Amistad entre santos y santas
La clave es el amor a la cruz
Ver también:
San Francisco y Santa Clara: dos enamorados, pero ¿de quien?
-Raniero Cantalamessa
-amistad
Dios creó al hombre y a la mujer para amar. En el amor se complementan y son fecundos. Así ocurre con el amor conyugal.
Pero el amor entre hombre y mujer también ocurre en otros tipos de relaciones, por ejemplo, entre madre e hijo; entre hermano y hermana…¿Es posible que el amor agape entre hombre y mujer exista fuera del matrimonio? La historia de la Iglesia demuestra que sí. Este escrito es sobre la amistad spiritual que Dios suscita entre un hombre y una mujer (ver algunos ejemplos) con el fin de manifestar su gloria, llevar a cabo en la Iglesia una misión y profundizar en la Iglesia el entendimiento del amor humano unido al divino.
Como todas las cosas, esta amistad solo crece si tiene el terreno y el cuidado apropiado. Hay grandes peligros de engaño en las amistades. Todos padecemos las consecuencias del pecado original, la concupiscencia. No pocos cristianos, aun entre los bien formados en la fe, han ido por caminos de perdición por causa de amistades desordenadas. Debemos ser sobrios, prudentes y entender la verdadera naturaleza de la amistad espiritual en el plan de Dios.
Este amor no se puede entender sin fe. Algunos hacen interpretaciones sacrílegas de la relación entre Jesús y María Magdalena. En este caso se trata de un amor diferente a cualquier otro entre hombre y mujer porque Jesús es Dios. Pero Jesús es también hombre y modelo para todo hombre redimido. Sus actos enseñan a todo hombre y mujer que es posible la amistad pura y casta. Ella pudo amar con pureza porque Cristo la había rescatado del pecado y Su amor habitaba en ella. De esta manera Jesús la preparó para una gran misión: Ser apóstol (enviada) a los apóstoles. Ella que tanto amo a Jesús fue su escogida para revelar a los hombres la manifestación definitiva de la victoria de su amor crucificado: la resurrección.
La verdadera relación spiritual entre hombre y mujer, como todo amor, es fruto de la redención ganada por Cristo en la cruz. La amistad espiritual solo es posible si cada uno anda por el camino estrecho de la cruz, siendo Cristo el centro de sus vidas diarias. Cristo debe reinar en el corazón de cada uno en una vida disciplinada donde El moldea y gobierna todos los poderes del alma, las pasiones, los sentimientos, los afectos. La amistad espiritual tiene como guía y base de discernimiento el Evangelio, la enseñanza de la Iglesia y el estado de vida propio de cada uno.
El poder de la cruz corta todos los apegos de la carne, el egoísmo. El amor a la cruz no permite desviaciones del camino estrecho ni justificaciones. Evita diligentemente cualquier ocasión de pecado. Esta amistad no es un derecho ni un capricho y no nace de la atracción natural. No buscan la atención del otro sino ofrecer sus vidas a Jesús en la cruz. La mirada de los amigos espirituales no se fija en el otro como ocurre en el amor romántico, sino que ambos se ayudan a mirar al Señor.
Ellos no se abrazan sino que abrazan la cruz. Estos amigos son amigos de la cruz, señal de autenticidad en el camino de Cristo. Abrazar la cruz revela una llamada radical al amor y una ponderosa unción del Espíritu Santo. Cada uno se niega a si mismo y abraza cualquier sufrimiento por el Señor, aunque no entiendan Sus razones. Le piden a Cristo humildad para obedecer y sufrir por El.
Solo así ellos descubren que la afinidad existente en su visión de fe y en la misión de sus vidas viene de Dios. Colaborando con Dios crece en ellos la amistad, se ayudan a ser fieles al Señor en su vocación, según las enseñanzas de la Iglesia y la dirección espiritual. Ellos no quisieran que fuese de otro modo.
María Santísima acompañó a Jesús como co-redentora. En la cruz Jesús estableció la maternidad spiritual entre su madre y Juan, el discípulo amado. Este es el modelo para la maternidad espiritual, especialmente para con los sacerdotes.
La cruz no solo vence al pecado; es además la fuerza que purifica y fortalece a las almas como oro en el crisol. Podemos discernir la autenticidad de una amistad cuando esta ayuda a la vocación de cada uno. El verdadero amor es puro y espiritualmente fecundo.
Cuando reconocemos la miseria del hombre caído, podemos apreciar que la existencia de amor puro y santo entre un hombre y una mujer manifiesta la gracia redentora que viene de la cruz. Demuestra que en Cristo somos una nueva creación. En Cristo somos liberados del antiguo yugo del pecado, sanados y llenos del Espíritu Santo.
Algunos santos y santas que tuvieron gran amistad
Si sabe de otros, por favor escríbame: padre Jordi Rivero
San. Jerónimo y Santa Pollan
San Francisco y Santa Clara
Comparten el mismo carisma franciscano.Santa Catalina de Siena y el Padre Raimundo de Capua -colaboradores en el ministerio. El fue miembro de la comunidad de ella y mas tarde general de los dominicos.
Jordán de Sajonia, sucesor de Santo Domingo y la Beata Diana D'Aandalo, fundadora de las Dominicas
San Francisco de Sales y Santa Juana Fremiot de Chantal
Fundadores de la VisitaciónSan Pedro Poveda y Josefa Segovia
Fundadores de la Institución Teresiana.San Antonio María Claret y Santa María Micaela del Santísimo Sacramento.
El fue director espiritual de ella.San Claudio de la Colombiere y Santa Margarita María Alacoque
El fue su director espiritual. Creyó y defendió la autenticidad de las apariciones y mensajes de Jesús por recibidos por ella.Santa Teresa y el Padre Gracián.
Ella además tenía gran estima por San Pedro de Alcántara y San Juan de la Cruz.Santa Faustina y Beato padre Miguel Sopocko
El cree en los mensajes y le apoya.Ven. Conchita Cabrera de Armida y Ven. Felix de Jesús Rougier
Comparten el carisma y la fundación de las obras de la Cruz
San Martin de Porres y Santa Rosa de Lima
Fundadores de las Oblatas de Cristo Sacerdote.
El fundó dos congregaciones de religiosas
Santos en la misma Familia
Los miembros de la familia se ayudan hacia la santidad
Virgen María y San José
San Cosme y San Damián
Gemelos y médicos
Santos Marco y Marceliano
Gemelos
San Ciriaco y Santa Paula
Gemelos
Santos Gervasio y Protasio
Gemelos
San Benito y Santa Escolástica
Gemelos. Ambos religiosos. Gozaban de compartir juntos.
Santos Isidoro de Sevilla, Leandro, Fulgencio y Florentina
Hermanos
Sta. Monica y San Agustin
Madre e hijo
Modelo de esposos. Padres de Santa Teresita de Lisieux
B. Luisa y Marie Beltran
ENGLISH VERSION
Spiritual Friendship among man and woman
The key is the love of the cross
God created man and woman to love Him and to love all. They share God’s love, they complement each other and give life. So it is with conjugal love. But the love between man and woman is also expressed in other relationships, for example, between mother and child, between brother and sister.
Is it possible for agape love between a man and a woman to exist outside marriage? The history of the Church affirms that God does call men and women to spiritual friendship (see examples above) to manifest His glory and deepen in the Church the understanding of genuine spirituality. Like all things, however, it can only grow in the proper soil and with the proper care. There are great dangers and much counterfeit of which we must beware. We are all deeply affected by original sin and the consequent concupiscence. Not a few Christians, even among those who are well educated in the faith and who have long experience in the ways of God, have gone stray in their friendships. So we need to be sober, prudent and understand the true nature of spiritual friendship in God's plan.
The true spiritual relationship between man and woman is a gift from God to fulfill his designs. Each receives a vision of faith and a mission, a vocation from the Lord. They discover that they are to share in some way in that vision and mission. They confirm and encourage each other to be faithful to the Lord and to their vocation. This friendship is not a right that can be claimed and is not based on a natural attraction. It seeks no attention to self, rather it is jointed to the oblation Jesus at the cross. Therefore this friendship is only possible when each is journeying the narrow way of the cross, with the center of their daily lives being Christ crucified. It is discovered with amazement and submitted to discernment.
The friendship between a man and a woman that I am writing about is brought about by the redemptive love of Jesus Christ at the cross, therefore it must be completely subjected to Him. Each must have Christ reigning in the throne of his/her heart. This love requires a disciplined life where Christ can mold and order all the powers of the soul, the passions, the feelings and affections, subjecting all to the Holy Spirit. This means joining Him at the Cross. The power of the cross is sharp to cut the attachments of the flesh, the selfishness. The love of the cross does not allow departures from the narrow path nor justifications. It promptly avoids any occasion of sin. The gaze of these spiritual friends is not fixed on each other as in romantic love, rather they help each other to look at the Lord. Only Christ is the love that articulates and brings life and meaning to everything in their lives, including their friendship. They would not want things to be otherwise.
Jesus is the love that makes possible all true love and the end towards which all love exists. This love is directed by the Gospels, the Teaching of the Church and the person’s state in life. These are foundations for discernment, brought to light and objectively examined in spiritual direction. Even the private inspirations from God must be discerned in this way. Then one obeys without counting the cost. In this way each person embraces any self-denial, any suffering for the Lord, even when at first we may not understand His reasons. One must ask Jesus to humble us, to obey and suffer for love of Him. Only this love is pure and spiritually fruitful.
The cross not only overcomes sin. It is also the force that purifies and strengthens love, like gold in the crucible. We can discern if the friendship is genuine because they inspire each other to holiness, to truth, not embracing each other, but embracing the cross. These friends are friends of the cross. They love of the cross because it is the sign of authenticity in way of Christ. Embracing the cross reveals a radical call and a powerful anointing of the Holy Spirit to give their lives for the glory of God and the good of the Church. The cross keeps them focused on divine love. All that is in them goes to Christ and finds purpose in Christ. For this reason the saints find in their friendship a great joy.
Jesus redeemed the world with the help of Mother Mary, the co-redeemer, who accompanied him to the cross. From the cross Jesus established spiritual motherhood between His Mother Mary and John, the beloved disciple. This is the model for spiritual motherhood, a special form of spiritual friendship specially towards priests.
Because we know the misery of fallen man we can see that the existence of a pure and holy friendship between a man and a woman reveals the redeeming grace which comes from the cross. In Christ we are a new creation. We are freed from the old yoke of sin, healed and filled with the Holy Spirit which is life force of divine love. This love cannot be understood without faith. That is why some have made sacrilegious interpretations of the relationship of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. This friendship is different than that of any other man and woman because Jesus is God. But because Jesus is also man, His actions teach us all men and woman a way of chaste and holy friendship. Mary Magdalene could love as she did because Jesus had rescued her from sin and His love now was in her. In this way He prepared her for a great mission: To be the apostle (sent) to the Apostles. She who had loved Jesus so much was to reveal to men the triumph of love: the Resurrection.
Relationship of St Benedict and St Scholastica
Book of All Saints, by Adrienne von Speyr
There are two things she sees in Benedict: first, he is the one who has provided the form of her Rule, the one who represents an authority for her and her cloister. But then, too, he is the one whom she has to help, and in this respect a strong, reciprocal relationship develops. She prays a lot for him; she is the epitome of the praying nun. She also knows that prayer in the cloister is something different from prayer outside, because here all the sisters pray with her. She has an exalted image of Benedict’s calling, and in prayer she receives such certainty in this regard that she never doubts his mission. If it ever happens that all seems hopeless and he is at a loss about everything, then she is there to give him great consolation. She knows that things will work out. If she brings him the encouragement he needs, then it is not simply as one human being to another, but she brings it with the entire weight of the Church and the monastery. She brings him this consolation as the fruit of her prayer and in complete femininity. He is sheltered and hidden like a child in her motherhood together with his Order. And she has to be such an expression of motherhood for him, because something of this has to exist in his Rule and in his relationship to his brothers. He is concerned about his brothers but is quite dry by nature. She has to broaden him in this regard, to fructify him and loosen him up by means of her femininity, so that he may understand the others better and also have the certainty that is own erotic temptations lie completely behind him. He has to learn that a femininity and a motherhood exist that are untouched by anything erotic. If Benedict had not known her, then woman would have seemed to him much more of an embodiment of temptation. And in her prayer, she is able to give to God on his behalf what he would not have been able to give alone. In this respect, she is constantly ready to accept anything from him. She is very obedient; she never takes him to be wrong, even if she at first does not understand something he says. She learns from her interaction with him for her sisters, just as he learns from his interaction with her for his brothers. Each of them fructifies not only the other person, but moreover also the other’s work and monastery.
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