Albert Cortina speaks with Ariadna Soteras Ferrer and Jordi Gimeno Bou, a married couple who , along with their daughters Marta and Giorgina, form a wonderful family residing in Sant Cugat del Vallès (Barcelona).  They are the founders of “L’Ariadna i en Jordi, Catering,” a handcrafted catering service for businesses. ( https://ariadnaijordi.es/  ).

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Ariadna, your father, Josep Maria, recently passed away at the age of 96. I know he felt loved and cared for by you until the very last moment of his life. How can one cope with the loss of a loved one through faith and hope?

I thank God for how fortunate we have been. We have enjoyed my father for many years, with good physical and mental health. My father has been a simple man, but with great strength, willpower, and resilience. An enthusiast of life who encouraged others to live it with courage.

At 18, he entered the Jesuit order, becoming secretary to Father Lluís Artigues. His dedication to the young people of Barcelona’s Chinatown neighborhood, through sports and mountaineering, helped many young people find their way away from the streets.

Later he married my mother, Maria del Carme, and although there was an 18-year age difference between them, they have formed an ideal partnership for almost 60 years.

My father’s life experience has enriched us greatly. It has taught us to give ourselves and to love unconditionally and without measure.

When my parents got married, my maternal grandmother came to live with them. I took it for granted. Over the years, I’ve realized that few people have lived with their grandparents in the same house. My grandmother reached 70, and my parents lovingly and devotedly cared for her at home until she passed away at 94.

This commitment only gained meaning as I matured. I realized it was an act of profound heroism for the marriage, an absolute surrender and renunciation of a comfortable life.

My father always wanted to step outside his comfort zone so he could give his best. Effort and resilience were his driving forces.

He had many opportunities in life to speak to us and leave us his legacy. As he explained to me, faith formation should be like the rain in the north: that light drizzle you dare to face without an umbrella because you think it’s not raining too hard, but you end up soaked. That discreet rain of love that floods your heart. That’s how he transmitted faith and the values ​​of life: through example and anecdotes.

When my father took his last breath, I wasn’t there. Luckily, my mother was. I prayed many times to Saint Joseph, patron saint of a good death, asking him to let him die peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by my mother. And so it was, in the early hours of October 28th at 4 a.m., in complete peace, after a week in which we were able to talk to him, be with him, caress him, and say goodbye.

When I went to see him, I saw so clearly that my father wasn’t lying there. His body was pure matter, but his spirit lived on in us. In me.

That afternoon at the wake, people who hadn’t seen him in a long time commented on how much I resembled him. My mother confirmed it, speaking of character traits so similar to his.

Now I see my father in the mischievousness of my daughter Georgina, in the sobriety and austerity of my daughter Marta. I see him in the big heart of my nephew Pau, and in the courage of my brother Oriol.

I have always kept my father’s words in mind. I often think about how he would resolve this or that difficulty. Always with his gaze fixed ahead, with great strength and courage.

“Work, work. Pray to God and keep hammering away,”  he would tell me.

Another phrase that has helped me a lot is this one from St. Ignatius of Loyola:  “In times of desolation, do not make changes.”

Or the  “menjar poc i pair bé”.

So many phrases that have stuck with us and are so useful to us.

I truly believe that my father is with us now more than ever. That he accompanies us and continues to guide us.

It’s a father’s job to be strong and show it. To encourage everyone to keep going, not to get discouraged.

When my father was alive, I found it difficult to break down in front of him. He wouldn’t allow it.

When he was in bed, in his last days, it was the first time I was able to cry openly and tell him how much I loved him, how much he had helped me.

That allowed me to start treating him differently: the way I treat him now. Without trying to be strong, just being there for each other. So I feel very close to him.

Jordi, you too have lost your father and mother in recent years. I’m sure you continue to pray for the salvation of their souls. How do you feel they intercede for you?

It’s a matter of faith. I believe and know that they are in heaven. That they are present in our lives. And from here, I maintain a long-distance relationship with them. At first, my feeling was like an immense emptiness, but at the same time, joy, peace, and hope because I understand that they are still here in some way, albeit in a different form. I’ve come to understand that I had to change the way I connect with them. And do it from a distance, recognizing that we here cannot naturally grasp their loss. And that’s when faith and hope sustain us, allowing us to continue communicating with them. Now they watch over all of us, and I ask for their guidance so that they may maintain the unity of our entire family, interceding for each and every one of my siblings and nephews and nieces.

Since my mother died (I lost my father eight years ago), many things have changed for us, and for the better. She continues to influence our lives, guiding us and helping us reconcile our differences, which she so skillfully knew how to bridge. We’ve all talked about it; something has changed within us. It’s not just a feeling, it’s a certainty that comes from faith and hope, through the love of God that our parents cultivated in our lives, and from the faith they passed on to us. We are body and soul, and although their bodies have left us, their souls remain, and we continue to connect with them through God’s help.

Ariadna, on the very day you had buried your father, that evening at the Monastery of Sant Cugat del Vallès, you and Jordi went to meet the Lord by attending Holy Mass and afterwards spent some time in prayer and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. At that moment, what were you saying to the Lord? How did you feel He comforted you?

I felt very close to the Lord, and I began to sense my father’s presence there. But that day I was so tired that simply being in front of the monstrance was enough. There was no need to explain anything. I only asked that my father find heaven and be welcomed there.

There are days when exhaustion prevents you from having a dialogue with the Lord. Simply being with Him and in His presence is enough.

Jordi, you are a man who exudes serenity and kindness. How do you think we can give hope to those who may have lost everything, who are deeply immersed in despair and suffering, or who are currently going through a very difficult grief?

Hope is a core aspect of being Christian. It is a theological virtue that stems from faith. Without faith, there is no hope. We hope because we trust in God—our Savior—who acts within us in difficult times and, of course, also in times of joy.

Ariadna and I worked together, and for years we have experienced moments of pain, suffering, pressure, financial difficulties, depression, etc.

Faced with these situations, one comes to understand that life is also pain and suffering. However, one can only accept it, embrace it, and endure it. And as I write this, I tell myself: this is very difficult; not long ago, it was even inconceivable to me. Yet, the question remains: how to do it? How to bear it? How to cope?

You seek solace and find it only by looking at Jesus on the cross. The pain doesn’t disappear, but you begin to accept it, to bear it, even to embrace it. Because behind all this suffering lies what God wants us to change in our lives. It is then that personal transformation begins. And when you realize that the change is undeniable, there is no turning back.

Suffering is our cross. As Christians, we must love the cross. We accept the crosses that come to us throughout our lives because through them, our perspective changes and rises to Jesus Christ, who illuminates us and lovingly shapes us toward faith and hope.

I believe we shouldn’t focus on difficulties, much less dwell on them, but rather recognize that it is in those moments that God transforms us and allows us to be free. All that remains is to endure. And to endure so that God may correct us, transform us, purify us, and raise our perspective. It is a whole process in which the source of suffering gradually fades because we integrate it into our being, and that suffering transforms our perspective through this process, which is the action God desires to exert within us.

Ariadna, whenever I see you, you always have a broad smile on your face for everyone around you. With that, you give a beautiful testimony that we Catholics must joyfully proclaim the Gospel in our daily lives. Where does this quality come from, this quality that illuminates all the virtues with which we should guide our lives according to God’s plan?

It’s my father’s legacy. He passed on his enthusiasm to me. You only have to look at his eyes and his smile.

In fact, in his last days I told him:

—Dad, you could have at least left me your green eyes. And he replied:

—These eyes need to be handled with care.

I understood perfectly what he meant: be grateful for everything that has been given to you and do not boast about it.

He was always a tenacious man, with a very strong will. He always swam against the current. He must have had great strength. That optimistic spirit fueled his enthusiasm and joy.

I have always longed for people to recognize me as a Christian because of my attitude, rather than visible signs.

I believe that, as followers of Christ, we must proclaim his gospel message with joy, enthusiasm, and hope.

My youth as  a scout  in the Marist community allowed me to live my faith in communion with the mountains and nature, and that has nourished my attitude throughout my life.

My admiration and gratitude for creation fill me with joy. And I give infinite thanks to the Creator.

With the motto  “Always  available”,  my spirit of service has been growing little by little.

Enthusiasm is a reflection of inner joy, which in turn is the fruit of the satisfaction of knowing that you strive to do things well.

A month before my father passed away, I arranged a private meeting between my parents and a priest. It was a celebration on earth. My father was able to go to confession and receive the Anointing of the Sick, along with my mother. This gave them so much peace and strength that it allowed them to face the end of their lives with immense hope. I was surprised because their attitude was never one of anticipating their final days on earth. It was an attitude of accepting what was happening, of calm and unhurried acceptance, of companionship, of gentle tears.

We told my father to go ahead peacefully, that we would take care of our mother here. That he would watch over us from heaven.

Until the very end, his face showed serenity, and I would even venture to say, enthusiasm. And his smile reflected the joy of one who knows he is going to meet the Father.

Jordi, you actively participate in many of the activities organized in your parish of Sant Pere Octavià, at the Monastery of Sant Cugat del Vallès, and you have also joined one of the marriage groups where you receive formation and share your faith and prayer. What do you think is the value of community in the Christian life, especially in these uncertain and confusing times in which we live?

Yes, we have been voluntarily involved in organizing the Marriage Preparation Center (CPM) for two years, and we provide marriage preparation training to young people who decide to get married in the church.

It is a very enriching project not only for the couples we host, but also for ourselves.

It helps us to spread our communion with the Lord. It explains the true meaning of God’s presence in the Church and raises awareness that the commitment future spouses make is not only between themselves, but also establishes a covenant with God, to form a life and family project and become true domestic churches.

Within this context, we highlight the value of the Christian community in the sense of having a place and a group of people where we can share and talk, without fear, about the values ​​of Christian marriage.

We strive to build bonds of trust and sensitivity so that we can talk about issues that, outside the Church, run the risk of being treated frivolously or polarizing the future marriage when discussed within the family of parents, siblings, or friends.

It is a space and time where the Lord’s presence unites and comforts us, for it is He who has brought us together in this group. We all participate voluntarily in the meetings, and the Lord does the rest. He acts and fosters fellowship and the openness of our hearts. We converse with the utmost discretion and sensitivity, sharing joys and sorrows, fears and future plans.

The enthusiasm and interest that these sessions generate in the couples we host reaches such a point that, once the course is officially over, we continue to meet to share and participate in how God is working in our lives.

Ariadna, you have two beautiful daughters, Marta and Giorgina. You make a wonderful family. Many religious parents sometimes struggle to know how to pass on their faith to their children while respecting their freedom and in a natural way. How do you do it?

It is the greatest gift that God has given us in this life, after allowing Jordi and me to meet.

Our daughters’ Christian upbringing has helped us to have a common language of faith at home. In this way, we don’t act independently in our faith, but rather we enrich and encourage one another at every stage of our spiritual growth.

Since our daughters’ First Communion and as we’ve accompanied them in their formation, we’ve been able to incorporate symbols and practices of our faith into our daily lives. For example, blessing the table. At each meal, one of us takes a turn giving thanks for something specific that happened that day.

We also pray together at night, either in one room or another. We pray the rosary when we’re all in the car. We give thanks when we return from an outing or a vacation. We offer intercessory prayers for those who need our prayers. We make difficult sacrifices so that others may be better off, and so on.

Each week, we seek moments of family adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. This is an  incredible boost  of peace and hope for our family.

Being together in silence before the Blessed Sacrament as a family is like receiving a healing light. It’s amazing how it transforms us.

All these actions are small practices that allow our daily attention to be constantly infused with faith. It is precisely about that: living with the light of faith, “permeating” everything we experience through faith.

In this way, our view of life changes, and it is then that gratitude invades us along with enthusiasm and joy.

Everything can be trained, and everything is a matter of will: even love and joy. We must ensure that, when the initial feeling fades, true fulfillment arrives, the fruit of work, of consistent dedication, of the will to love more and better each day.

I ask God to touch my daughters’ hearts, as He touched mine. May He make them fall in love with Him.

May they take everything they have learned to heart. May they discern and ask themselves: in this situation, what would Jesus do?

We also need to make space for teenagers. It’s important to give them time to move from doing faith practices out of routine or just to complete a  checklist , to doing them wholeheartedly.

It’s a deeply personal journey with the Lord, and we must respect the timing. I believe it’s important that we speak to the Lord about our children just as we do about our husbands/wives. It’s very good to pray for them.

Jordi, prayer is an intimate conversation with the Holy Trinity. What is your dialogue like with God the Father, with Jesus, and with the Holy Spirit?

Prayer is the key to our connection with God. There are so many different ways to pray. I try not to recite repetitive prayers, although I do use them as a way to place my spirit in God’s presence so that inspiration and imagination can help me perceive the Lord’s presence and begin a dialogue with Him.

Throughout the day I set aside several moments for prayer. In the morning when I wake up. On my way to work, we pray the rosary together. During the day while I work, and especially in the afternoon. It’s like establishing my own intimate and personal monastic rule.

I mark specific times of day when I need to think of Him, reminding myself that I’m not straying from Him. I use reminder alarms on my phone so I don’t forget. Sometimes they’re just brief moments: a reminder, a glance, a prayer. Our daily obligations don’t allow for more.

In the morning I thank God the Father for the life He has given me and which I try to live in order to reciprocate His Love, as the creator of all things.

To God the Son, through His teachings conveyed in the Gospel, which I read daily, I ask for guidance on the path; and I speak to Him openly about everything that occupies my thoughts. Sometimes my inspiration truly opens up, and I speak to Him as if He were before me. Other times, I find it difficult to establish that connection, and I turn to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, whom I imagine taking my hand to draw me closer to her Son, to whom I say: Jesus, I trust in You. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in You.

I ask the Holy Spirit for inspiration, but above all, that my thoughts, words, and daily actions may have the power to glorify God. May He help me discern the source of my actions, words, and thoughts.

One exercise that helps me immensely is asking for the grace of the gifts of the Holy Spirit: I ask for wisdom to recognize the truth at all times; strength to resist everything that is not in accordance with Christian values ​​and to defend the glory of God; understanding to comprehend the situations I face and discern how I should act in each matter and situation; knowledge to appreciate the value and beauty of the actions of others; piety to know how to forgive and act in help of my neighbor; and finally, to always recognize the framework in which I move as a Christian, that is, the sphere of God’s jurisdiction, which is nothing more than acting out of Love.

At dusk, I sit before the Blessed Sacrament and find comfort in Him. It is a time to reflect on the day’s events. Everything is done, and all that remains is to discern my feelings as I perceived and accepted them.

It’s not all glory; most days are a complete drought, like talking to a brick wall. But I don’t give up, I persevere. I don’t get discouraged; I try again, once more, as many times as it takes. It’s a matter of faith. Faith comforts me, it amazes me.

There’s a passage in the Gospel of Mark that helps me a lot: the one about the woman who only had to touch Jesus Christ’s cloak as he walked down the street, in the middle of the crowd, to demonstrate his faith. And Jesus’ reaction upon noticing that woman’s presence is striking.

Jesus immediately realized that power had gone out from him. But he turned to the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing against you, and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”

Then the woman, who knew what had happened to her, approached Him with fear and trembling and, kneeling before Him, told Him the whole truth.

To surprise Jesus through our faith and our unwavering persistence in hope—isn’t that a challenge?

Ariadna, one of the virtues our Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, teaches us is humility. What is your  fiat , that is, your yes to the Lord, in your daily life? How do you understand the  “Thy Will be done”  of the Lord’s Prayer?

My  Fiat  is now unconditionally loyal.

We have gone through many difficulties with Jordi, and all of this has greatly strengthened our faith.

We are entrepreneurs in a highly competitive business and, in these twenty-one years of professional experience, working together, side by side, we have experienced everything.

On a personal level, we have also had to face illnesses and economic difficulties.

I was fortunate that my father always believed in me and encouraged me. He would tell me,  “You work and let the Lord work.”

Our  Fiat  is a set.

When uncertainty overwhelms me, I think of Maria: how she gradually adapted to the situation, even though she didn’t like it, without complaining or giving up on suffering.

Behind every anguish lies an opportunity.

It’s been many years since I last asked the Lord for anything specific. He is my partner in life, so He knows better than I do what I need. His plan is perfect. I only ask Him to give me the strength to face it.

Jordi, as the Catholic Church has proclaimed in various magisterial documents, we lay people have as our proper purpose to sanctify the world from within and to be contemplative in the midst of the world, but without being of the world. How do you live your condition as a baptized Christian layperson, as well as the universal call to holiness?

 My opinion is that we must become aware of our condition as lay people. We are essential in the service of the Church. We are the Church. And we have the duty to integrate ourselves as a link between the world and the priesthood.

Society believes the Church lives in another galaxy, that it’s not of this world. And it’s true, that’s how it should be. It’s the “atmosphere” in which the Spirit of God acts, dictating to the Church what its path should be and how it should travel it in order to transmit to us each day the teachings of how we should behave and act as the People of God.

We lay people experience moments where we breathe this “atmosphere” (when we pray, attend Mass, etc.), but primarily, we live in a whirlwind of problems, difficulties, and lies that challenge our beliefs every day. This is our duality: to live in the world without succumbing to its desires. We must live aware of the reality we want to live and the reality we actually live. It becomes necessary to clothe ourselves in faith and hope, and to try to contribute, explain, and help priests understand the difficulties we face. The Church proclaims the light of the Gospel to change our perspective on the world.

Perhaps it’s like how we admired our sports or music idols as children, or maybe even now, for the gifts they possess when playing or singing. In the same way, we should look to Jesus Christ with even greater admiration and, in this way, try to imitate Him and reflect Him in our actions, thoughts, and words each day.

Therefore, we must strive to acquire and be willing to receive His gifts and graces, incorporating them as habits in our lives. Pray, read, attend Mass, and always be attentive to His presence. How others perceive us when they see us act this way is a mystery where only God acts, awakening the curiosity of our neighbor.

Ariadne, indifference to the suffering of others is unjust. Charity is an essential mission of the Church’s life, along with the  Kerygma  (proclamation of the Good News) and the worship due to God (liturgy). How do you understand service to others and charity? Why do you believe that charity cannot be merely an option for Christians, but rather a requirement of faith?

It wasn’t until I reached a certain level of maturity that I felt capable of intervening in the suffering of others. It overwhelmed me. Until I experienced it myself, I didn’t feel confident. Now I feel capable of offering support and sharing my experience and hope to help others cope. Always with the Lord’s help.

I strongly believe in the natural talents that God has given us. We should identify our qualities and put them at the service of society. In this way, offering our abilities would not be a chore, but rather a training ground.

For example, I am very enthusiastic. When Father Emili – our parish priest at the Monastery of Sant Cugat – asked us to train to offer accompaniment to young people before marriage, Jordi and I chose some activities that would allow us to offer our testimony of life overcoming difficulties always under the light of faith and the accompaniment of the Lord.

This joy, which we simply transmit as instruments of faith that the Lord has granted us, without it being anything of our own making, has allowed us to continue accompanying all the groups to whom we offered the initial sessions, continuing with subsequent sessions to share faith in daily life. In this way, the Lord has used us as instruments.

I believe that always keeping our radar on, in  “how can I help?” mode  , is vital for maintaining a healthy faith. It’s not always financial assistance that’s requested of us. On the contrary, we can do far more good than we realize through the many forms of charity available to alleviate the various forms of material and spiritual poverty.

Jordi, throughout life we ​​often face trials and difficulties of all kinds. In those moments, Jesus seems to whisper these words to us:  “ Why are you confused and agitated by these problems? Leave the care of all your affairs to me, and everything will go better for you. When you abandon yourself to me, everything will be resolved peacefully according to my plans. Do not despair, do not offer me a frantic prayer, as if you wanted to demand that I fulfill your desires. Close the eyes of your soul and calmly say to me: Jesus, I trust in you.”  Have you experienced this abandonment and this grace that comes directly from the Heart of Jesus?

It is our duty as Christians to strip ourselves of everything that disguises and hides who we truly are.  “  True  Christian heroism  is daring to be oneself before God ”  (Kierkegaard). With all our poverty, our limitations, mistakes, weaknesses, and incapacities to love. To be myself before Him, since He knows perfectly well who we are, for He has counted every last hair on our heads.

He only expects us to recognize what we have in excess (presumptuousness, pride…) and what we lack (humility, meekness…). This is the true act of love before God. “ This is who I am, and  I surrender myself to You.”

Doesn’t all his sacrifice of passion and suffering deserve our effort and dedication? He himself asks it of us:  “I  thirst.” He is referring to us, thirsting for us. It is a return. An eternal expression of gratitude.

Do I abandon myself? Yes, I try, or rather, I strive to do so. Perhaps it would be better to say that I am making an effort in the practice of abandonment. I abandoned myself at a time when I felt incapable of making decisions that would bring me peace and tranquility of heart. Abandonment is a true test of life before oneself. It’s about letting go of everything that weighs us down, about living only in the present, and being open to the unfolding of the future that God ordains we must live.

It is a process of effort and work, of re-educating ourselves according to the precepts dictated by the teachings of the Bible, our catechism, and the doctrine of the Church, which, through its Magisterium, shows us the authentic Christian path. This development has as its ultimate goal the recognition of being a child before God and acknowledging that His immensity is beyond our human understanding. Only the Saints have been able to glimpse a  trailer  of the supernatural life, which is what awaits us in eternity. I believe it is well worth educating ourselves as faithful children of God.

The ultimate surrender is not even asking Jesus, “What do you want from me?” or “What should I do?” No, it’s not that. It’s surrendering in silence, in the present moment, and living in the here and now out of love. Without asking, simply accepting as a true act of trust, the unconditional love that God offers us.

As Christians, we live with faith, hope, and charity. These are the three theological virtues. When we die, faith will disappear because God’s promise will have been fulfilled. Hope will also fade away, since we will have experienced it as a reality. So, what will happen to charity, to love? Well, it will be the means of life in eternity. Therefore, we are learning in this life to live in and through love. So why do we find it so difficult to learn to live in and through love? Let us strive, then, to live in virtue and to know how to receive the graces that our Lord Jesus Christ offers us daily. This is my complete conviction and the summary of my faith.

Ariadna and Jordi,  thank you so much for sharing this hopeful grief with us, for the joy in the apostolate you carry out, for the generosity you show to your family and community, and for teaching us how faith leads us to trust in the Lord, always and at all times throughout our lives.

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When you say to Jesus, “I trust in You,” you are saying, “I trust that God so loved the world that He sent You, His only Son, to save us ;  I trust that You love me as the Father loves You; I trust that You are the Light of the world, so if I follow You, I will not walk in darkness; I trust that You are the only Way to salvation, the only Truth, and the One who gives Life; I trust that You are truly Present in the Eucharist, and I can contemplate You, adore You, and enter into intimate communion with You; I trust that You are the Good Shepherd, who lays down His life for me; I trust that You are the Almighty.”

When you say “I trust in You,” you are saying to Jesus: I trust in You, who assure me that there is more happiness in giving than in receiving; I trust in You, who command me to love others as You love me; I trust in You, who invite me to forgive in order to receive forgiveness; I trust in You, who ask me to take up my cross each day and follow You; I trust in You, who ask me to live in the world, but without belonging to it; I trust in You, who encourage me to persevere in prayer; I trust in You, who ask me not to worry about anything but to seek first the Kingdom of God.

When you say to Jesus, “I trust in You,” you are saying: I trust in You, who promises to grant me whatever I ask in Your name, that is, according to Your will, which is always good; I trust in You, who promises me that if I eat Your Flesh and drink Your Blood, I will have eternal life; I trust in You, who are with me every day until the end of the world; I trust in You, who went to prepare a place for me in Your Father’s House so that I may be where You are; I trust that, when I least expect it, You will return, and that is why You ask me to pray and watch; I trust in You, that as You rose again, You will raise me again.