English
Documentation
The same cooking-pot
Maria Marta and Laureano Mones-Cazon
One recipe for everyone
St Josemaria used to explain that he had “just one cooking-pot for everyone”, and the recipe was the search for holiness amidst everyday occupations. From that one cooking-pot comes nourishment for everyone: fathers, mothers, engineers, lawyers, workmen, and also priests… As Father Pablo puts it, “At home there was almost always the same dish for everyone. I think that in Christian life it’s like that: we are all given the same “food”: prayer, the sacraments, and all the rest. I didn’t find my parents’ religious devotion striking: what did strike me was their trust in God. In due course I realized that they both spent time in mental prayer every day. I owe them ninety per cent of my vocation, and now, as a priest, I hope to rely on God always, just like they do, otherwise I’ll be sunk.”
- What does seeking holiness in ordinary life mean to you?
Maria Marta: Sanctifying my work means doing it for God, offering it to him when I enjoy it and when I don’t, when I’m sick and tired of it… I try to keep going right on to the end because that’s what Jesus did for me. From time to time I look at a crucifix that I keep on my desk and say to Him, “Help me with this job I’ve got in hand now.” Sanctifying your work means working with God.
Father Pablo: I know that my work as a priest depends on God. But I have to fight so that my own defects don’t stand in the way. It’s like following a recipe properly when you’re cooking. The cooking-pot is God’s, but if I give in to laziness, self-will, and bad temper, the pot is burnt and nobody gets anything to eat. If I fight to be punctual, to learn, to study, to smile, etc., then what they get is God’s food, which is delicious, people love it and ask for more! The recipe is in the Gospel and I’m trying to learn from a top “chef”, Saint Josemaria.
- St Josemaria used to say there is no saint without prayer. How do you put that into practice in your everyday life?
Father Pablo: I try to be devout, not because I like to pray, but because I like to get closer and closer to God. I’ve read things and seen videos of St Josemaria talking to Jesus, the way he loved Jesus and our Blessed Lady, and St Joseph. He tried to discover what pleased them and act accordingly.
And so I come and talk to Jesus first thing in the morning, and prepare to say Mass: I want him to see that I do put him first. Then I try to work in an ordered way to make the best use of time, which is always short. I pray the Liturgy of the Hours, the Breviary. Later I say the rosary, and talk to our Lady about many people I love, about the Pope, about the Church… Sometimes I try to say more than one rosary, because she does more than I do during those ten minutes.
Maria Marta: I try to talk with God during the day. Specifically, when I get up I offer my day to God. On the way to school, I say the rosary. When I get to school I go to the chapel to spend some time in mental prayer, before Mass. That’s the best moment of the day. At mid-day I say the Angelus with my co-workers. Straight after lunch I go in to say hello to Jesus in the tabernacle, and on the way home I contemplate the mysteries of rosary that I didn’t say in the morning. At the end of the evening I read a helpful book of spiritual reading for a while, and before going to bed I make a short examination of conscience. Then I say three Hail Marys and get into bed.
- But it’s a very high ideal: don’t you ever get discouraged?
Maria Marta: Confession is a great help. How often do I say sorry? Thousands of times a day, even though I go to Confession every week. Confession really helps me not to get complicated inside. To draw a line and make a fresh start. It gives me strength to keep going.
Father Pablo: I try to get to Confession every week. I’m sure that if I’d got married I’d have to say sorry oftener than that. I’m far from being a saint, and God is so “saintly” towards me! How could I not want to say sorry to Him for my ungenerousness? I reckon that’s the least I can do. Every time I go to Confession I feel encouraged by his patience and by how much He loves me.
- A life like that has to be shared…
Maria Marta: Yes. I don’t really do anything “special” to bring my friends closer to God. What I do is try to be a good friend to them. Sometimes by doing them some little favour, like they do for me. We chat about our concerns and the way to tackle problems. With God, life gets simpler, so I can see how to help them by sharing my faith, telling them things about it that may help them. They know I find times to spend talking with God, and sometimes I invite one or other of them to come with me, and I explain how I pray, or which book I’m reading…
Father Pablo: When you come close to God, it burns you up inside to think that there are people who don’t know Him. So first and foremost I pray to Him for more people to come to Him. I would like Jesus Christ to be known in the furthest corner of China. So I try to be closer to God every day, and I put everything into the Mass (in the Mass I reach China too). Then I try to be a better friend to my friends, make time to see them, keep up with their news and help them like they help me.
The rest is between God and each individual. In Argentina, we have a saying: “people don’t eat glass”, meaning that people aren’t stupid and they know what’s worth while. Everyone wants to be happy… and God knows what’s best for each person.
- What aspect of St Josemaria’s message attracted you most?
Maria Marta: I met Opus Dei when I was 19, through a friend who had many, many family problems and I realized that she never lost her happiness. As well as all the things she did, she used to pray a lot, much more than I did. She taught me to spend some time in prayer every day. She showed me with her life that committing yourself to be holy seriously, to be a good daughter of God, was compatible with being a wife and mother, working, with friends, sport, and always being joyful even in times of suffering.
Father Pablo: I reckon what attracted me were the people more than the message, because I was 14. My parents had taught me that when I went to friends’ houses I should always greet their parents first. The first time I went to an Opus Dei center someone asked if I’d like to greet the “master of the house”. I said yes, thinking it was someone in charge, but they led me to the chapel where they had the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus Christ. They were ordinary people who believed what they said and wanted to put it into practice. I realized that they treated God like someone very close at hand. Then I learned more about St Josemaria, a father who is very much a father. He was a man just like any other, and at the same time a saint. With God, everything is always possible.
St Josemaria used to explain that he had “just one cooking-pot for everyone”, and the recipe was the search for holiness amidst everyday occupations. From that one cooking-pot comes nourishment for everyone: fathers, mothers, engineers, lawyers, workmen, and also priests… As Father Pablo puts it, “At home there was almost always the same dish for everyone. I think that in Christian life it’s like that: we are all given the same “food”: prayer, the sacraments, and all the rest. I didn’t find my parents’ religious devotion striking: what did strike me was their trust in God. In due course I realized that they both spent time in mental prayer every day. I owe them ninety per cent of my vocation, and now, as a priest, I hope to rely on God always, just like they do, otherwise I’ll be sunk.”
Maria Marta and her son Pablo who was ordained to the priesthood this year
Maria Marta: Sanctifying my work means doing it for God, offering it to him when I enjoy it and when I don’t, when I’m sick and tired of it… I try to keep going right on to the end because that’s what Jesus did for me. From time to time I look at a crucifix that I keep on my desk and say to Him, “Help me with this job I’ve got in hand now.” Sanctifying your work means working with God.
Father Pablo: I know that my work as a priest depends on God. But I have to fight so that my own defects don’t stand in the way. It’s like following a recipe properly when you’re cooking. The cooking-pot is God’s, but if I give in to laziness, self-will, and bad temper, the pot is burnt and nobody gets anything to eat. If I fight to be punctual, to learn, to study, to smile, etc., then what they get is God’s food, which is delicious, people love it and ask for more! The recipe is in the Gospel and I’m trying to learn from a top “chef”, Saint Josemaria.
- St Josemaria used to say there is no saint without prayer. How do you put that into practice in your everyday life?
Father Pablo: I try to be devout, not because I like to pray, but because I like to get closer and closer to God. I’ve read things and seen videos of St Josemaria talking to Jesus, the way he loved Jesus and our Blessed Lady, and St Joseph. He tried to discover what pleased them and act accordingly.
The whole family after Pablo’s ordination as a priest
Maria Marta: I try to talk with God during the day. Specifically, when I get up I offer my day to God. On the way to school, I say the rosary. When I get to school I go to the chapel to spend some time in mental prayer, before Mass. That’s the best moment of the day. At mid-day I say the Angelus with my co-workers. Straight after lunch I go in to say hello to Jesus in the tabernacle, and on the way home I contemplate the mysteries of rosary that I didn’t say in the morning. At the end of the evening I read a helpful book of spiritual reading for a while, and before going to bed I make a short examination of conscience. Then I say three Hail Marys and get into bed.
- But it’s a very high ideal: don’t you ever get discouraged?
Maria Marta: Confession is a great help. How often do I say sorry? Thousands of times a day, even though I go to Confession every week. Confession really helps me not to get complicated inside. To draw a line and make a fresh start. It gives me strength to keep going.
Maria Marta with two of her six grandchildren
- A life like that has to be shared…
Maria Marta: Yes. I don’t really do anything “special” to bring my friends closer to God. What I do is try to be a good friend to them. Sometimes by doing them some little favour, like they do for me. We chat about our concerns and the way to tackle problems. With God, life gets simpler, so I can see how to help them by sharing my faith, telling them things about it that may help them. They know I find times to spend talking with God, and sometimes I invite one or other of them to come with me, and I explain how I pray, or which book I’m reading…
Father Pablo: When you come close to God, it burns you up inside to think that there are people who don’t know Him. So first and foremost I pray to Him for more people to come to Him. I would like Jesus Christ to be known in the furthest corner of China. So I try to be closer to God every day, and I put everything into the Mass (in the Mass I reach China too). Then I try to be a better friend to my friends, make time to see them, keep up with their news and help them like they help me.
The rest is between God and each individual. In Argentina, we have a saying: “people don’t eat glass”, meaning that people aren’t stupid and they know what’s worth while. Everyone wants to be happy… and God knows what’s best for each person.
Laureano (center) with his six sons
- What aspect of St Josemaria’s message attracted you most?
Maria Marta: I met Opus Dei when I was 19, through a friend who had many, many family problems and I realized that she never lost her happiness. As well as all the things she did, she used to pray a lot, much more than I did. She taught me to spend some time in prayer every day. She showed me with her life that committing yourself to be holy seriously, to be a good daughter of God, was compatible with being a wife and mother, working, with friends, sport, and always being joyful even in times of suffering.
Father Pablo: I reckon what attracted me were the people more than the message, because I was 14. My parents had taught me that when I went to friends’ houses I should always greet their parents first. The first time I went to an Opus Dei center someone asked if I’d like to greet the “master of the house”. I said yes, thinking it was someone in charge, but they led me to the chapel where they had the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus Christ. They were ordinary people who believed what they said and wanted to put it into practice. I realized that they treated God like someone very close at hand. Then I learned more about St Josemaria, a father who is very much a father. He was a man just like any other, and at the same time a saint. With God, everything is always possible.
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