Initially he wouldn't hear of it. His followers would send
him notes about rumors they were hearing, grumblings from those who did not
understand his methods and aims. In response, he tore up the notes and threw them
away. But as time went on, the talk became harder to ignore. So St. Josemaría
sent the notes to his bishop, having no fear because he knew the accusations
against him were false. He directly told his bishop of the slander but did not
judge anyone’s motives or complain about them. He was concerned with the good
of the apostolate and those who followed him. In order to stem the tide of
rumors and innuendo, his confessor suggested that he talk directly with another
priest, Fr. Carillo, S.J., who had very likely been spreading them.
“He did so. He told Father Carillo
of the rumors being attributed to him, and explained to the best of his ability
the work being done with students . . . And then he tactfully gave the priest a
way to save face. He proposed an agreement: if either of them heard any
pejorative criticism in the future [about their respective apostolates] he
would tell the other as soon as possible” (De Prada, Founder of Opus Dei vol. II,
318).
The passionate, Spanish saint would then repeat a verse to himself:
“Many waters cannot quench love” (Song of Songs 8:7). This meant two things for
him: “One, that the multitude of my past sins cannot separate me from the Love
of my God; and the other, that the waters of the persecution we are now
undergoing will not impede the apostolate” (ibid., 322). Here is a good summary
of his manner.
Father Josemaría’s reaction to the
persecution was both very human and deeply supernatural. At first he refused to
believe people do such evil things. Later, when forced to acknowledge the
facts, he tried to put a good face on their intentions. (“I know his intention
isn’t bad,” he said of one of the rumormongers, “but he doesn’t understand
anything about our spirit, and he gets everything confused and mixed up.”) And
as a last resort, in the face of irrefutable evidence, he could only forgive
and forget. “Although I don’t want to mention this,” he writes, “I will just
say that it is hard to believe in the good faith of those who systematically
spread calumnies. I forgive them with all my heart.”
One day he ran into Fr. Carillo, the one whose loose tongue
instigated much suffering.
With no rancor and
perfect naturalness he shook Father Carillo’s hand and said, “I’m pleased to
see you, Father. God bless you!” Aware that Father Carillo, instead of keeping
their pact to communicate criticisms, was going around calling him “either
crazy or evil,” he added, “Don’t you remember our gentleman’s agreement?”
“I already spoke
about all that last night, at nine, with the vicar general,” Father Carillo
answered hurriedly, breaking away.
On the next day
the founder wrote in his journal:
Nov. 15 . . . In the afternoon, I
found myself experiencing a deep interior joy on account of that tribulation.
And I feel a greater love for the blessed Society of Jesus, and sympathy and
even affection for the religious causing this whole mess. Besides, I understand
that he is a very likeable man, and certainly a very good person. May God bless
and prosper him! (Ibid., 322-3).
Nearly a year later, the slander continued, this time from
different quarters. Opus Dei was accused of being “Masonic”, “devilish”,
“demented”, etc. In response, Josemaría wrote a letter to his early community:
My dear children:
The Lord has permitted that people,
very dear to my heart, are slandering us and doing us harm. Should you also
find yourselves affected by the storm of persecution—a divine seal
authenticating supernatural undertakings—I give you these instructions, that
are so in keeping with the spirit of Opus Dei:
(1)
Always heed the directives
of the ecclesiastical authority, i.e., the archbishop and his vicar general;
(2)
Never say anything to
anyone outside the house about such events, if they take place;
(3)
Be very charitable, never
on any pretext saying one word against the persecutors;
(4)
Much joy and much peace;
(5)
Much prayer, much study,
and many small mortifications.
Everything is going very well. I
didn’t know that the Lord love us this much. . . (ibid., 343-4).
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