Following the beatification of Bishop Alvaro del Portillo in 2014, the Church designated May 12th (the anniversary of his First Communion) as his feast day and it was celebrated for the first time in 2015. To mark the occasion, Fr. Javier del Castillo prepared a special meditation for listeners of the St. Josemaria Institute Podcast.

Meditating on the nickname given to him by St. Josemaria, “Saxum,” which means “rock” in Latin, we reflect on Blessed Alvaro’s fortitude and how God sends us this gift of the Holy Spirit to help us overcome all obstacles, to become “rocks”— “a better building block for the Church wherever God has placed you.”

Blessed Alvaro del Portillo was a close collaborator of St. Josemaria Escriva and his first successor as Prelate of Opus Dei. To learn more about his life and for the prayer through his intercession visit: www.alvarodelportillo.org