20120702 Bishop points to tabernacle 聖體龕的主教
Last week, we looked at the life of the “Pope of the Eucharist”—Pope Pius X; this week, we will look at the life of the “Bishop of the Abandoned Tabernacle”—-Blessed Manuel González García (1877-1940).
Manuel was born on February 25, 1877 in Seville. He was the fourth of five children from a modest but deeply religious family. Manuel grew up in a peaceful atmosphere, and had great love for Jesus and Mary.
Without telling his parents, Manuel took the preparatory examination for the admission to the seminary. When he was accepted into the seminary, his parents accepted the news well and supported his vocation. During his studies, Manuel paid his way by working as a servant in the seminary. He was ordained to the priesthood on September 21, 1901 by Blessed Cardinal Marcellus Spinola.
Eucharistic reparation
In 1902, Father Manuel was sent to a mission parish at Palomares del Rio. After hearing the sacristan talked about the discouraging prospects of the mission, Father Manuel went before Jesus in the tabernacle. In faith, Father Manuel experienced Jesus looking at him from the tabernacle, telling him many things, and asking him even more. It was there that Father Manuel received his special charism of loving and accompanying Jesus in the tabernacle.
In 1905 Father Manuel moved to a parish Huelva. Father Manuel combated religious indifference by helping children of needy families. Parishioners soon joined Father Manuel in the caring of needy children and poor people. On March 4 1910 Father Manuel invited a group of women helpers to extend their care and attention to Jesus in the tabernacle.
For Father Manuel, an abandoned tabernacle was like Calvary. When Christ died on the cross, he was abandoned by all, except Mary, John, Mary Magdalene and a few faithful women. Father Manuel asked the women to become the Mary’s of the tabernacle.
The great family of the Eucharistic Reparatory Union began with a few women. Later on, there were branches of laymen, laywomen, youth, and children. Father Manuel also founded religious congregations of priests and nuns in honor of the Holy Eucharist.
Eucharistic shepherd
In December 1915, Pope Benedict XV appointed the 38 years old Father Manuel as auxiliary bishop of Malaga. In 1920, he became the residential bishop; Bishop Manuel celebrated the occasion by serving, with priest and seminarians, a feast for three thousands poor children.
To build up the Faith, Bishop Manuel strived to provide catechesis and schools for the people of his diocese. To combat the problem of shortage of priests, Bishop Manuel started building a new seminary. His dream was having a Eucharistic seminary, in which the Holy Eucharist would be the center of every activity, from teaching and formation to administration and architecture.
On May 11 1931, Bishop Manuel was attacked by the revolutionaries. The bishop palace was set on fire, and Bishop Manuel had to leave the diocese in order not to endanger the lives of others. In 1932, the Holy See ordered Bishop Manuel to govern his diocese from Madrid. On August 5 1935, Pope Pius XI appointed Manuel as Bishop of Palencia.
Bishop Manuel wrote books on the Holy Eucharist, prayer, catechetical formation, and priestly ministry. In his final years, Bishop Manuel’s health deteriorated considerably. He bore this trial with patience and resignation to the will of God. He never lost his smile, warm and friendly manner.
On January 4 1940, Bishop Manuel died. He was buried in the cathedral with these inscriptions on the gravestone: “I ask to be buried near a tabernacle, so my legs after my death, like my voice and my pen while I lived, always will say to those people who pass by: here is Jesus! He is here! Do not leave him! “
我們剛談及「聖體的教宗」聖庇約十世；本週，我們談談真福瑪諾.公撒格斯(1877-1940)，他是一位熱心賠補被忽略的聖體龕的主教。
瑪諾於一八七七年二月二十五日在意大利出生，五名兒女中排行第四，家境小康，熱心敬主。瑪諾在平和的家庭氣氛成長，熱愛耶穌聖體和聖母。
在沒有知會父母情況下，瑪諾參加進修院的收錄試。被接納後，父母均表示贊同及支持他的聖召。瑪諾在修院當傭工以幫補學費，並在一九零一年九月二十一日，從真福瑪撒.史樸拉樞機手中，領受鐸品。
賠補聖體
瑪諾晉鐸後翌年，被派往傳教區。當聖堂更衣室管理員告訴他傳教區教務的不濟，瑪諾到聖體龕內的耶穌聖體前祈禱。他感受到耶穌自聖體龕注視着他，告知他很多事情，亦對他要求更多的事情。在此，瑪諾得到他的神恩—-熱愛和陪伴聖體龕內的耶穌。
三年後，瑪諾神父被派調往另一堂區，他藉着幫助兒童和有需要的家庭來對抗教友的冷淡。堂區的教友也群起支援善舉。在一九一零年三月四日，瑪諾神父邀請一些女子將關懐和注意擴展到在聖體龕內的主耶穌。
為瑪諾神父來說，被忽視的聖體龕就如加爾瓦略山。當基督死在苦架上時，祂被眾人所離棄，只有聖母、若望、瑪利亞.瑪大利納及少數婦女留守在苦架旁。瑪諾神父要求那些女子，要成為聖體龕旁的瑪利亞。
「賠補聖體聯盟」從寥寥數名婦女，發展成為龐大附有分支的團體，包括在男教友、女教友、青年、小童。瑪諾神父亦為恭敬聖體而創辦男女修會。
聖體牧人
年僅三十八歲的瑪諾神父，被教宗本篤十五世在一九一五年十二月，委為馬勒嘉輔理主教。一九二零年，為慶祝被委為教區主教，他跟神父和修生們一起招待三千名貧童吃大餐。
為了堅固信眾的信德，瑪諾主教在所屬教區內，廣辦學校和教理培育。為解決司鐸短缺的問題，瑪諾主教開始興建新修院。他的心願是有一座而聖體為中心的修院；一切活動—–由教學和培育以至行政和建築——都要以聖體為中心。
一九三一年五月十一日，瑪諾主教被革命份子襲擊；主教府被暴徒放火。瑪諾主教為免別人受害而逃至馬德里；一九三二年，教廷命瑪諾主教從馬德里遙轄馬勒嘉教區。一九三五年八月五日，教宗庇約十一世，命瑪諾轉任為帕利西亞主教。
瑪諾主教的箸作，包括聖體、祈禱、教理和牧民。他的晚年，健康日益惡化，但他以忍耐和奉獻來承擔，故此，他臉上的笑容和友善，從未消失。
一九四零年一月四日，瑪諾主教病逝，遺體長埋主教座堂。他的墓碑刻著：「我的墳墓要就近聖體龕，讓我即使死了，我的腿仍像我生時的聲音和著作繼續操勞，提醒著每一位行經的人：耶穌在此！耶穌在此！別離棄祂！」