Download original letter of Pope Francis about Blessed Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri (in Spanish) (PDF format)
Dear Fernando,
The beatification of the Servant of God Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri, the first layperson of this Prelature to be beatified, is soon to take place, and I wish to unite myself to your joy and thanksgiving for this witness of holiness, which she lived out in the ordinary circumstances of her Christian life.
It is right to rejoice and to thank God, because He never abandons His Church – not even in the darkest moments – and with spousal love He continues to inspire examples of holiness in the Church that bring beauty to her face, fill us with hope, and show us clearly the path we are to follow.
Holiness means opening one’s heart to God and allowing Him to transform us with His love; it also means going out of ourselves so as to meet others where Jesus awaits us, to bring them a word of encouragement, a helping hand, a look of tenderness and consolation.
With the joy that came from knowing she was a daughter of God, as she had learned from Saint Josemaría himself, Guadalupe Ortiz placed her many human and spiritual qualities at the service of others, helping in a particular way other women and families in need of education and development. She did all this not with a proselytizing attitude but simply through her prayer and witness.
I encourage all the faithful of the Prelature, and all who take part in their apostolates, always to aspire to this holiness of “normality,” which burns within our hearts with the fire of Christ's love, and which the world and the Church are so in need of today.
I also ask you not to stop praying for me, while at the same time I impart my Apostolic Blessing to you all. May Jesus bless you and may Our Lady look after you.
Fraternally,
Francis