A file photo of devotees venerating the statue of Venerable Agnelo de Souza at Pilar.
Each one of us has been created in the image and likeness of God and sent with a mission on earth, to make a difference. All of us have a purpose in life, to know God, and serve Him by pouring our lives in humble service of our neighbour.
Venerable Agnelo de Souza made a difference by living his ordinary and priestly life in an extraordinary way. He made a difference in the lives of all those who came in contact with him. He continues even now to inspire us make a difference in the given circumstances of our lives.
Right from his childhood, Fr Agnelo learnt the purpose of life from his pious parents, especially his mother. As he grew up, he learnt more and more about God.
This knowledge was not only intellectual but also knowledge of the heart. Over the years, this knowledge changed him profoundly. He experienced the unconditional love of God.
Browsing through his life, one discovers nothing extraordinary or adventurous. But once we unwind the path of his life, we realise that he experienced deeply within himself God’s love.
Only such a person can be so serene, cool and calm, able to make a difference in the life of those who came in contact with him. God-experience is the most essential quality of a man of God.
As he silently walked the spiritual journey of his life, Fr Agnelo made Christ the anchor of his life. He experienced being loved by God through Christ. It was a deep experience of Christ in his heart.
He was positive in his mind and always at the service of his fellow beings, whatever caste, creed or colour they might be.
As a result, the then Patriarch Dom Matheus de Oliver Xavier saw in Fr Agnelo a spiritual figure and appointed him Spiritual Director to the future priests, at the Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol in 1908. He was chosen from among a dozen Pilar Fathers.
At the time of the study of his saintly life, for the process of his Canonization process, particularly the Theological and Cardinal virtues, all those who knew him in person gave the same testimony of his deep spiritual life.
Those who followed Christ have become holy. They too are our models for perfection. The Church has consistently reminded us of this. Everyone is called to be a living witness of God’s unconditional love. Some do it in a heroic way, either by martyrdom or by the heroic exercise of the Christian virtues.
We can infer that Fr Agnelo had a deep experience of God, which was the anchor of his life. Let us be inspired by his simple life of faith expressed in humble service of others. He could not but share this experience of his with people who approached him, and sought his advice. He shared his experience of God with people irrespective of their caste or creed.
(The writer is the Vice-Postulator of the Cause of Ven Agnelo de Souza)
