A few days ago I received a message from a friend of mine who told me that she has been in mourning for a week “dedicated and glorious” for the death of Chus. And also: "I can't stop giving thanks because Chus was in my life and taught me to live freely." Like this person, I think that there are many who have been saddened by the death of Fr. Jesús Villarroel but mixed with this human sentiment, there is also joy and confidence. And above all, gratitude because Chus -for friends- has taught us to live gratuitously.
The life of Fr. Jesús Villarroel (5/7/1935-30/82022) has been long and fruitful. I do not want to dwell on biographical data that can be easily found, but rather offer a spiritual portrait, because this is what remains of him. Chus was blessed with immense human qualities, great personal charm, warm kindness, and clear intelligence. He was a very human person and interested in humans. I remember that on one occasion he told me that if he had not chosen religious life he would have been a politician, and he insisted that he be political! Perhaps it is surprising that someone so spiritual would aspire to wade into the murky waters of politics, but what he lived for was a deep concern for the common good and a clear-sightedness of goals that can make life better and more desirable for him. everybody. Chus was a communal and sociable man. He enjoyed people and recharged his energies in social life, but his encounters always went beyond the trivial to seek a deeper dimension.
Much could be said about his personal charm, but the legacy that he has left us all has been his spiritual experience that he lived, above all, in the Charismatic Renewal. For almost 50 years Chus lived and transmitted what salvation means in Jesus as a free gift. Preaching gratuitousness has been for Chus his great obsession and vital concern. He was saddened to see that the churches are empty. “We must be doing something wrong when the churches are empty! What kind of Jesus Christ are we preaching?” This is the question that must continue to resonate and that his memory must always evoke in us: What kind of Jesus Christ are we preaching? We have seen and verified the sterility of speaking of a moralistic and tiresome Jesus Christ, who does not convince anyone and who has left so many generations empty. Isn't this the time to talk about the Gift of God, the Living Water, the Good Shepherd who has come so that his sheep have Life, and Life in abundance? A Jesus Christ that is received in simplicity and gratuitously, with joy, as a gift. Only this gospel can give us the strength to transcend everything and cross the threshold of death with as much calm and peace as our dear Chus has done. You will always be with us.
Fr. Vicente Sánchez O.P.
