Did you hear the remarkable story behind the crucifix which presided over Pope Leo XIV's Mass in Córdoba, Argentina, this week? It was commissioned by a dying priest who wanted his people to recognise themselves in the suffering face of Christ.
St José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero, affectionately known as the Cura Brochero, spent his priesthood serving the isolated communities of rural Argentina, travelling extraordinary distances on horseback to bring the sacraments to people who might otherwise have been forgotten. His ministry was not simply one of preaching from a distance: he shared the hardships of his people, helped build roads and schools, and devoted himself particularly to the poor and the sick.
Towards the end of his life, afflicted by leprosy, Brochero commissioned an image of the crucified Christ whose features reflected those of the ordinary people among whom he had ministered.
The Incarnation means that God did not save humanity from a safe distance, rather He entered our condition, embraced our suffering and accepted the humiliation of the Cross. Brochero wanted the people he loved to recognise that Christ was not a remote figure belonging to another age or civilisation, but the Redeemer who had entered their world and understood their suffering.
It is also a reminder of what authentic evangelisation looks like. Brochero did not merely make Christianity accessible by adapting its language to local culture. He brought people to Christ through personal sacrifice, the sacraments and a life of extraordinary pastoral charity. His closeness to the people never required him to diminish the demands of the Gospel.
More than a century later, that same crucifix presided over the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass celebrated by the successor of St Peter.
A priest who spent his life bringing Christ to the forgotten poor has left behind an image which reminds the whole Church that no human life, however obscure or afflicted, lies beyond the reach of God's redeeming love.
QUE TIERNOS QUE SON 🥹
📱La actriz y cantante, que tiene a todos sus seguidores pendientes de sus “nietos” perrunos, compartió un tierno video de los cachorritos abriendo por primera vez sus ojos a doce días de su sorpresivo nacimiento.
"¿ESTAMOS CLASIFICADOS AL PRÓXIMO MUNDIAL?" 🇦🇷🤣
El divertido momento de Lionel Scaloni durante la conferencia de prensa
📽️ @LucasBendayan | Nicolás Berardo
The Cutest National Team Ever...LA SCALONETA 🥰
The day after tomorrow, Argentina will face Uruguay in a friendly match! 🇦🇷🫱🏻🫲🏼🇺🇾
Uruguay seem to be taking this one a little more seriously than just friendly match 👀🔥 I'm already nervous, but I honestly can't wait for this one! 🤩
Awww, how I wish El Toro and Cuti Romero weren't dealing with injuries 🤕
It would have been even better and so much fun to have them both available for this international break ! 🥹
🎥: @arana_julii
🥹 "SIGO POR LA GENTE", LIONEL SCALONI a pura EMOCIÓN y el motivo de su decisión por renovar en la Selección Argentina
🎥 Nicolás Berardo - @LucasBendayan
🔭🥐 UN BIZCOCHITO NO SE LE NIEGA A NADIE
Mientras esperaban la llegada del Papa León XIV a Palermo para hacer su encuentro con los jóvenes, unos vecinos se encargaron de que los francotiradores - que eran parte de la seguridad del Santo Padre - la pasaran de perlas en la terraza vecina. Fue por esto que les acercaron gaseosas y bizcochitos, para que pasen una tarde más amena.
🚨🗣️ 𝗡𝗘𝗪: Lionel Scaloni: "We need everyone to be PATIENT because these young players have enormous potential..."
"But they might not yet be able to give us what Messi, Di María, Otamendi and other irreplaceable players gave us."