Opus Dei

Bishop Javier Echevarría opened the conference in Rome for the centennial of Alvaro del Portillo’s birth with words of gratitude to Pope Francis on the first anniversary of his election.

December 8th is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The first chapter in the 20-part "Life of Mary" available on the web page explains the meaning of this feast.

After Jesus ascended to heaven, the Apostles waited in the Holy City for the sending of the promised Consoler, united around Mary.

"In this Family, love for God and neighbor centered on loving attention to Jesus, the Father’s eternal Word, who learned how to talk with human words and to love with the heart of a man."

"The eternal Son of God comes into the world in a place meant for animals. And his Mother has to offer him, as his first crib, a narrow manger."

The thirteenth chapter in the Life of Mary looks at the many years spent by the Holy Family in Nazareth, years marked by daily work, prayer and joyful family life.

The scene of the "Pietà," with the dead body of Christ resting in Mary’s arms, has often moved Christian hearts.

The series on Mary’s life pauses before the scene in Bethlehem when Wise Men come from the East to adore the Child.

"They were months of quiet work and hardship, spent with nostalgia for their homeland, but also with the joy of seeing Jesus growing up healthy and strong, far from the danger they had left behind."

Christian tradition is confident that Jesus appeared first to his Mother after rising from the tomb, as a reward for Mary's faith and suffering.