Play the video: Mass for the seventh anniversaryDear brothers and sisters,
At the moment of the homily we are invited to be an echo of the word of God, and we are also invited to connect our lives with it. And today especially, because we are remembering Marcos. I sincerely believe that you should be the ones who share him with those of us who try to know him better and follow him. What resonates today in our hearts in relation to what the Word has said, and to what this word has done with the life of Marcos?
If we look closely, it is providential how the word of God gives an answer to our Christian life. Today in the psalm we sang: ‘It is good to give thanks to the Lord.’ The first thing that rises up in all of us is to praise the Lord, to show him our joy and our gratitude. It could not be otherwise! A Christian has a duty and an obligation of thanksgiving, of praise and joy before the Lord. Why? Because of the marvels he works in us and the marvels he works in each person. Today, then, this psalm takes on great importance as it echoes the marvels that God has worked in the life of Marcos. This is why we are here today, to praise the Lord.
Naturally, our thoughts turn to the past and call up a memory. But it is a memory so that we do not forget the marvels God has accomplished in the life of one of his children, in the life of Marcos.
In the Gospel we can see three elements and three words that can also resonate when we look at Marcos. The first word is to work at discipleship: rather than looking at the other, rather than judging the other… Look at yourself, and see how your life of discipleship is going. To be a disciple! The disciple certainly considers himself privileged to be with the Master, and this is what we want in our lives: to be with the Master. What an example… What an example Marcos has left us! His desire was none other than to seek this presence of the Lord, this intimacy with the Lord. In short, he understood clearly that he had to grow day by day in discipleship and be a faithful disciple of the Master, of the Lord. Certainly, in this intimacy and this very deep relationship between Marcos and the Lord, we see how Christ has worked on the heart of Marcos. You too can now recall so many things that allow you to see how God had been shaping him: aspects of his life and of his way of being. Christ has worked in his life; Christ has worked in his heart.
Intimacy is a sharing, not merely a benefiting… And Marcos did this: he was able to dwell in the heart of Christ. And this is the greatest thing about the disciple: to be able to enter into the very depths of the Lord. The greatest thing about the disciples was that they were with the Lord. And some of these disciples, Peter, James and John on Tabor and in Gethsemane, were fortunate enough to be intimately with the Lord. Marcos too dwelt in the heart of Christ. And why? Simply because this desire to be so much with the Lord came from having tasted his presence, from having had a powerful experience with him, and for this reason he desired only him. This is the mission of the disciple: to live in intimacy, so that the Lord may shape us and so that we may marvel at this sea of goodness that is the heart of God, the heart of Christ!
The Gospel tells us that we are destined to be light. And how important it is for a Christian to bear the light of Christ! We must be like those candles that lead to the Lord. You who have so many times seen the gaze, the face and the words of Marcos, and perhaps many of you have received his embrace and seen his works: all of this is, without doubt, the radiance of Christ dwelling in the life of Marcos. To be light is to give what we have, what we possess. To have everything in order to give everything. To have the light in order to illuminate others.
The third element of today’s Gospel is fruit: fruit is what the Lord desires. The vine belongs to the Lord, and we are the humble workers, and we must labour to bear fruit. What is needed in order to bear fruit? To cultivate and cultivate our life, to work and work. This is also a desire of the members of Communion and Liberation and of all Christians, obviously. We must cultivate the Christian life, and when we truly work at it, we can see fruit. And when there is fruit, in the heart of the fruit we can truly observe his face. Many times, we apparently see no fruit. We see things partially; God sees them as a whole. There is much more in the heart than what we see as fruit, because we have a limited view. But there is no doubt that a Christian life bears fruit, and in the fruits we can see the heart.
And what fruits do we see in Marcos? I believe that we should not only look back at the 23 years he lived, but also consider these seven years that have passed.
To be a disciple, to be light, to be fruit: this is what the Lord tells us in the Gospel. And we see that it is possible to do so, because one among us has done it!
In the second reading the Apostle speaks of how victory has overcome death. The victory of the risen Lord has conquered death. That is why we do not speak of death, even though it is a vital passage, but rather we speak of life. We speak of a passage into the enjoyment of dwelling in heaven and in the presence of the Lord. This is the victory! And we make this passage when one is prepared: certainly, in the last period of his life, Marcos was taking giant strides. He was preparing himself, and in what way, for this definitive step. This is why today we speak of victory, triumph and goal… And the goal is life.
And so we share that Marcos lives with the one who reigns for all eternity. For this reason, this kingdom is no longer of this world. To reign is holiness. We ask the Lord that, in his goodness and generosity, Marcos may enjoy this life with him: the life of heaven, of holiness. We not only wish that he may be enjoying the glory of Heaven, and this gives us peace and strength, but we also see Marcos alive as a friend to everyone. He is not only a friend to his friends, but also a friend to us. And there is that vision which transcends the bonds of blood and friendship. It concerns someone who already enjoys life with God and friendship with him, and who reaches so many hearts. How many people feel the presence of the Lord! How many of us are receiving the providence and help of Marcos before God!
We might think that Marcos’s stay in the seminary, barely ten days, was a useless preparation on the way to the priesthood… Quite the contrary: never has a path of preparation been as swift as his. Why? Because the priesthood is to be with God and to speak to God’s people about God, and to speak to God about his people. Do you not think that Marcos is now this bridge of communication between God and us? Certainly, Marcos is living this priesthood for ever, because he too understood it very clearly. Indeed, he said in those first days: ‘Truly, the Lord is very jealous: he asks everything of me and wants everything from me.’ But he was also aware that Jesus asked everything of him because he had granted him everything. He asks only of the one who has been generous. And God was generous with Marcos. That is why Marcos understood that he who had received so much had to give it back.
In this priestly vision of Marcos in the glory of Heaven, it also brings to mind that the Church in Barcelona now needs apostles, needs people and young men who fall in love with Christ and his Church. This passion for Christ, this seeking his presence in everything, as Marcos did, in a letter I have read recently!
We ask the intercession of the saints, so that they may convey the beauty of God and of his Church.
Marcos had the dream of the priesthood: hands that heal, hands that enlighten, the hands of God. We need priests, men who are willing to give their lives for the Lord.
(…)
May we have the courage to say yes to the Lord in whatever he asks of us.
The two great loves that Marcos held in his heart, as we look at his life: Jesus and Mary. And when one has these loves, you cannot demand them of others, but you can pass on this love to others. We want to pass on this love to society. And how can we pass it on? By living from Christ, living from the Eucharist and placing our lives in the hands of Mary. There are two very clear certainties on our journey towards Heaven, hand in hand with Mary: the certainty that we do not walk alone. The saints accompany us, and Marcos too walks with us.
And with this Eucharist we say to the Lord: ‘Here I am, I want to walk towards this goal, Heaven, your glory.’ There we will praise you for ever in your eternity. Amen.
Personal comment by Mgr Vilanova before the final blessing
It was 2015, when I was still rector of the seminary in Tortosa, and a young man who had just entered the seminary told me that he had arrived mid-year, a young man who was special. And a few days later, one Sunday morning, the news of Marcos’s death broke. From that moment on, certainly, in my life as a priest and as a Christian in love with the Lord, a special interest in Marcos was born. Indeed, on so many occasions, in talks, in accompanying people, in spiritual direction, in retreats… I have often drawn on the testimony of Marcos. And I can tell you what many of you already know: that people who did not know him, on seeing how he lived, what he said and how he was, have been captivated by him. Moreover, in many young people who needed light in their lives, the testimony of Marcos has certainly left its mark and given them a direction to follow. It moves me to think that the Lord always goes beyond what we ask of him. When I came to know his testimony, I asked the Lord to let me get to know him a little better. For me too, with my poverty and smallness, so that I might live my life as he knew how to live it: in love with the Lord and following him with all his heart. And the Lord surpasses us, because for me it is an honour to be here today taking part in the Eucharist and praying for Marcos. Bishop Toni, our brother, and a father to me, was supposed to be with us today at this Eucharist. And it also moves me to think that tomorrow five priests are being ordained in Barcelona… And, in principle, there should have been six, because one of them was Marcos, since this year was his turn for ordination. But I repeat what I said in the homily: he prepared for the priesthood in an express way, directly to be with the Lord. And since he knows us, he intercedes for us. And since he knows the heart of God, he helps us with so many graces. That is why this gift that the Lord gives me is also personally a joy for me. From what I came to know and learn of him, I felt myself a friend of Marcos and admired his life. And in this Association of Friends of Marcos Pou, I would be delighted to be just one more of these friends, who has been and will be even more so for us.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Machine translation. If you spot a mistake, do write to us.