At the Provincial Curia of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, in Madrid, the solemnity of its patron saint was celebrated with the Eucharist in the chapel dedicated to the saint. Fifteen Augustinian Recollect friars and about fifty faithful participated in the celebration, where Brother Alberto Fuente invited them not to limit themselves to honoring Saint Nicholas, but to allow his life to call them to reflect.
The chapel of the Provincial Curia of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, in Madrid, dedicated precisely to the patron saint of the Province, hosted the celebration of the solemnity of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino for the religious living in Madrid on September 10 at 1:00 PM.
In his homily, Brother Alberto Fuente, Prior of the Provincial Curia, posed a question that marked his entire reflection: when we celebrate a saint, do we use their fame and popularity, or do we allow their life to call us to reflect?
For Brother Alberto, the answer lies in discovering in Saint Nicholas not only a figure to venerate and ask for intercession, but a man who continues to show a concrete path of following Jesus Christ today.
A Saint for a World in Conflict
Saint Nicholas of Tolentino lived during the second half of the 13th century in a society marked by social, economic, political, and religious conflicts. A situation that, despite historical differences, finds echoes in today’s world.
His response was a life deeply rooted in God and, precisely because of this, open to the needs of those he encountered around him.
Brother Alberto recalled that Saint Nicholas knew how to have “merciful eyes” to discover those in need and thus become an evangelizer and bearer of Christ and the peace of the Lord.
Based on his testimony, the Prior of the Provincial Curia proposed three key aspects that also belong to the heart of Augustinian Recollect spirituality: the centrality of Jesus Christ, love for one’s neighbor, and permanent conversion.
The first begins by recognizing Christ as the only Lord. “We are celebrating the Eucharist because we recognize Christ as our Lord, our only Lord,” he affirmed.
Placing Jesus at the center also means understanding one’s own existence as a vocation. Brother Alberto invited everyone, religious and laity, to rediscover first and foremost the fundamental vocation received in baptism: to be beloved children of the Father. From this, the different particular calls are then understood.
In Saint Nicholas, this centrality of God was especially manifested in prayer, recollection, austerity, and his devotion to the cross. His life, therefore, poses a question that goes beyond the solemnity:
“To what extent is Jesus the center that directs, that guides when I make decisions and from which I live?”
To Be Creators of Communion
The second prominent feature was love for one’s neighbor. Brother Alberto defined Saint Nicholas as a man who “lived in communion and was a creator of communion”.
Sources present him as an affable, approachable, affectionate friar and a bearer of peace. A way of relating to others that appeared not only in easy times, but also when circumstances were less comfortable.
His example thus becomes an invitation to “foster and cultivate familiarity, closeness, and being affectionate with one another.”
For the religious, Brother Alberto pointed out, this fraternity begins in their own community. For those who live their vocation in the family, the first place to express affection and care is the home. From there, this attitude is called to extend to all areas of life.
In Saint Nicholas, moreover, love acquired a particularly concrete expression in his closeness to the poor, the sick, the elderly, and guests. He not only helped the poor: he himself wanted to live poorly, with a simple and mended habit, and to share his time with those who suffered.
“Do I have eyes to discover the needs of others?” Brother Alberto asked. And he added a particularly relevant question:
“Am I capable of, in inverted commas, ‘losing time’ with people who are sick or alone?”
The third key is permanent conversion. Like Saint Nicholas, every Christian continues to be a pilgrim. Vocation is not a concluded reality, but a call that demands returning again and again to Jesus Christ and allowing Him to transform the way one relates to God and to others.
The solemnity of the patron saint of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino thus became, in the Madrid chapel that bears his name, more than a grateful memory of his life. It was also an invitation to ask what it means to follow his example today.
Eight centuries later, Saint Nicholas continues to call religious and laity to build a life centered on Jesus, lived in communion, and open to the needs of others.
