Your social work V

Fr. Francis's mood, far from being magical, was a faith lived with simplicity, and conviction, perhaps. With intensity. With great intensity. That is why the exorcisms he offered were signs of blessing. Something similar to prayers for healing. With them he prayed to God for the health of the sick person. Through unceasing intercessory prayer. Yes, and at the same time, they also included the value of witnessing in the hostile environment that the administration provided for them at that time.

Our Founder never felt himself to be a protagonist. He always acted in the name of God. Of his Church. It is God who heals, cures, liberates. Such a ministry is part of his roots. Of course, the use of intercessory prayers, blessings and other sacramentals are common practice for him. But they became a characteristic feature in the last years of his life. His highly realistic attitude was imbued with a good spirituality! And as such, he observed the situation of the sick.

Sick people arriving in different ways - we have seen it already. Marginalised from society and by society. They asked him to relieve their spiritual pains and their physical pains. A challenge! What to do?

Fr. Francisco discerned.

At times, in the face of the pitiful figure they gave, Fr. Palau welcomed them with respect and appreciation. He prayed for them. He lays his hands on them and pronounces the exorcisms of the Church on each of them.

Sometimes he welcomed people in need of rest, solitude and spiritual help. They stayed with the Brothers for several days. Until they regained their serenity. This is what our Founder and his family could offer them, which was not little! He had immense compassion for them.

In those circumstances, Fr. Francisco became the centre of admiration for some. He was the target of criticism and repulsion for others. The pages of Mis Relaciones bear witness to the struggle that was raging within him in the face of this new chapter in the series.

As a backdrop to this committed service - 1865 - we find the concrete situation, powerless to cure or relieve various people - February and March 1866. This is how his blind faith manifests itself. Embodied in the word of Christ - the Church - which repeatedly set him up for failure.

As the types of mental illness expressed by the patients are different, so are the effects of Fr Francis' actions. And they were not only different, but even opposed to each other. True! Sometimes exorcisms do nothing. At other times, they recover their health and live normally from now on. As if nothing negative had happened to them. In some cases, they could not be more positive: wonderful healings. They seemed so evident to Fr François that he could not doubt divine intervention. These are not only his own statements, but the affirmations of eyewitnesses, which strengthened his confidence in this man of the Church!

In this trial, our Founder - like another Jeremiah - struggles to save his people, in the most vulnerable members.

Yes, caring for the poorest turned out to be his ultimate service to the people around him.. Preferably to those who presented, without dissimulation, their poverty credentials.

The aim of this man, in this committed mission, was not only to fight against evil but also to liberate the victims.

At that time in history, the position of the Church's magisterium was one of vigilance. This was the common doctrine of Catholic writers and circles. They claimed that the devil was the protagonist of all that was negative in the realms of ideas and customs. On the opposite side to the Church, the rationalist movement identified the devil with the idealisation of evil. Satanism was accepted in the sense of traditional magic. Spiritualism and occultism were also increasing in influence. The situation became alarming. The ecclesiastical authorities alerted the faithful and guided them in their conduct. The outskirts of Barcelona, where new population centres were forming, proved to be a favourable environment for the spread of such doctrines. This was where Fr Francisco was active.

The common people had deep-rooted beliefs and customs that influenced a kind of worship of spirits. The devil in particular. They related him to health and harvests. Health was reduced during the strong epidemics of yellow fever and cholera morbo. Both ravaged Catalonia during this period. To this day, traces of these beliefs still remain in their cultural baggage.

It was in this apostolate that our Founder invested his being and his assets, without a shadow of a doubt!