Félix Varela
1788-1853 19th century
Truth that consoles: serving God by serving others, even in exile, without bitterness.
Who was Félix Varela?
A Havana priest, a philosopher of whom it was said that he taught Cuba to think, elected deputy to the Spanish Cortes where he called for the abolition of slavery and autonomy for the colonies. The price was a death sentence and thirty years of exile in New York. There he served Irish immigrants decimated by cholera, founded schools, nurseries and orphanages, and became vicar general of the diocese. His Letters to Elpidio plead that there is no homeland without virtue. He was declared venerable in 2012.
In their own words
Tell them that they are the sweet hope of the homeland, and that there is no homeland without virtue, nor virtue with impiety.
Truth is on high; it is one and unchangeable, holy and powerful, origin of peace and fountain of consolation; it dwells in the bosom of the Being without beginning, cause of all beings.
Not so Christian charity, my beloved Elpidio: rather it seeks to suffer, and suffers with a certain inexplicable pleasure, if in this way it can contribute to the good of others and to the glory of God.