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"Come and see" (John 1:39) are the first words of Jesus to his disciples. The apostle Philip also recommends Nathaniel to "come and see" (John 1:46). This invitation is the simplest method for "all authentic human communications," going beyond "hidden dangers such as a complacent attitude," empty rhetoric, misinformation, prejudices, hasty conclusions and deceptive appearances.
Like volunteers who helped in the aftermath of the "Sewol" ferry tragedy, open-minded people are willing to go and see those who are in desperate situations, to spend time with them, to listen to their stories, to console and heal the hurt.
As a witness of "come and see", Pope Francis mentioned the advice of Garrido to his fellow journalists: "Open your eyes with wonder to what you see, let your hands touch the freshness and vitality of things, so that when others read what you write, they too can touch first-hand the vibrant miracle of life."
What drew my attention was Manuel Lozano Garrido (1920-1971), a Spanish journalist and author with the nickname "Lolo," who was beatified in 2010 as a patron of journalists.
His father died when he was six years old, and his mother passed away when he was aged 15. He had seven brothers and one sister, Lucia. He joined "Catholic Action" at age 11 and visited prisoners to sneak Holy Communion to them as a Eucharistic minister during the war. Because of his secret Eucharistic activity, he was arrested in 1937 and spent Holy Thursday in prison where the blessed sacrament hidden in a bunch of flowers was passed to him.
As a soldier at 22, he continued attending Mass every morning, but he began to suffer from "spondylitis" (inflammation of his vertebrae resulting in crippling paralysis). He lived the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
He had an altar in his house and placed his portable typewriter in front of the Eucharist. He prayed that "Your light and clearness may be the mind and heart of all that I type on it, so that everything written may be noble, fair, and promising."
When he lost the use of his right hand, he learned to write with his left. When it became paralyzed, he dictated his work to his sister. In 1962, he lost his sight but kept writing articles and nine books.
Being a man of joy and humor, he always had a smile and he never complained. "What suffering did was sowing hope. … Only suffering could have made my human vocation and my spiritual dreams feasible."
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of his birth on Sept. 23, 2019, the Pope said: "Despite the illness that constrained him to spend 28 years in a wheelchair, he didn't stop loving his occupation. In his Journalist's Decalogue he recommends "paying with the coin of frankness, kneading the bread of clean information with the salt of style and the yeast of eternity, and serving neither pastries nor spicy dishes, but rather a tasty bite of the clean and hope-filled life."
The author is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul (Figlie di San Paolo) living and spreading the Good News to the world by means of social communication. Learn more about the congregation at fsp.pauline.or.kr.
