January marked the one-year anniversary of the death of Fr. Luis María Mendizábal. He was loved in the Vatican and in Spain, where he preached hundreds of spiritual exercises to thousands of people.
Though little time has passed, testimonies of how he helped people are already being received. They come from lay people, religious, and priests. They are asking for his beatification process to be opened.
One of the people in charge of collecting the material is Fr. Manuel Vargas, who knew him personally.
MANUEL VARGAS
Vice-postulator, Cause of Beatification of Luis María Mendizabal
'Many emphasize that he always made time for them. He was a man available for spiritual direction and for confession. At the same time, he was a man who knew the heart of the people, with whom he spoke, and with whom he was very happy to speak. He was a man who encouraged all of us to be saints.'
Fr. Mendizábal directed the Apostleship of Prayer in Spain and founded the religious institute of the Reparatory Fraternity. Furthermore, he dedicated his life to spreading the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
MANUEL VARGAS
Vice-postulator, Cause of Beatification of Luis María Mendizabal
“He showed us that Jesus Christ is not something, He is Someone. He showed us that He is risen, and lives on forever. The heart that stopped beating on Calvary, beat again after the Resurrection, and continues to beat on in the Eucharist. He helped us to experience this and live it, the close love of the Lord.”
Videos and articles have been compiled on the official website about the priest, padremendizabal.com. Many were also compiled in the book 'The Mysteries of the Life of Christ.' It summarizes the advice Manuel Vargas remembers best about Mendizabal.
MANUEL VARGAS
Vice-postulator, Cause of Beatification of Luis María Mendizabal
'May we try to know the heart of the Lord that the Gospel shows us. How Jesus Christ is, how He treats others, how docile He is to the Father, how joyful the Lord manifests in His dealings with the apostles. To know His patience, and His gentleness, and His generous dedication. So that we discover the Heart of the Lord in the reading of the Word of God.'
Without a doubt, Mendizabal was a generous Jesuit priest. He, like St. Ignatius, tried to make all the people who crossed his path know God better.
