Ana Finat, aristocrat, influencer and convert: Trusting in God gives freedom

The influencer and aristocrat Ana Finat, descendant of Saint Francis of Borja, has just published the story of her conversion, where she describes how she went from worldliness and fear of God to regaining freedom trusting in his mercy.

in the book When I met the God of Love. How the love of Christ freed me from the chains of the world Ana Finat generously addresses the story of her life, very far from that of ordinary mortals for family reasons, especially during her childhood, but, at the same time, very similar in terms of worldliness and distance from faith like the majority. of his generation.

“When I grew up I distanced myself from God, because it bothered me and because I was rebellious,” he admits in conversation with ACI Prensa. At that time he lived like so many young people of his generation: “I smoked my first cigarettes, I saw my first joints, we went to the bottle a lot and I spent more time on the street making joints than at school,” he explains in the book.

She also experienced sexual surrender with a certain disorder, which led her to experience an unexpected pregnancy at the age of 20. Later, he resorted to assisted human reproduction techniques contrary to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.

Fortunately, she did not fall into the temptation of abortion: “I never considered having an abortion. The pregnancy gave me anguish, I knew perfectly well that it was not going to be easy at all, because our relationship (with her then boyfriend) was not good, but I was excited about the life that was coming. From the beginning, I welcomed her with great enthusiasm. For me it was a gift, since I knew what was coming to me, to begin with, because I was also very immature,” she explains.

“The only thing that makes you stop, because it truly fills you, is Christ”

That was until he attended a Life in the Spirit Seminar, a charismatic retreat organized in the Archdiocese of Toledo, after which he handed over his social networks to God (it currently has more than 30,000). followers on Instagram). In the book he states that, after that experience, “he was finally free.”

Finat explains that, after that encounter with the Holy Spirit, he understood that “abandoning all your worries, all your anxieties and trusting in God gives immense freedom. Knowing that there is someone superior, who is taking care of you, who loves you like a Father, like the best father, who does not separate from you. Also abandon yourself to the Holy Spirit, which the Holy Spirit takes you… all of this gives a lot of freedom.”

The influencer She also felt liberated from the way she looked at herself: “I was totally immersed in the world today, in social networks, with its vainglory, its selfishness…” and, separated from God, she recognizes that “I did the that I wanted. I didn’t care. It was very much in the key of me. “It’s me first and everything else second.”

However, this worldly style of living did not fulfill his deepest aspirations: “You think it has fulfilled you, but then you realize that it hasn’t. In the end, the only thing that makes you stop, because it truly fills you, is Christ,” he details.

Writing her story of conversion “is very dizzying,” she acknowledges, especially because of what it implies toward her husband and daughters and because it is not easy “to tell things delicately, without morbidity.” Fortunately, after receiving the offer from the publisher, Finat has always had the support of Father Santiago Arellano, priest of the Archdiocese of Toledo, who is also his spiritual director.

It was not easy to change their lives either, because those closest to them “did not understand anything at all” and, as a consequence, “there were many shocks.” However, with the passage of time the tables turned: “When they see that everything you are experiencing is leading you to be better with them, to love them more, to do better for them, to live more for them, and the change is Well, it is absurd that they confront each other, because it is all for their good. Now everyone is delighted,” he shares with a smile.

It was also difficult to change the orientation of her social networks, because she thought that if she started talking about God and not about the events to which she was invited or certain clothing and cosmetic brands, she would lose followers. So he considered leaving Instagram.

However, after giving his social networks to God, he decided to move forward despite the attacks he received “especially when he posted things about abortion. There people got very angry” or when he talks about euthanasia. He has also received support, to the point that “I have miraculously continued to grow in followers,” Finat celebrates.

“We have the same struggles” as Saint Francis of Borja and Saint Teresa of Ávila

Since her childhood, Ana Finat had heard stories at home about her family connection with Saint Francis of Borja, Saint Teresa of Ávila or Saint Luis Gonzaga. Very especially with the first, who was General of the Company of Jesus, whose eldest son, Juan, was the first count of Mayalde, a title held by Ana’s parents.

After her conversion, Ana has delved into her stories and explains that “even in another time, they had the same struggles that I have.” In particular, he considers that Saint Teresa would feel attracted by “the conversations and frivolities with the high society of Ávila” and Saint Francis of Borja would feel tempted by “the power of the world.” Not in vain, he was viceroy of Catalonia in the service of Emperor Charles I of Spain.

In the end, Ana Finat feels “super identified with them” and entrusts herself to these saints in a special way. At the same time, it presents a challenge: “Having such ancestors in the family sets the bar very high for you. On the one hand, you feel horrible, dwarf, tiny… But on the other hand, it also makes you want to imitate them.”

Since her conversion, Ana Finat, together with her sister Casilda, has been involved in two very specific apostolates: Pueblo de Alabanza, which promotes prayers of praise and the Seminars of Life in the Spirit and Familia Anawim that seeks shelter for people in need, both in the Archdiocese of Toledo.