Saint Joseph-Marie Robles
Prêtre et
martyr (+ 1927)
ou Tranquillin Ubiarco Robles
Fondateur en 1918 de la Congrégation des Sœurs de Jésus Sacrement, pour le soin des malades, l'éducation et l'assistance aux orphelins. Curé de Tecolotlan en 1920. Ardent propagateur de la dévotion au Sacré Cœur en écrivant des petites œuvres de vulgarisation.
Durant la grande persécution au Mexique, il fut arrêté alors qu'il allait célébrer la messe et fut, sur le champ, condamné à mort et pendu à un arbre, en dehors de la ville, le 26 juin 1927.
Né à Zapotlan, Jalisco, diocèse de Guzman au Mexique en 1899. Il a été prêtre dans les temps difficiles des persécutions. Plein de charité, il allait administrer les sacrements et soutenir la vie chrétienne parmi les fidèles en célébrant l'eucharistie dans leurs foyers. Sa zone pastorale était située dans un des quartiers les plus dangereux 'Los altos de Jalisco'
Canonisé le 21 mai 2000 par Jean-Paul II avec saint Cristobal Magallanes - Homélie du Saint Père.
A voir aussi: San José María Robles Hurtado, de la mano de María - Semanario - archidiocèse de Guadalajara page 23 (en espagnol)
À Jalisco, sur le territoire de Guadalajara au Mexique, en 1927, saint
Joseph-Marie Robles, prêtre et martyr. Arrêté au cours de la grande persécution
en ce pays, alors qu'il allait célébrer la messe dans une maison, il fut pendu
à un arbre.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/10494/Saint-Joseph-Marie-Robles.html
HOMÉLIE DE SA SAINTETÉ
JEAN PAUL II
CANONISATIONS DE 27
NOUVEAUX SAINTS
Dimanche 21 mai 2000
1. "N'aimons ni de mots ni de langue, mais en actes et en
vérité" (1 Jn 3, 18). Cette exhortation, tirée de l'Apôtre Jean
dans le texte de la seconde lecture de cette célébration, nous invite à imiter
le Christ en vivant dans le même temps en étroite union avec Lui. Jésus
lui-même nous l'a dit dans l'Evangile qui vient d'être proclamé: "De
même que le sarment ne peut de lui-même porter du fruit s'il ne demeure sur la
vigne, ainsi vous non plus, si vous ne demeurez pas en moi"
( Jn 15, 4).
A travers l'union profonde avec le Christ, commencée dans le Baptême et
alimentée par la prière, par les sacrements et par la pratique des vertus
évangéliques, des hommes et des femmes de toutes les époques, en tant que fils
de l'Eglise, ont atteint l'objectif de la sainteté. Ils sont saints car ils ont
placé Dieu au centre de leur vie et ont fait de la recherche et de la diffusion
de son Royaume la raison de leur existence; saints car leurs oeuvres continuent
à parler de leur amour total pour le Seigneur et leurs frères, portant des
fruits abondants, grâce à leur foi vivante en Jésus-Christ et à leur engagement
à aimer, même leurs ennemis, comme Il nous a aimés.
2. Au cours du pèlerinage jubilaire des Mexicains, l'Eglise est heureuse
de proclamer saints ces fils du Mexique: Cristóbal Magallanes et 24
compagnons martyrs, prêtres et laïcs; José María de Yermo y Parres, prêtre
fondateur des Religieuses servantes du Sacré-Coeur de Jésus, et María de Jesús
Sacramentado Venegas, fondatrice des Filles du Sacré-Coeur de Jésus.
Pour participer à cette célébration solennelle, honorant ainsi la mémoire de
l'Eglise et de votre patrie, vous, pèlerins mexicains, êtes venus en grand
nombre, accompagnés d'un groupe nombreux d'évêques. Je vous salue tous avec une
grande affection. L'Eglise qui est au Mexique se réjouit de pouvoir compter sur
ces intercesseurs dans le ciel, modèles de charité suprême, ayant suivi les
traces de Jésus-Christ. Tous donnèrent leur propre vie à Dieu et à leurs
frères, à travers le martyre ou le chemin de l'offrande généreuse au service
des indigents. La fermeté de leur foi et l'espérance les soutinrent dans les
diverses épreuves auxquelles ils furent confrontés. Ils constituent un héritage
précieux, fruit de la foi enracinée dans les terres mexicaines, qui, à l'aube
du troisième millénaire du christianisme, doit être conservée et revitalisée
afin que vous puissiez continuer à être fidèles au Christ et à son Eglise,
comme vous l'avez fait par le passé. Mexique, sois toujours fidèle!
3. Dans la première lecture, nous avons entendu la façon dont Paul
agissait à Jérusalem: "prêchant avec assurance au nom du Seigneur.
Il s'adressait aussi aux Hellénistes et discutait avec eux; mais ceux-ci
machinaient sa perte" (Ac 9, 28-29). Avec la mission de Paul se
prépare l'oeuvre de propagation de l'Eglise, qui apporte le message évangélique
en chaque lieu. Dans cette oeuvre, les persécutions et les violences contre les
annonciateurs de la Bonne Nouvelle n'ont jamais manqué. Toutefois, au-delà des
adversités humaines, l'Eglise peut compter sur la promesse de l'assistance
divine. C'est pourquoi nous avons entendu que "les Eglises
jouissaient de la paix... elles s'édifiaient et vivaient dans la crainte du
Seigneur, et elles étaient comblées de la consolation du Saint-Esprit"
(Ac 9, 31).
Nous pouvons appliquer ce passage des Actes des Apôtres à la situation que
durent vivre Cristóbal Magallanes et ses 24 compagnons, martyrs au cours des
trente premières années du XXème siècle. La majeure partie appartenait au
clergé séculier et trois d'entre eux étaient des laïcs profondément engagés
dans l'assistance aux prêtres. Ils n'abandonnèrent pas
le courageux exercice de leur ministère lorsque la persécution religieuse
s'accrut sur la terre mexicaine bien-aimée, déchaînant la haine contre la religion
catholique. Tous acceptèrent librement et sereinement le martyre comme
témoignage de leur propre foi, pardonnant de façon explicite à leurs
persécuteurs. Fidèles à Dieu et à la foi catholique enracinée dans les
communautés ecclésiales qu'ils servaient, promouvant également leur bien-être
matériel, ils sont aujourd'hui un exemple pour toute l'Eglise et pour la
société mexicaine en particulier.
Après les dures épreuves que l'Eglise subit au Mexique au cours de ces années
tourmentées, les chrétiens mexicains, encouragés par le témoignage de ces
témoins de la foi, peuvent aujourd'hui vivre en paix et en harmonie, en
apportant à la société la richesse des valeurs évangéliques. L'Eglise croît et
progresse, étant le creuset où naissent d'abondantes vocations sacerdotales et
religieuses, où se forment les familles selon le plan de Dieu et où les jeunes,
partie considérable du peuple mexicain, peuvent grandir dans l'espérance d'un
avenir meilleur. Que le lumineux exemple de Cristóbal Magallanes et de ses
compagnons martyrs vous pousse à un engagement renouvelé de fidélité à Dieu,
capable de continuer à transformer la société mexicaine afin qu'y règnent la
justice, la fraternité et l'harmonie entre tous!
4. "Or voici son commandement: croire au nom de son Fils
Jésus-Christ et nous aimer les uns les autres comme il nous en a donné le
commandement" (1 Jn 3, 23). Le mandat par excellence que Jésus a
donné aux siens est de s'aimer fraternellement comme il nous a aimés
(cf. Jn 15, 12). Dans la seconde lecture que nous avons entendue, le
commandement possède un double aspect: croire dans la personne de
Jésus-Christ, Fils de Dieu, en le professant à chaque instant, et nous aimer
les uns les autres, car le Christ lui-même nous l'a prescrit. Ce commandement
est si important pour la vie du croyant qu'il se transforme en condition
nécessaire afin qu'ait lieu l'inhabitation divine. La foi, l'espérance et
l'amour conduisent à accueillir Dieu de façon existentielle, comme le chemin
sûr vers la sainteté.
On peut dire que ce fut le chemin entrepris par José María de Yermo y Parres,
qui vécut son don sacerdotal au Christ en adhérant à Lui de toutes ses forces,
et, dans le même temps, en se distinguant par son attitude fondamentale de
prière et de contemplation. Dans le Coeur de Jésus, il trouva l'orientation de
sa spiritualité, et considérant son amour infini pour les hommes, il voulut
l'imiter en faisant de la charité sa règle de vie.
Le nouveau saint fonda les religieuses Servantes du Sacré-Cæur de Jésus et des
Pauvres, réunissant ainsi ses deux grands amours, qui expriment dans l'Eglise
l'esprit et le charisme du nouveau saint. Chères Filles de saint José María de
Yermo y Parres: vous vivez avec générosité le riche héritage de votre
fondateur, à commencer par la communion fraternelle en communauté, et en
l'étendant à l'amour miséricordieux envers vos frères, avec humilité,
simplicité et efficacité, et, au-dessus de tout, en parfaite union avec Dieu.
5. "Demeurez en moi, comme moi en vous... Celui qui demeure en moi,
et moi en lui, celui-là porte beaucoup de fruit" (Jn 15, 4-5). Dans
l'Evangile que nous avons entendu, Jésus nous a
exhortés à demeurer en Lui, pour conduire à Lui tous les hommes. Cette
invitation exige de mener à bien notre engagement baptismal, de vivre dans son
amour, de s'inspirer de sa Parole, de s'alimenter de l'Eucharistie, de recevoir
son pardon et, lorsque cela est nécessaire, de porter la croix avec Lui. La
séparation de Dieu est la tragédie la plus grande que l'homme puisse vivre. La
lymphe qui parvient au sarment le fait croître; la grâce qui provient du Christ
nous rend adultes et mûrs, afin que nous portions des fruits de vie éternelle.
Sainte María de Jesús Sacramentado Venegas, première Mexicaine canonisée, sut
rester unie au Christ au cours de sa longue existence terrestre et c'est
pourquoi elle porta des fruits abondants de vie éternelle. Sa spiritualité fut
caractérisée par une singulière piété eucharistique, car il est clair que le
chemin par excellence pour s'unir au Seigneur est de le chercher, de l'adorer,
de l'aimer dans le très saint mystère de sa présence réelle dans le Sacrement
de l'Autel.
Elle voulut prolonger son oeuvre par la fondation des Filles du Sacré-Coeur de
Jésus, qui poursuivent aujourd'hui dans l'Eglise son charisme de la charité
envers les pauvres et les malades. De fait, l'amour de Dieu est universel, il
désire parvenir à tous les hommes; c'est pourquoi la nouvelle sainte comprit
que son devoir était de le diffuser, en prodiguant ses attentions à l'égard de
tous jusqu'à la fin de ses jours, même lorsque son énergie physique diminua et
que les dures épreuves traversées au cours de son existence affaiblirent ses
forces. Très fidèle dans l'observance des constitutions, respectueuse envers
les évêques et les prêtres, attentive aux séminaristes, sainte María de Jesús
Sacramentado constitue un témoignage éloquent de consécration absolue au
service de Dieu et de l'humanité qui souffre.
6. Cette célébration solennelle nous rappelle que la foi comporte une
relation profonde avec le Seigneur. Les nouveaux saints nous enseignent que les
fidèles et les disciples véritables de Jésus sont ceux qui accomplissent la
volonté de Dieu et qui sont unis à Lui à travers la foi et la grâce.
Ecouter la Parole de Dieu, rendre sa propre existence harmonieuse, en mettant
le Christ à la première place, a pour effet que la vie de l'être humain se
configure à Lui. L'expression "demeurer en moi et moi en vous"
continue à être l'invitation de Jésus, qui doit retentir sans cesse en chacun
de nous et dans notre milieu. Saint Paul, accueillant ce même appel, put
s'exclamer: "Ce n'est plus moi qui vis, mais le Christ qui vit en
moi" (Ga 2, 20). Que la Parole de Dieu, proclamée au cours de cette
liturgie, fasse en sorte que notre vie soit authentique en restant
existentiellement unis au Seigneur, en aimant non seulement en paroles mais
dans les faits et dans la vérité (cf. 1 Jn 3, 18)! Ainsi notre vie
sera réellement "pour le Christ, avec le Christ et dans le Christ".
Nous sommes en train de vivre le grand Jubilé de l'An 2000. Parmi ses objectifs
se trouve celui de "susciter en chaque fidèle une aspiration véritable à
la sainteté" (Tertio millennio adveniente, n. 42). Que l'exemple de ces
nouveaux saints incite les fidèles, par tous les moyens qui sont à leur
disposition et surtout avec l'aide de la grâce de Dieu, à rechercher avec
courage et décision la sainteté!
Que la Vierge de Guadalupe, invoquée par les martyrs au moment suprême du don
d'eux-mêmes, pour laquelle saint José María de Yermo et sainte María de Jesús
Sacramentado Venegas professèrent une si tendre dévotion, accompagne de sa
protection maternelle les bonnes intentions de ceux qui honorent aujourd'hui
les nouveaux saints et aide ceux qui suivent leur exemple; qu'Elle guide et
protège également l'Eglise afin que, par son action évangélisatrice et le
témoignage chrétien de ses enfants, elle illumine le chemin de l'humanité au
cours du troisième millénaire chrétien! Amen!
Copyright © Dicastero per
la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Saint José María
Robles Hurtado
Also
known as
Jose Maria Robles
Josef Maria Robles
21
May as one of the Martyrs
of the Mexican Revolution
Profile
Born to a fervently
Catholic family, the son of Antonio Robles and Petronila Hurtado. Entered
the seminary of
Guadalajara, Mexico at
age 12. Ordained on 22
March 1913 at
age 25 at Guadalajara.
Consecrated to the Sacred
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, and in 1918 founded
the Congregation of Victims of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus (Hermanas
del Corazón de Jesús Sacramentado) at Nochistlan, Zacatecas, Mexico.
The congregation was dedicated to pastoral health and education,
assisting orphanages,
and conducting missions. Today it is known as the Sisters of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus.
Parish priest in
Tocolotlan in 1920.
During the persecutions of
the Mexican
Revolution, priests were
outlawed; parishioners urged Father Jose
to run, but he could not abandon his people. He was arrested on 25
June 1927 for presiding at Mass in
private homes; he was at a make-shift altar when soldiers broke
in to grab him. Hanged from
an oak tree the next day, after having blessed and forgiven his captors; he
kissed and blessed the rope, and put around his own neck so no executioners
would not be guilty of the murder. One of the Martyrs of the Cristera
War.
Born
3 May 1888 at
Mascota, Jalisco, Mexico
hanged on 26
June 1927 at
Quila, Jalisco, Mexico
relics at
the church at Tecolotlan
7
March 1992 by Pope John
Paul II (decree of martyrdom)
22
November 1992 by Pope John
Paul II
21
May 2000 by Pope John
Paul II during the Jubilee of Mexico
Additional
Information
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other
sites in english
video
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
Martirologio Romano, 2005 edition
MLA
Citation
“Saint José María Robles
Hurtado“. CatholicSaints.Info. 18 May 2022. Web. 25 June 2024. <https://catholicsaints.info/saint-jose-maria-robles-hurtado/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-jose-maria-robles-hurtado/
St. Jose Maria Robles
Hurtado
Feastday: May 21
Birth: 1888
Death: 1927
Beatified: November 22, 1992 by Pope John Paul II
Canonized: May 21, 2000 by Pope John Paul II
Saint José María Robles Hurtado (May 3,
1888-June 26, 1927) was a Mexican priest and one of the several priests
martyred during the Cristero War.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=7316
St. Jose Maria Robles
Hurtado
June 26, Martyr
Source: Catholicsaints.info
Also known as
• Jose Maria Robles
• Josef Maria Robles
• Memorial
• 26 June
• 21 May as one of the Martyrs of the Mexican Revolution
• Profile
• Born to a fervently Catholic family, the
son of Antonio Robles and Petronila Hurtado. Entered the seminary of
Guadalajara, Mexico at age 12. Ordained on 22 March 1913 at age 25 at
Guadalajara.
• Consecrated to the Sacred Eucharistic
Heart of Jesus, and in 1918 founded the Congregation of Victims of the
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus (Hermanas del Corazón de Jesús Sacramentado) at
Nochistlan, Zacatecas, Mexico. The congregation was dedicated to pastoral
health and education, assisting orphanages, and conducting missions. Today it
is known as the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
• Parish priest in Tocolotlan in 1920. During the persecutions of the Mexican Revolution, priests were outlawed; parishioners urged Father Jose to run, but he could not abandon his people. He was arrested on 25 June 1927 for presiding at Mass in private homes; he was at a make-shift altar when soldiers broke in to grab him. Hanged from an oak tree the next day, after having blessed and forgiven his captors; he kissed and blessed the rope, and put around his own neck so no executioners would not be guilty of the murder. One of the Martyrs of the Cristera War.
Born
• 3 May 1888 at Mascota, Jalisco, Mexico
• Died
• hanged on 26 June 1927 at Quila, Jalisco, Mexico
• relics at the church at Tecolotlan
• Venerated
• 7 March 1992 by Pope John Paul II (decree of martyrdom)
• Beatified
• 22 November 1992 by Pope John Paul II
• Canonized
• 21 May 2000 by Pope John Paul II during
the Jubilee of Mexico
SOURCE : https://catholic.net/op/articles/2557/cat/1205/st-jose-maria-robles-hurtado.html
The “Madman” of the
Sacred Heart
Larry Peterson - published
on 06/03/16
Today’s feast is
celebrated worldwide, but do you know the martyr of the Americas who died for
this devotion?Every year, exactly 19 days after Pentecost, the Catholic Church
celebrates the Sacred
Heart of Jesus. The feast is always on a Friday and this year it is June 3.
Though devotion to the
Sacred Heart is worldwide, many Catholics around the world have never heard
about a man from Mexico whose name was Jose
Maria Robles Hurtado.
Jose Robles Hurtado was
25 years old when he was ordained to the priesthood. The year was 1913. He
loved his priestly calling and, being a gifted writer, immediately began
writing essays and lessons to teach and propagate the faith. He consecrated
himself to the Sacred Eucharistic Heart of Jesus and had such love for Christ
in the Eucharist that within two years of his ordination, he founded an order
of religious called the Congregation of the Victims of the Eucharistic Heart of
Jesus. His impassioned devotion became well-known and he was even referred to
as the “Madman of the Sacred Heart.”
But his love for his Lord
was also being noticed by the authorities. Father Hurtado was already going
against the new laws being enacted in Mexico. This was during the intense
anti-religious era of Catholic/Christian persecution and the new Constitution
of Mexico prohibited public professions of faith, public processions and most
devotional practices “outside” of church buildings. Father Hurtado promptly
proposed a project where a huge cross would be placed somewhere in the center
of Mexico to honor Christ as the true King of Mexico.
He was now in direct
violation of the law.
The plans for the project
began to come together as Father Hurtado led the movement to erect the giant
cross. Signs were distributed throughout the countryside declaring Christ as
the King of Mexico. These signs also proclaimed the nation’s devotion to the
Sacred Heart. A public ceremony was scheduled for the laying of the project’s
cornerstone. Government leaders were furious.
In 1923, more than 40,000
Catholics headed to a spot in central Mexico called La Loma (“the hill”). The
groundbreaking took place and the government decided it was time to intensify
the “law”. Persecution of Catholics immediately escalated and Father Robles
Hurtado was singled out for intense scrutiny to make sure he stopped his
“anti-government” practices.
Father Hurtado, despite
demands by the government that he leave the country, continued his ministry,
offering Mass, hearing confessions for hours at a time, visiting the poor and
the sick, performing baptisms, anointing the dying and teaching children the
faith. Then came 1924 and a new president. His name was Plutarco Elias Calles
and he had a fierce hatred of Catholics.
Presidente Calles was
determined to stop all religious practice in Mexico. He ordered the
Constitution of 1917 to be strictly enforced and the result was one of the
bloodiest episodes in Mexican history. From 1927 through 1929 the Cristero War
ravaged Mexico. Father Jose Robles Hurtado was to be one of its victims.
As history has proven,
power can become an evil aphrodisiac. Hiding behind “laws” enacted to help them
attain their goals of domination, people can kill with a reckless, oftentimes
vicious, abandon. The evil at work in Mexico was not about to ignore the young
priest.
On June 25, 1927, Father
Hurtado was leading a family in prayer at their home. Soldiers broke into the
house and arrested the priest for “violating the law.” He was immediately found
guilty and sentenced to be hanged.
The next morning, before
dawn, Father Jose Hurtado, age 39, was led out to a nearby oak tree. The
priest, while facing his impending death, offered understanding and compassion
to his executioners. He forgave them and insisted that he be allowed to place
the noose around his own neck so that none of the men there would have the
guilt of being his executioner. He was handed the noose, kissed it, and slid it
over his head. As he left to meet his beloved Sacred Heart, several of the
executioners openly wept.
Father Jose Robles
Hurtado, the “Madman of the Sacred Heart,” was canonized a saint by Pope St.
John Paul II on May 21, 2000.
SOURCE : https://aleteia.org/2016/06/03/the-madman-of-the-sacred-heart
ROBLES HURTADO, JOSÉ MARÍA,
ST.
Martyr, pastor, founder
of the Victims of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus; b. May 3, 1888, Mascota,
Jalisco, Diocese of Tepic, Mexico; d. June 26, 1927, Jalisco, Diocese of Autlán.
At age 12, he entered the seminary at Guadalajara, where he distinguished
himself by his intelligence and dedication to both his studies and catechesis.
While he was still in the seminary, the bishop of Tehuantepec invited him to
work in his diocese. He ministered in various parishes after his ordination
(1913), hearing confessions and caring for the sick. As pastor of Tecolotlán,
Jalisco, he founded the Victimas del Corazón Eucarística de Jesús, now
called the Sisters of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus (Religiosa Hermanas del Corazón de Jesús Sacramentado ).
Because of his fervent love of the Sacred
Heart, he wrote pamphlets to propagate the devotion. Robles hid himself
during the persecution but did not abandon his flock. He was taken prisoner as
he was preparing to celebrate Mass in a private home. He was hanged in the
Quila mountain of Jalisco, Diocese of Autlán. Robles' mortal remains lie in the
novitiate of the congregation he founded. He was both beatified (Nov. 22, 1992)
and canonized (May 21, 2000) with Cristobal ma gallanes [see guadalajara
(mexico), martyrs of, ss.] by Pope John
Paul II.
Feast: May 25 (Mexico).
Bibliography: J. Cardoso, Los mártires mexicanos (Mexico
City 1953). J. Díaz Estrella, El movimiento cristero: sociedad y
conflicto en los Altos de Jalisco (México, D.F. 1979).
[K. I. Rabenstein]
New Catholic Encyclopedia
St. José María Robles Hurtado
St. José Maria Robles was led to an oak, “roble” in
Spanish, a word used for one who is a “pillar of strength.”
5/20/2021
St. José María Robles Hurtado
Knights of Columbus Council 1979
Guadalajara, México
Born in Mascota, Jalisco, on May 3, 1888, José María
Robles Hurtado knew ever since he was young how to unite an extraordinary
intellectual lucidity with a virtuously humble spirit. A brilliant student of
the Guadalajara conciliar seminary which he entered in 1900, he became a deacon
and was entrusted with the post of vice-rector of the institution. He worked as
a missionary in Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, before being ordained in Guadalajara on
March 22, 1913.
A minister of a notable moral and spiritual nature, he
exercised his ministry with great zeal and edification. During his life, he
promoted devotion to the Eucharist, the Holy Virgin and the Sacred Heart of
Jesus, even establishing the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in
Guadalajara at the age of 25.
In 1920, he became parish priest of Tecolotlán,
Jalisco, where he deployed a number of initiatives in favor of the common good
in that town: schools, a hospital, an asylum, workers’ circles, and his
religious congregation. When public religious services were suspended, he remained
at the front of his parish, hidden in private homes. If anyone suggested that
he flee, he would answer: “A pastor never abandons his sheep.”
On March 18, 1926, the Jalisco state government
published a decree requiring all priests serving in churches to be registered
and authorized by civil authorities. Archbishop Francisco Orozco y Jiménez
urged priests to stay in their parishes, but not to register. Father
Robles complied and preached openly against this movement of secularism.
On the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dec. 12, 1926,
the mayor sent word to Father Robles that an order had been issued for his
arrest and that he ought to go into hiding. He did for a while, but he emerged
briefly after the new year to lead a rededication of the hilltop cross in
Tecolotlán on the monument’s one-year anniversary.
During the last months of his life, he provided
admirable examples of virtue, dedicating himself to study and prayer. As he
himself would say, the Holy Mass and the constant adoration of the Holy Sacraments
were the center of his life. Even in such difficult circumstances, he kept the
Christian spirit of his parishioners alive until June 25, 1927. On that day,
the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Father Robles was preparing to
celebrate a private Mass when he heard a knock on his door. He opened it
immediately, identified himself and submitted to arrest.
The neighbors tried all possible legal recourses to
obtain his freedom, including a federal injunction, without success. When the
chief of military operations in the state of Jalisco, General Jesus Maria
Ferreira, found out about the capture, he gave the order to act against the
priest. Since the legal injunction protected the life of the prisoner within
the jurisdiction of Tecolotlán, the executioners decided to take him elsewhere.
Close to midnight, a detachment took him on the Ameca, Jalisco road. As they
passed by the village of Quila, at the foot of an ancient oak, the militiamen
called a halt. Before being executed, Father Robles kneeled down to pray,
blessed his parishioners, pardoned and blessed his executioners, kissed the
rope, and put it around his neck so no one would be blamed for his execution.
His relics are kept in the general house of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus in Guadalajara.
Based on Canonización de Veintisiete Santos
Mexicanos
SOURCE : https://www.kofc.org/en/news-room/articles/mexican-martyrs/st-jose.html
St. José María Robles
Hurtado
par Pedro A. Moreno
Priest, Martyr and Knight
: A Special Heart With a Special Beat
Almost 80 years ago, on a
hill outside of the small town of Quila, Jalisco, Mexico, there was a deafening
and deadly silence. A special heart, a priestly heart united with Christ’s own,
was stilled. Its special beat, a loving palpitation for the Eucharist, was now
silent.
The silence became one
with the predawn darkness in which a group of soldiers finished carrying out
their orders — the execution of Father José María Robles Hurtado, a member of
Council 1979. Thanks to the glimmer of a small candle, the lifeless body of
Father José was just visible. His corpse, still swaying from the hangman’s
noose, was being slowly let down from an oak tree and placed into a cold,
shallow grave.
Oddly enough, the glimmer
of light that guided the executioners on the pitch-black hill came from a
candle offered to them by Father José himself. Just before his death, he felt
compassion for the soldiers who were stumbling in the darkness of that early
June morning of 1927. He happened to have a small devotional candle in his
pocket and offered it to them. Upon arriving at the oak tree he forgave the soldiers
for what they were about to do. He told the man who held the noose, a friend of
his, "Don’t dirty your hands." He took the noose, kissed it and
placed it around his own neck. A few moments later, he was dead.
To this squad of
soldiers, this priest got what he deserved. He had committed the crime of being
a dedicated Catholic priest who publicly exercised his ministry in ways
prohibited by the Mexican Constitution. He had accumulated numerous violations,
and the soldiers witnessed one more when he was arrested.
At that moment, Father
José was about to celebrate Mass unlawfully at the home of the Agraz family,
which was trying to hide him. So members of the unremorseful death squad,
believing they were justified in this killing, quickly threw dirt over his
lifeless body. They then sent word to the town of what they had done, and
proceeded to disperse. Father José was killed for being, from the government’s
perspective, too Catholic.
A Heroic Priest
The
heroic priest lived an intensely Catholic life in an anti-Catholic world. He
was ordained in 1913 at the age of 25 in Guadalajara, and founded a religious
community only two years later. This community, first named the Institute of
Sisters Victims of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, is known today as the Sisters
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
An avid writer, Father
José wrote, published and distributed numerous Catholic newsletters, pamphlets
and letters, and publicly taught the faith in ways contrary to the law of the
land.
While serving as pastor
of a parish in the city of Tecolotlán, a few years prior to his arrest, Father
José began to promote public devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He did this
through the power of his preaching, his example and strong devotion to the
Eucharist. So intense was his commitment, he was known as the "Madman of
the Sacred Heart."
He was known also for his
devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe, and promoted deep love for her throughout
the region.
Love of his people led
him to care for the sick in his parish with great diligence, and he spent many
hours in the confessional.
Christ, the King of
Mexico
With one act in
particular, however, Father José declared religious freedom in Mexico and the
autonomy of the Church. In an affront to the Mexican Constitution of 1917,
which outlawed public processions and other devotional practices, this holy
priest organized a public ceremony to lay the cornerstone for a huge cross on a
hill in the geographic center of Mexico. This cross would be a public symbol of
how Mexico recognized Christ as its king.
In anticipation of the
event, signs were placed throughout the country proclaiming Christ as the
"King of Mexico" and declaring the nation’s love for the Sacred Heart
of Jesus, much to the chagrin of the Mexican authorities.
In 1923, an estimated
40,000 Catholics made a pilgrimage to this site and participated in the
groundbreaking ceremonies. Back then it was known as "La Loma" and
today as the mountain of Christ the King. This national act of faith promoted
by Father José provoked those in power. The decision was made by the government
to intensify the persecution of the Catholic Church and to "silence"
this priest.
Persecution of Catholics
throughout Mexico, known as the Cristeros era, lasted roughly from 1917 to
1937. The name Cristeros, derived from the Spanish Cristo Rey, Christ the King,
refers to anti-government rebel fighters, including hundreds of Knights of
Columbus.
"¡Viva Cristo
Rey!" ("Long live Christ the King"), and "¡Viva Cristo Rey
y Santa María de Guadalupe!" ("Long live Christ the King and Holy
Mary of Guadalupe") were the last words of many Cristeros, Catholics and
martyred priests and Knights. Emulating Christ on the cross, they would open
their arms wide and yell out these words with their last breath. Photographs of
these martyrs were cherished as holy cards; some were reprinted in Columbia
magazine during the Order's extensive campaign of education about the
persecution of the Church. To the government of Mexico these declarations of
faith were clearly rebellious and treasonous. Yet the holy words were ratified
by Pope Pius XI, who officially established the feast of Christ the King in
1925.
Help from the Vatican
In spite of intense
persecutions and invitations to leave the country, Father José stayed in
Mexico. He continued to minister to his suffering flock and offer consolation
to the survivors and families of those who had been persecuted and killed by
the government. Upon witnessing the slaughter of many Catholics, he went so far
as to promote the armed defense of Catholics who were being persecuted. The
promotion of the basic right of self-defense was seen by government officials
as another violation of the anti-Catholic constitution.
Pope Pius XI complained
about the 1917 constitution in his 1926 encyclical, Iniquis Afflictisque,
written in regard to the persecution of the Church in Mexico. Citing offensive
sections of the constitution, the pope wrote:
"Priests…must be not
only Mexicans by birth and cannot exceed a certain number specified by law, but
are at the same time deprived of all civil and political rights. They are thus
placed in the same class with criminals and the insane… The vows of religious,
religious orders, and religious congregations are outlawed in Mexico. Public
divine worship is forbidden unless it takes place within the confines of a
church and is carried on under the watchful eye of the Government. All church
buildings have been declared the property of the state."
In spite of the
complaints from Rome, many misguided minds saw the hanging of Father José, and
the murders of so many others, as promoting the sovereignty of Mexico. In
another section the pope honors those who died for their faith: "The
clergy, on their side, have not hesitated to go to prison when ordered, and
even to face death itself with serenity and courage."
The Ultimate Witness
Always giving priority to
Christ in his life, Father José wrote poetry in expectation of his martyrdom. A
portion reads:
"I want to love your
Heart / my Jesus with delirium; / I want to love you with passion, / I want to
love you until Martyrdom… / With my soul I bless you my sacred Heart. / Tell
me: is the instant of my eternal union near? / Stretch out your arms, O Jesus,
/ Because I am your ‘little one’."
Truly, Father José is an
example of the heroic virtues of many Mexicans who gave the ultimate witness.
He was canonized by Pope John Paul II on May 21, 2000, with five other Mexican
priest-martyrs who also were Knights. His feast day is celebrated on June 26,
the day of his martyrdom. His legacy is carried on today by the community which
he founded 75 years ago, the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The
community has hundreds of sisters all over Mexico, and they are active also in
Angola, Peru and the United States.
In the United States, the
Sisters have two communities in California and four in South Carolina. In
California, one is at St. Peter Church in Fallbrook, in the Diocese of San
Diego, and the other at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Los Nietos, in the
Archdiocese of Los Angeles. In South Carolina, the Sisters serve at St. James
in Conway, St. Philip’s in Lake City and St. Cyprian in Georgetown, all in the
Diocese of Charleston. Wherever they serve, the Sisters faithfully live the
charism of Father José. They are intensely eucharistic and devoted to Mary.
They live in community and are dedicated to the service of the poor and those
most in need.
May we all acquire a
special heart, one united with Christ’s Sacred Heart, and may our hearts have a
special beat, a heart pounding with love for the Eucharist, just like that
heart of St. José María Robles Hurtado.
Pedro A. Moreno is a
graduate of the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico. He is the
director of the Light of Christ Institute for Lay Ministry Formation in the
Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas. A lay Dominican, Moreno is an award-winning
writer and a contributing editor to the North Texas Catholic, official
newspaper of the Diocese of Fort Worth.
Copyright © Chevaliers de
Colomb 2003 - 2007. Tous droits réservés.
Billy Jacobs, Jan 29, 2021
Saint José María Robles
Hurtado
"I want to love your
Heart
my Jesus with delirium;
I want to love you with
passion,
I want to love you until
Martyrdom…
With my soul I bless you
my sacred Heart.
Tell me: is the instant
of my eternal union near?
Stretch out your arms, O
Jesus, / Because I am your ‘little one’."
- Father Robles
Father Robles was born on
May 3rd, 1888 to a very devout Catholic family in Jalisco, Mexico. His father,
Antonio and mother Petronilla attended Mass as often as possible and passed
down their faith of love of Christ to their son who entered the seminary at
Guadalajara in 1900. He graduated and was ordained to the Priesthood on March
22, 1913. Father Robles began serving as a pastor in the parish of Tecolotlan
and promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus so much that he became known
as the "madman of the Sacred Heart". Through this devotion to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus he founded the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in
Guadalajara (Originally called the Institute of Sisters Victims of the
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus). He would often spend hours hearing confessions of
his parishioners, spreading devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, caring for the
sick of his people and teaching.
In 1917, the Constitution
of Mexico prohibited any and all public processions and devotional practices.
Father Robles refused to accept this secular notion and proposed a massive
cross be built in the center of Mexico, a way of symbolizing the country
recognizing Christ as the one and true King. Flyers and signs were placed
throughout the country in the weeks leading up to the laying of the cornerstone
and nearly 40,000 Catholics came to the hill known as La Loma (now known as the
Mountain of Christ the King). While uplifting and giving hope to Catholics
across Mexico, the laying of the cornerstone enraged the secular government and
more crackdowns were soon coming. The government viewed this even as an act of
defiance.
(The government would
later destroy the monument with dynamite in 1928. At the bottom of the hill,
where the head of the Statue of Christ was found, is the chapel of Mary Queen
of the Martyrs).
Christ the King monument,
Mexico
This severe crackdown is
today known as the Cristeros era and lasted from 1917 - 1937. The Cristeros era
gets it name from the Spanish Cristo Rey or Christ the King, the name of
antigovernmental rebel fighters. The last words of Cristeros, Catholics, and
martyred Priests and Knights of Columbus were often "Viva Cristo Rey (Long
live Christ the King)" or "Viva Cristo Rey y Santa Maria de Guadalupe
(Long live Christ the King and Holy Mary of Guadalupe)". The persecutions
against Catholics were so severe it that Pope Pius XI cited them in his
encyclical Iniquis Afflictisque (1926):
"Priests…must be not
only Mexicans by birth and cannot exceed a certain number specified by law, but
are at the same time deprived of all civil and political rights. They are thus
placed in the same class with criminals and the insane… The vows of religious,
religious orders, and religious congregations are outlawed in Mexico. Public
divine worship is forbidden unless it takes place within the confines of a
church and is carried on under the watchful eye of the Government. All church
buildings have been declared the property of the state."
and
"The clergy, on
their side, have not hesitated to go to prison when ordered, and even to face
death itself with serenity and courage."
On March 18th, 1926, the
government of Jalisco decreed that all Catholic Priests must be registered and
approved by the government. In addition, the same year all churches in and
around Jalisco were bolted shut and the government labeled the Bishops who had
lobbied to amend the constitution traitors and their actions sedition. On
August 3rd, 400 armed Catholics shut themselves inside the Church of Our Lady
of Guadalupe. In a siege of the church by government forces, 18 were killed and
40 wounded. Just a day later 240 government soldiers stormed the parish church
of in Sahuayo killing the priest and his Vicar.
On the feast of Our Lady
of Guadalupe (December 12, 1926) the mayor sent a messenger to Father Robles
that an order had been issued for his arrest. Father Robles only briefly went
into hiding but continued to preach and offer Mass at the homes that sheltered
and hid him. On June 25th, 1927, Father Robles was offering a private Mass at
the home of the Agraz family when a knock was heard at the door. Father Robles
opened the door and upon finding armed soldiers, willingly submitted himself to
the arrest.
Parishioners and
neighbors exhausted all legal resources to have Father Robles freed that day,
but all were met with contempt from the authorities. General Jesus Maria
Ferreira, chief of military operations in Jalisco gave the execution order but
because legal injunctions protected the life of a prisoner within the
jurisdiction, Father Robles was brought outside the area of Tecolotlan for his
execution. Passing the village of Quila, the detachment caught wind of a local
Oak tree suitable for the hanging. Shortly after midnight, Father Robles pulled
out a small votive candle from his pocket and offered it to the soldiers to
help light the path.
He turned to the soldiers
and granted absolution to them for the execution. He then took the noose from the
soldier holding it, saying:
"Don’t dirty your
hands."
Father Robles took the
noose, kissed it and placed it around his neck. A few minutes later, in silence
just after midnight of June 26th, 1927, Father Jose Maria Robles Hurtado,
Priest and Knight of Columbus council 1979, died.
Pope John Paul II
beatified Father Robles on November 22, 1992 and canonized him along side
others involved in the Cristero war, including Cristobal Magallanes Jara and
Maria de Jesus Sacramentado Venegas on May 21st, 2000. Today his feast is
celebrated on June 26.
SOURCE : https://www.thepathtosainthood.com/post/saint-jos%C3%A9-mar%C3%ADa-robles-hurtado
1. "Let us not love
in word or speech but in deed and in truth" (1 Jn 3:18).
This exhortation taken from the Apostle John in the second reading of this Mass
invites us to imitate Christ and to live in close union with him. Jesus himself
also told us this in the Gospel just proclaimed: "As the branch cannot
bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you
abide in me" (Jn 15:4).
Through profound union
with Christ, begun in Baptism and nourished by prayer, the sacraments and the
practice of the Gospel virtues, men and women of all times, as children of the
Church, have reached the goal of holiness. They are saints because they put God
at the centre of their lives and made seeking and extending his kingdom the
purpose of their existence; saints because their deeds continue to speak of
their total love for the Lord and for their brethren by bearing abundant
fruits, thanks to their living faith in Jesus Christ and their commitment to
loving as he loved us, including their enemies.
2. During the Jubilee
pilgrimage of Mexicans, the Church rejoices in canonizing these children of
Mexico: Cristóbal Magallanes and his 24 companion martyrs, priests and laymen;
José María de Yermo y Parres, priest and founder of the Religious Servants of
the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and María de Jesús Sacramentado Venegas, foundress
of the Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
You Mexican pilgrims have
come in great numbers, accompanied by a large group of Bishops, to take part in
this solemn celebration honouring the memory of these illustrious children of
the Church and of your homeland. I greet you all affectionately. The Church in
Mexico rejoices at relying on these intercessors in heaven, models of supreme
charity who followed in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. They all dedicated their
lives to God and their brethren through martyrdom or by generously serving the
needy. The firmness of their faith and hope sustained them in the various
trials they had to endure. They are a precious legacy, a fruit of the faith
rooted in the lands of Mexico, a faith which, at the dawn of the third
millennium of Christianity, must be preserved and revitalized so that you may
continue to be faithful to Christ and to his Church as you were in the past.
Mexico ever faithful!
3. In the first reading
we heard how Paul moved about Jerusalem, "preaching boldly in the name of
the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists; but they were
seeking to kill him" (Acts 9: 28-29). Paul's mission prepares for the
growth of the Church, which will take the Gospel message everywhere. And in
this expansion, persecution and violence against those who preached the Good
News were not lacking. But despite human adversities, the Church relies on the
promise of divine help. This is why we heard that "the Church ... had
peace and was built up; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort
of the Holy Spirit, it was multiplied" (Acts 9: 31).
We can well apply this
passage from the Acts of the Apostles to the situation which Cristóbal
Magallanes and his 24 companion martyrs had to endure in the first 30 years of
the 20th century.
Most of them belonged to
the secular clergy and three were laymen seriously committed to helping
priests. They did not stop courageously exercising their ministry when
religious persecution intensified in the beloved land of Mexico, unleashing
hatred of the Catholic religion. They all freely and calmly accepted martyrdom
as a witness to their faith, explicitly forgiving their persecutors. Faithful
to God and to the Catholic faith so deeply rooted in the ecclesial communities
which they served by also promoting their material well-being, today they are
an example to the whole Church and to Mexican society in particular.
After the harsh trials
that the Church endured in Mexico during those turbulent years, today Mexican
Christians, encouraged by the witness of these witnesses to the faith, can live
in peace and harmony, contributing the wealth of Gospel values to society. The
Church grows and advances, since she is the crucible in which many priestly and
religious vocations are born, where families are formed according to God's
plan, and where young people, a substantial part of the Mexican population, can
grow up with the hope of a better future. May the shining example of Cristóbal
Magallanes and his companion martyrs help you to make a renewed commitment of
fidelity to God, which can continue to transform Mexican society so that
justice, fraternity and harmony will prevail among all.
4. "This is his
commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and
love one another, just as he has commanded us" (1 Jn 3:23).
The command par excellence that Jesus gave to his disciples is to love
one another fraternally as he has loved us (cf. Jn 15:12). In the
second reading we heard, the command has a twofold aspect: to believe in the
person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, confessing him at every moment, and to
love one another because Christ himself has commanded us to do so. This command
is so fundamental to the lives of believers that it becomes the prerequisite
for the divine indwelling. Faith, hope and love lead to the existential
acceptance of God as the sure path to holiness.
It could be said that this
was the path taken by José María de Yermo y Parres, who lived his priestly
commitment to Christ by following him with all his might, distinguishing
himself at the same time by an essentially prayerful and contemplative
attitude. In the Heart of Christ he found guidance for his spirituality and, in
reflecting on his infinite love for men, he desired to imitate him by making
charity the rule of his life.
The new saint founded the
Religious Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of the Poor, a name which
combines the two great loves that express the new saint's spirit and charism in
the Church.
Dear daughters of St José
María de Yermo y Parres, generously live your founder's rich heritage,
beginning with fraternal communion in community and extending it in merciful
love to your brothers and sisters with humility, simplicity, effectiveness and,
above all, perfect union with God.
5. "Abide in me, and
I in you.... He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit,
for apart from me you can do nothing" (Jn 15: 4, 5). In the
Gospel we have just heard, Jesus urged us to abide in him in order to unite all
men and women with him. This invitation requires us to fulfil our baptismal
commitment by living in his love, drawing inspiration from his Word, being
nourished by the Eucharist, receiving his forgiveness and, when necessary,
carrying the cross with him. Separation from God is the greatest tragedy a
person can experience. The sap that flows to the branch makes it grow; the
grace that comes to us through Christ makes us grow to adulthood so that we can
bear fruits of eternal life.
St María de Jesús
Sacramentado Venegas, the first Mexican woman to be canonized, knew how to
remain united to Christ during her long earthly life and thus she bore abundant
fruits of eternal life. Her spirituality was marked by an exceptional
Eucharistic piety, since it is clear that an excellent way to union with the
Lord is to seek him, to adore him, to love him in the most holy mystery of his
real presence in the Sacrament of the Altar.
She wanted to continue his work by founding the Daughters of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus, who today in the Church follow her charism of charity to the poor and
the sick. Indeed, the love of God is universal; it is meant for all human
beings and for this reason the new saint understood that it was her duty to
spread it, generously caring for everyone until the end of her days, even when
her physical energy was declining and the heavy trials that she had to endure
throughout her life had sapped her strength. Very faithful in her observance of
the Constitutions, respectful to Bishops and priests, attentive to seminarians,
St María de Jesús Sacramentado is an eloquent example of total dedication to
the service of God and to suffering humanity.
6. This solemn
celebration reminds us that faith involves a deep relationship with the Lord.
The new saints teach us that the true followers and disciples of Jesus are
those who do God's will and are united with him through faith and grace.
Listening to God's word,
living one's life in harmony with it and giving priority to Christ configure a
human being's life to him. "Abide in me and I in you" continues
to be Jesus' invitation and must constantly echo in each of us and in our
surroundings. St Paul, in accepting this call, could exclaim: "It is
no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal 2:20). May the
Word of God proclaimed in this liturgy make our lives authentic by remaining
existentially one with the Lord, loving not only in word, but in deed and in
truth (cf. 1 Jn 3:18). Thus our life will truly be "through
Christ, with him and in him".
We are celebrating the
Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. One of its aims is to "inspire in all the
faithful a true longing for holiness" (Tertio
millennio adveniente, n. 42). May the example of these new saints, a
gift of the Church in Mexico to the universal Church, spur all the faithful,
using all the means within their reach and especially with the help of God's
grace, to seek holiness with courage and determination.
May Our Lady of
Guadalupe, to whom the martyrs prayed at the supreme moment of their sacrifice
and to whom St José María de Yermo and St María de Jesús Sacramentado Venegas
professed such tender devotion, accompany with her motherly protection the good
intentions of all who honour the new saints today, and help those who follow
their example. May she also guide and protect the Church so that, through her
evangelizing activity and the Christian witness of all her children, she may
light humanity's path in the third Christian millennium. Amen.
© Copyright 2000 -
Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Copyright © Dicastero per
la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
CRISTEROS SPOTLIGHT: Fr.
Jose Maria Robles
By: Theresa Marie
Moreau
If you are Catholic, the
Cristeros are your ancestors in the Faith, no matter your nationality, race or
social standing. – Anonymous
ATOP LA LOMA, a small
rise in the foothills of the Sierra de Quila mountains, a tall, bespectacled
priest – in a black, ankle-length cassock with a crucifix hanging from his neck
– stood before a cross glinting in the sun.
Father Jose Maria Robles
Hurtado (1888-1927) officiated a spiritual participation, a local ceremony a
few short miles north of the town of Tecolotlan, in the Mexican state of
Jalisco, part of the national celebration of Christ proclaimed Rey de la
Nacion, King of the Nation, on January 11, 1923.
Christian believers
suffered persecution at the hands of the Mexican Socialist government.
Without a roof, out in
the open, the rood stood subject to nature’s whims. Several feet tall, absent a
figure of The Nazarene, its simple adornments consisted of four plaques, one on
each of its four arms. Top: Viva Cristo Rey; bottom: January 11, 1923;
left: Tecolotlan of; right: Divine Heart. Around the object of
devotion, gathered Robles, seven priests, two deacons, as well as 1,500
faithful from the nearest towns of Ayutla, Juchitlan, Tecolotlan, Tenemaxtlan
and Union de Tula.
Robles asked those
present the following three questions:
“Do you swear vassalage
and fidelity to the Divine Heart?
“Will you celebrate his
holiday with primary character?
“Do you swear filial and
eternal consecration of the parish and the vicarage to the very Heart of
Jesus?”
“We swear!” all shouted
together enthusiastically.
The oath was identical to
the one made nearly 200 miles away, where the Holy See’s Apostolic Delegate,
Archbishop Ernesto Eugenio Filippi (1879-1951), officiated the national
ceremony atop the summit of Cerro del Cubilete, the approximate geographic
center of Mexico, near Silao, in the state of Guanajuato. An estimated 40,000
Catholics surrounded the monumental statue of Christ – with arms lovingly
outstretched for an eternal embrace and its pedestal wrapped with a thick
tri-color ribbon. For his public leadership and participation in the illegal
public religious ceremony, the Archbishop would be expelled from the nation.
And in 1928, the statue of Christ would be destroyed, bombed by the Socialist
regime in an effort to erase all symbols of Catholicism.
In honor of the day and
to celebrate Christ as the King of the Nation, Robles – a poet at heart –
composed a few lines:
If as King my country
proclaims you
It is, sweet heart, that loves you,
Heart of Jesus, You alone rule
In my afflicted homeland; that waits for you.
January 11 of the year
23,
Jesus, my country said,
He is my King!
Long live Jesus the King of loves!
May the flowers be for
Him from Mexico.
Heart of Jesus, sweet hope,
In my soil your empire is luck.
Christian believers
suffered persecution at the hands of the Mexican Socialist government and its
ratified Political Constitution of the United Mexican States of 1917 – yet
another constitutional overhaul in the country riven with ideological chaos –
that outlined forbidden practices of religion, specifically Catholicism, in
Articles 3, 5, 24, 27 and 130.
Article 3 banned
religious schools and demanded secular education only.
Article 5 forbade the
establishment of monastic orders.
Article 24 outlawed acts
of public worship, which were ordered to be held only in churches under the
strict supervision of civil, not religious, authorities.
Article 27, a continuation
of the Agrarian Reform Decree of January 6, 1915, permitted the government
confiscation of land owned by the Catholic Church and prohibited the Church
from owning land.
And Article 130 mandated
that only native-born Mexicans could be priests; that only state legislatures
could determine the number of priests; that matrimony was exclusively a
contract under the auspices of civil authorities; that Catholic churches were
to be controlled by the Ministry of the Interior; that spoken and written
criticism by religious of the government was absolutely prohibited; and that
spiritual formation of priests was forbidden.
Unjust laws.
The Catholic country’s
government had been seized by Socialists – opportunistic, anti-Christian
ideologues fueled by a contempt for peaceful society and by a desire for
Permanent Revolution.
A man of peace and a man
of love, especially for the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Robles did not rebel
against the authorities. Understanding that parishioners loved and respected
him – as their spiritual father – and would do anything that he asked, he never
encouraged them to act against the government, because he did not want to cause
them trouble; however, he did encourage them to defend their God-given rights,
in a non-violent fashion, completely in line with the doctrine of the Church.
According to the
Catechism of the Council of Trent (first published in 1566), in obedience of
the Fourth Commandment, civil rulers – images of divine power – should be
honored, respected and obeyed, because whatever obedience is given to the civil
ruler is given to God.
“However, should their
command be wicked or unjust, they should not be obeyed, since in such a case
they rule not according to their rightful authority, but according to injustice
and perversity.”
The Catholic country’s
government had been seized by Socialists – opportunistic, anti-Christian
ideologues fueled by a contempt for peaceful society and by a desire for
Permanent Revolution, a theory hatched by Leon Trotsky (born Lev Davidovich
Bronshtein (1879-1940).
In 1931, Trotsky wrote:
“The Dictatorship of the Proletariat, which has risen to power as the leader of
the Democratic Revolution, is inevitably and very quickly confronted with
tasks…The Democratic Revolution grows over directly into the Socialist
Revolution and, thereby, becomes a Permanent Revolution.”
The revolutionary leader
– who conceived of and created the world’s first “concentration camps”: prisons
for political enemies and counterrevolutionaries – lost a power struggle with
Joseph Stalin (1878-1953), the head of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
The exiled Socialist sought asylum in Mexico, where he engaged in adultery with
Frida Kahlo (1907-54), a card-carrying member of the Mexican Communist Party.
Trotsky was eventually hunted down in Mexico City and assassinated by Stalin’s
hitman, Jaime Ramon Mercader del Rio (1913-78), a Soviet agent who wielded a
mountaineering ice axe.
That was the world in
which Robles lived, and those were the dangers he faced, but the risks had
never daunted his lifelong faith.
Aggressive to achieve
their Communist Utopia (from the Greek ou-topos, which translates to “no
place”), Socialists may display antisocial mental disorders in which one has no
remorse or conscience, no regard for traditional right or wrong, and feels free
to take action – including violence or death – against perceived enemies: those
who disagree, fail to do what is ordered, or refuse to affirm the inflated view
of the politically elite vanguard. It’s a disorder in an individual that
creates disorder in the world.
That was the world in which
Robles lived, and those were the dangers he faced, but the risks had never
daunted his lifelong faith.
As a boy – after
attending a Parish Mission filled with fiery sermons and public acts of
worship, in his hometown of Mascota – Robles heard a slight whisper in his
heart that remained. Born on May 3, the Feast of the Finding of the Holy Cross,
it seemed it was his destiny to embrace and follow the Cross. Although it was a
financial struggle for his parents, Antonio de Robles and Petronila Hurtado, as
well as his 11 brothers and sisters, at the age of 13, he answered God’s call.
In October 1901, following a journey of two days by horseback and one by train
to the city of Guadalajara, he entered the Minor Seminary of San Jose, located
at Calle Reforma and Avenida Fray Antonio Alcalde. In 1904, he continued his
philosophical and theological studies at the Major Seminary of San Jose,
located at Calle Reforma, Calle Santa Monica and Calle San Felipe, where he
studied Logic, Metaphysics, Cosmology, Psychology, Theodicy and Ethics. At the
age of 16, he received the tonsure, on January 22, 1905, from Guadalajara
Archbishop Jose de Jesus Ortiz Rodriguez (1849-1912). At the age of 25, in
1913, he received the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
In 1916, to reach his new
assignment in Nochistlan de Mejia, in Zacatecas, he walked two days along
bridle paths to meet his pastor, Father Roman Adame Rosales (1859-1927), who
would die a martyr’s death after he was captured and tortured by government
forces, who executed him by firing squad on April 21, 1927.
Despite living under the
dark cloud of governmental anti-Catholicism, Robles continued to fulfill the
duties of his state in life, consecrated to Christ, accepting his role in the
natural order of the world, as the Will of God. To refuse would have been an
offense against the Author of Nature. Embracing his vocation, Robles set to
work fulfilling the needs that he saw in his parish.
Because most of the
religious from other countries had been forced to leave Mexico after the enactment
of the 1917 Constitution, the young priest founded the Sisters of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus (las Hermanas del Corazon de Jesus Sacramentado), on December
27, 1918, to assist with the needs of the Catholic community.
The first were: Amalia
Vergara Chavez (Sister Superior), Adelina Vergara Chavez, Juana Yanez, Maria
del Carmen Donlucas Sandoval, Maria Dolores Duan Gutierrez, Maria Elizalde and
Maria Prieto.
Slowly, the noose began
to tighten around the necks of Catholics, and then in a dramatic, anti-Catholic
push, President Plutarco Elias Calles (1877-1945) passed laws that would give
authorities more power over the Church and total control of the churches.
Robles put the Sisters in
charge of a hospital, which had been dilapidated until he oversaw its renovations.
There the Sisters ministered to the sick seeking help, and then they opened the
first school, on August 4, 1919, in Nochistlan. When Robles transferred, in
December 1920, to Tecolotlán, where he was promoted to pastor, the Sisters
stayed behind, continuing their ministry with the sick, with the school and
with some orphaned girls.
Slowly, the noose began
to tighten around the necks of Catholics, and then in a dramatic, anti-Catholic
push, President Plutarco Elias Calles (1877-1945) passed laws that would give
authorities more power over the Church and total control of the churches. On
July 31, 1926, the Law for Reforming the Penal Code – the so-called Calles Law
– was to take effect.
The Catholic hierarchy
reacted by ordering the suspension of Sacraments inside all churches to take
effect on the same day.
Like other priests in the
12,000 Catholic churches throughout Mexico, on Friday, July 30, 1926, Robles
offered the Sacraments, steadily offering Holy Communion until midnight, and
then carried the Blessed Sacrament to safety. The next day, he moved from the
rectory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, at 11 Gil Preciado Calle, in the heart of
Tecolatlan. But he continued to tend to his flock, listening to confessions,
visiting the sick, aiding the dying, offering Mass in homes.
After the enactment of
the Calles Law, the religious orders and communities began to be dissolved,
including the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Robles sent the nuns,
novices and postulants to their homes.
Authorities targeted priests,
including Robles, issuing a warrant for his arrest. However, instead of sending
the warrant to the Tecolotlan mayor, it was mistakenly sent to the Teocuitatlan
mayor, a devout Catholic who informed his parish priest with a warning, “May
the priest hide himself quickly and well.” The Teocuitatlan priest informed
Robles, on December 12, 1926, and hide well, he did.
But despite the threat to
his life, Robles celebrated Holy Hour at La Loma, on January 11, 1927, the
anniversary of the national proclamation of Christ as the King of Mexico.
Undaunted, Robles distributed national flags adorned with the image of the
Virgin of Guadalupe to Cristeros, whom he encouraged to give their lives for
Christ and for the Faith.
On January 14, 1927,
Robles went into hiding in the home of Vicente Santa and Maria de Jesus
Ramirez.
Soon thereafter, on
January 14, 1927, Robles went into hiding in the home of Vicente Santa and
Maria de Jesus Ramirez. Three days later, Father Jenaro Sanchez Delgadillo
(1886-1927), Robles’ vicar in the parish of Tamazulita, was out hunting, on
January 17, 1927, when he was captured by agraristas, peasants armed by the
regime. Hanged from a mesquite tree in his parish, his body swayed in the
darkness of the night, until dawn, when his executioners returned, shot the
corpse in the left shoulder, dropped him to the ground and finished with a coup
de grace, a bayonet stab to the chest.
Sanchez had been hounded
by authorities for years, first jailed in 1917, after reading aloud to his
parishioners during Sunday Mass the following pastoral letter from Archbishop
Francisco Orozco y Jimenez (1864-1936):
June 4, 1917, Pastoral
Letter.
Francisco, by the Grace
of God and favor of the Apostolic See, Archbishop of Guadalajara.
To the Very Reverend Dean
and Chapter of the Cathedral and to the Reverend clergy, secular and regular,
and to all the faithful of the archdiocese.
Peace and Benediction in
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Beloved Brethren:
Certain motives of
prudence have prevented me from communicating directly with my beloved flock;
although, I have not for one moment ceased to watch over its well-being; but
now I deem it my duty to direct you a brief message breaking the silence, which
was responsible for much anxiety to souls, although this time it was a silence
which hard circumstances imposed upon us.
Very well, it is known to
everybody that the new political Constitution, while it recognizes many of the
rights of the people, having put aside the Catholic Church altogether (under
which the majority of the people live; although, they do not all receive our
holy religion in its entirety, but are often the victims of modern errors),
tries to subjugate and oppress that Church, often condemning her to the point
of suppressing her very name.
Are we able to reconcile
this with the sacred and inalienable rights of this sacred Institution? And how
can Catholics suffer an order of things that obliges them, not only to renounce
the most sought gift of heaven, but also to ratify this oppression by their
acquiescence?
I found myself obliged to
protest, as I did, against the new constitution, as a representative of this
portion of the Catholic Church, and made such protest together with the greater
part of the Mexican Episcopate, whose letter was formulated in United States on
the 24th of February last, as you yourselves, dear beloved, must already know.
Their measured words, and convincing reasons, and the declarations which appear
in this protest, give you all to understand, in general terms, what ought to be
the reasonable interpretation and real spirit of the new legislation, and also
what should be your conduct toward it, as Catholics and faithful sons of the
Church; they also make known to our enemies that it is not the spirit of
sedition or conspiracy which animates the pastors of the Church, the venerable
clergy or the faithful themselves.
Be sure, my beloved sons,
that the lot of the Spouse of Jesus Christ is not different from that of her
Divine Founder: Tribulations, persecutions, shame, blood and martyrdom is her
patrimony and her heritage. “The disciple is not better than his Master.” “If
they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.”
The history of the Church
teaches us those things; making us also understand that, as it happened to the
Barque of Peter, on Lake Gennesaret – after the tempest, will come calm and
tranquility.
And now that we realize
the divine warnings, let us not content ourselves with vain laments, but,
rather, secure the fruits of our sufferings and purify according to the high
designs of the Savior, our souls, by contemplating the indestructible
principles of our holy religion, which makes us love virtue and detest vice;
also, to walk always in hold dread of God, and to encourage the hope of better
times, and the upending goods, which alone we are permitted to covet.
Now is the time to revive
within us the true Catholic spirit, and eliminate all compromise with modern
errors, condemned by the Church, to separate the straw from the grain; thus,
then practically will shine forth the splendor of high Christian virtue, and
thus the enemies of the Church will recognize and glorify God and His Christ.
The venerable clergy is
invited and exhorted by the present persecution, in a thousand ways, to serve
as an example to the common faithful; for they have put their hand to the plow
to procure their proper sanctification, which their high state exacts; and the
faithful in whatever condition in which they are placed, having the clear and
definite voice of the Divine Master, who applies to us His gentle lash, must
also give a hand to the work of their own sanctification. If the contrary
occur, it is to be feared that we may be abandoned by the Divine Clemency, and
that for us there may come the terrible way when the Sun of Justice will be
hidden from us forever.
May He illumine our souls
and concede us the grace to follow the truth, so that our faith may be revived,
and our charity inflamed, and we may resolve anew to serve and love God and the
Savior, with all the force of our souls. May the Holy Virgin of Guadalupe be
very propitious to us! May we always implore those potent graces, so that we
may the better be able to resist, in time of temptation, and tribulation, and,
thus, to conserve unblemished our glorious faith and time-honored customs.
I impart to you my
paternal benediction, imploring from above all good things upon you.
This pastoral letter is
to be read in the usual manner.
Given from one of my
parishes, on the 4th day of June, 1917.
+Francisco, Archbishop of
Guadalajara.
After the odium fidei
death of Sanchez, Robles predicted, “My turn will be soon.”
And yet – even in hiding
– he continued to tend to his parishioners, going out in street clothes,
administering the Sacraments. When he heard that authorities had learned of his
whereabouts, he fled in the middle of the night and found sanctuary, on
February 9, 1927, in the home of Adelaida Brambila de Agraz, whose mansion
stood across the way from the agrarista barracks.
“He who abandons his
flock is not a good shepherd,” Robles answered and remained and continued to
tend to his flock, and beyond.
While staying at the
mansion, his brother, Guadalupe, visited to take the priest home to safety in
Mascota. He refused.
“He who abandons his
flock is not a good shepherd,” the priest answered and remained and continued
to tend to his flock, and beyond. When he learned that the Holy Cross of La
Loma had been smashed to pieces, he offered a Mass in reparation.
At some point, Lieutenant
Colonel Alonso Calderon received the following telegraph: “Proceed with all
rigor against the rebel priest.”
On Saturday, June 25,
after authorities searched a few homes, they arrived at the Agraz mansion, as
Robles prepared to say Mass for the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. When
Calderon knocked on the door, Robles opened the door and readily surrendered.
Escorted to the agrarista barracks across the street, he smiled to those he
met. Placed in solitary confinement, he spent his time wisely, praying and
writing.
Parishioners tried to
free him, but authorities already had the order for execution.
Around midnight, seven
agraristas quietly removed him from the barracks. Fearing that the townspeople
would stop the execution, the group headed north out of town, for the foothills
of the Sierra de Quila, the same foothills where Robles had dedicated the cross,
parishioners, the vicarate and himself to Christ, the King of the Nation.
In the midst of the
June-July rainy season, the daily downpours made Robles’ Way of Sorrows even
more physically difficult because of the thick mud. When he faltered, it was at
La Loma where one of the men, who had brought an additional horse, offered it
to Robles.
And the darkness. With
only a thin strip of the waning crescent moon shedding the faintest glimmer of
light, the group lost its way. When one of his captors grew irate, the priest
pulled a small candle stub from his pocket and lit the wick to show the way to
his death.
“May my blood fall on my
people as a sign of blessing and forgiveness,” he said.
After the arduous journey
of nearly four hours, the group arrived early in the morning at the summit of
Sierra de Quila and stopped at an oak tree, around 4 a.m., still dark, on June
26, 1927.
The agraristas readied
the noose and tossed the rope over a branch of a leafy, gnarled, old oak tree,
with speed, for they did not want the villagers to learn of their presence
before the deed was done.
During the last days and
weeks of his life he had frequently exclaimed, “Yes! The Eucharistic Heart of
Jesus will take me on this day.”
His day had arrived.
Understanding that his moment of martyrdom neared, Robles fell to his knees,
prayed for a few minutes, raised his hand to bless his parish, and raised his
hand to bless his executioners, forgiving them for what they were about to do.
He then kissed the ground and stood.
A man with a rope
approached the priest. The two knew one another. He was Robles’ compadre,
Enrique Vazquez.
“My friend, do not stain
your hands,” Robles said.
Taking the noose, he
blessed the rope and kissed it as if it were a priest’s stole, acknowledging
the yoke of Christ, and pulled it over his head until it encircled his neck and
draped over his shoulders.
Seconds before his
hanging, he exclaimed, “Yours, always yours, Eucharistic Heart of Jesus!
Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit!”
“May my blood fall on my
people as a sign of blessing and forgiveness,” he said.
Seconds before his
hanging, he exclaimed, “Yours, always yours, Eucharistic Heart of Jesus!
Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit!”
Execution accomplished,
the agraristas dropped the still-warm body and walked to nearby houses in
Quila, a small village. They approached some muleteers and told them about the
dead priest under an oak tree. Employees of a coal factory retrieved the body
and placed it in a nearby coal cellar. When they learned the executed was a
priest, they disinterred the body and reburied it in the cemetery, from where
he was later exhumed and moved to Guadalajara, June 26, 1932.
A poet at heart, hours
before his martyrdom, Father Jose Maria Robles Hurtado penned his final verses:
I want to love your Heart
My Jesus, with delirium
I want to love you with passion,
I want to love you until martyrdom.
With my soul I bless you,
my Sacred Heart.
Tell me: has the moment come
of happy and eternal union?
Stretch out your arms to
me, Jesus,
because I am your little one
from them, safely protected,
where you order it, I go!!
Under the protection of
my mother
and running on her account,
I, the little one of her soul,
I fly into her arms smiling.
Decades after the death of Father Jose Maria Robles Hurtado, the oak tree – on which he hanged – perished, like its famous victim. A church dedicated to his memory was built, in Quila, on the spot by the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the courtyard, another very old oak tree still stands and is honored as the Arbol Testigo (witness tree), because it witnessed the hanging of a martyr, who was beatified on the Feast of Christ the King, on November 22, 1992, and canonized on the fifth Sunday of Easter, May 21, 2000.
I would like to
especially thank Sister Eugenia Mayela Ortega, Sisters of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus (las Hermanas del Corazon de Jesus Sacramentado). Without her, this piece
would not have been possible.
Miscellanea and facts
were pulled from the following: New York Times; “San Jose Ma. Robles Hurtado:
Sacerdote, Fundador y Martir,” by Ramiro Camacho, 470 pages; and “San Jose Ma.
Robles Hurtado: Sacerdote, Fundador y Martir,” by Ramiro Camacho, 174 pages.
Theresa Marie Moreau, an
award-winning reporter, is the author of Martyrs in Red China; An
Unbelievable Life: 29 Years in Laogai; Misery & Virtue; and Blood of the
Martyrs: Trappist Monks in Communist China.
Museo
en honor a San José María Robles Hurtado
San Giuseppe Maria
Robles Hurtado Sacerdote e fondatore, martire
Festa: 26 giugno
>>> Visualizza la
Scheda del Gruppo cui appartiene
Mascota, Messico, 3
maggio 1888 – Quila, Messico, 26 giugno 1927
José María Robles Hurtado
nacque il 3 maggio 1888 a Mascota, presso Jalisco e in diocesi di Tepic. Entrò
nel Seminario diocesano di Guadalajara nel 1900 e, dopo aver risolto i suoi
problemi di salute e gli scrupoli che l’assillavano, fu ordinato sacerdote il
22 marzo 1913. Nel corso del suo ministero diffuse la devozione al Sacro Cuore
di Gesù con la predicazione e con opuscoli stampati: già negli anni del
Seminario si era meritato l’appellativo di «folle del Cuore di Gesù». Intuendo
la necessità di persone che non offendessero il Sacro Cuore, ma operassero per
onorarlo anche tramite le opere di misericordia, nel 1918 diede vita alla
congregazione delle suore Vittime del Cuore Eucaristico di Gesù, che nel 1963
ha cambiato nome in Sorelle del Cuore di Gesù Sacramentato. Quando si rese
conto che la persecuzione religiosa che imperversava in Messico stava per
raggiungere anche lui, si dispose a dare la propria vita. Fu catturato mentre
era nascosto in una casa amica e, all’alba del 26 giugno 1927, venne impiccato
a una quercia della Sierra di Quila. La sua causa è confluita in un gruppo di
25 sacerdoti e laici di varie diocesi del Messico, capeggiati da don Cristóbal
Magallanes Jara. Beatificati il 22 novembre 1992, sono stati canonizzati il 21
maggio del 2000 in piazza San Pietro. I resti mortali di san José María Robles
Hurtado sono venerati nella cappella della casa generalizia delle Sorelle del
Cuore di Gesù Sacramentato, a Guadalajara.
Emblema: Palma
Martirologio
Romano: Nei pressi di Guadalajara nello Stato di Jalisco in Messico, san
Giuseppe Maria Robles, sacerdote e martire, che, nel corso della persecuzione
contro la Chiesa durante la rivoluzione messicana, morì appeso ad un albero.
Famiglia e primi anni
José María Robles Hurtado nacque il 3 maggio 1888 a Mascota, un paesino messicano, situato nella Sierra Madre, a duecento chilometri da Guadalajara. I suoi genitori erano Antonio Robles e Petronila Hurtado, la quale, profondamente cristiana, ebbe su di lui un notevole influsso educativo.
Fu battezzato lo stesso giorno della nascita. Fece la Prima Comunione il 12
settembre 1896, preceduta, il 10 marzo dello stesso anno, dalla Cresima. Compì
i suoi studi primari in parte nelle scuole statali, in parte in quella
parrocchiale.
In Seminario, con qualche problema
Nel 1900 entrò nel Seminario Minore della diocesi di Guadalajara: i genitori lo invitarono a scegliere quello, sebbene avrebbe dovuto appartenere a quello diocesano di Tepic. Quattro anni dopo, però, fu sul punto di lasciare, sia per motivi di salute sia a causa di alcuni scrupoli. Dovettero intervenire i genitori, affinché José María ripensasse alla propria vocazione. In seguito a un corso di Esercizi spirituali, decise di continuare la formazione.
Era davvero afflitto da svariati malanni: ad esempio, aveva intensi mal di
testa, causati dall’affaticamento della vista. Da quando cominciò a portare gli
occhiali, che usò per il resto della vita, non ebbe più quel problema.
Studi teologici e ordinazione sacerdotale
Passò quindi al Seminario Maggiore. Era intelligente e molto studioso, così ottenne sempre il massimo dei voti. Ricevette la tonsura nel gennaio 1905. Tre anni dopo accompagnò uno dei suoi professori, don Ignacio Plascencia, vescovo eletto di Tehuantepec, in una missione di quattro mesi e mezzo nello Stato di Oaxaca.
Nel 1911 fu ordinato suddiacono e diacono, mentre l’anno successivo gli furono
assegnati gli incarichi di vicerettore ed economo del Seminario. L’ordinazione
sacerdotale avvenne il 22 marzo 1913, nella chiesa dell’Addolorata a
Guadalajara; non aveva ancora venticinque anni.
I primi incarichi da sacerdote
I suoi primi incarichi si svolsero tutti a Guadalajara. Fu cappellano delle
suore Ancelle di Gesù Sacramentato e direttore dell’Istituto del Sacro Cuore,
che comprendeva scuole elementari e superiori.
Tuttavia, a causa dell’avanzare delle forze del generale Obregón, la scuola
dovette chiudere. Nel maggio 1914, don José María dovette quindi tornare al suo
paese natale, in vacanza forzata e anticipata.
Scrittore e propagatore della devozione al Sacro Cuore
Non potendo tornare a Guadalajara a causa degli atti di rappresaglia contro il clero, don José María si diede alla scrittura di alcuni opuscoli per divulgare la devozione al Sacro Cuore di Gesù. Era una forma di spiritualità che sentiva profondamente sua, sin dagli anni del Seminario: i compagni di studio, infatti, l’avevano soprannominato «il folle del Cuore di Gesù».
Tra le sue opere, scritte con uno stile piano, semplice e affettuoso, si contano quelle intitolate «Schiavi del Cuore di Gesù in Maria», «Trattato sulla Preghiera», «Conosciamolo» e «Aneliti del Cuore Eucaristico di Gesù». Compose anche una «Via Crucis eucaristica» e una «Novena in onore della Beata Margherita Maria Alacoque» (oggi Santa).
Lasciò anche alcune poesie, tutte a tematica religiosa: 60 composizioni in
versi (alcune delle quali di tipo lirico) e 56 inni tradotti in latino.
L’idea di una fondazione, le suore Vittime del Cuore di Gesù
A Mascota fu cappellano delle suore del Verbo Incarnato: era parente, peraltro, di una di esse. Mentre celebrava la Messa presso di loro, nella solennità del Sacro Cuore di Gesù, l’11 giugno 1915, avvertì un’ispirazione: «Mai più carnefici, ma vittime del Cuore Eucaristico di Gesù». Per fare questo, decise di fondare una congregazione religiosa.
Nel 1916 fu assegnato come vicario alla parrocchia di Nochistlán, presso Zacatecas, il cui parroco era don Román Adame Rosales. Ebbe anche il compito di professore nel Seminario Ausiliare. Nel suo ministero diede prove innumerevoli di obbedienza, pietà, laboriosità e abnegazione. Per alcuni giorni fu trasferito come vicario a Mexticacán, presso Jalisco, ma ritornò a Nochistlán.
Fu in quel luogo che il 27 dicembre 1918, dopo aver vinto molte resistenze, fondò la congregazione delle suore Vittime del Cuore Eucaristico di Gesù. Alle
prime sette religiose diede il compito di amare e far amare il Cuore di Gesù,
affinché Lui regnasse, «per mezzo del suo Cuore specialmente nell’Eucaristia,
nel maggior numero di anime». Allo stesso tempo, dovevano esercitare una
particolare devozione verso la Madonna di Guadalupe.
Parroco di Tecolotlán
Nel dicembre 1920, don José María fu nominato parroco di Tecolotlán. Già a partire dalla sua prima omelia si conquistò la fiducia e l’ammirazione dei suoi fedeli. Con la sua predicazione fervorosa, cominciò ad appassionarli al Sacro Cuore di Gesù.
Tra le sue prime preoccupazioni ci fu quella di riedificare l’ospedale cittadino, da tempo in rovina. Accudiva personalmente i malati, asciugando il loro sudore col proprio fazzoletto. Dotato di un carattere amabile e amichevole, riuscì ad attirare molti parrocchiani, senza distinzioni di classi sociali, di sesso o di età, perché collaborassero alla vita della comunità.
La perseveranza di fronte alle difficoltà, che già era risaltata in lui nei tempi della fondazione delle sue suore, fu evidente anche in quella sua nuova missione. Il suo maggior desiderio, infatti, era quello di salvare gli uomini, facendo propri i sentimenti del Cuore di Gesù.
Riprese a fare uso della stampa per diffondere la sua devozione principale:
fondò infatti il periodico «Luce del Focolare». Infine, nutriva un grande amore
per la Vergine Maria.
Tempi difficili per la Chiesa in Messico
Le condizioni della Chiesa in Messico, tuttavia, si stavano facendo estremamente difficili, specialmente dopo l’entrata in vigore, il 5 febbraio 1917, della nuova Costituzione anticlericale e antireligiosa. Il clero cattolico fu oggetto di minacce, soprusi e vessazioni da parte del governo, che si spinsero fino alla più bruta violenza e all’assassinio.
In un continuo succedersi di presidenti chiamati a guidare il Paese, alcuni
uccisi, in preda a costanti conflitti interni, si giunse alla nomina di
Plutarco Elias Calles nel 1924. Questi lavorò per il risanamento economico, il
rafforzamento del movimento operaio, favorì la distribuzione della terra ai
contadini. Allo stesso tempo, però, inasprì anche la lotta contro la Chiesa,
che in si tramutò in una vera e propria persecuzione verso i sacerdoti e i
laici cattolici.
Nella persecuzione religiosa
A causa dei contrasti sempre più frequenti tra Chiesa e Stato, fu ordinata la chiusura degli edifici sacri e la cessazione del culto pubblico. Appena fu emanato quel provvedimento, don José María consacrò la sua parrocchia al Sacro Cuore, collocando una croce sul promontorio detto “La Loma”. Quell’atto fu considerato dalle autorità federali come una sfida: per questo, decisero di catturare il parroco di Tecolotlán.
Dal 2 gennaio 1927, il sacerdote dovette nascondersi presso la famiglia Agraz. Dal suo nascondiglio, restava in contatto con i suoi parrocchiani e pregava per la pace in Messico. Allo stesso tempo, scrisse le Regole per le Vittime del Cuore Eucaristico di Gesù.
Il 26 febbraio 1927 venne a sapere dell’ordine governativo di catturare i
sacerdoti: «Siamo nelle mani di Dio», fu la sua reazione. Poco dopo, quando gli
fu chiesto di scappare per evitare di essere ucciso, rispose sorridendo: «Ah,
se il Cuore Eucaristico lo volesse!».
L’arresto
All’alba del 25 giugno dello stesso anno, al finire del mese tradizionalmente dedicato al Sacro Cuore, don José María si stava preparando a celebrare la Messa nel suo rifugio. All’improvviso, arrivò un drappello di soldati, che circondò la casa degli Agraz. I militari avevano ricevuto un ordine preciso dal colonnello Calderon, che tramite il telegrafo aveva comunicato: «Si proceda col massimo rigore contro il prete ribelle».
Don José María fu quindi preso prigioniero e portato nella caserma degli
agraristi (un movimento popolare che domandava una più equa distribuzione dei
terreni); lì trascorse il resto del giorno e parte della notte.
L’ultima poesia, quasi un testamento
Alcuni fedeli si diressero dai capi militari per trattare circa la liberazione
del parroco, ma furono respinti in malo modo. Verso sera, un gruppo di ragazze
cercò di avvicinarsi alla prigione per vederlo ancora una volta. Non ci
riuscirono, ma, per mezzo delle guardie, ricevettero il breviario di don José
María.
Sulle pagine era scritta la sua ultima poesia:
«Desidero amare il tuo Cuore,
Gesù mio, con partecipazione totale [in originale: “con delirio”],
desidero amarlo con passione,
desidero amarlo fino al martirio.
Con l’anima ti benedico,
mio Sacro Cuore;
dimmi: Si arriva all’attimo
della felice ed eterna unione?
Tendimi, Gesù, le braccia,
perché il tuo “piccolino sono”;
da esse, al sicuro rifugio,
dovunque lo ordini, vado...
al rifugio di mia Madre
e correndo per conto di lei,
io, il suo “piccolo” dell’anima,
torno tra le sue braccia sorridendo».
Firmato: «Un padre che aspetta i suoi figli, tutti, lassù in Cielo».
Il martirio
A mezzanotte, legato con delle corde, fu fatto uscire dalla prigione e condotto verso la Sierra di Quila, nei pressi di Guadalajara, a piedi. Un soldato, vedendo che aveva difficoltà a camminare, gli cedette il proprio cavallo.
Giunti alla parte più alta della sierra, i soldati si fermarono ai piedi di un albero di quercia. Comprendendo che sarebbe stato impiccato, don José María chiese di poter aspettare ancora qualche minuto; poi, in ginocchio, fece un’ultima preghiera. Rialzatosi, benedisse la sua parrocchia e, ad alta voce, perdonò e benedisse anche i suoi carnefici.
Riconobbe tra di essi il suo padrino, Enrique Vázquez, e gli disse: «Padrino, non macchiarti». Gli prese quindi la corda per l’impiccagione e se la mise al collo lui stesso. Quindi fu eseguita la sua condanna a morte: era l’alba del 26 giugno 1927.
Quando ormai fu morto, i soldati mandarono a dire alla gente del luogo che
bisognava seppellire un uomo giustiziato: se ne occuparono alcuni carbonai, che
non lo riconobbero come il parroco di Tecolotlán. Il giorno seguente, il 27
luglio, venne disseppellito dalla gente di Quila e portato nella sua
parrocchia, dove fu vegliato e ricevette onorata sepoltura.
Tra i 25 Santi martiri messicani
La causa di don José María è confluita in un gruppo di 25 sacerdoti e laici di varie diocesi del Messico, capeggiati da don Cristóbal Magallanes Jara. Tra di essi c’era anche il già citato don Román Adame Rosales. Il Papa san Giovanni Paolo II li beatificò il 22 novembre 1992 e li canonizzò il 21 maggio del 2000 in piazza San Pietro.
Fissando subito dopo la canonizzazione la loro memoria liturgica congiunta al
21 maggio, indicò definitivamente alla Chiesa universale l’esempio della loro
santità, operata in vita e coronata dal martirio finale.
Le Sorelle del Cuore di Gesù Sacramentato oggi
Alla morte del fondatore, le Vittime del Cuore Eucaristico di Gesù si dispersero, aspettando, nelle loro famiglie, la fine della persecuzione. La prima approvazione diocesana arrivò quindi l’11 luglio 1933, sei anni dopo il martirio di san José María. Dopo altri vent’anni, il 26 gennaio 1963, fu concessa l’approvazione pontificia dal Papa san Giovanni XXIII.
Da allora, la congregazione porta il nome di Sorelle del Cuore di Gesù Sacramentato. Sin dalle origini presta il loro servizio ai malati, agli anziani, nell’educazione dell’infanzia e nell’aiuto ai sacerdoti nelle parrocchie più bisognose.
Tra i desideri del loro santo fondatore c’era quello che la congregazione «estendesse i propri rami per l’intero universo». Quell’aspirazione si è concretizzata con l’apertura di comunità in Angola (1982), in Perù e negli Stati Uniti d’America (1992), dove le suore esercitano una cura particolare per gli immigrati latinoamericani.
La presenza in Messico – sono una delle prime congregazioni religiose native –
continua tramite realtà sanitarie ed educative. La casa generalizia è a
Guadalajara, in calle Churubusco 366. Nella cappella sono venerati i resti
mortali di san José María, mentre in altre sale si trova un piccolo museo che
conserva alcuni suoi scritti, fotografie ed effetti personali.
La sua eredità continua
San José María pensava anche alla fondazione di una congregazione di sacerdoti, unita a quella femminile. Alla fine desistette, anche a causa delle condizioni storiche complicate, per concentrarsi sul consolidamento delle suore. A consigliarlo in tal senso fu padre Félix de Jesús Rougier, a sua volta fondatore (Venerabile dal 2000).
Grazie alla presenza delle Sorelle del Cuore di Gesù Sacramentato in Angola, è stata approvata dal vescovo di Saurimo la costituzione del ramo maschile, i cui primi aderenti sono in formazione nel Seminario di Saurimo.
Esiste anche un gruppo di Missionari Laici del Cuore Eucaristico di Gesù, in appoggio alle suore nei luoghi dove hanno missioni estere.
Autore: Antonio Borrelli ed Emilia Flochini
SOURCE : https://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/90130
OMELIA DI SUA SANTITÀ
GIOVANNI PAOLO II
CANONIZZAZIONE DI 27
NUOVI SANTI
Domenica, 21 maggio 2000
1. "Non amiamo a
parole né con la lingua, ma coi fatti e nella verità" (1 Gv 3, 18).
Questa esortazione, presa dall'Apostolo Giovanni nel testo della seconda
lettura di questa celebrazione, ci invita a imitare Cristo, vivendo al contempo
in stretta unione con Lui. Gesù stesso ce lo ha detto nel Vangelo appena
proclamato: "Come il tralcio non può fare frutto da se stesso se non
rimane nella vite, così anche voi se non rimanete in me" (Gv 15, 4).
Attraverso l'unione
profonda con Cristo, iniziata nel Battesimo e alimentata dalla preghiera, dai
sacramenti e dalla pratica delle virtù evangeliche, uomini e donne di tutti i
tempi, quali figli della Chiesa, hanno raggiunto la meta della santità. Sono
santi perché hanno posto Dio al centro della loro vita e hanno fatto della
ricerca e della diffusione del suo Regno la ragione della loro esistenza; santi
perché le loro opere continuano a parlare del loro amore totale per il Signore
e i fratelli, recando copiosi frutti, grazie alla loro fede viva in Gesù Cristo
e al loro impegno ad amare, anche i nemici, come Lui ci ha amato.
2. All'interno del
pellegrinaggio giubilare dei messicani, la Chiesa è lieta di proclamare santi
questi figli del Messico: Cristóbal Magallanes e 24 compagni martiri,
sacerdoti e laici; José María de Yermo y Parres, sacerdote fondatore delle
Religiose Serve del Sacro Cuore di Gesù, e María de Jesús Sacramentado Venegas,
fondatrice delle Figlie del Sacro Cuore di Gesù.
Per partecipare a questa
solenne celebrazione, onorando così la memoria di questi illustri figli della
Chiesa e della vostra Patria, voi pellegrini messicani siete venuti in gran
numero, accompagnati da un nutrito gruppo di Vescovi. Vi saluto tutti con
grande affetto. La Chiesa in Messico si rallegra di poter contare su questi
intercessori nel cielo, modelli di carità suprema, avendo seguito le orme di
Gesù Cristo. Tutti donarono la propria vita a Dio e ai fratelli, attraverso il
martirio o il cammino dell'offerta generosa al servizio dei bisognosi. La
fermezza della loro fede e la speranza li sostennero nelle diverse prove alle
quali furono sottoposti. Sono una preziosa eredità, frutto della fede radicata
nelle terre messicane, la quale, agli albori del terzo millennio del
cristianesimo, deve essere conservata e rivitalizzata affinché continuiate ad
essere fedeli a Cristo e alla sua Chiesa come avete fatto nel passato. Messico
sempre fedele!
3. Nella prima lettura
abbiamo ascoltato come Paolo si muoveva a Gerusalemme: "parlando
apertamente nel nome del Signore e parlava e discuteva con gli Ebrei di lingua
greca; ma questi tentarono di ucciderlo" (At 9, 28-29). Con la
missione di Paolo si prepara l'opera di propagazione della Chiesa, portando il
messaggio evangelico in ogni luogo. In questa opera non sono mai mancate le
persecuzioni e le violenze contro gli annunciatori della Buona Novella.
Tuttavia, al di sopra delle avversità umane, la Chiesa può contare sulla
promessa dell'assistenza divina. Perciò abbiamo udito che "la Chiesa era
dunque in pace... essa cresceva e camminava nel timore del Signore, colma del
conforto dello Spirito Santo" (At 9, 31).
Possiamo applicare questo
passo degli Atti degli Apostoli alla situazione che dovettero vivere Cristóbal
Magallanes e i suoi 24 compagni, martiri nel primo trentennio del XX secolo. La
maggior parte apparteneva al clero secolare e tre di essi erano laici
seriamente impegnati ad aiutare i sacerdoti. Non abbandonarono il coraggioso
esercizio del loro ministero quando la persecuzione religiosa aumentò
nell'amata terra messicana, scatenando un odio per la religione cattolica.
Tutti accettarono liberamente e serenamente il martirio come testimonianza
della propria fede, perdonando in modo esplicito i loro persecutori. Fedeli a
Dio e alla fede cattolica tanto radicata nelle comunità ecclesiali che
servivano, promuovendo anche il loro benessere materiale, sono oggi un esempio
per tutta la Chiesa e per la società messicana in particolare.
Dopo le dure prove che la
Chiesa sostenne in Messico in quegli anni convulsi, oggi i cristiani messicani,
incoraggiati dalla testimonianza di questi testimoni della fede, possono vivere
in pace e in armonia, apportando alla società la ricchezza dei valori
evangelici. La Chiesa cresce e progredisce, essendo il crogiolo dove nascono
abbondanti vocazioni sacerdotali e religiose, dove si formano famiglie secondo
il piano di Dio e dove i giovani, parte considerevole del popolo messicano,
possono crescere con la speranza in un futuro migliore. Che il luminoso esempio
di Cristóbal Magallanes e dei suoi compagni martiri vi spinga a un rinnovato
impegno di fedeltà a Dio, capace di continuare a trasformare la società
messicana affinché in essa regnino la giustizia, la fraternità e l'armonia fra
tutti!
4. "Questo è il mio
comandamento: che crediamo nel nome del Figlio suo Gesù Cristo e ci
amiamo gli uni gli altri, secondo il precetto che ci ha dato" (1
Gv 3, 23). Il mandato per eccellenza che Gesù ha dato ai suoi è di amarsi
fraternamente come egli ci ha amato (cfr Gv 15, 12). Nella seconda
lettura che abbiamo ascoltato, il comandamento ha un duplice aspetto:
credere nella persona di Gesù Cristo, Figlio di Dio, professandolo in ogni
momento, e amarci gli uni gli altri perché Cristo stesso ce lo ha prescritto.
Questo comandamento è così importante per la vita del credente da trasformarsi
nel presupposto necessario affinché abbia luogo la inabitazione divina. La
fede, la speranza e l'amore portano ad accogliere esistenzialmente Dio come
cammino sicuro verso la santità.
Si può dire che fu questo
il cammino intrapreso da José María de Yermo y Parres, che visse il suo dono
sacerdotale a Cristo aderendo a Lui con tutte le sue forze, e al contempo
distinguendosi per il suo atteggiamento fondamentalmente orante e
contemplativo. Nel Cuore di Cristo trovò la guida per la sua spiritualità, e
considerando il suo amore infinito per gli uomini, volle imitarlo facendo della
carità la regola della sua vita.
Il nuovo Santo fondò le
religiose Serve del Sacro Cuore di Gesù e dei Poveri, denominazione che
riunisce i suoi due grandi amori, che esprimono nella Chiesa lo spirito e il
carisma del nuovo santo.
Care Figlie di San José
María de Yermo y Parres: vivete con generosità la ricca eredità del
vostro fondatore, cominciando dalla comunione fraterna in comunità e
prolungandola nell'amore misericordioso per il fratello, con umiltà, semplicità
ed efficacia, e, al di sopra di tutto, in perfetta unione con Dio.
5. "Rimanete in me e
io in voi... Chi rimane in me e io in lui, fa molto frutto, perché senza di me
non potete fare nulla" (Gv 15, 4-5). Nel Vangelo che abbiamo
ascoltato, Gesù ci ha esortato a rimanere in Lui, per unire a sé tutti gli
uomini. Questo invito esige di portare a termine il nostro impegno battesimale,
di vivere nel suo amore, d'ispirarsi alla sua Parola, di alimentarsi con
l'Eucaristia, di ricevere il suo perdono e, quand'è necessario, di portare con
Lui la croce. La separazione da Dio è la tragedia più grande che l'uomo possa
vivere. La linfa che giunge al tralcio lo fa crescere; la grazia che proviene
da Cristo ci rende adulti e maturi affinché rechiamo frutti di vita eterna.
Santa María de Jesús
Sacramentado Venegas, prima messicana canonizzata, seppe rimanere unita a
Cristo nella sua lunga esistenza terrena e per questo recò frutti abbondanti di
vita eterna. La sua spiritualità fu caratterizzata da una singolare pietà
eucaristica, poiché è chiaro che cammino eccellente per l'unione con il Signore
è cercarlo, adorarlo, amarlo nel santissimo mistero della sua presenza reale
nel Sacramento dell'Altare.
Volle prolungare la sua
opera con la fondazione delle Figlie del Sacro Cuore di Gesù, che proseguono
oggi nella Chiesa il suo carisma della carità verso i poveri e i malati. Di
fatto, l'amore di Dio è universale, intende giungere a tutti gli uomini; perciò
la nuova Santa comprese che il suo dovere era di diffonderlo, prodigandosi in
attenzioni verso tutti fino alla fine dei suoi giorni, anche quando l'energia
fisica diminuì e le dure prove attraversate nel corso dell'esistenza ridussero
le sue forze. Fedelissima nell'osservanza delle costituzioni, rispettosa verso
i Vescovi e i sacerdoti, sollecita con i seminaristi, Santa María de Jesús
Sacramentado è un'eloquente testimonianza di consacrazione assoluta al servizio
di Dio e dell'umanità dolente.
6. Questa solenne
celebrazione ci ricorda che la fede comporta una relazione profonda con il
Signore. I nuovi santi ci insegnano che i veri seguaci e discepoli di Gesù sono
coloro che compiono la volontà di Dio e che sono uniti a Lui mediante la fede e
la grazia.
Ascoltare la parola di
Dio, rendere armoniosa la propria esistenza, mettendo al primo posto Cristo, fa
sì che la vita dell'essere umano si configuri a Lui. Il "rimanete in me e
io in voi" continua ad essere l'invito di Gesù che deve risuonare
continuamente in ognuno di noi e nel nostro ambiente. San Paolo, accogliendo
questa stessa chiamata, poté esclamare: "non sono più io che vivo,
ma Cristo vive in me" (Gal 2, 20). Che la Parola di Dio proclamata in
questa liturgia faccia sì che la nostra vita sia autentica rimanendo
esistenzialmente uniti al Signore, amando non solo a parole ma con i fatti e
nella verità (cfr 1 Gv 3, 18)! Così la nostra vita sarà realmente
"per Cristo, con Cristo ed in Cristo".
Stiamo vivendo il Grande
Giubileo dell'Anno 2000. Fra i suoi obiettivi vi è quello di "suscitare in
ogni fedele un vero anelito alla santità" (Tertio
Millennio adveniente, n. 42). Che l'esempio di questi nuovi Santi, dono
della Chiesa in Messico alla Chiesa universale, spinga i fedeli, con tutti i
mezzi a loro disposizione e soprattutto con l'aiuto della grazia di Dio, a
ricercare con coraggio e decisione la santità!
Che la Vergine di
Guadalupe, invocata dai martiri nel momento supremo del loro dono di sé, alla
quale San José María de Yermo e Santa María de Jesús Sacramentado Venegas
professarono una così tenera devozione, accompagni con la sua materna
protezione i buoni propositi di quanto onorano oggi i nuovi Santi e aiuti
coloro che seguono il loro esempio, guidi e protegga anche la Chiesa affinché,
con la sua azione evangelizzatrice e la testimonianza cristiana di tutti i suoi
figli, illumini il cammino dell'umanità nel terzo millennio cristiano! Amen.
© Copyright 2000 -
Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Copyright © Dicastero per
la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Monumento a Cristo Rey, Cerro del Cubiletes, Silao Guanajuato, Construido por dos Arq. Nicolas Mariscal y Piña y José Carlos Ituarte González
Nació
en Mascota, Jal. (Diócesis de Tepic), el 3 de mayo de 1888. Párroco de
Tecolotlán, Jal. y fundador de la Congregación religiosa Hermanas del
Corazón de Jesús Sacramentado. Ferviente apóstol de la devoción al Sagrado
Corazón de Jesús, escribió pequeñas obras para propagarla. Poco antes de ser
ejecutado, escribió en una poesía sus últimos anhelos.
Quiero
amar tu Corazón, Jesús mío, con delirio; quiero amarle con pasión, quiero
amarle hasta el martirio. Con el alma te bendigo, mi Sagrado Corazón; Dime: ¿Se
llega al instante de feliz y eterna unión?.
En
la sierra de Quila, Jal. (Diócesis de Autlán), fue colgado de un roble el
26 de junio de 1927.
SOURCE : https://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20000521_robles-hurtado_sp.html
Santos Mártires de
Jalisco
San Jóse María Robles
Hurtado
Nació en Mascota, Jal. 03 de mayo de 1888
Murió en Quila, Jal. el 25 de junio de 1927
Sus restos se encuentran en Casa de Oración Robles, Gdl.
Sus compañeros lo
apodaron el loco del Sagrado Corazón. Un deseo vehemente por divulgar el amor
de Dios a los hombres lo llevó a cultivar una espiritualidad centrada en el
Sagrado Corazón de Jesús.
Luego de haber sido
ordenado presbítero en 1913, fundó en Nochistlán el Instituto de Religiosas
Víctimas del Corazón Eucarístico de Jesús (hoy Hermanas del Corazón de Jesús
Sacramentado).
Asimismo, encendió el
entusiasmo y la devoción al Sagrado Corazón de Jesús entre los vecinos de
Tecolotlán, a donde fue nombrado párroco en diciembre de 1920.
Ante la suspensión del
culto público, consagró su parroquia al Corazón de Jesús, colocando, como signo
visible, una cruz en el promontorio conocido como La Loma.
Los agentes gobernistas
consideraron ese acto como un desafío y le tendieron un cerco.
A partir del 2 de enero
de 1927 el Padre Robles se ocultó en el domicilio particular de la familia
Agraz. Desde su refugio, se mantenía al tanto de la salud espiritual de sus
feligreses y oraba intensamente por la paz en México.
Después del 26 de febrero
de 1927, cuando se le comunicó que existía una orden de aprehensión contra los
clérigos, sus amigos le suplicaron huir, pues aumentaron las hostilidades en
contra de los católicos; sin embargo no hizo caso de la recomendación.
En la madrugada del 25 de
junio de 1927, cuando se disponía a celebrar la Misa, fue aprehendido por un
nutrido contingente de soldados y se les ordenó que procedieran con todo rigor
en contra del cura rebelde.
En cuanto los vecinos se
enteraron del arresto de su párroco, agotaron las instancias legales para
garantizarle la vida, sin resultados favorables. Por la noche, algunas damas
intentaron hablar con él, pero tan sólo consiguieron que uno de los vigilantes
les entregara el Breviario del Párroco, donde descubrieron este texto suyo,
anticipo de su martirio:
“Quiero amar tu corazón
Jesús mío, con delirio;
quiero amarte con pasión,
quiero amarte hasta el Martirio …
Con el alma te bendigo
mi Sagrado Corazón;
Dime: ¿se llega el instante
de feliz y eterna unión?.
Tiéndeme, Jesús, los brazos,
pues tu “pequeñito soy”;
de ellos, al seguro amparo,
a donde lo ordenes, voy…
al amparo de mi Madre
y de su cuenta corriendo
yo, su “pequeño” del alma,
vuelvo a sus brazos sonriendo.
Un Padre, espera a sus hijos,
a todos, allá en el Cielo”.
La justicia federal le
concedió un amparo dentro de la jurisdicción de Tecolotlán, por lo que se
decidió quitarle la vida en los linderos de la municipalidad vecina y durante
la media noche, atado de manos, fue obligado a recorrer el camino de la sierra.
Cuando llegaron a las inmediaciones del poblado de Quila y los agraristas se
disponían a ejecutarlo, el Padre Robles pidió unos minutos y arrodillado hizo
una última oración; al incorporarse bendijo su parroquia y en voz alta perdonó
y bendijo a sus verdugos. A fin de evitar que se mancharan las manos con su
muerte, él mismo tomó la soga, la bendijo, la besó y se la echó al cuello. El
cadáver fue abandonado al pie del árbol y sepultado por empleados de una
carbonera, quienes no identificaron al párroco.
El 26 de junio de 1932,
con autorización del que fuera su condíscipulo en el Seminario, el Obispo
Auxiliar de Guadalajara, Don José Garibi Rivera, los restos del mártir pasaron
de Quila al Templo Expiatorio de Guadalajara. Actualmente las reliquias de este
apóstol del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, se veneran en el noviciado de las
Hermanas del Corazón de Jesús Sacramentado en la ciudad de Guadalajara.
José María Robles fue hijo
de Antonio Robles y Petronila Hurtado y nació el 3 de mayo de 1888, en Mascota,
Jalisco.
Beatos y Santos de
Jalisco
San Tranquilino Ubiarco
Robles
SOURCE : https://arquidiocesisgdl.org/beatos.php?id=45
San José María Robles
Hurtado
San José María Robles fue
llevado a un roble, palabra que, en español, se usa para alguien que es un
'pilar de fortaleza'.
5/20/2021
San José María Robles
Hurtado
Caballero de Colón del
Consejo 1979
Guadalajara, México
Nació en Mascota, Jal.,
el 3 de mayo de 1888, desde su juventud supo unir una notable lucidez
intelectual a un espíritu de virtuosa humildad. Alumno brillante del seminario
conciliar de Guadalajara, al que ingresó en 1900, siendo diácono se le confió
el oficio de vicerrector del plantel. Misionó en Tehuantepec, Oax., antes de
ser ordenado, en Guadalajara, el 22 de marzo de 1913.
Ministro de notable
índole moral y espiritual; ejercitó su ministerio con gran celo y edificación.
Durante su vida impulsó la devoción al Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, a la
Eucaristía y a la Santísima Virgen. Siendo vicario parroquial en Nochistlán,
Zac ., fundó, en 1918, la congregación religiosa Hermanas del Corazón de Jesús
Sacramentado.
Párroco de Tecolotlán,
Jal., desde 1920, desplegó en esa población una serie de iniciativas en pro del
bien común: escuelas, hospital, asilo, círculos de obreros y su congregación
religiosa. Durante la suspensión del culto público permaneció al frente de su
parroquia, oculto en domicilios particulares. Si alguien le insinuaba que
huyera, respondía: Un pastor no abandona nunca sus ovejas.
El 18 de marzo de 1926,
el gobierno del estado de Jalisco publicó un decreto que exigía que todos los
sacerdotes que servían en las iglesias se registraran ante las autoridades
civiles y recibieran su autorización. El Arzobispo Francisco Orozco y Jiménez
exhortó a los sacerdotes a que permanecieran en sus parroquias pero no se
registraran. El Padre Hurtado obedeció y predicó abiertamente en contra de este
movimiento de secularismo.
En la fiesta de Nuestra
Señora de Guadalupe, el 12 de diciembre de 1926, el alcalde mandó avisar al
Padre Hurtado que se había emitido una orden por su arresto y que debía
ocultarse. Lo hizo durante un tiempo, pero emergió brevemente después de Año
Nuevo para dirigir la renovación de la dedicación de una cruz en la cima de un
cerro de Tecolotlán al cumplirse un año del aniversario del monumento.
Los últimos meses de su
vida, de obligada reclusión, dio admirables pruebas de virtud, dedicándose al
estudio y a la oración. Según él mismo lo decía, la Santa Misa y la adoración
constante al Santísimo Sacramento eran el eje de su vida. Aún en tan penosas
circunstancias, mantuvo vivo el espíritu cristiano de sus feligreses, hasta el
25 de junio de 1927. Ese día, el un grupo numeroso de soldados del ejército
federal, capitaneados por el coronel Alfonso Calderón, catearon las viviendas
de Tecolotlán. El padre Robles fue capturado cuando se disponía a celebrar la
Misa; el mismo abrió la puerta, dejándose conducir al cuartel general de los
agraristas.
Los vecinos interpusieron
sin éxito todos los recursos legales para obtener su libertad, entre ellas el
amparo de la justicia federal. Sin embargo, el jefe de operaciones militares en
el Estado de Jalisco, general Jesús María Ferreira, enterado de la captura,
había ordenado proceder con toda energía contra el párroco. Como el amparo
legal protegía la vida del prisionero dentro de la jurisdicción de Tecolotlán,
los verdugos decidieron quitarle la vida sacándolo de allí. Casi a la
medianoche, una escolta lo condujo por el camino de Ameca, Jal.; al pasar por
la aldea de Quila, al pie de un añoso roble, los milicianos marcaron el alto;
antes de ser ejecutado, el padre Robles, se arrodilló para orar, bendijo a su
parroquianos, perdonó y bendijo a sus verdugos, besó la soga y se la puso al
cuello. Sus reliquias se custodian en la casa general de las Hermanas del
Corazón de Jesús Sacramentado, en Guadalajara.
Basada en la Canonización
de Veintisiete Santos Mexicanos y Columbia Online.
SOURCE : https://www.kofc.org/es/news-room/articles/mexican-martyrs/st-jose.html
CANONIZACIÓN DE 27 SANTOS
MEXICANOS
1. "No amemos de
palabra ni de boca, sino con obras y según la verdad" (1 Jn 3, 18).
Esta exhortación, tomada del apóstol Juan en el texto de la segunda lectura de
esta celebración, nos invita a imitar a Cristo, viviendo a la vez en estrecha
unión con Él. Jesús mismo nos lo ha dicho también en el Evangelio recién
proclamado: "Como el sarmiento no puede dar fruto por sí, si no permanece
en la vid, así tampoco vosotros, si no permanecéis en mí" (Jn 15,4).
A través de la unión
profunda con Cristo, iniciada en el bautismo y alimentada por la oración, los
sacramentos y la práctica de las virtudes evangélicas, hombres y mujeres de
todos los tiempos, como hijos de la Iglesia, han alcanzado la meta de la
santidad. Son santos porque pusieron a Dios en el centro de su vida e hicieron
de la búsqueda y extensión de su Reino el móvil de su propia existencia; santos
porque sus obras siguen hablando de su amor total al Señor y a los hermanos
dando copiosos frutos, gracias a su fe viva en Jesucristo, y a su compromiso de
amar como Él nos ha amado, incluso a los enemigos.
2. Dentro de la
peregrinación jubilar de los mexicanos, la Iglesia se alegra al proclamar
santos a estos hijos de México: Cristóbal Magallanes y 24 compañeros mártires,
sacerdotes y laicos; José María de Yermo y Parres, sacerdote fundador de las
Religiosas Siervas del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, y María de Jesús Sacramentado
Venegas, fundadora de las Hijas del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús.
Para participar en esta
solemne celebración, honrando así la memoria de estos ilustres hijos de la
Iglesia y de vuestra Patria, habéis venido numerosos peregrinos mexicanos,
acompañados por un nutrido grupo de Obispos. A todos os saludo con gran afecto.
La Iglesia en México se regocija al contar con estos intercesores en el cielo,
modelos de caridad suprema siguiendo las huellas de Jesucristo. Todos ellos entregaron
su vida a Dios y a los hermanos, por la vía del martirio o por el camino de la
ofrenda generosa al servicio de los necesitados. La firmeza de su fe y
esperanza les sostuvo en las diversas pruebas a las que fueron sometidos. Son
un precioso legado, fruto de la fe arraigada en tierras mexicanas, la cual, en
los albores del Tercer milenio del cristianismo, ha de ser mantenida y
revitalizada para que sigáis siendo fieles a Cristo y a su Iglesia como lo
habéis sido en el pasado.
3. En la primera lectura
hemos escuchado cómo Pablo se movía en Jerusalén "predicando públicamente
el nombre del Señor. Hablaba y discutía también con los judíos de lengua
griega, que se propusieron suprimirlo" (Hch 9, 28-29). Con la misión
de Pablo se prepara la propagación de la Iglesia, llevando el mensaje
evangélico a todas las partes. Y en esta expansión, no han faltado nunca las
persecuciones y violencias contra los anunciadores de la Buena Nueva. Pero, por
encima de las adversidades humanas, la Iglesia cuenta con la promesa de la
asistencia divina. Por eso, hemos oído que "la Iglesia gozaba de paz [...]
Se iba construyendo y progresaba en la fidelidad al Señor y se multiplicaba
animada por el Espíritu Santo" (Hch 9,31).
Bien podemos aplicar este
fragmento de los Hechos de los Apóstoles a la situación que tuvieron que vivir
Cristóbal Magallanes y sus 24 compañeros, mártires en el primer tercio del
siglo XX. La mayoría pertenecía al clero secular y tres de ellos eran laicos
seriamente comprometidos en la ayuda a los sacerdotes. No abandonaron el
valiente ejercicio de su ministerio cuando la persecución religiosa arreció en
la amada tierra mexicana, desatando un odio a la religión católica. Todos
aceptaron libre y serenamente el martirio como testimonio de su fe, perdonando
explícitamente a sus perseguidores. Fieles a Dios y a la fe católica tan
arraigada en sus comunidades eclesiales a las cuales sirvieron promoviendo
también su bienestar material, son hoy ejemplo para toda la Iglesia y para la
sociedad mexicana en particular.
Tras las duras pruebas
que la Iglesia pasó en México en aquellos convulsos años, hoy los cristianos
mexicanos, alentados por el testimonio de estos testigos de la fe, pueden vivir
en paz y armonía, aportando a la sociedad la riqueza de los valores evangélicos.
La Iglesia crece y progresa, siendo crisol donde nacen abundantes vocaciones
sacerdotales y religiosas, donde se forman familias según el plan de Dios y
donde los jóvenes, parte notable del pueblo mexicano, pueden crecer con
esperanza en un futuro mejor. Que el luminoso ejemplo de Cristóbal Magallanes y
compañeros mártires os ayude a un renovado empeño de fidelidad a Dios, capaz de
seguir transformando la sociedad mexicana para que en ella reine la justicia,
la fraternidad y la armonía entre todos.
4. "Éste es su
mandamiento: que creamos en el nombre de su Hijo Jesucristo, y que nos amemos
unos a otros tal como nos lo mandó" (1 Jn 3, 23). El mandato por
excelencia que Jesús dio a los suyos es amarse fraternalmente como él nos ha
amado (cf. Jn 15,12). En la segunda lectura que hemos escuchado, el
mandamiento tiene un doble aspecto: creer en la persona de Jesucristo, Hijo de
Dios, confesándolo en todo momento, y amarnos unos a otros porque Cristo mismo
nos lo ha mandado. Este mandamiento es tan fundamental para la vida del
creyente que se convierte como en el presupuesto necesario para que tenga lugar
la inhabitación divina. La fe, la esperanza, el amor llevan a acoger
existencialmente a Dios como camino seguro hacia la santidad.
Este se puede decir que
fue el camino emprendido por José María de Yermo y Parres, que vivió su entrega
sacerdotal a Cristo adhiriéndose a Él con todas sus fuerzas, a la vez que se
destacaba por una actitud primordialmente orante y contemplativa. En el Corazón
de Cristo encontró la guía para su espiritualidad, y considerando su amor
infinito a los hombres, quiso imitarlo haciendo la regla de su vida la caridad.
El nuevo Santo fundó las
Religiosas Siervas del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús y de los Pobres, denominación
que recoge sus dos grandes amores, que expresan en la Iglesia el espíritu y el
carisma del nuevo santo. Queridas hijas de San José María de Yermo y Parres:
vivid con generosidad la rica herencia de vuestro fundador, empezando por la
comunión fraterna en comunidad y prolongándola después en el amor
misericordioso al hermano, con humildad, sencillez y eficacia, y, por encima de
todo, en perfecta unión con Dios.
5. "Permaneced en mí
y yo en vosotros [...] El que permanece en mí y yo en él, ése da fruto
abundante; porque sin mí no podéis hacer nada" (Jn 15, 4.5). En el
evangelio que hemos escuchado, Jesús nos ha exhortado a permanecer en Él, para
unir consigo a todos los hombres. Esta invitación exige llevar a cabo nuestro
compromiso bautismal, vivir en su amor, inspirarse en su Palabra, alimentarse
con la Eucaristía, recibir su perdón y, cuando sea el caso, llevar con Él la
cruz. La separación de Dios es la tragedia más grande que el hombre puede
vivir. La savia que llega al sarmiento lo hace crecer; la gracia que nos viene
por Cristo nos hace adultos y maduros a fin de que demos frutos de vida eterna.
Santa María de Jesús
Sacramentado Venegas, primera mexicana canonizada, supo permanecer unida a
Cristo en su larga existencia terrena y por eso dio frutos abundantes de vida
eterna. Su espiritualidad se caracterizó por una singular piedad eucarística,
pues es claro que un camino excelente para la unión con el Señor es buscarlo,
adorarlo, amarlo en el santísimo misterio de su presencia real en el Sacramento
del Altar.
Quiso prolongar su obra con
la fundación de las Hijas del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, que siguen hoy en la
Iglesia su carisma de la caridad con los pobres y enfermos. En efecto, el amor
de Dios es universal, quiere llegar a todos los hombres y por eso la nueva
Santa comprendió que su deber era difundirlo, prodigándose en atenciones con
todos hasta el fin de sus días, incluso cuando la energía física declinaba y
las duras pruebas que pasó a lo largo de su existencia habían mermado sus
fuerzas. Fidelísima en la observancia de las constituciones, respetuosa con los
obispos y sacerdotes, solícita con los seminaristas, Santa María de Jesús
Sacramentado es un elocuente testimonio de consagración absoluta al servicio de
Dios y de la humanidad doliente.
6. Esta solemne
celebración nos recuerda que la fe comporta una relación profunda con el Señor.
Los nuevos santos nos enseñan que los verdaderos seguidores y discípulos de
Jesús son aquellos que cumplen la voluntad de Dios y que están unidos a Él
mediante la fe y la gracia.
Escuchar la Palabra de
Dios, armonizar la propia existencia, dando el primer espacio a Cristo, hace
que la vida del ser humano se configure a Él. "Permaneced en mí y yo en
vosotros", sigue siendo la invitación de Jesús que debe resonar
continuamente en cada uno de nosotros y en nuestro ambiente. San Pablo,
acogiendo este mismo llamado pudo exclamar: "vivo yo, pero no soy yo; es
Cristo quien vive en mí" (Gal 2,20). Que la Palabra de Dios
proclamada en esta liturgia haga que nuestra vida sea auténtica permaneciendo
existencialmente unidos al Señor, amando no sólo de palabra sino con obras y de
verdad (cf. 1 Jn 3,18). Así nuestra vida será realmente "por
Cristo, con Él y en Él".
Estamos viviendo el Gran
Jubileo del Año 2000. Entre sus objetivos está el de "suscitar en cada
fiel un verdadero anhelo de santidad" (Tertio
millennio adveniente, 42). Que el ejemplo de estos nuevos Santos, don de la
Iglesia en México a la Iglesia universal, mueva a todos los fieles, con todos
los medios a su alcance y sobre todo con la ayuda de la gracia de Dios, a
buscar con valentía y decisión la santidad.
Que la Virgen de
Guadalupe, invocada por los mártires en el momento supremo de su entrega, y a
la que San José María de Yermo y Santa María de Jesús Sacramentado Venegas
profesaron tan tierna devoción, acompañe con su materna protección los buenos
propósitos de quienes honran hoy a los nuevos Santos y ayude a los que siguen
sus ejemplos, guíe y proteja también a la Iglesia para que, con su acción
evangelizadora y el testimonio cristiano de todos sus hijos, ilumine el camino
de la humanidad en el tercer milenio. Amen.
Copyright © Dicastero per
la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
São José Maria Robles
Hurtado
A condição da Igreja no
México foi muito difícil desde que entrou em vigor, em 5 de fevereiro de 1917,
a nova Constituição anticlerical e anti-religiosa, depois do longo período de
ditadura que a antecedeu.
O clero católico foi objeto de perseguições, ora mais ora menos intensas, com
muitos religiosos, leigos e sacerdotes sendo brutalmente assassinados,
exclusivamente por serem cristãos. Diga-se, mesmo, que não existia processo, o
julgamento era instantâneo e a sentença sumária.
Dentre esses mártires encontramos padre José Maria Robles Hurtado. Ele nasceu
em Mascota, Jalisco, na diocese de Tepic, no dia 3 de maio de 1888. Foi pároco
de Tecolotlán, em Jalisco, onde difundia a fervorosa devoção ao Sagrado Coração
de Jesus. Tamanho era seu entusiasmo que escrevia pequenas orações e poesias,
que distribuía entre os fiéis para enriquecer ainda mais o culto e louvar o
Senhor.
Amado e querido pelo seu rebanho, constituído de camponeses pobres e muito
carentes. Para melhor atendê-los, fundou a Congregação das "Irmãs do
Coração de Jesus Sacramentado".
Porém, no mês consagrado ao culto do Sagrado Coração de Jesus, em junho de
1927, a horrenda perseguição atingiu a sua paróquia em Tecolotlán, e ele foi
levado e encarcerado.
Alguns dias, ou horas antes de ser morto, padre José Maria escreveu uma poesia,
na qual expressou seus últimos desejos: "Desejo amar o teu Coração, Jesus
meu, com participação total, desejo amá-lo com paixão, desejo amá-lo até o
martírio. Com minh'alma te bendigo, meu Sagrado Coração; diga-me: aproxima-se o
instante da feliz e eterna união?"
No dia 26 de junho de 1927, o padre José Maria, exatamente pelo grande amor à
Cristo, foi amarrado numa árvore, na serra da Quila, em Jalisco, diocese de
Autlan, e mantido assim até morrer. Dessa maneira, seguiu para a feliz e eterna
união no Sagrado Coração de Jesus, coroado com seu martírio final.
O grupo de vinte e cinco mártires mexicanos no qual estava incluso foi
beatificado, em 1992, pelo papa João Paulo II. Mais tarde, o mesmo pontífice,
no ano de 2000, canonizou todos eles. A festa de são José Maria Robles Hurtado
foi designada para o dia 26 de junho.
*Fonte: Pia Sociedade
Filhas de São Paulo Paulinas http://www.paulinas.org.br
SOURCE : https://arquisp.org.br/liturgia/santo-do-dia/sao-jose-maria-robles-hurtado
Voir aussi : https://web.archive.org/web/20090207015335fw_/http://www.sanjosemariaroblesh.org/biografia.htm
