Mariana reflects on how her experience with photography helped her understand that life is made up of contrasts, of light and shadow: “This helps me see, for instance, personal, family, or institutional crises as something that might seem ‘wasted,’ but that can suddenly be transformed, bring new life, or teach us something we might have been about to discard or overlook.” She explains that something similar happens in gardening: “What seemed like waste gradually turns into soil.”
Sometimes it’s hard to make free decisions because you have to know how to ask yourself questions and not let yourself be conditioned by your own fears.
Her decision to stay in her hometown after living in other cities in Argentina and in Italy was motivated, in part, by her desire to care for her mother, who suffered a stroke: “My mom had gone to a monthly recollection, and that’s when she had the stroke,” she recalls. Her mother, a supernumerary, had always prayed that one of her children would have a vocation in the Church: “My siblings used to say it would have to be me, that I was the most rebellious in that regard, and I would say, ‘Not a chance.’”
When she finally decided to request admission to Opus Dei, her mother made sure she was totally free: “She made me think about it deeply. She asked me, ‘Are you sure? Are you really sure you want this? You are free.’ I never felt any pressure from her.”
For Mariana, Opus Dei is a fundamental pillar in her life: “I make it part of everything I do, every step I take.” Although she had the opportunity to return to Buenos Aires, she decided to stay in Salta, saying, “I see it as the best option.” She emphasizes the importance of making decisions freely and consciously: “Sometimes it’s hard to make free decisions because you have to know how to ask yourself questions and not let yourself be conditioned by your own fears.” She says that making mistakes is part of the journey: “I’ve made a lot of mistakes, I’ve stumbled many times, but that’s what life is about, isn’t it? No one is perfect.”
Reflecting on where she is today, she acknowledges: “I didn’t expect this to happen when I moved back to Salta.” However, she believes everything has been part of divine providence: “God knows why He does things.” Accompanying her mother in this stage of her life has allowed her to feel God’s presence in a profound way: “When I come here, I feel God’s presence so vividly when I’m with her. Jesus said that He is present in the most vulnerable (the children, the sick…), so being here helps me be closer to God.”
She concludes, referring to her mother with a smile: “I always say that from the very start, she’s been ‘guilty’ of bringing me closer to God.”