It was June 15, 2005. Dcn. João, accompanied by fourteen companions of ideal, were about to be ordained priests in the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in São Paulo, in the same place where, almost fifty years previously, he had first met Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, his spiritual father.
The Ecclesiastical hierarchy had opened its regal and sacrosanct doors to various members of the Heralds of the Gospel. Thus, the work that had come forth from the heart of Msgr. João would be enriched with the gift of the priesthood, attaining the pinnacle of the calling of Divine Providence which, in one of its most relevant aspects, consists in sacralizing the temporal order and transfiguring the world into the image and likeness of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of Mary.
In his prophetic work Revolution and Counter-Revolution, Dr. Plinio pins the entire efficacy of the counter-revolutionary fight on the cooperation of men with heavenly grace. It is the action of the Divine Paraclete in hearts that raises fallen human nature to unimaginable heights. Therefore, upon being invested with the mission to intercede for new and efficacious supernatural aids, the priestly branch founded by Msgr. João was set in the elite squadron of the Counter-Revolution and would cooperate, with divine strength, in the objective of ousting the forces of evil and implanting the long-desired Reign of Christ on earth.
Hearts aflame
In speaking of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, Dr. Plinio affirmed: “A priest is only worthy of being one when he has a soul of fire! […] He must be the one to carry everyone forward, the one in the frontline, in the first place in the battle.”1
This was also the thought of Msgr. João. His priestly sons should be characterized by their striving to win souls for God and lead the Holy Church to a height of holiness and glory never before attained, high and noble ideals that could only be made reality in the apex of fervour. For this reason, he desired holy priests, in whose veins circulated true supernatural flames:
The priest must be a man of fire, of ardent intentions, of fiery heart! In being so, he will present to God requests that will be accepted
“They must be priests filled with the Holy Spirit, as Our Lord Jesus Christ was at the moment when the Blessed Virgin said ‘Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum’ and the supernatural, substantial fire descended to earth: Our Lord Jesus Christ the Man, the Priest! To participate in the priesthood of Our Lord, it is necessary to have this fire. […] The priest must be a man of fire, a man of ardent intentions, a man with a fiery heart! In being so, he will present to God ardent, flaming requests, which will be accepted. […]
“It is unthinkable for a priest to ascend to the altar without desiring in his heart the renewal of the face of the earth, not only as this refers to souls and to holiness, but also to a visualization of all things. When he ascends to the altar, the priest must have at heart the desire that men be ‘relatives’ and ‘friends’ of the Angels. […] It is necessary to pray for priests, so that they may have hearts pierced with fire-filled intentions.”2
Awe-filled sons of the Church
Throughout his priestly life, Msgr. João was a continual model of this supernatural ardour, which shone with special intensity in the celebration of Mass. Among his boldest intentions were the renewal and glorification of Holy Mother Church.
Zealous defender of Sacred Tradition, Msgr. João’s goal, previously outlined by Dr. Plinio, was to raise on high the banners of orthodoxy and virtue that lay strewn along the roads of history, covered with the dust of neglect or forsaken under the mud of betrayal. However, his unshakable faith in the sanctity of the Mystical Spouse of Christ led him to aim for more than just the recovery of forgotten or vilified beauties of the past: “We want the Church to use us as instruments to reach a plenitude of grace and holiness that she has not yet revealed to men.”3
In his ministry, Msgr. João imitated the Eternal High Priest in everything, as a courageous lion in the pulpit, an innocent lamb when offering the Lamb on the altar, a clement father in the confessional
Dr. Plinio expressed a similar desire: “This is the meaning of the Counter-Revolution in the Church. It is not simply to put the brakes on the Revolution and restore things to a certain order. No! It is necessary to row in the other direction and be the contrary of what the Revolution wanted, the diametrical opposite, to an apex that is difficult to fathom.”4
Such a bold ideal, which many could see as overly ambitious, would not be attained, however, by personal merits, but by the influx of holiness that springs from the Mystical Body of Christ herself: “The Church is so alive, so young, so immortal and, moreover, growing in manifestations of brightness and glory, that in times of crisis she always finds the inner strength to renew herself and say to hell: ‘You not only do not overcome me, but I triumph over you’.”5
In this regard, Msgr. João stormed Heaven for a robust, intrepid and radiant faith for the priestly branch of the Heralds – later to constitute the Clerical Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right, Virgo Flos Carmeli – which would increase continuously until the end of time, illuminating the Church and the entire world.
Priestly virtues
Msgr. João took as the soul of his ministry the quest for holiness, which consists in the unconditional surrender to God to the point of holocaust. And this commitment only intensified with the passing years. His words after the priestly ordination of some spiritual sons indicate this peremptorily: “From this day forward, until the hour of our death, we have the constant duty to desire holiness more and more, because participation in the sacred and divine priesthood of Our Lord Jesus Christ is a participation in His own holiness.”6
This well-led spiritual life made our founder extremely respectful of the dignity to which he had been elevated, not as coming from himself, but as emanating from Him whom he represented. In fact, the priest acts in the Person of Christ the Head, that is, of the Word of God begotten by the Father from all eternity and made Man to save us. Conscious, therefore, of being invested with a divine mission, Msgr. João strove to imitate the Eternal High Priest in everything, being a courageous lion in the pulpit, an innocent lamb when offering the Lamb on the altar, and a most clement father in the confessional.
As a result, he intentionally marked the priestly ministry with certain martial attributes that would serve to preserve the zeal of his sons for the splendour of the Liturgy and the good of souls from all forms of laxness. He combatted in them any signs of negligence or disorder – unfortunately, so common today – in the service of the altar, the administration of the Sacraments, the preaching of the Divine Word and even in private life.
He sought to form an upright, combative and generous clergy, reminding his priestly sons of the need for pulchritude in their actions during liturgical ceremonies
Aware of how gravely the scandals of bad priests have harmed the flock of the Good Shepherd, he sought, as founder and father, to form an upright, combative and generous clergy, willing to give their lives for others as Jesus-Victim gave His life for all men. With regard to the Sacrament of Penance, he never refused a request, even if it was out of time and place. And he ordered his sons to do the same: never to give themselves the right to refuse a Confession, since by their ordination they had been nailed to the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ forever.
There was one vice he particularly feared to see in his priests: that of mediocrity, the pettiness typical of those who settle for an easy life and flee from the sublime challenges that the Crucified sets before His chosen ones. Msgr. João taught with his words and example that the minister of God must live with large horizons ever in sight, understanding the heinousness of the evil of our days and desiring with all his soul the most glorious reprisal of God in history. By this means, he hoped to see the supplications formulated in the Lord’s Prayer fully answered: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”
Our founder always considered the preaching of the Word of God as a weapon of incalculable power to promote good and curb the spread of evil. In the combat against vice, he followed the example of his spiritual father, Dr. Plinio, whom he considered a tireless crusader in a constant state of struggle. His preaching was rich in content, crystal clear and adorned with abundant descriptions and examples, with the view to instilling in his listeners, in a way accessible to all ages and conditions, the love of virtue and the abhorrence of vice.
However, it is worth noting that this combative attitude, most manifest in the pulpit, never distanced him from the faithful. On the contrary, perceiving the truthfulness of his fatherly heart and his willingness to welcome sinners, people who barely knew him would ask him to hear them in Confession, even in unusual settings, such as during air travel. In this way, a flock gathered around him, a public unconnected to his work but enthused by his word and ready to embrace the challenge of conforming their lives to it.
The sacrality of the Liturgy
Over the years of his association with Dr. Plinio, Msgr. João drew from him a deep love for the sacrality of the Liturgy. He therefore wanted to ensure that the brilliance of the mystery being celebrated would radiate in his Masses: “The altar must be surrounded with a note of dignity much greater than the coronation of a king or any other civil ceremony,”7 he strongly affirmed.
He was unwavering in reminding his priestly sons of the need to act with perfection and splendour during liturgical ceremonies, letting themselves be shaped by what he called “the mentality and temperament of the altar.” It was a matter of overriding the patterns of agitation, superficiality and vulgarity breathed by the world:
“Because of our charism, we must be thoroughly disciplined and precise in all that we do. But the altar demands greater care and affection than any other creature. […] The tendency for hasty movement harms the sacred character of the altar. […] And we must have a holy affection for the altar.”8
To instil this spiritual character in the hearts of his disciples, Msgr. João instituted a remedial of faults after the celebrations, in which he, personally, or another experienced priest, would point out errors committed in the ceremony, with the aim of forming priests filled with holy fear, respect and zeal for the sacred mysteries, without falling prey to artificiality or mechanicalness. For the same reason, he also oversaw the elaboration of a detailed and up-to-date illustrated concordance of the official liturgical norms, enriched with the note particular to the charism of the Heralds, since, as he affirmed, the rubrics must be followed with suitable military discipline.
Marian and prophetic priesthood
As is well known, Msgr. João consecrated himself, with profound seriousness and lively enthusiasm, as a slave of love to the Blessed Virgin according to the method advocated by St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort. However, his veneration for this tender Mother and sovereign Lady took him, in some respects, beyond all that had preceded him in matters of devotion.
In line with the prophetic intuition of this French saint, Msgr. João always believed that Our Lady herself would raise priestly holiness and sacramental life to a new splendour, entirely Marian and prophetic, that would exquisitely array the Mystical Bride of Christ for the marriage supper of the Lamb (cf. Rev 19:7-9). By participation in the spirit and graces of Mary, new fire would be kindled in the hearts of priests, transfiguring the teaching Church in the eyes of the faithful with a most attractive light.
Msgr. João always believed that Our Lady herself would raise priestly holiness and sacramental life to a new splendour, entirely Marian and prophetic
This fire burned in the heart of Msgr. João as regards the administration of each Sacrament, and especially in relation to the Eucharist. His faith in the supplicative and reparative power of the Holy Mass was a characteristic of his priestly soul that urged him to aim for the construction of a church where Masses would be celebrated continuously – respecting the liturgical cycle and time – one succeeding the other, in order to move Heaven and draw down upon earth the justice and the mercy of God.
Regarding the requests to be made during the celebration, he stated: “At the moment of the elevation of the Host and the chalice, the priest has the same impetratory power with which Our Lady is invested. We must take full advantage of this moment, therefore, and plead with constancy, piety, faith, and full certainty of triumph and divine intervention.”9
To his priestly sons, he recommended an ever-greater conviction of the magnificent act they perform:
“The priest must grow in faith at each Mass; for if he celebrates with the same faith as the previous day, he has regressed. He must grow each day – not in feeling, but in the act of faith he makes in the great miracle that occurs when he pronounces the words of Consecration. […] He must be convinced that he has in his hands the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, Incarnate […], and that he is performing a most serious, lofty, extraordinary act.”10
An exceedingly great pardon
Regarding the Sacrament of Confession, Msgr. João was distinguished by a bold confidence in God’s magnanimity in granting forgiveness, learned from his spiritual master.
On one occasion, Dr. Plinio opened his heart to his disciples in this way: “More than forgiveness, I ask [Our Lady for each of my children] the A + A plan; I ask for a grace that goes beyond forgiveness, a grace that not only purges, but that gives something more than what would have been ours had we not sinned. This is the all-too-great, limitless forgiveness, which is not just forgiveness, but forgiveness followed by healing; it is not just forgiveness followed by healing, but forgiveness followed by a kiss; it is not just a forgiveness followed by healing and a kiss, but a forgiveness upon which a diadem is placed.”11
Uniting his pains with those of the Immolated Lamb, he purchased graces of perseverance and sanctification for countless priestly sons, to follow until the consummation of the ages
Msgr. João’s keenness to forgive was immense, to the point that he declared: “I confess that one of the reasons that led me to firmly embrace the priesthood was the great desire to forgive! The act of giving absolution touches my soul more than pronouncing the words of Consecration. We need to have this enormous thirst to forgive.”12
And he transmitted this inner disposition to his spiritual children. Even before his ordination, he said: “Soon we will have priests. They must crave, they must thirst to forgive. It is true that they will not be the ones who will forgive, but they will be instruments in the hands of Our Lord to do so. […] The Reign of Mary will be the reign of forgiveness, […] the age of mercy, the age of God’s power.”13
Priest and victim
Msgr. João would not have fully configured himself with the High and Eternal Priest if, in union with Him, he had not assumed, in a special way, the condition of victim. Our Lord offered Himself on the Cross and it was necessary for His priest to follow Him on this path of suffering and immolation, a very important aspect of our founder’s mission, which will be considered more fully in a separate article.
For his spiritual children, the calvary he suffered served as an example of perseverance and joy amid suffering, but, above all, it was a source of most special graces, for, uniting his pains with those of the Immolated Lamb, he acquired for each of them treasures of gifts and virtues. Thanks to his continuous offering, we can staunchly affirm that before the Throne of the God were purchased the perseverance and sanctification of countless priestly sons, to follow until the consummation of the ages. ◊
Notes
1 CORRÊA DE OLIVEIRA, Plinio. Conversation. São Paulo, 4/4/1993.
2 CLÁ DIAS, EP, João Scognamiglio. Homily. Caieiras, 20/12/2008.
3 CLÁ DIAS, EP, João Scognamiglio. Conversation. São Paulo, 1/6/2005.
4 CORRÊA DE OLIVEIRA, Plinio. Conference. São Paulo, 28/9/1984.
5 CLÁ DIAS, EP, João Scognamiglio. Words of thanks after Holy Mass. São Paulo, 12/7/2004.
6 CLÁ DIAS, EP, João Scognamiglio. Words of thanks after presbyteral ordination. Caieiras, 20/5/2007.
7 CLÁ DIAS, EP, João Scognamiglio. Conference. Mairiporã, 15/12/2006.
8 CLÁ DIAS, EP, João Scognamiglio. Conversation. Rome, 19/2/2010.
9 CLÁ DIAS, EP, João Scognamiglio. Conference. Caieiras, 14/1/2010.
10 CLÁ DIAS, EP, João Scognamiglio. Conference. Mairiporã, 10/8/2006.
11 CORRÊA DE OLIVEIRA, Plinio. Conference. São Paulo, 13/9/1971.
12 CLÁ DIAS, EP, João Scognamiglio. Homily. Mairiporã, 20/1/2006.
13 CLÁ DIAS, EP, João Scognamiglio. Gospel Commentary. São Paulo, 11/7/2004.
