Quote of the day, 26 April: Pope Francis & Blessed Anne of Jesus
These stanzas, Reverend Mother, were obviously composed with a certain burning love of God.
Saint John of the Cross to Blessed Anne of Jesus
Prologue to the Spiritual Canticle
The history of the Belgian Church is rich in examples of holiness. Let us consider Saint Gudula, the patron saint of this country (650–712 ca.), Saint Guy of Anderlecht, the pilgrim and friend of the poor (+1012), Saint Damien de Veuster, better known as Damien of Molokai, the apostle to the lepers (1840-1889), and the many Belgian missionaries who have proclaimed the Gospel in various parts of the world over the centuries, sometimes to the point of sacrificing their lives.
The witness of a Carmelite nun has also blossomed in this fertile land: Anne of Jesus, Anna de Lobera, whose Beatification we celebrate today. In the Church of her time, this woman was among the protagonists of a great reform movement. She followed in the footsteps of a “giant of the spirit”, Teresa of Avila, and helped spread her ideals throughout Spain, France, here, in Brussels, and in what was then called the Spanish Netherlands.
In a time marked by painful scandals, within and outside of the Christian community, she and her companions brought many people back to the faith through their simple lives of poverty, prayer, work, and charity. Some have called their foundation in this city a “spiritual magnet”.
She intentionally left no writings to posterity. Instead, she committed herself to putting into practice what she had learned (cf. 1 Cor 15:3), and by her way of life she helped lift up the Church at a time of great difficulty.
Let us then gratefully welcome the example she has given us of “feminine styles of holiness” (cf. Gaudete et Exsultate, 12), gentle but strong. Her testimony, together with those of so many brothers and sisters who have gone before us, our friends and fellow pilgrims, is not far from us: it is near us, indeed it is entrusted to us so that we may also make it our own, renewing our commitment to walk together in the footsteps of the Lord.
Pope Francis
Homily, Mass of Beatification of Anne of Jesus
Brussels, 29 September 2024
John of the Cross, St. 1991, The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, Revised Edition, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K and Rodriguez, O with revisions and introductions by Kavanaugh, K, ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Featured image: Pope Francis passing through a jubilant crowd in St. Peter’s Square minutes before his Inaugural Mass, 19 March 2013 [Inizio Del Ministero Petrino Del Vescovo Di Roma]. Photo by Jeffrey Bruno (Some rights reserved).
⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
Is my life quietly bearing witness—or am I waiting to say something before I live it?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.
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