Ordination of Father Ignacio Rubio, LC
Father Ignacio Rubio Hípola, L.C., was ordained a priest on Saturday, April 24th, at the parish of Santa María de Caná, in Pozuelo de Alarcón. After 20 years of formation within the congregation of the Legionaries of Christ, Father Ignacio received the ordination from the hands of the Cardinal-Archbishop of Madrid, Don Carlos Osoro Sierra, who, in his homily, reminded him of three words he must always keep in mind: to know that he is “loved, strengthened, and sent by the Lord,” while also inviting him to “let yourself be conquered by His love.” His family and a large group of members of the Regnum Christi family—laity, consecrated laity, women religious, and Legionaries of Christ—both from Spain and Germany, where he is currently assigned, attended the ceremony.
Don Carlos began his homily by asking Father Ignacio: “How will you repay all the good that the Lord has done for you?” The responsibility entrusted to him through his priestly ordination is impressive: “The Lord will be in you and through you so that you continue breaking the chains that bind us to men,” through “the forgiveness you will give, as well as the true communion that Jesus establishes on the day He institutes the Eucharist” for mankind.
The ministry entrusted to the new priest must be to offer “a sacrifice of praise, so that those who see you give thanks to the Lord.” For this, the Cardinal of Madrid reminded him of three words that must be fundamental in his life: “You have been loved by our Lord, strengthened, and sent by Him, but He wants to do so as we have heard in the Gospel: letting yourself be conquered by the Lord’s love. That love is necessary to live out this sending you receive.”
“You have been loved”
The Cardinal reminded him that “since you were a child, you have felt the love of God, from your mother’s womb,” and “today you are the one who has been consecrated because the Lord wants you to be Him among men, so that you can deliver to men the mystery of His life wherever you are sent.”
“Perhaps the temptation is that this mission overwhelms you, and it is true that it overwhelms us all,” but he reminded him that “the Lord is with you and will give you everything you need and that is necessary for you to approach men, acting as Jesus: the Lord has conformed you with Him, you have been tremendously loved by the Lord.”
“You have been strengthened”
“Not only are you loved, but before you were born, the Lord already planned this: you are strengthened, the grace of the Lord will overflow upon you,” explained the Cardinal. At the same time, he asked everyone present to thank God because “He continues to trust us, and today He places this trust in Ignacio. Absolute trust for which he will need our prayer so that he can fulfill his mission: the Lord has considered you trustworthy to entrust you with this ministry.”
“You have been sent”
The third word Don Carlos addressed to him was that of knowing he is sent by the Lord, “because He does not confine you to a cloister.” Therefore, he again asked him: “Let yourself be conquered by the love of the Lord.” At this moment in the homily, the Archbishop of Madrid referred to the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd: “That is what the Lord will give you: you will not be just any shepherd.” In Jesus’ time, in Palestine, the shepherd cared for the sheep, which were like part of his family and whom he knew by name: “Jesus is the Good Shepherd who can fill our lives and give them meaning.” In this sense, “the risen one will bring you great joy: the joy of announcing the Gospel,” so he also advised him that when faced with difficulties in life, “return to this moment: the risen one, who ordains you today, fills you with joy.”
“The current culture dismisses with disdain the role of the sheep and the role of the flock, yet we allow ourselves to be guided by all kinds of manipulation,” denounced the bishop. Conversely, “Jesus proposes that we have a deep experience of liberation: belonging to His flock is entering a path of true freedom and happiness, which is fruitful for oneself and for those around us.”
Caring for the lives of men
“The deepest threat to the human being,” he continued, “is the absence of love: he who does not feel loved despises himself.” However, “Jesus wants men to feel loved.” Like the good shepherd, Jesus wants all men “to feel loved, forgiven, welcomed, and recognized.”
Therefore, the Cardinal asked Father Ignacio: “You must go to the lost sheep that are not part of this flock: the marginalized, the lost, those wandering aimlessly through life, those who find no reasons to live… Shepherding, ultimately, is caring for the lives of men.”
In his final words, Don Carlos explained that in the ordination, “the Lord will give you everything you need and will shape your existence, but naturally you must always turn to the source, which is Our Lord, and the Lord will send you to different places. But don’t worry about where He sends you; instead, focus on carrying the face of Christ Our Lord, who is entrusting you this morning.”
