A Word of the Postulator

Saints are not born saints. Holiness is, first and foremost, a grace that comes from God; nevertheless, at the same time, it requires a generous response on the part of the Christian who pursues the ideal of becoming a saint. For Fr. d’Alzon, the ultimate goal of his own life was certainly, and always, holiness. And to get there, he had to overcome a lot of obstacles in his way. One of these, he admits again and again, was pride. It was part of his temperament, which, in his own words, he described as “mocking, irritable, proud, and scornful.” And he suffered from it. That is why humility would be one of the virtues he worked hardest to acquire. He recommended it as something essential to his religious and to those who came to him for spiritual direction: “Of all the virtues, humility is surely the most indispensable.” True humility is born of faith, because it places us face to face with God: “God is everything; I am nothing” in relation to him. Humility “arises when we compare who God is to who we are”. Humility leads us to enter into the deepest recesses of our being and to see ourselves as we are with all our weaknesses and problems. Finally, humility facilitates relations with others marked by respect, service, obedience, and love.

Fr. Julio Navarro Román, A.A.

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