Christmas with the poor

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It is truly an article of faith that poverty is central to the theology of Christmas. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states it thus: “Jesus shares the life of the poor, from the cradle to the cross.” [Catechism of the Catholic Church 544.] Blessed John Paul II reiterated this doctrine, preaching that “Christ who was rich became freely poor, was born in a lowly manger, preached liberation to the poor, identified with the poor, made them his disciples and promised them his kingdom.” Benedict XVI has pointed to the fact that Jesus was born into a poor family surrounded by “the poor, and anonymous shepherds ... The little ones, the poor in spirit: they are the key figures of Christmas, in the past and in the present.”  Pope Francis explains the implications from this fact: “to be like Him we must not put ourselves above others, but rather lower ourselves, putting ourselves at the service, making ourselves little with the little and poor with the poor.”

Archbishop Óscar A. Romero of El Salvador was even more succinct in his formulation: “the Christ of Bethlehem is the divine summation of my entire Gospel preaching,” said Romero. [«Orientación» Weekly, December 25, 1977.] Explaining in more detail, Romero states that, “based on Bethlehem Christians can no longer invent another Christ or another liberating doctrine apart from the authentic Gospel: the Gospel of poverty and austerity, detachment and obedience to the will of the Father, of humility and of the path to the beatitudes and to the cross.”  Id. From poverty and humility to the cross, there is only one step, announced Ab. Romero: the rejection of a world not ready to accept the scandal of a lowly, humble Lord and God.  “Like Christ the Church grows during the darkness of night. The Gospel of Saint John says: ‘He came into the world but the world did not know him’,” preached Romero.

To avoid this ignorance, this lack of understanding, Romero announced the “good news” in the most concrete and urgent language of which he was capable and proclaimed, “Christ was not born twenty centuries ago; Christ is born today in the midst of our people.” He says this to give greater effect to his words not to “look for God among the opulence of the world, or among the idolatries of wealth or among those eager for power or among the intrigues of the powerful.”  To do so would be wasted effort: “God is not there. Let us look for God with the sign announced by the angels: resting in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes made by the humble peasant woman of Nazareth—poor swaddling clothes and a little hay on which this God-made-man rested, on which this King of the ages becomes accessible to humankind as a poor child.” In today’s world, we should “look for him among the children lacking proper nutrition who have gone to sleep this evening with nothing to eat. Let us look for him among the poor newspaper boys who sleep in the doorways wrapped in today’s paper. Let us look for him in the shoeshine boy who perhaps has earned enough to buy a small gift for his mother. Let us look for him in the newspaper boy who, because he did not sell enough papers, is severely reprimanded by his stepfather or stepmother.”

In a famous and widely quoted phrase, Romero said that “no one can celebrate an authentic Christmas unless they are truly poor.” Applying the social doctrine to what the Catechism says, the Martyr Bishop explained that, “The self-sufficient, the proud of heart, those who despise others because they do not possess the material goods of this earth, those who do not need or want God—for these people there is no Christmas. Only the poor, the hungry, and those who need someone to come to them because they have need of someone, someone who is God, someone who is Emmanuel, God-with-us—only these people are able to celebrate Christmas.” And in words astonishingly laden with common sense, he explained, “people have no desire to eat when they are not hungry. People also have no need for God when they are proud and/or self-sufficient. Only the poor, only those who are hungry can be satisfied.”  And he gives us this Christmas beatitude: “Blessed are those who see the coming of Christmas in the same way that those who are hungry see the gift of food. People cannot desire liberation or freedom unless they are conscious of being enslaved.”

When Benedict XVI inaugurated a 2009 Christmas lunch with the poor, recognizing this important note of the social doctrine at Christmas, he said, “I have come to you precisely on the Feast of the Holy Family because, in a certain way, you resemble it.” The Pope Emeritus’ words remind us of what Archbishop Romero had said thirty years earlier: “Tonight the people of El Salvador are very much like Jesus in Bethlehem, for we are a poor people and we present ourselves to God in the same way that Mary and Joseph and Jesus presented their poverty to God.”

Archbishop Romero reminds us that the poor draw us closer to Christmas and to God.

Navidad con los pobres

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Es auténticamente un artículo de fe que la pobreza es un elemento central en la teología de la Navidad. El Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica así lo proclama: “Jesús, desde el pesebre hasta la cruz comparte la vida de los pobres”. [Compendio del Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica 544.] El Beato Juan Pablo II reiteró esa doctrina, predicando que, “Cristo que, siendo rico se hizo pobre libremente, nació en la pobreza de un pesebre, anunció la liberación a los pobres, se identificó con los humildes, los hizo sus discípulos y les prometió su reino”. Benedicto XVI ha señalado el hecho de que Jesús nació entre una familia humilde rodeada por “pobres y anónimos pastores... Los pequeños, los pobres en espíritu: éstos son los protagonistas de la Navidad, tanto ayer como hoy”. El Papa Francisco nos interpreta la implicación de ese hecho: “significa que para ser como Él, no debemos ponernos por encima de los otros, sino más bien abajarnos, ponernos al servicio, hacernos pequeños con los pequeños y pobres con los pobres”.

Mons. Óscar A. Romero fue aún más sucinto en su formulación del tema: “el Cristo de Belén es la síntesis divina de todo el Evangelio que tengo que predicar”. [Sem. Orientación, 25 de diciembre de 1977.]  Explicándolo con más detalles, Mons. Romero expone que, “a partir de Belén los cristianos ya no podemos inventar otro Cristo ni otra doctrina liberadora que no sea la del auténtico Evangelio: el Evangelio de la pobreza y de la austeridad, el del desprendimiento y de la obediencia a la voluntad del Padre, el de la humildad y del camino hacia las bienaventuranzas y hacia la cruz”. Id. Desde la pobreza y la humildad hasta la cruz, solo hay un paso, anuncia Monseñor, que es el rechazo de un mundo no preparado para aceptar el trastorno de tener un humilde como Dios y Señor: “esta Iglesia, como Cristo, se desarrolla también en una noche de tinieblas, y así dice la lectura del Evangelio de San Juan: ‘Vino a este mundo y este mundo no lo conoció’.”

Para evitar ese desconocimiento, esa falta de comprensión, Mons. Romero anuncia la “buena nueva” en el lenguaje más concreto y más urgente que es capaz de concebir y proclama, “Cristo no nació hace veinte siglos, Cristo está naciendo hoy en nuestro pueblo”. Lo hace para dar mayor efectividad a su advertencia: “no busquemos a Cristo entre las opulencias del mundo, entre las idolatrías de la riqueza, entre los afanes del poder, entre las intrigas de los grandes”. Hacerlo sería esfuerzo en vano: “Allí no está Dios. Busquemos a Dios con la señal de los ángeles: reclinado en un pesebre, envuelto en los pobres pañales que le pudo hacer una humilde campesina de Nazaret, unas mantillitas pobres y un poco de zacate como descanso del Dios que se ha hecho hombre, del Rey de los siglos que se hace accesible a los hombres como un pobrecito niño”. En el mundo de hoy, “habría que buscarlo entre los niños desnutridos que se han acostado esta noche sin tener que comer. Entre los pobrecitos vendedores de periódicos que dormirán arropados de diarios allá en los portales. Entre el pobrecito lustrador que tal vez se ha ganado lo necesario para llevar un regalito a su mamá, o quien sabe del vendedor de periódico que no logró vender los periódicos y recibirá una tremenda reprimenda de su padrastro o de su madrastra”.

En una famosa frase, ampliamente difundida, Mons. Romero predicaba que, “nadie podrá celebrar la Navidad auténtica si no es pobre de verdad”. Aplicando la doctrina social a lo que dice el Catequismo, Monseñor explicaba que, “Los autosuficientes, los orgullosos, los que desprecian a los demás porque todo lo tienen, los que no necesitan ni de Dios, para esos no habrá Navidad. Sólo los pobres, los hambrientos, los que tienen necesidad de que alguien venga por ellos tendrán a ese alguien, y ese alguien es Dios, Emmanuel, Dios con Nosotros”. Y en palabras aferradas al sentido común, explicaba, “No se puede desear comer cuando no se tiene hambre, no se puede tener necesidad de Dios cuando se es orgulloso, autosuficiente. Sólo los pobres, sólo los que tienen hambre serán saciados”. Una bienaventuranza navideña: “Dichosos los que ven venir la Navidad como el hambriento ve venir algo que comer. No se puede anhelar la liberación, la libertad, si no se tiene conciencia de estar esclavizado”.

Cuando el Papa Benedicto XVI inauguró en el año 2009 un almuerzo navideño con los pobres, reconociendo esta importante nota de la doctrina social en la Navidad, el pontífice comentó, “He venido a estar entre vosotros precisamente en la fiesta de la Sagrada Familia, porque, en cierto sentido, se parece a vosotros”. Palabras del papa emérito que hacen recordar lo que dijo Monseñor Romero treinta años atrás: “Como nos parecemos a Jesús en Belén esta noche los salvadoreños cuando tenemos una sociedad que se puede presentar como la pobreza acabada del Belén de María, de José y de Jesús”.

Monseñor Romero nos recuerda que a través de los pobres nos acercamos a la Navidad y a Dios.

[Esto ha sido una actualización de una nota anteriormente publicada.]

Natale con i poveri

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E ‘veramente un articolo di fede che la povertà è fondamentale per la teologia del Natale. Il Catechismo della Chiesa Cattolica proclama così: “Gesù condivide la vita dei poveri, dalla mangiatoia alla croce”. [Compendio del Catechismo della Chiesa Cattolica 544.] Beato Giovanni Paolo II ha ribadito questa dottrina, predicando che “Cristo che, essendo ricco si fece liberamente povero, nacque nella povertà di un presepe, annunziò la liberazione ai poveri, si identificò con gli umili e promise il suo regno”. Benedetto XVI ha sottolineato il fatto che Gesù nacque da una famiglia povera, circondata da “poveri ed anonimi pastori... piccoli, i poveri in spirito: ecco i protagonisti del Natale, ieri come oggi”.  Papa Francesco spiega le implicazioni di questo fatto: “per essere simili a Lui noi non dobbiamo metterci al di sopra degli altri, ma anzi abbassarci, metterci al servizio, farci piccoli con i piccoli e poveri con i poveri”.

Mons. Romero è stato ancora più succinto nella sua formulazione del tema: “il Cristo di Betlemme è la sintesi divina di tutto il Vangelo che ho a predicare”. [Settimanale «Orientaciòn», 25 dicembre 1977.] Spiegando più in dettaglio, Romero afferma che “da Betlemme i cristiani non possiamo più inventare un altro Cristo o un’altra dottrina liberatrice diverso del Vangelo autentico: il Vangelo della povertà e l’austerità, il distacco e l’obbedienza alla volontà del Padre, dell’umiltà e del cammino alle beatitudini e alla croce”. Dalla povertà e l’umiltà alla croce, c’è solo un passo, ha annunciato il vescovo martire, che è il rifiuto di un mondo che non è pronto ad accettare il scandalo di un umile Dio e Signore, “questa Chiesa, come Cristo, si sviluppa anche in una notte di tenebre, e così dice la lettura del Vangelo di san Giovanni: " È venuto a questo mondo e il mondo non ha conosciuto lui’.”

Per evitare quest’oblio, questa mancanza di comprensione, Mons. Romero ha annunciato la “buona notizia” nel linguaggio più concreto e più urgente che è in grado di professare e proclama: “Cristo non è nato venti secoli fa, Cristo sta nascendo oggi nel nostro popolo”. Lo fa per dare maggiore efficacia al suo avvertimento: “Non cercate Cristo tra l’opulenza del mondo, l’idolatria della ricchezza, tra le preoccupazioni di potere tra gli intrighi dei grandi”. Farlo sarebbe uno sforzo inutile: “Dio non è lì. Cercate Dio con il segno degli angeli, che giace in una mangiatoia, avvolto in gli panni poveri che una contadina povera di Nazareth gli ha dato, alcune coperte poveri e un po ’di erba per il riposo del Dio si è fatto uomo, del re dei secoli che si fa accessibile agli uomini come un povero bambino”. Nel mondo di oggi, “abbiamo bisogno di cercarlo tra i bambini malnutriti che hanno dormito stanotte senza mangiare. Tra quei poveri strilloni che dormono lì nei portali, avvolti dei giornali. Tra il povero ragazzo lustrascarpe che forse ha guadagnato il danaro per portare un regalo per la sua mamma, o chissà il venditore di giornale che non è riuscito a vendere giornali e riceverà un grande rimprovero dal suo patrigno o matrigna”.

In una frase famosa, ben distribuita, Romero predicava che “nessuno può celebrare un autentico Natale se non è veramente povero”. Applicando la dottrina sociale a ciò che spiega il Catechismo, Romero spiega che “Gli auto-sufficienti, gli orgogliosi, coloro che disprezzano gli altri perché hanno tutto, non hanno bisogno o Dio, non ci sarà Natale per loro. Solo i poveri, gli affamati, coloro che hanno bisogno di qualcuno a venire da loro, avranno che qualcuno, e quel qualcuno è Dio, l’Emmanuele, Dio con noi”. E aggrappato alle parole di buon senso, ha spiegato, “Non si può desiderare di mangiare quando non ha fame, non si può avere bisogno di Dio quando siete orgogliosi, autosufficiente. Solo i poveri, solo gli affamati devono essere saziati”.  Una beatitudine di Natale: “Beati coloro che vedono il Natale come il affamato vede venire qualcosa da mangiare. Non si può desiderare la liberazione, la libertà, se non si ha la consapevolezza di essere schiavi”.

Quando Papa Benedetto XVI ha inaugurato nel 2009 un pranzo di Natale con i poveri, riconoscendo questo importante atto della dottrina sociale a Natale, il Papa Emerito ha detto: “Sono venuto tra voi proprio nella Festa della Santa Famiglia, perché, in un certo senso, essa vi assomiglia”. Parole Papa che ricordano ciò che Romero ha detto 30 anni fa: “Come noi salvadoregni assomigliano Gesù a Betlemme stasera quando viviamo in una povertà estrema come quella del Betlemme di Maria, Giuseppe e Gesù”.

Mons. Romero ci ricorda che con i poveri ci avviciniamo al Natale e al Signore.

Waiting for Godot … ’s canonization

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In which we look at the journey of Faith on the canonization superhighway.  Not for the person being canonized, but for his followers—and not on the storied “fast track.” Canonization is a legal proceeding with your hero on trial, and although you expect that, like George Bailey in “It’s A Wonderful Life,” he will earn his wings (or halo), it can be a weary, soul-testing and sometimes dispiriting process.  For exactly this reason, Pope Francis’ advice for the followers of Archbishop Óscar A. Romero of El Salvador seemed so insightful.  He said we “must have faith that the canonization of Archbishop Romero is proceeding at an appropriate speed.”  Faith.  That’s exactly what you need.  Lots of it.

Imagine the person you admire the most, who preaches love and holiness, is slandered, vilely accused, and based on those smears, unjustly murdered.  Even after his death, some continue to revile him, while you hold on to a belief that, because of Faith, he will be justified, redeemed, vindicated.  That process should sound very familiar.  In a sense, it’s a metaphor for the Christian history of salvation.  Jesus came, preached, was rejected by the world, was accused of political insubordination and executed, but we believe that He did not die and will return in glory.  Although this piece is about Archbishop Romero, it applies to the causes of many saints.  And, although this piece deals with canonization, its lessons can apply to many of the Church’s processes, which can be seen through the lens of politics and palace intrigue, but we must trust that they are guided by the Holy Spirit.

Alright, let’s hop on the time machine.  It’s Sunday, March 12, 1983, less than three years after Archbishop Romero’s assassination.  I live in New York, in a crowded two bedroom apartment with my parents and three brothers.  I’m keeping a diary (no blog yet!).  In my last entry that evening, I write: “I believe I have been in the presence of a saint when I have been in the presence of Archbishop Romero.”  That’s it.  That’s the moment I knew it.  I was 14 years-old at the time.  I did not understand the process, or the requirements for beatification and canonization.  In fact, I wasn’t even thinking that Romero was a martyr—I didn’t really grasp the concept of martyrdom.  So, I wasn’t thinking that he was a saint because he had been killed in hatred of the faith, or because he had been killed at all.  I just fervently believed that he was a saint because I had met him when I was a boy growing up in El Salvador and he came across that way.  I had attended his Masses, had been confessed by him.  I was a witness to his holiness.

Alright, fast forward a couple of years.  It’s winter 1985.  I’m still living in New York, but in a different tenement.  I have found a book, “The Word Remains: A Life of Oscar Romero,” by Fr. James Brockman.  But we are poor and I do not yet know the luxury of buying books at this point in my life.  So, I have to go to the library to read it.  The closest one with a copy is a distant branch of the New York Public Library.  I have to take two buses to get there.  But, I go there on Saturdays for several months, taking the journey to read and re-read Fr. Brockman’s book.  I remember waiting for the bus.  It was so cold that my toes would hurt from the exposure, and I was glad when they went numb.  What was I doing?  What was driving me to make this trip?  The answer is that at the end of my journey, I would have an encounter with holiness, an encounter with Archbishop Romero.  Later, I had the audacity to write a letter to Fr. Brockman, addressed to the book’s publisher (no Google to search for his address).  To my delight, some months later, a letter came back from Fr. Brockman, with whom I was able to exchange correspondence about Romero.  Gingerly, I broached the subject with Fr. Brockman, of whether Romero could ever be declared a saint.  He was unsure, but he told me that he believed Romero was a model of holiness.

It’s now March 1988; a sunny day in Boston.  During college, I am in Harvard Sq., walking toward an address I have found in a newspaper listing, for a gathering to honor Archbishop Romero.  I find the place, right off the square.  It’s small.  Perhaps I expected some big meeting hall.  This place looks like some hole-in-the-wall bookshop.  Plus, I don’t see anything that seems appropriate for the remembrance of an archbishop.  No candles, no crosses, nothing remotely religious or sacred.  Immediately, red flags go up when I spot, well, red flags.  There are communist symbols, pamphlets, materials in support of the Marxist rebels fighting in El Salvador. I draw no closer.  Instead, I turn around and walk away, disenchanted.  I have not found holiness at the end of this outing; I have not found Archbishop Romero.  God is not in the flurry, the fire, or the earthquake.  (1 Kings 19:11-12.)  This is what I will find time and time again in the next couple of decades: distortion and manipulation of Archbishop Romero’s message by those who wish to use it to serve their own political ends.  It is very disappointing and disheartening.

Forward one more year.  It’s August 25, 1989.  I am in Manhattan with my best friend, a Baptist African-American kid who shares my spiritual hunger and whom I am drawing into the Catholic Church.  Five years earlier, the same year I wrote in my diary that Romero was a saint, I had dragged this same friend to St. Patrick’s Cathedral to pay our respects to another fallen archbishop, New York’s own Cardinal Cooke.  But this time, in ‘89, we were in Manhattan on a more joyous note.  We were there for the premiere of the Paulist Pictures movie “Romero,” starring Raul Julia as the archbishop.  A decade after I had last seen my childhood hero, I would see him again, on the big screen.  It was uplifting, at a time when my spirit needed uplifting.  El Salvador was in the midst of its civil war, and I was constantly hearing depressing news from home.  Salvadoran refugees were pouring out of the country to flee the horrors of war.  The movie contained a positive message of valor and holiness amidst this, a glimmer of Hope.

One year forward.  August 1990.  I am in back in El Salvador, for the first time since leaving the country.  It’s not under optimal circumstances; I am there because my grandmother, who raised me as a child, has passed away.  But, at the end of this journey, I find Archbishop Romero.  His likeness is in a big picture on the wall of my grandmother’s bedroom.  I also make time to visit Archbishop Romero’s grave at the Cathedral.  The place is mobbed by faithful, praying for miracles.  As I knew it as a child, the poor know that Romero is a saint before the theologians have confirmed it, and despite the fact that the dictators dispute it.  The tomb is strewn with plaques thanking Archbishop Romero for favors granted.

Now, fast forward one whole decade.  I am back in El Salvador in March 2000 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Archbishop Romero’s death.  I’m not alone.  Between 100,000 - 500,000 people crowd the square in front of the Cathedral to honor Romero.  The atmosphere is festive.  There is music and fireworks.  By now, the war is over, the country is at peace.  There are still many who whisper that Romero was a communist—the now standard slander against him.  But I am happy to find kindred spirits—not just political agitators, but people who admire Romero for his holiness.  This camaraderie attests to our Faith (John 13:35).  Also—and this is icing—I find that audio recordings and even videos of Romero are popping up on the Internet.  I have not heard Romero’s voice at all in 20 years, but it has been resounding in my head all this time, and now I can hear his voice outside my head, also.

In the time since that trip to El Salvador, I have been back a few more times.  I have met many more people who admire Romero for his spiritual qualities.  There have also continued to be more ups and downs like the ones described.  I have had the singular grace of befriending some of Romero’s family, including his brother, and they are wonderful people (their story is a gripping saga on to itself!).  I started an online community around Romero in 2002, but was kicked out of it by vocal political activists who overran the group.  They accused me of being a right-winger, too religiously conservative, anti-Romero, and even worse.  I saw Romero’s beatification process surge to a near breakthrough in 2005, only to see it fall back to an uncertain status in more recent years.  Then, I started this blog and have had the gratitude of developing into a place for the proper type of reflection on Romero that I have always sought, going back to those trips to the library.  Of course, this last year, with the announcement that Pope Francis has unblocked the beatification process, I feel the gratification of St. Paul when he said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim 4:7.)

Abp. Romero and the Angelus

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Archbishop Óscar A. Romero told his brother Tiberio that the secret to being happy in life was to pray the “Angelus.”  Tiberio recalled that his brother told him that he should make praying three Hail Mary’s in the morning and three again in the evening the axis around which to ground his day.  Tiberio also attested to the efficacy of the practice, saying that he has lived to see old age and developed a strong Marian devotion, thanks to the wise spiritual counsel he received from his brother.  Archbishop Romero gave the same advice he gave his own brother to all the faithful on May 7, 1978, when he announced that he was instituting the recitation of the “Angelus” in the archdiocese of San Salvador.

“With joy I want to announce that beginning this Sunday,” Archbishop Romero said, “at twelve noon we will pray the Angelus on our radio program.”  Archbishop Romero would be glad to hear that the advice he gave his brother Tiberio led to his developing a Marian devotion because, Romero told the faithful, “true Catholics ought to be characterized by this devotion to the Mother of the Church.” 

We can think of three reasons Romero was devoted to the Angelus.  The first is its status as an authentic expression of the sensus fidei: it has a natural internal logic about it that suggests itself.  In fact, the prayer arose just as Archbishop Romero prescribed it to his brother—as three Hail Mary’s, unadorned and unembellished, liturgically or theologically.  This practice is first recorded in monasteries during the 11th Century—the monks would pray three Hail Mary’s during the evening bell.  The three Hail Mary’s invoke the Three Persons of the Trinity, and immediately focus our thoughts, as do all Marian devotions, properly on God.  Later, the practice became more widespread, and the custom arose of saying the Angelus in the morning, at noon, and in the evening—also, helping to naturally break up the day.  One can see the practicality of doing this before the advent of clocks and watches.  Jean-François Millet’s famous painting (shown) depicts peasants praying the Angelus out on a field.  The Angelus as a staple of popular piety, of the simple wisdom of the people of God, and as a perennial spiritual practice in the history of Christianity, would have been enormously appealing to Archbishop Romero.

The second reason Archbishop Romero may have been drawn to the Angelus is his personal Marian devotion.  In this respect, it seems very providential that Archbishop Romero was killed on March 24, 1980, the eve of the Feast of the Annunciation—the event that the Angelus celebrates and memorializes.  Of course, he had no way of knowing this during his life time—but it is fitting.  At the other end of his life cycle, Óscar Romero was born on August 15, 1917—the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin.  He was born in a province of El Salvador called San Miguel, where an image of Our Lady Queen of Peace was fervently venerated.  In 1921, when Romero was only 4 years old, the image was granted canonical coronation by Pope Benedict XV.  The ceremony was presided by Bishop Juan Antonio Dueñas, the man who later discovered Romero and sent him to the seminary.  When Fr. Romero returned to San Miguel as an ordained priest in the 1940s, he was put in charge of caring for the image of Our Lady.  In 1953, Pope Pius XII proclaimed her the Co-Patroness of El Salvador.  The proclamation was confirmed and expanded by Pope Paul VI in 1966.  Romero remained devoted to Our Lady for the rest of his life.

Finally, Archbishop Romero himself tells us the third reason for his devotion to the Angelus, saying that the faithful should pray the Angelus so that, “united with the Holy Father who prays the Angelus every Sunday in Rome at noon, we might lift up our voices and greet the Virgin as we pray for the many needs of the Church.”  Romero picked up Vatican Radio’s signal on his short-wave radio, and listened to the Pope’s recitation of the Angelus every Sunday.  Archbishop Romero would often work the Pope’s comments into his own Sunday sermons.  “My sisters and brothers, the greatest glory of a pastor is to live in communion with the Pope,” Archbishop Romero declared. “For me,” he added, “this communion with the Pope is the secret of the truth and gives efficacy to my preaching.”  Adding the Angelus to his spiritual repertoire was a very visible way for Archbishop Romero to put himself in tune with the Pontiff, to indicate his intention to follow the Pope’s lead with respect to his magisterium, and to emulate the Holy Father in his spiritual practices.

The reasons for Archbishop Romero’s interest in the Angelus are relevant to us, also.  As a simple prayer that can be recited anywhere, the Angelus is the devotion par excellence for a “poor Church for the poor,” that helps us focus on the spirit of poverty of the Beatitudes.  As a Marian devotion, the Angelus helps us see in Mary’s “yes” to God the openness to the divine will that leads us to a stronger link to our own faith.  Finally, by mirroring the prayers of the Roman Pontiff, the Angelus acts as our badge of loyalty to the Church and to the mission we are called to take up together.

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Mons. Romero y el Ángelus

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Monseñor Óscar A. Romero le dijo a su hermano Tiberio de que el secreto para ser feliz en la vida era rezar el “Angelus”. Tiberio recuerda que su hermano le dijo que hiciera el rezo de tres avemarías por la mañana y tres otra vez por la noche, el eje en torno al cual basara su día. Tiberio también da fe de la eficacia de la práctica, diciendo que él ha llegado a ver la vejez y ha desarrollado una fuerte devoción mariana, gracias al sabio consejo espiritual que recibió de su hermano. Mons. Romero dio el mismo consejo que le dio a su propio hermano a todos los fieles, el 7 de mayo de 1978, cuando anunció que estaba instituyendo el rezo del “Angelus” en la arquidiócesis de San Salvador.

“Quiero avisarles con gusto que desde este domingo”, dijo Mons. Romero, “vamos a rezar juntos el Ángelus, a través de la radio”. A Mons. Romero le agradecería escuchar que el consejo que le dio su hermano Tiberio lo llevó a desarrollar una devoción mariana, ya que, dijo monseñor a los fieles, esta “debe caracterizar las verdaderas personas católicas devotas de la Madre de la Iglesia”.

Podemos pensar en tres razones por que Romero se dedicó al Angelus. La primera es su estatus como una expresión auténtica del sensus fidei: tiene una lógica interna natural acerca que lo sugiere. De hecho, la oración surgió justo como Mons. Romero la recomendó a su hermano, como tres avemarías, sin adornos ni embellecimientos, litúrgicos o teológicos. Esta práctica se registró por primera vez en los monasterios durante el siglo XI, los monjes rezaban tres avemarías cuando sonaba la campana de la tarde. Las tres Avemarías invocan las Tres Personas de la Trinidad, y de inmediato fija nuestro pensamiento, como toda devoción mariana, justamente en Dios. Después, la práctica se hizo más generalizada, y la costumbre surgió de decir el Ángelus en la mañana, al mediodía y por la tarde, también, ayudando a romper el correr del día. Uno puede ver la factibilidad de hacerlo antes del advenimiento de los relojes. La famosa pintura de Jean-François Millet (foto) representa unos campesinos rezando el Angelus en el campo. La característica del Angelus como elemento básico de la piedad popular, de la sencilla sabiduría del pueblo de Dios, y como una práctica perenne en la historia espiritual del cristianismo, habría sido enormemente atractivo para Mons. Romero.

La segunda razón que Mons. Romero se sintió atraído al Angelus sería su devoción personal mariana. En este sentido, es muy providencial que Mons. Romero fuera asesinado el 24 de marzo de 1980, la víspera de la Fiesta de la Anunciación, lo que el Ángelus celebra y conmemora. Por supuesto, no tenía forma de saberlo durante su vida, pero es muy apropiado. Al otro extremo de su ciclo de vida, Óscar Romero nació el 15 de agosto de 1917, en la fiesta de la Asunción de la Virgen. Nació en un departamento de El Salvador llamado San Miguel, donde se venera una imagen de Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz. En 1921, cuando Romero tenía sólo 4 años de edad, la imagen fue concedida coronación canónica por el Papa Benedicto XV. La ceremonia fue presidida por el obispo Juan Antonio Dueñas, el hombre que más tarde descubrió a Romero y lo envió al seminario. Cuando el Padre Romero regresó a San Miguel como un sacerdote ordenado en la década de 1940, fue puesto a cargo del cuidado de la imagen de Nuestra Señora. En 1953, el Papa Pío XII la proclamó la Co-Patrona de El Salvador. Esto fue confirmado y ampliado por el Papa Pablo VI en 1966. Romero fue devoto de la Santísima Virgen por el resto de su vida.

Por último, el mismo Mons. Romero nos explica el tercer motivo de su devoción por el Angelus, diciendo que los fieles deben rezar el Angelus de modo que, “unidos con el Papa que también lo hace al mediodía en Roma todos los domingos, recemos este saludo a la Virgen orando por tantas necesidades de la Iglesia”. Mons. Romero recogía la señal de la Radio Vaticana en su radio de onda corta, y escuchaba la recitación del Ángelus del Santo Padre todos los domingos. Mons. Romero solía entrelazar algunos de los comentarios del Papa en sus propios sermones dominicales. “Hermanos, la gloria más grande de un pastor es vivir en comunión con el Papa”, declaró Mons. Romero. “Para mí”, agregó, “es el secreto de la verdad y de la eficacia de mi predicación estar en comunión con el Papa”. La adición del Angelus a su repertorio espiritual fue una manera muy visible para Mons. Romero de ponerse en sintonía con el Pontífice, de indicar su intención de seguir el ejemplo del Papa con respecto a su magisterio, y de emular al Santo Padre en sus prácticas espirituales.

Las razones por el interés de Mons. Romero por el Angelus son relevantes también para nosotros. Como una oración sencilla que puede ser recitada en cualquier lugar, el Ángelus es la devoción por excelencia de una “Iglesia pobre para los pobres”, que nos ayuda a centrarnos en el espíritu de la pobreza de las Bienaventuranzas. Como devoción mariana, el Ángelus nos ayuda a ver en el “sí” de María la apertura a la voluntad de Dios que nos ligará más estrechamente con nuestra propia fe. Por último, al duplicar la oración del Romano Pontífice, el Ángelus es nuestra insignia de lealtad hacia la Iglesia y a la misión que estamos llamados a asumir juntos.

Mons. Romero e l'Angelus

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Mons. Oscar A. Romero disse a suo fratello Tiberio che il segreto per essere felici nella vita era quello di pregare l’“Angelus”. Tiberio ha ricordato che suo fratello gli disse di pregare tre Ave Maria al mattino e tre di nuovo alla sera di tutti giorni. Tiberio anche attestato l’efficacia della pratica, dicendo che ha vissuto a vedere la vecchiaia e sviluppato una forte devozione mariana, grazie al consiglio spirituale saggio che ha ricevuto da suo fratello. Mons. Romero ha dato lo stesso consiglio a tutti i fedeli il 7 maggio 1978, quando ha annunciato che stava istituendo la recita dell “Angelus” nell’arcidiocesi di San Salvador.

“Con gioia Voglio annunciare che a partire di questa Domenica”, ha detto Mons. Romero, “a mezzogiorno ci sarà la recita dell’Angelus sul nostro programma radiofonico”. Mons. Romero sarebbe felice di sapere che il consiglio ha dato il suo fratello Tiberio lo ha portato al sviluppo di una devozione mariana, perché, come Romero ha detto ai fedeli, “ogni cattolici dovrebbe essere caratterizzato da questa devozione alla Madre della Chiesa”.

Possiamo pensare a tre motivi perché Romero è stato dedicato alla Angelus. Il primo è il suo status di autentica espressione del sensus fidei: ha una logica interna naturale che si suggerisce. Infatti, la preghiera è sorto proprio come monsignor Romero prescritto al fratello, come tre Ave Maria, disadorna e non imbellita, liturgicamente o teologicamente. Questa pratica viene prima registrata nei monasteri durante il 11 ° secolo, i monaci pregare tre Ave Maria durante la campana della sera. I tre Ave Maria invocano le Tre Persone della Trinità, e subito concentrare i nostri pensieri, come fanno tutte le devozioni mariane, correttamente su Dio. Dopo, la pratica si diffuse, e l’usanza nata di dire l’Angelus al mattino, a mezzogiorno e alla sera, che aiuta anche a rompere naturalmente la giornata. Si può vedere la sua praticità prima dell’avvento degli orologi. Famoso dipinto di Jean- François Millet (foto) dipinge i contadini che pregano l’Angelus su un campo. L’ Angelus come un fiocco di pietà popolare, la semplice saggezza del popolo di Dio, e come una pratica spirituale perenne nella storia del cristianesimo, sarebbe stato enormemente attraente per Mons. Romero.

La seconda ragione Mons. Romero potrebbe stato interessato nel’Angelus è la sua devozione mariana personale. A questo proposito, sembra molto provvidenziale che Mons. Romero è stato ucciso il 24 marzo 1980, alla vigilia della festa dell’Annunciazione, l’evento che l’Angelus celebra e commemora. Certo, non aveva modo di sapere questo durante la sua vita, ma è giusto. All’altra estremità del suo ciclo di vita, Óscar Romero è nato il 15 agosto 1917, festa dell’Assunzione della Vergine. Era nato in una provincia di El Salvador chiamata San Miguel, dove l’immagine di Nostra Signora Regina della Pace fu venerata con fervore. Nel 1921, quando Romero era a soli 4 anni, l’immagine è stata concessa incoronazione canonica da Papa Benedetto XV. La cerimonia è stata presieduta da Mons. Juan Antonio Dueñas, l’uomo che ha poi scoperto Romero e lo mandò al seminario. Quando p. Romero tornò a San Miguel come sacerdote ordinato nel 1940, fu incaricato di prendersi cura per l’immagine della Madonna. Nel 1953, Papa Pio XII la proclamò Co-Patrona di El Salvador. La proclamazione è stata confermata e ampliata da Papa Paolo VI nel 1966. Romero è rimasto devoto alla Madonna per il resto della sua vita.

Infine, Mons. Romero stesso ci racconta la terza ragione per la sua devozione alla Angelus, dicendo che i fedeli devono pregare l’Angelus in modo tale che, “uniti al Santo Padre, che prega l’Angelus ogni Domenica a Roma a mezzogiorno, potremmo sollevare la nostra voci e salutare la Vergine mentre preghiamo per le tante necessità della Chiesa”. Romero raccolto il segnale di Radio Vaticana sulla sua radio a onde corte, e ascoltato recitazione del Papa all’Angelus ogni Domenica. Mons. Romero avrebbe spesso lavorano alcuni dei commenti del Papa nelle sue prediche domenicali. “Cari fratelli e sorelle, la maggior gloria di un pastore è quello di vivere in comunione con il Papa”, Mons. Romero dichiarato. “Per me”, ha aggiunto, “questa comunione con il Papa è il segreto della verità e dà efficacia alla mia predicazione”. Aggiuntare l’Angelus al suo repertorio spirituale era un modo molto visibile per Mons. Romero di mettersi in sintonia con il Pontefice, per indicare la sua intenzione di seguire l’esempio del Papa rispetto al suo magistero, e per emulare il Santo Padre nelle sue pratiche spirituali.

I motivi di interesse di Mons. Romero nei Angelus sono rilevanti anche per noi. Come una preghiera semplice che può essere recitata ovunque, l’Angelus è la devozione per eccellenza per una “Chiesa povera per i poveri”, che ci aiuta a concentrarci sullo spirito di povertà delle Beatitudini. Come una devozione mariana, l’Angelus ci aiuta a vedere nel “sì” di Maria l’apertura alla volontà di Dio che ci porterà ad un collegamento più forte alla nostra fede. Infine, rispecchiando le preghiere del Romano Pontefice, l’Angelus si comporta come il nostro distintivo di fedeltà alla Chiesa e alla missione che siamo chiamati a prendere insieme.

The Pope is not a Marxist

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“As was to be expected,” writes a leading Catholic cleric, the recent papal bombshell document, which “lashes out at social injustice raised to an international level, was bound to find mixed reactions.” He elaborates: “Accusations have came swiftly from the capitalist sector that the ideology [of the new papal document] is Marxist.” 

The cleric is Óscar A. Romero, writing in 1967 in defense of Pope Paul VI’s «Populorum Progressio.»  Paul’s encyclical drew the right’s ire, in part, because it declared that “unbridled” capitalism “paves the way for a particular type of tyranny” of international finance, and because it expressed doubts about free market systems that “present profit as the chief spur to economic progress, free competition as the guiding norm of economics, and private ownership of the means of production as an absolute right, having no limits nor concomitant social obligations.”  «Populorum Progressio,» 26.  (Pope Benedict wrote that «Populorum Progressio» “deserves to be considered ‘the «Rerum Novarum» of the present age’, shedding light upon humanity's journey towards unity.”  «Caritas In Veritate,» 8.  «Populorum Progressio,» Benedict wrote, “illuminated the great theme of the development of peoples with the splendour of truth and the gentle light of Christ's charity.”  Id.)

The same criticisms that were lobbed against «Populorum Progressio» have been made about the Apostolic Exhortation «Evangelii Gaudium» because Pope Francis makes the same points that Pope Paul did.  Most controversially, Pope Francis questions Christians who assume that “trickle-down theories” will right existing economic imbalances, and he condemns the “new tyranny” of global finance, institutional corruption and international debt.  «Evangelii Gaudium,» 54, 56.  These passages have been causing peoples heads to explode, as apparently some Catholic thinkers are not familiar with the social magisterium of the 20th Century Popes.  These arguments were not even new when Paul VI made them in 1967.  After all, it was 1931 when Pius XI declared that, “not only is wealth concentrated in our times but an immense power and despotic economic dictatorship is consolidated in the hands of a few ... This dictatorship is being most forcibly exercised by those who, since they hold the money and completely control it, control credit also and rule the lending of money.”  This “dictatorship,” Pius wrote, “is the fruit that the unlimited freedom of struggle among competitors has of its own nature produced, and which lets only the strongest survive” (i.e., the free market system).  «Quadragesimo Anno,» 105, 107.

Therefore, before you conclude that Pope Francis is a Marxist, take a deep breath.  The words that Fr. Romero wrote 46 years ago apply with equal force today: “the truth is that our wonderful encyclical is neither Marxist nor capitalist. It is neither leftist nor rightist, just on the side of the suffering, of the materially and culturally hungry, on the side of the poor and the weak, on the side of the Gospel.”

Repeat to yourself: the Pope is not a Marxist.  Now, go say three Hail Mary’s.

Romero beatification: green advisory

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For the first time in the history of the canonization cause of Archbishop Óscar A. Romero of El Salvador, the facts warrant Super Martyrio changing its color coded beatification alert status to “green” to indicate that beatification appears, if not imminent, then certainly on the near horizon.  This judgment is based on the significant progress that has been made to remove impediments to the issuance and approval of a decree approving Romero’s martyrdom, after which the Church would be expected to proceed to beatify him.  Super Martyrio makes this finding after considering the following factors, which demonstrate an unequivocally positive climate for beatification:

• The Vatican is now clearly in favor of Archbishop Romero’s beatification:
• The Pope, by all reports, is very favorably inclined.
• The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has signed off.
• The Congregation for the Causes of Saints sees no impediment.
• The Salvadoran Bishops Conference is unanimously in favor.
• The Government  of El Salvador is favorably disposed:
• The current Salvadoran president is very favorably disposed toward Romero.
• The major candidates for president in 2014, across the political spectrum, are in favor.
• International and ecumenical support for Romero’s beatification continues to grow.

The only negative factors to consider are the lack of news that a commission of theologians, and a commission of cardinals at the CCS have acted to approve Romero’s martyrdom.  Their approval is required in order to move forward with the process. However, it is possible that progress has been made on this count that simply has not been reported yet.  Additionally, in light of the overwhelming support from Rome, San Salvador, and from other quarters highlighted above, it seems hard to fathom that an internal commission in a dicastery of the Church would put up impediments to Romero’s beatification.  (Additionally, numerous other constituencies within the Church have embraced Romero: the Sant’Egidio Community has adopted Romero as a patron, as have the Carmelites, and the Jesuits have officially endorsed his canonization cause, as have numerous national bishops’ conferences—including the U.S.)

Super Martyrio began tracking Romero’s beatification cause using the color coded system in October 2010, designating the status of the cause under an “amber alert” at the time, to indicate “moderate or slow forward motion.”  The “amber” status was maintained until March 2012, when the condition of the beatification process was downgraded to “red:” “Archbishop Romero’s canonization drive is dormant,” we said at the time.  The situation was restored to amber/yellow in May of this year, shortly after the announcement at the end of April that Pope Francis had lifted the hold order over the cause.

Shortly after Pope Francis was elected, Msgr. Gregorio Rosa Chávez, the Auxiliary Bishop of San Salvador, commented that the stars appeared to be aligning in favor of Archbishop Romero’s beatification.  As far as we can see, the alignment is now complete.

Beatificación Romero: alerta verde

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Por primera vez en la historia de la causa de canonización de Mons. Óscar A. Romero, de El Salvador, los hechos justifican que Súper Martyrio cambie su estado de alerta por la beatificación al color “verde” para indicar que la beatificación parece estar, si no inminente, entonces, ciertamente, en el horizonte cercano. Este juicio se basa en los importantes avances que se han llevado a cabo para eliminar obstáculos a la emisión y aprobación de un decreto que apruebe el martirio de Mons. Romero, después de lo cual se esperaría que la Iglesia proceda a beatificarle. Súper Martyrio llega a este juicio después de considerar los siguientes factores, que demuestran un clima inequívocamente positivo para la beatificación:

• El Vaticano está ahora claramente a favor de la beatificación de Monseñor Romero:
• El Papa, según todos los informes, está muy favorablemente inclinado.
• La Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe ha dado su aval.
• La Congregación para las Causas de los Santos no tiene inconveniente.
• La Conferencia Episcopal de El Salvador está a favor de manera unánime.
• El Gobierno de El Salvador también lo favorece:
• El actual presidente salvadoreño está muy favorablemente dispuesto hacia Romero.
• Los candidatos a la presidencia en 2014, de todo el espectro político, están a favor.
• El apoyo internacional y ecuménico a la beatificación de Mons. Romero sigue creciendo.

Los únicos factores negativos que debemos tener en cuenta son la falta de noticia de que una comisión de teólogos, y una comisión de cardenales en la CCS hayan actuado para aprobar el martirio. Se requiere su aprobación para seguir adelante con el proceso. Sin embargo, es posible que se haya avanzado en este tema sin haber sido informado. Además, dado el apoyo abrumador de Roma, San Salvador, y de otros sectores mencionados anteriormente, parece difícil imaginar que una comisión interna en un dicasterio de la Iglesia pondría obstáculos a la beatificación de Mons. Romero. (Por otra parte, muchos otros grupos dentro de la Iglesia se han arropado de Romero: la Comunidad de San Egidio ha adoptado a Romero como un patrón, como también los carmelitas, y los jesuitas han respaldado oficialmente su canonización, al igual que numerosas conferencias episcopales, incluyendo la de EE.UU.)

Súper Martyrio comenzó a monitorear la causa de beatificación de Mons. Romero mediante el sistema de alerta de colores en octubre de 2010, cuando se designa el estado de la causa bajo una “alerta amarilla” para indicar un “progreso moderado o lento”. El estado “amarillo” se mantuvo hasta marzo de 2012, cuando el estado del proceso de beatificación fue degradado a “rojo”, cuando dijimos que “el proceso de canonización de Mons. Romero está durmiente”.  La situación fue restaurada al amarillo en mayo de este año, poco después del anuncio al final de abril que el Papa Francisco había levantado la orden de retención sobre la causa.

Poco después de que el Papa Francisco fue elegido, Mons. Gregorio Rosa Chávez, Obispo Auxiliar de San Salvador, comentó que las estrellas parecían alinearse a favor de la beatificación de Mons. Romero. Por lo que podemos ver, la alineación ahora está completa.