What is a priest doing at 3 o'clock in the morning in his room in Helsinki (Finland), when he is a doctor and identifies in his body the unmistakable symptoms of a stroke: a fulminant migraine followed by loss of mobility and strength on the right side?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We will make a spoiler of this video of Rebeldes Podcast. We talk about the Bilbao bishop Raimo Goyarrola who, in front of a crucifix, in the solitude of his room, being vicar general of the Diocese, diagnoses his own stroke, engages in a conversation full of boldness and faith with God (1 h. 02\u2032 18\u2033). and decides to continue working for the Church before going to the hospital, and prays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI've had migraines all my life. And that night I got a very strong one, a kind of dagger in the eye. And I thought: I'm having a heart attack, maybe I'll be paralyzed, maybe I'll die, I don't know. I prayed, which is what I usually do, I have a crucifix in front of me, with Jesus, and I told him face to face: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJesus, are you calling me now? Prayer is saying what is inside you\u201d, <\/strong>says Bishop Goyarrola.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLook, Jesus, don't call me. If you call me now, what for, to go to purgatory? I do not see myself in heaven, I am not a saint, I cannot go to heaven..., if I go to heaven I want to give you a hug; when I die, I want to give you a hug, give you a kiss, where is Mary, where is Joseph (for me Our Lady is always with St. Joseph), the saints, St. Josemar\u00eda, St. Ignatius of Loyola, all my favorite saints, and that hug to Jesus is a hug to God the Father. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I got up, went to the bathroom as best I could, to look at the eye, the eye is already a brain..., I was terrible, but I was not going to wake people up, the bishop was in Rome, and the next day there was a State inspection, I was the vicar general, and I had to be defending the Church\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was 4 hours of prayer. And I said to the Lord, who am I to tell you ....? Whatever you want, Lord. If you want to call me, that's it... And if you don't call me... There is so much to do, Jesus, we are too few Catholics, too few priests, friends, projects, to serve.... Let me help you here! Don't do everything yourself, let me help you...<\/p>\n\n\n\n I convinced him. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It was time to wake up, I was limping, and I went to celebrate Mass. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I didn't say anything to anyone. This is a bad example...\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n And God let him live. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Raimo Goyarrola celebrated Mass hiding his paralysis -using manual tricks with his left hand to raise the chalice-, he decided that his responsibility to the little girl Catholic community of Finland<\/a> was a priority to his medical emergency, and held a two-hour long meeting with state officials to defend the interests of the Church. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Only after doing his duty did he go to the hospital, where an MRI confirmed an infarction in the brainstem, a vital area of the brain where he could have died peacefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bishop admits with total sincerity in the podcast that his behavior was technically reckless: \u201cThis is a bad example, eh? (...) If you have a heart attack or a stroke, go to the doctor. I did it wrong, I did it wrong. He explains that he is not telling this anecdote for others to imitate, but to illustrate how far the desire to serve can go\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFour hours praying<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n