MADRID 18 MAY 2019
We concede that the Venerable Servant of God
Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri Fernández de Heredia,
laywoman of the Personal Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei,
from this hour may be called Blessed;
and that her feast may be celebrated on May 18th each year.
A FEW MONTHS BEFORE
"The life of a chemist from Madrid..." "The Pope has authorized the beatification..."
"of a Spanish chemist..." "...a legacy of humanity and faith..."
"that is truly difficult to overlook..."
From a journalist's point of view, my interest comes from the fact that
she is the first layperson of Opus Dei to be beatified.
From what I know, she's the first woman chemist to be declared holy, which makes me very excited.
The fact that she was committed to serving others as well, and now they are going to beatify her:
I think it's a great thing.
For me, Guadalupe was a lifestyle, both in human and professional terms.
It's an example of what any good professional ought to possess:
this attitude of service to others.
For me, Guadalupe is an incredible and impressive memory.
When I was a student, she was a way of being, of acting, of elegance.
She always came very well dressed. She was kind with all the students, which was amazing.
She was always willing to listen to you and she always offered you positive comments
Had she not had the courage to say yes, I would not be studying here today
and I would not be the person that I am now.
Here we are, outside the airport!
Spain squad!
We are in the Berlin Airport, going to the beatification of Guadalupe
Guadalupe to me is a very strong woman
in the sense that she knew what she needed to do and how to do it,
even though her health was deteriorating.
To me, I feel like that is more powerful than other things in this world.
The thing about Guadalupe that has affected me the most
was her courage to be who she was
and do the things she did.
17 MAY 2019 THE PRELATE OF OPUS DEI VISITS THE GUADALUPE EXHIBITION
A year ago I was diagnosed with a brain tumor
and they gave me an endless amount of medicines, chemotherapy, radiotherapy...
One day I went to confession and the priest gave me Guadalupe's prayer card
which I started praying several times a day
and in two months, the tumor decreased 40 percent,
and in two more months, they told me it was dormant.
The doctors couldn't believe it.
When we participated in the beatification of Bishop Alvaro
we were not married yet.
At the end of that beatification, we felt touched by grace.
and we realized that we could become saints through our marriage.
We wanted to be "touched" by grace again and that's why
we decided to participate in Guadalupe's beatification too.
"The Lord is with you"
"I am all yours"
"Pray for us, Mary"
In every circumstance, Blessed Guadalupe has been a gift for others,
especially looking after the formation of students
and dedicating herself to scientific research to foster the progress of humanity.
An example of someone simple and ordinary who did extraordinary things.
This is what the world most needs now:
that we be men and women who attract - not by making great speeches -
but with our lives, with timely words
during circumstances in which we draw closer to others
That's what Guadalupe did. Let's do the same!
SON OF MAN CURED BY PRAYING TO GUADALUPE He called me the morning that it happened.
When he told me, it gave me goose bumps: "What!?"
and there it stayed, actually, because when things like this happen, they somehow seem natural:
you don't go out and tell the whole world,
you keep it to yourself, and you wait ... and we waited and waited, and now here we are.
OPTHAMOLOGIST WHO TREATED MAN CURED BY GUADALUPE For me, it is a privilege to have had this experience.
That in my daily work as a doctor, I was able to witness such an extraordinary act
that has led to this, and that in some way, helps the church grow.
NIECE OF GUADALUPE Guadalupe and my father were very united and loved each other very much.
Their relationship was constant and this was passed down to us.
ANOTHER NIECE OF GUADALUPE This is very impressive for the entire family.
Especially for me because my name is exactly the same as hers!
Everywhere I go, I'm Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri and she called me her "namesake".
NEPHEW OF GUADALUPE She died when I was three years old.
My mother tells me that when Guadalupe saw me, she said that I had her cheeks:
the cheeks of our family...
The solidarity aspect of this beatification is to give 100 scholarships to 100 African women
so that they can do research, joining Spanish research teams
and in turn, help development in their own countries.
When this idea was suggested, we had to do a little research about her life
and organize the appetizer and the whole menu according to it.
The menu is called "A Life-Journey to Holiness"
so I think it was important to organize all the details around her and her image.
Obviously, she is very present for us who work here.
The professors here empathize with her a lot as a teacher.
Thinking about Guadalupe's beatification and the example she sets,
it doesn't just mean that all of us are called to holiness
- which is true, of course -
but it also means that all noble human realities are a path of holiness.
We can find God in every situation. We can love God and serve others
and as a consequence, be happy and glad,
because God wants us to be happy, and that's why He wants us to be holy.
Sit down, Father.
and trust me...
because you are in good hands!
I've seen a walking cactus... please, bring in the walking cactus.
Listen, magician: this is real magic.
Aye... sing, don't cry!
How can we stay on the right path - which is what we want to do -
when our feelings are pulling us the other way?
At some moment or other, you need to use your head!
We can suffer, we can cry, but we cannot be sad.
We wanted to thank you and we also wanted to thank all of those who
made it possible to turn Vistalegre Arena into the world's largest living room.
We give thanks to God for the beatification of Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri,
proclaimed as a model of holiness by Pope Francis.
Yesterday in Madrid, Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri was beatified,
a layperson of Opus Dei
who served her brothers and sisters with joy, combinig teaching with the announcement of the Gospel.
Her witness is an example for all Christian women
committed to social work and scientific research.
Let's give an applause to the new blessed! All together!
It's like a new seal that the Church sets
on the path of sanctification that Saint Josemaría saw in 1928.
We are not the ones who "make" saints: God does.
Because it is the strength of His grace, the strength of Jesus Christ.
Of course, He counts on the person's freedom. But it is really the grace of God,
because He is the one Who is determined to carry us forward and, if we are faithful,
if we exercise our freedom, He pushes us forward.
I think it's like the opening of this door that the Pope has talked about,
There are many hidden saints. The Pope says there are saints "next door"
Well, Guadalupe is one of those kinds of saints, who has opened the door and come out
saying, "holiness is right here", in a normal way, full of God's love.
We are celebrating this in Rome to be able to celebrate it with Peter, and with those who have accompanied us
so that right here, in the center of Christianity, with the entire Church,
we can thank God for this new blessed.
It's good news for the Work and for the whole Church.