Trying to know a person's spirituality and delve deeper into it is something extremely difficult as well as incredibly fascinating. With the desire to delve into the heart of the Venerable José Gras from October to May, every first Thursday of the month at dusk, several members of the MAR and Daughters of Christ the King have been meeting electronically in an unmissable event.
A total of twenty-five people, including lay people of the Movement and religious of the Institute in Spain, from Albuñol, Alcalá la Real, Benifaió, Bollullos par del Condado, Granada, Jaén, Sevilla and Villanueva del Arzobispo, have benefited from this unique course titled "José Gras: introduction to his spirituality." An optional and open course whose objectives have been, among others, to contextualize the Venerable in a specific era in the history of Spain and the Church; As well as reading, praying and delving into first-hand texts by José Gras, discovering the royalty and sovereignty of Christ in his thoughts.
As a prelude to each meeting, lay people and religious have gradually done a prayerful and reflective reading of chapters of "In the Footsteps of the King", a book written by Mª Fernanda Mendoza Ruiz, Daughter of Christ the King, which can be considered the vademecum of spirituality. of the Venerable. Over time, there have been different people who, as speakers, have accompanied this process of deepening our charisma: Alberto de Castro, Carmen Mª Domínguez, Ángeles Carámbano, Eva Maldonado and Francisco José Sánchez Corrales.
The culmination of this magnificent experience was an in-person meeting titled "From the Verge del Socors to the Immaculate Conception: Mary in José Gras." Between May 4 and 5, the participants in the training left the screens to meet physically in Granada, with the emblematic Sacromonte Abbey witnessing the reunion. On Saturday morning, lay people and religious joined in the prayer of the Church with the lauds and then delved into Gras' Marian devotions throughout his life. In a dynamic way they made a biographical journey interspersing texts and games, stopping at four moments: his Agramuntí childhood; his pilgrimage as a seminarian in Barcelona to Montserrat; his membership and contribution to the Mariana Bibliographic Academy during his time in Ecija; and, finally, his participation in the popular Granada devotion of the Virgin of Angustias.
After the recitation of the Regina Coeli, the Abbot, Mr. Antonio Fernández Siles, acted as cicerone in the private rooms and explained what daily life in the Sacromontane was like at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. Thus the Venerable could be located in his spatial and routine context, since let us remember that he lived for more than half a century within the walls of the Sacromonte Abbey whose motto is "Mary was not touched by sin first."
During the afternoon, the participants enjoyed ample time of silence for reading and personal reflection of texts from the Tireless Apostle followed by a space to fraternally share what was prayed and meditated on. Next, the meeting focused on the Immaculate Conception, beginning with an approach to the history and art of the Abbey to continue with the evolution of the theological reflection on the dogma. A journey from patristics through the figure of Blessed John Duns Scotus until reaching the "Ineffabilis Deus", the apostolic letter of Pope Pius IX that defined the immaculist dogma when José Gras was barely twenty years old.
After the training, the most special moment of the day arrived with the Vespers prayer with the Lord exposed, an intimate moment in an unparalleled space. And, in the Movement we assume the words of the Catalan priest in El Bien are addressed to us: "pay adoration to the infinite Love and defend the infinite Honor of the King of kings." Saturday concluded with a fraternal and relaxed evening at the Casa Torcuato restaurant in Albayzín.
On the morning of the VI Sunday of Easter, after the lauds, Builders, Communities of the Kingdom and Daughters of Christ the King took a literary walk through the Immaculate Granada with the help of "El Talismán de María." Starting from the crypt of the Venerable, they toured emblematic Granada enclaves such as Triunfo, the basilica of San Juan de Dios and the collegiate church of Saints Justo and Pastor. Places where Joseph walked and where lay men and women were delighted not only with the genius of Gras's pen, but also with the unfading beauty of the architecture, sculpture and painting linked to the Immaculate Conception in the Andalusian city. The meeting culminated with the Eucharist, in which Mr. José Ma Gil Tamayo, archbishop of Granada, underlined the words of Jesus in the gospel: "I have chosen you and sent you so that you may go and bear fruit."
We take advantage of these lines to thank the Sacromonte Abbey, in general, and its abbot, in particular, for the closeness and kindness with which they always welcome our Movement. Likewise, we express our gratitude to the chapter of the Metropolitan Cathedral, and especially to its dean, Mr. Eduardo García López, for their collaboration and help in the preparation of this meeting.
From the Formation and Liturgy Team of the Christ the King Apostolic Movement in Spain, this monographic training has been organized throughout the 2023-2024 pastoral course, open to all adult members of the Movement and interested Daughters of Christ the King with the intention of repeating the editions , as well as offering in the future, an itinerary of deepening and another of consolidation.
