Javier Echevarria Rodriguez
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Javier Echevarria Rodriguez is a Roman Catholic bishop. He is the prelate of the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei.
He is a member of the Roman Curia, the governing body of the Catholic Church. He is a member of Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, and of the Congregation for the Clergy.
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[edit] Life
He was born in Madrid on June 14, 1932. He was ordained to the priesthood for Opus Dei on August 7, 1955.
With the death of the first Prelate of Opus Dei, Msgr. Alvaro del Portillo on March 23, 1994, a period of mourning followed. The Holy See subsequently named Father Echevarria Rodriguez as the second Prelate of Opus Dei on April 20, 1994, and Titular Bishop of Cilibia on November 21, 1994.
He was subsequently ordained to the episcopate by Pope John Paul II with Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re and Msgr. Jorge Mejía, Titular Archbishop of Apollonia as co-consecrators on January 6, 1995.
Bishop Echevarria serves as the chancellor of the prestigious Spanish university, the University of Navarra, and various other universities under the spiritual care of Opus Dei.
He is a member of Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, and of the Congregation for the Clergy.
He participated in the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for America (1997) and of Europe (1999), and also of the General Ordinary Assembly of 2001 and 2005.
[edit] Works
He has written works on spirituality such as:
- Memoria del beato Josemaría - reminiscences of Blessed Josemaria
- Itinerarios de vida cristiana - reflections around the turn of the millennium on the ways of Christian life
- Para servir a la Iglesia - a homily on serving the Church
- Getsemaní -- about praying in union with Christ in his passion
- Eucaristía y vida cristiana -- about the centrality of the Eucharist in the life of a Christian
[edit] Some excerpts from his works
- Christianity is God’s nearness to man. It is a close friendship and an intimate relationship between God and man. It expresses the familiarity of a beloved son welcomed with indescribable joy, music, celebration and a great banquet (cf. Lk 15: 22-24).-- from Eucaristia y vida cristiana
- Love is the substance of happiness. To love and to know oneself loved is the only true response to the ultimate anxieties of the human heart...Augustine of Hippo briefly expressed this in writing: “Pondus meus, amor meus”. My love is my weight, that which gives me solidity, attracts me and exalts me. It transmits to me height and depth, it is the origin of my peace. [1]
- "To all who received Him, He gave the power to become sons of God" (Jn 1:12). For a Christian, this is not just a way of speaking or calling. Awareness of divine filiation is rooted in a divine gift that transforms a person from within. St. John puts it this way: "See what love the Father has for us, that He has called us sons of God, and so we are!...We are truly children of God" (1 Jn 3:1-2). St. Josemaria concludes that "whoever is unaware of this is unaware of his innermost truth;" he has not yet discovered the deepest reality of his being, nor the meaning of his existence on this earth. [2]
- The secret of the apostolic zeal of a disciple of Christ is rooted in his love for the Master. This is what moves him to give his life for the others, to spend it in helping them know the divine Word and to live according to the imperatives of the Love of God. His zeal for souls is born from a love for Christ, which like all true love, implies identification with the person loved.
[edit] Cause of Canonization for Msgr. Alvaro del Portillo
In an edict dated December 6, 2002, Msgr. Echevarria Rodriguez confirmed: clear signs of the solid and widespread reputation for holiness enjoyed by Bishop Alvaro del Portillo, Prelate of Opus Dei. Desiring to document in a sufficiently ample way his exemplary Christian life, on May 23, 1994, the Vicar General, Msgr. Fernando Ocariz, sent out a questionnaire with 252 questions about Bishop del Portillo.
From the testimonies we received, we felt compelled to continue the investigation. After having fulfilled the steps required by the current norms, we have reached the conclusion that conditions exist for the introduction of the cause of canonization of Bishop Alvaro del Portillo. ... Edict of Javier Echevarria, By the grace of God and of the Apostolic See, Prelate of Opus Dei, December 6, 2002, Rome
[edit] External links
- Mons. Javier Echevarría: Prelado del Opus - a brief biography and video (in Spanish)
