the blog, and its structure reveals the
recurring themes in the blog, as well as the sort of things that are
highlighted (or were highlighted, at least at the time).
That
same month (October 2010) I also published an explanation of
the blog’s point of view, to fess up my particular prejudices and alert
readers about possible distortions that could arise from my own biases.
Through
the years, I developed certain reflections.
The most important are the “Seven Sermons to the Poor” series (2011-2014),
which analyzed Archbishop Romero’s final seven Lenten homilies; and two that
tried to situate Romero within the ambit of the Church: Romero and the Popes (July 2011),
and Romero among leading figures of Catholicism (April - June 2012).
I
have also tracked the Canonization Cause, initially with a color guide
to indicate the status of progress in the Cause. More recently, I have published detailed
reports on the process, including the strategy
for having the martyrdom recognized, as well as the
miracle that raised Romero to the altars.
I have also published collections of documents related to the
beatification and the canonization.
At
year-end, every year in my most recent practice, I have published a
summary of the events of the year being concluded, as well as my predictions
for the following year.
Finally,
I have published several posts that have resulted from in-depth, independent
research. Among the more than 1,300 posts,
the standouts related to the detention
of Romero the seminarian in Cuba, his six years
in Rome, the huge influence of the
best friend from his youth, and his evangelizing
and ecumenical
impact .
In
short, the blog has been a tremendous experience for this poor servant. Thank
you for your readership! Last post this
Friday.
(On
the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.)
No comments:
Post a Comment