Estévez López AN EXTRA-ORDINARY DISTINCTIVENESS

Itineraries of lay spirituality in Pedro Poveda
1. Auflage 2023
ISBN: 978-84-277-3103-5
Verlag: Narcea Ediciones
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, Band 103, 168 Seiten

Reihe: Obras fuera de la Colección

We live in societies that hunger and thirst for spirituality. Today we are witnessing the resurgence of the human being's search to give value and meaning to one's own life, and a sign of this is the demand to find spaces where to cultivate interiority, the taste for spirituality. The paths offered are very diverse. This work reflects on the lay spirituality proposed by Pedro Poveda. Some itineraries are offered in order to live the faith today in present-day societies and to be credible and audacious witnesses of the Gospel. Poveda proposes a way of being, a way of being present and committing oneself that makes visible, in daily life, the extra-ordinary distinctiveness of those who walk in the footsteps of the Risen Lord.

Elisa Estévez López, Doctor in Theology (University of Deusto, Bilbao) and a graduate in Biblical Sciences (Pontifical Biblical Institute of Rome), is a Full Professor in the Department of Sacred Scripture and Church History at the Pontifical University of Comillas (Madrid).

Autoren/Hrsg.

Estévez López, Elisa

Leseproben

KNOWING, LOVING AND FOLLOWING CHRIST: INCARNATION AND PASCHAL MYSTERY IN THE SCHOOL OF LOVE

Carmen Aparicio Valls

One of the characteristic features of Povedan spirituality is the centrality of the mystery of the Incarnation. When thinking about it, we must consider the meaning that God has assumed our humanity to the extreme of dying on the cross to give us life, salvation.

There are many texts in which Pedro Poveda meditates on the Incarnation and the paschal mystery, two faces of a single mystery that cannot be separated. The mystery of the Incarnation of the Word is at the basis of the spirituality of the Teresian Work, seeing in it the meaning of true humanism. But the Incarnation passes through the cross, where love goes to the extreme.

We are going to approach this theme from a set of seven letters that Poveda wrote on consecutive days in 1923, on a theme that today may seem somewhat surprising: “the wounds of Christ”1. The first thing that comes to mind is the question as to the why of this theme. At first, one might think that it is something related to his personal spirituality or to the spirituality of the times. Undoubtedly there is something of this, but, at the same time, one discovers that this theme responds to an identity of the Christian who radically lives the identification with Christ. In fact, this series of writings could appear under the title: “Where to learn love”.

For Poveda all this is deeply linked to evangelization. We will see the relationship through another series of writings, a trilogy written a few months earlier on the theme of apostolic “zeal”, in which he explains the purpose of his educational work and the means necessary to carry it out2.

The year 1923 is crucial in the life of the Teresian Association. In the previous years the different groups that make up the Teresian Association have been configured and at that time the request for pontifical approval in Rome was being prepared. These are years of shaping and consolidating the Teresian Association. Poveda’s initiative, praised by many and attacked by others, forged ahead despite many difficulties. Therefore, the writings of these years insist on the identity of the Association, on its raison d’être, its specific mission. Special attention was given to the Christian and professional formation of the people who, in different ways, would collaborate in the Teresian work. This means that 1923 is a year in which the identity of this group of people who, being lay people, commit themselves to live like the first Christians, in the midst of the world, inserted in political and civil society, but living their faith radically, is being deepened.

The importance of evangelization will be highlighted, but in a spirit of dialogue, understanding, tolerance and gentleness. Together with this, the centrality of Christ: without this it is not possible to evangelize. The considerations on Jesus, Teacher of Prayer of 1920 and the Letters on Zeal of 1922 will be fundamental references.

If the centrality of Christ characterizes Poveda’s work, at this stage he will insist even more strongly on identification with Christ, pointing out prayer as an essential path for those who want to come to know, love and serve Christ, for those who want to live an unadulterated Christianity in the midst of the world. In other words, Poveda will insist on the spirituality that must nourish a vocation called to integrate faith with science. The model of the early Christians will be a point of reference.

Some contextual data

In the first half of the twentieth century, both the Church and society were concerned about two major issues: the social question and education. There was a social awakening; we can say that this was the time of the rise of labor unions and associationism. In those years, the so-called “feminist question” also arose, since women were gaining ground in the political and social spheres.

It is not surprising, therefore, that in Spain, as in other parts of the world, women’s associations are springing up. The Church did not remain on the margins of these two interests and, through various initiatives, responded to social and educational concerns.

The papacy of those years gave impetus to the spiritual life of Catholics. During the pontificate of Pius X, the centrality of the Eucharist increased, with a particular emphasis on the formation of children. Benedict XV promoted preaching as a means of evangelization, as well as the devotion to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the wounds of Christ also spread3. In fact, the prayer of the Anima Christi was part of the spiritual patrimony of many Christians, as well as the rosary of the wounds of Christ and some prayers attributed to St. Bridget and other saints. However, Poveda’s approach to this theme has peculiar characteristics, emphasizing healing and love more than suffering and purification of sins. In those years, debates on mystical issues also resurfaced, in most cases linked to a pastoral interest. One of the consequences of this movement was the awakening of interest in the works of masters of spirituality. Another interesting fact is that in the first years of the twentieth century the life of the early Christians and of the Holy Fathers was discovered4. This, as we shall see, is not a matter of minor importance. In Spain, in 1906, under the direction of Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo, the collection “Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos” (BAC) was started, in which we find, among others, the works of St. Bernard and St. Teresa; of these, there are several critical editions, including one in nine volumes under the direction of Father Silverio de Santa Teresa. However, the majority of the people could not have access to these works. This gave rise to the growth of informative and devotional works aimed at increasing the spirituality of the laity.

In this environment there was another issue that was not indifferent to Poveda: the faith-science relationship. The modernist crisis, developed mainly in England, France and Italy, had created a climate of distrust within the Church and the faith-science separation was increasingly greater. However, Poveda is aware that faith and science are compatible and seeks a Christian presence in the world that, in the manner of the early Christians, is able to act in society as the salt that gives flavor without being noticed. Such a presence must be founded on a strong spirituality that integrates faith into life.

The way to learn love

Poveda will see in Christ crucified the way to learn love, a foundational reference for those who live their being Christian in the midst of the world. There are many writings in which he speaks about it, but among them all, there is a group that is striking for its title: “The wounds of Christ, place of wisdom and strength”.

The theme is not new to Poveda. In 1908, in Covadonga, Pedro Poveda had written some biblical considerations on before and after communion, published in a small book, “La voz del Amado” The Voice of the Beloved (1908) [35]. Throughout the text he highlighted the necessary dynamism: get up, come, show me5. From his personal experience he can say that the wounds are the place of the healing encounter, of inner purification, of forgiveness, of mercy. In 1910, he returned to the theme commented on in Anima Christi [44]: the wounds are the safe place where to take refuge, where to hide, where to speak with Christ.

In these texts of 1908 and 1910, the strength of the spousal relationship is rather surprising, but which is not that surprising if we take into account that the reference text is from the Song of Songs. He will return to the theme in 1913, introducing the educational theme and in 1919 presenting the wounds as a means to obtain the mercy of the Father [114]6. Jesus, reconciling us with the Father, does not replace us, he takes us with him: “Jesus represented each human being before God, without replacing him; giving him the possibility of responding with him, in the manner most worthy of God, that of love, that of the offering of himself for love in this human history bereft of love”7.

In the set of seven letters of 1923, he presents the theme on the basis of texts from Scripture and testimonies of saints (St. Veronica Giuliani, St. Bernard8). But above all they are the fruit of his experience. One characteristic is that he will put it in relation to the mission.

In the face of the insistence of dwelling in the wounds of Christ, something that humanly repels, many questions arise: Why is it necessary to dwell in them? What is the meaning of this dwelling place? What does it mean to dwell in the wounds? How can this be done? In order to be able to give answers, the first step is to approach the understanding of the mystery of the Incarnation.

The incarnation of christ and union with god

The approach to the mystery of the Incarnation in Poveda is related to the dignity of the person because God has united himself to human nature to make it great. In the Incarnation God assumes our condition and in this way elevates human nature towards him. Poveda expresses it this way in a 1915 writing:

“God bends toward man; man tends toward God. Humanity was taken by the Son of God –God as the Father– never to leave it, and that adorable humanity in the divine...