Pope Francis addressed the seminarians from Madrid, who visited the Clementine Hall of the Vatican last Saturday, February 3rd, to answer their questions and encourage them to prostrate in adoration and trust in God, who has “called them.”
“Dear brothers, trust in the one who has called you to this beautiful task, and prostrate yourselves in adoration to be able to build, with docility, the temple of God in yourselves and in your communities,” the Holy Father told the seminarians, who were accompanied by Cardinal José Cobo, Archbishop of Madrid, and the training team.
The Holy Father emphasized that the only way to place “God at the center” of their lives, as the “cornerstone,” is “through adoration.”
The Pope recalled the words of the Spanish bishop Saint Manuel González, who wished for a seminary where the Eucharist played a central role in all aspects: “In the pedagogical order, the most effective stimulus; in the scientific, the first teacher and the first subject; in the disciplinary the most vigilant inspector; in the ascetic the most vivid model; in the economic the great providence; and in the architectural the cornerstone,” he quoted.
In the pedagogical aspect, the Pope explained that “Jesus —our saint tells us— will be our pedagogue, patient, strict, sweet, or firm as we need in our discernment, because He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He waits for us, encourages and supports us in all our journey.”
Regarding the scientific dimension, the Pope highlighted the lesson of humility that is drawn from the life of Jesus. “From Jesus, we do not learn things, we welcome Him, we cling to Him Himself, to be able to bring Him to others,” he maintained, emphasizing the importance of learning the virtue of humility from Jesus. The Pope also addressed discipline, presenting the Eucharist as “the most vigilant inspector” that makes one reflect on the “futility of worldly ideas.” In addition, he urged the seminarians to “confront the Eucharist every morning” to examine the sincerity of their hearts.
In the ascetic aspect, the Pope reminded of the necessity to “enter the desert” to listen to God in the heart, underlining the importance of “silence, prayer, fasting, and penance” to free oneself from worldly attachments.
“By abandoning ourselves in Jesus, the Lord will be the great providence; let Him plan and execute, let’s just place ourselves at His orders with a spirit of docility,” he added.
Finally, the Pope exhorted the seminarians to trust in the one who has called them to their vocation. With gratitude, he concluded by asking the seminarians to pray for him.
