tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54167151534133092942024-03-13T14:09:37.256-07:00Pallottine ReflectionsPallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-12499048166105346362024-03-05T20:02:00.000-08:002024-03-05T20:05:53.073-08:00Apostles for Today - March 2024<p></p><h1 style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqm3aURI_huO3BnMbgvr0dHOwLsskAqdSUvFT-keJmTWgByC0vpDvwASISW560YmGp0cabdmBhKPPxcMB22ApxKoh2-j3sK_mihbqSim6v7Kppl1DOjDwMptHnf5ZcBBPKVtCEG22KE9um_B9s71ril5Bh61nwOOoFnZPUKC3BX6XuZLZzNbiyq3eWJW9/s200/UAC-Inal-logo.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="200" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqm3aURI_huO3BnMbgvr0dHOwLsskAqdSUvFT-keJmTWgByC0vpDvwASISW560YmGp0cabdmBhKPPxcMB22ApxKoh2-j3sK_mihbqSim6v7Kppl1DOjDwMptHnf5ZcBBPKVtCEG22KE9um_B9s71ril5Bh61nwOOoFnZPUKC3BX6XuZLZzNbiyq3eWJW9/w200-h196/UAC-Inal-logo.JPG" width="200" /></a></h1><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Apostlesfor Today<br /></span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">March - 2024</span></h2><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;">RENEW OUR TIRED HEARTS AND TRANSFORM OUR HORIZONS!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In this March reflection of Apostles for Today, we continue to move within Chapter 24 of the Gospel according to St Luke, which, so to speak, has been accompanying us since the beginning of the year. In the light of this text, we also wish to experience the Fourth General Congress of the Union of the Catholic Apostolate, which is rapidly approaching. For a moment let us linger on the well-known story of the disciples on their way to the village of Emmaus. In its immense richness, it reveals the path to the transformation of our hearts.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The beginning of the pericope shows two resigned, tired, and certainly greatly disappointed disciples leaving Jerusalem with a sense of failure. They had hoped for something more. They had expected that Jesus' victory would bring order to their existence: <i>“… but we were hoping”</i> (Lk 24:21). Perhaps they had hoped they would be triumphant with Him and share His kingdom. Instead, they saw His ignominious death and now heard of His alleged resurrection, such a rather unlikely thing, if not distinctly strange. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yet, this encounter proved to be far more important than their fears and the road they eventually chose to take became their transformative journey from hopeless people to bearers of hope.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The disciples' transformation begins with an encounter, with being listened to and at the same time with their opening up to a different perspective, one that transforms and empowers them to look beyond their present horizon, beyond what has seemed right up to now. The encounter with Jesus, is indeed much more than an accidental stage of their journey. It is a turning point. The two disciples are called to compare their ideas about what victory humanly means for them and what it means for God. Thanks to the patience of Jesus who, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, interpreted to them what referred to Him in all the Scriptures (Lk 24:27), they learn afresh how God works, so that in the end they are able to see and receive Him as he breaks the bread.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It appears that this Gospel, especially in the perspective of recent years, takes on a new meaning. After all<i>,“But we were hoping"</i>(Lk 24:21) is the very cry of so many of us in every corner of the world. Everyone experiences disappointment at different stages of their life. The last few years have shown this very clearly: armed conflicts, world hunger, lack of empathy, sex scandals - including those involving the church - all accompany us. We have more and more comforts and less and less time for others. It is not uncommon that we live together in a way as if we are astray. Many of us may be asking ourselves this important question: where is He who was meant to reign? Where is the Church, His mystical body that should make Him present here on earth? These questions, though important, do not help us at all if they are poorly lived out; they deprive us of hope and lead us to a sense of bewilderment. It is not that we should not ask questions, but we must seek the answers in the right way, that is, with Him, the One who has definitively conquered death and to whom the final say belongs. Are we ready for this?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Let us look once again at the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Their transformation was not only caused by Jesus' tenderness and patience, but also by their willingness to listen to Him; a healthy curiosity was enkindled in them that eventually renewed their enthusiasm. This is our journey as Christians. We are a people constantly journeying, struggling with hardships and disappointments, but if we seek answers in the Risen One, no one can deprive us of hope. <i>“Redemption is offered to us in the sense that we have been given hope, trustworthy hope, by virtue of which we can face our present: the present, even if it is arduous, can be lived and accepted if it leads towards a goal, if we can be sure of this goal, and if this goal is great enough to justify the effort of the journey.” </i>(Spe Salvi, 1). So says Pope Benedict in his encyclical letter on Christian hope. Do these words not contain the whole secret of continuity? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the perspective of Chapter 24 of the Gospel of Luke, it is also worth looking at the Synod on Synodality, which is currently taking place in the Church. For us, just as for the disciples of Emmaus, this is a time of journeying together and, like them, we have two options: either to be content with our own ideas about the synod and our disillusionment with the Church - which is justified in many places - or to embark on this beautiful journey to which we are invited by Pope Francis in order to discern and listen together, so that our hope in the Risen One may even better stretch out to the ends of the earth. Are we ready to take this risk? Are we open to one another? Do we really want to live the Gospel than just keep on talking about it?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As Union of the Catholic Apostolate, we too are invited to follow the path of the disciples of Emmaus. Their feelings and doubts are also ours. In many moments of our community life, as priests, brothers, sisters, lay people, we can certainly say: <i>“... but we were hoping”</i> (Lk 24:21), and continue with a whole litany of how we would envisage the Union to be like. Many of us still live decanting the past and are immersed in memories that, instead of moving us forward, hinder our further development. We can indeed see our weaknesses, frustrations, and lack of working together, which should be our greatest task and pride. However, let us make ourselves willing to hand everything over to Jesus. Let us allow ourselves time to express all of this. Let us allow Him to embrace everything that humanly defies us and show us a new perspective. Let us give Him the chance to renew our weary hearts and transform our Pallottine horizons, a mixture of clarity and darkness. And even though we can easily forget it, we’ll see there is always light in everything.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In this spirit we want to live the forthcoming IV General Congress of the UAC, which will be held in Rome from 25 to 31 July, and whose motto is: With Christ our hope, let us set out together with renewed joy and confidence. Throughout the five days we will spend together, we wish to reflect once again on this Gospel pericope - the theme of this text - and experience the transformation of the heart that, after the encounter with the Risen One, switches from resignation to hope. May the words of our Founder guide us as we prepare to live this time together:</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>I implore you, therefore, to consider, in the light of the love of our Lord Jesus Christ Crucified, the works of the Pious Union and to have this conviction that they can be realised because they are useful and necessary for the extension of the glory of God and the sanctification of souls, as well as for coming to the aid of our brothers and sisters in need, even though some, taking the works of the Pious Union as its goal, think that they are very difficult to realise. Remember, however, that according to the nature of Pious Union, these works are only means to an end </i>(St. Vincent Pallotti).</span></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe2JP67osmRF1AwFTgACaXe-4qfotOK_MQeB1QkHpB6oiOQZdTxLYG12r8YMa5d8b3uvDTSK0qJemSZzr7GWIhInvSzQOXZBDvt0se1QSqH61p_TXlJjgan2iI2xtp9VpylaPN5cDokMhYDoOQJj9M60-J1t48V0QLatZSuqEaUfU7jXqUudu9R9-psvt6" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="251" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe2JP67osmRF1AwFTgACaXe-4qfotOK_MQeB1QkHpB6oiOQZdTxLYG12r8YMa5d8b3uvDTSK0qJemSZzr7GWIhInvSzQOXZBDvt0se1QSqH61p_TXlJjgan2iI2xtp9VpylaPN5cDokMhYDoOQJj9M60-J1t48V0QLatZSuqEaUfU7jXqUudu9R9-psvt6=w120-h160" width="120" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />See you in Rome!</span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Michał Grzeca</span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-small;">Piazza San Vincenzo Pallotti, 204 00186 Roma, ITALIA </span></div><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-small;">Tel: (+39) 06.6876827 E-mail: uacgensec@gmail.com </span></div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-small;">Sito: www.vincenzopallotti.org</span></div></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-39848895698798252842024-02-10T20:00:00.000-08:002024-02-10T20:29:32.281-08:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLbU5foFdLYrxTGdjiuBvKdJZTVMw3HEF4NFNq54z2qhY7TDRkZckeWhQSzFX1Rq_DV7vhckhlA4sSkUPYDGeuO2G15CE9qDrXAEqXubo_C1kDkdpVGMETAZ5gByrP2hCdiapKRHhyphenhyphenMx70S1Q2kErOEUGCDOeJgfy64OTzLeQ1jWfifL7mEbjFoJl9LdU/s640/UAC-Inal-logo.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="640" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLbU5foFdLYrxTGdjiuBvKdJZTVMw3HEF4NFNq54z2qhY7TDRkZckeWhQSzFX1Rq_DV7vhckhlA4sSkUPYDGeuO2G15CE9qDrXAEqXubo_C1kDkdpVGMETAZ5gByrP2hCdiapKRHhyphenhyphenMx70S1Q2kErOEUGCDOeJgfy64OTzLeQ1jWfifL7mEbjFoJl9LdU/w200-h196/UAC-Inal-logo.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> Apostles for today</span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;">February 2024</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Risen Christ walks with us to make us live in the joy of hope</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Number 654 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church shows us that there is a double aspect in the Paschal </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">mystery: through his death he frees us from sin, through his Resurrection he opens for us access to a new life.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This is first of all the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">justification </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">which restores us to the grace of God (cf. Rom 4, 25) “so that, just as Christ </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">was raised from the dead, we too may live in new life” (Rom 6, 4). In approaching our theme for this month there </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">is a whole project of the resurrected Christ on each and every one of us. As he walked with the disciples of </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Emmaus, he also walks with us today to make us live in the joy of hope.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Let us pause in our thoughts for a moment and remember the experience of the Paschal Vigil. We all have this </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">experience of the celebration of the Easter Eve which begins in darkness but only the Paschal candle guides the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">procession. The priest sings: </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Light of Christ </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">and we all respond: </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">We give thanks to God</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. After this song and this </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">response, you will no longer see sad faces but all the faithful and the celebrants radiate with joy because the risen </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Christ, light of the world is in the midst of his children. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The paschal candle always gives us hope that we are </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">children of light and we no longer walk in darkness. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Another experience that we would like to contemplate is that in the Gospel of Saint Luke 24: 18-35 where we see </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. They were in despair because they believed that Jesus in whom they </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">had placed all their hope had died and that everything was over. But when they realized that on their march </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">towards Emmaus they were accompanied by the risen Christ, their eyes were opened, a new light shone in their </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">hearts and on their faces. A new hope has sprung up and a new page has opened to see their lives and that of their </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">brothers and sisters differently. With renewed zeal, they hastened back to Jerusalem to testify of what they had </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">seen. As Christ gave his life for humanity, Saint Vincent Pallotti also in experiencing the risen Lord, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">he desired </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">to be food to satisfy the hungry, clothing to clothe the naked, drink to refresh the thirsty, medicine to strengthen </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">the stomach of those who are weak, care to relieve the suffering of the sick, the crippled, the mute and the deaf,</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">light to enlighten those who are physically and spiritually blind, life to raise the dead by the grace of God. </span><span style="font-size: 11.04pt;">(OOCC </span><span style="font-size: 11.04pt;">X,115).</span><span style="font-size: 11.04pt; font-style: italic;">”<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">As daughters and sons of Saint Vincent Pallotti, we have the great responsibility of perpetuating the ideal of the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Founder. This is possible if we walk together in unity and fraternity. Walking alone we go fast and we get lost, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">but walking together we are strong and we can go far. Let us remember that our Holy Founder Vincent Pallotti </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">bequeathed us his charism. At a time when the Church had to face crises relating to faith and found itself faced </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">with the multiplication of its tasks for the mission, Pallotti realized the urgency of reviving faith and rekindling </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">charity among Catholics and to unite all in Christ. The way he found to achieve this is the collaboration of all </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">members of the Church, both the clergy and the laity, and to unite their efforts in order to promote more effectively </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">the apostolic mission of the Church. (Preamble b.). Experts in Pallottine spirituality speak to us of collaboration </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">as a gift above all gifts. If collaboration is lacking then let us know that the Union is in danger of ruin.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">As an Auxiliary Body of the Church (General Statutes no. 58), the Union of the Catholic Apostolate needs to take </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">a step forward in carrying out its mission in the Church. It is necessary to discover new initiatives that engage </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">even the youngest in order to bring new oxygen to the entire Union. Routine is no longer useful. Being a tireless </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">apostle, Pallotti never stopped inventing new methods to be the evangelical trumpet in the Church and in the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">world. He knew how to open up to the poor and the confined, to the sick and the marginalized, he took </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.52pt;">care of </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">soldiers, workers, students and prisoners, he was a tireless confessor, he gave conferences to nuns and preached </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">popular missions in parishes, he organized training for young people, adults and the clergy, he opened and supported </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">orphanages, he spread the Good Press, he encouraged foreign missions, he inaugurated the Octave of the Epiphany.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">Beyond everything, his concern is to be a man concerned with the infinite Glory of God and the salvation of men. </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">Like the disciples of Emmaus, we must set out again to leave our routines and our comfortable zones and embrace </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">new horizons. Today, there is so much to do around us, there is poverty of all categories: spiritual, material; isolated, </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">people who lost their loved ones, lack of peace, refugees, the homeless, orphans, street children, widows and widowers, </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">elderly people who live alone, people who live with incurable illnesses, drug addicts, people living with inner wounds, </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">couples torn apart by all kinds of problems etc. All these needs around us need answers. The others are waiting for us.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;"><br />We cannot wait to do great works but rather we can start with small concrete gestures to give our brothers and Sisters </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">the hope of living. There is more joy in giving than in receiving. </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">The following witness helps us see how the risen Christ walks with us when we decide to engage in his mission. </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">Walking requires us to leave one place to go to another. This requires a firm decision and constant will. Every decision </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">in life involves an Easter mystery. I die within myself so that Christ will resurrect me and give me new life in Him.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">For us Missionary Sisters of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottines), walking with the risen Christ also means being </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">available and accepting the mission entrusted to us. This availability allows us to live the Easter experience. Trusting </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">in the one who calls us and sends us and reading the signs of the times, the Pallottine Missionary Sisters of Our Lady </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">of Kibeho Province (Rwanda), by the invitation of the Local Ordinary, they left their country to open a new mission </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">in Brittany (Bretagne) in France in the Diocese of Vannes in the Parish of Saint Peter of Quistinic. They are aware </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">that in the past it was the Missionaries of Europe who were going to evangelize as missionaries. Today, reading the signs of the times, the time has come for </span><span style="font-size: 15.36px;">African</span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;"> missionaries and those from elsewhere to leave to share what they have received in response to Christ's invitation: “Go to all the world and proclaim the good news” (Mark 16, 15). In </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">Brittany, the Sisters carry out their apostolate with children by giving them catechism and preparing them for the </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">sacraments. They supervise those who feel the call to be altar boys and girls, they visit the elderly and give time to</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">listen to them, they bring Holy Communion to the sick and doffer accampaniement for those who desire it, they </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">participate in funerals and take care of pastoral care in the parishes, they are part of the Parish choir and they lead </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">Masses during the week... By citing these few apostolates it is to show how much others are waiting for us. It is not </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">by their strength that the sisters fulfil their mission but thanks to the one who calls them and sends them. The sisters </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">are grateful and they rejoice that the first missionaries prepared them well, instilling the missionary spirit in them.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">Many elderly people live alone, they need someone to share at least a word with. How important it is to be with those </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">who have lost their loved ones! The presence is very comforting. Sometimes we think that this or that person is used </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">to living alone but deep down we all need each other. How encouraging it is to listen to Christians say that you </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">Pallottine Sisters have brought oxygen to our Parishes. You are lightning rods. All this for the infinite glory of God.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">I who write these pages have just spent more than three months in this mission and I give thanks to the Lord who </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">wanted this mission here in Brittany. The others are waiting for us. By praying this prayer of our Pallottine </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">community prayers, let us allow our heart be impregnated with it and let it to engage us again.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vGn7omt6VlbAwJ6tuCnJ_wQuNyEeR0pXlvF7_TSbBxuc6ea0qEn_dGIvtfNjWfx6MW50b8AQ3MDjTVF3x6SE3BOjD2cq71p-x67OT6bKGpewDkbnoL-9ZrpVSRI0f98I0mFZ-F3Ntv6f6XtoZBYDUZpd0lAILGjJ1t2Y1wtf81HmCjiLFn60kG3V97_K/s335/SVincentcong%20-%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="251" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vGn7omt6VlbAwJ6tuCnJ_wQuNyEeR0pXlvF7_TSbBxuc6ea0qEn_dGIvtfNjWfx6MW50b8AQ3MDjTVF3x6SE3BOjD2cq71p-x67OT6bKGpewDkbnoL-9ZrpVSRI0f98I0mFZ-F3Ntv6f6XtoZBYDUZpd0lAILGjJ1t2Y1wtf81HmCjiLFn60kG3V97_K/w150-h200/SVincentcong%20-%201.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 11.52pt; font-weight: bold;">Pray:
</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 11.52pt; font-weight: bold;">Guide. </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">Lord, the others are waiting for us:
</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 11.52pt; font-weight: bold;">Assembly. </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt; font-style: italic;">They expect something from us; they wait for our word;
</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 11.52pt; font-style: italic;">they count on our patience
</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 11.52pt; font-weight: bold;">Guide. </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">Many expect a letter from us, a visit; perhaps they are waiting for us
</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">to give them our time, to look at them with compassion!
</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 11.52pt; font-weight: bold;">Assembly. </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt; font-style: italic;">The world needs us so much, those we meet expect us to call them by their own names.
</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 11.52pt; font-weight: bold;">Guide. </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">Many people look for an open door in us; they need a place and a time to talk with us, they want to share </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">their burdens with us</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 11.52pt; font-weight: bold;">Assembly. </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt; font-style: italic;">Now we bring to you, Lord, all those who have come into us:<br /> accept them and us also with our failings.
</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 11.52pt; font-weight: bold;">Guide. </span><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;">Give us the courage to hold the door of our heart open, <br />so that all those who seek us can only meet you.
</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;"><b>Amen </b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 11.52pt;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #383740; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.96pt; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Sr Liberata Niyongira SAC</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 17.28px;">_____________________________________________</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 17.28px;"><br /></span></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.96pt;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Piazza San Vincenzo Pallotti, 204 00186 Roma, ITALIA
</span></span></div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.96pt;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Tel: (+39) 06.6876827 E-mail: uacgensec@gmail.com
</span></span></div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.96pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> www.vincenzopallotti.org</span></span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; opacity: 0.6;"><img alt="" border="0" class="placeholder" id="98933a619f58" src="https://www.blogger.com/img/transparent.gif" style="background-color: #d8d8d8; background-image: url('https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/i/materialiconsextended/insert_photo/v6/grey600-24dp/1x/baseline_insert_photo_grey600_24dp.png'); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; opacity: 0.6;" /></span></span></span></div><p></p>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-87950661147468641172024-01-21T19:25:00.000-08:002024-01-21T19:25:20.687-08:00Apostles for Today January 2024<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gyHERF2iYtAfyvHOgVxnxk3IeqJEn-mm2zuw_s58O7KE4W68jLa5aJaWN55Uv0SpfoBj_kq5E_1xlZakwqmHvnbMgIJ6603n56JTxY_u3_PIGqLA_A8R4Gw3gQWHA2CiDKd_MQ3m-0zZHvzTF9hIJpqgzJyfX_xFUpskeGrNDQ-1l1R4jNjBOIbxCS8Z/s140/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="104" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gyHERF2iYtAfyvHOgVxnxk3IeqJEn-mm2zuw_s58O7KE4W68jLa5aJaWN55Uv0SpfoBj_kq5E_1xlZakwqmHvnbMgIJ6603n56JTxY_u3_PIGqLA_A8R4Gw3gQWHA2CiDKd_MQ3m-0zZHvzTF9hIJpqgzJyfX_xFUpskeGrNDQ-1l1R4jNjBOIbxCS8Z/s1600/image.png" width="104" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"> <span style="font-size: x-large;">Apostles for Today</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">January 2024</span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Prayer and Reflection</span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">“Renewing Our Weary Hearts and Transforming Our Horizons”<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><i>Why did the Gospel of Emmaus inspire the Pallottine horizon?</i></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><i> </i><br /><span> </span>As it has been already informed, the IV General Congress of the Union of Catholic Apostolate is scheduled to take place from 25th to 31st July 2024 at the International College of <i>Saint Lorenzo da Brindisi,</i> Rome. In this well-furnished and historical house of the Capuchin Friars Minor, we plan to host the General Congress with the participation of up to a maximum of 200 members and collaborators from about 24 National Coordination Councils of the Union. As the General Statutes (Art.100) states, the General Congress will provide us with an opportunity to share ideas and experiences from diverse cultural and ecclesial backgrounds, in view of a more effective realization of the universal apostolate in the spirit of our Founder.<br /><span> </span>The theme of the Congress will be: <i>“With Christ, our hope, let us set out together with renewed joy and hope."</i> "<i>Of this you are witnesses</i>” (Lk 24:48). The theme was chosen after a long period of discernment, in the spirit of Synodality, especially by the Commission for the Congress. Ever since the UAC General Assembly of 25th to 29th March 2022 and the General Coordination Council Meeting of 16th to 19th June 2022, the Word of God guiding the life of the Union was the Emmaus experience of the two disciples of Jesus, as described in the Gospel of Luke (cf. 24:13-35). </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><span> </span>The life of the Union can be compared very much to the journey of the two disciples, right from the day of divine inspiration of Pallotti on 9th January 1835 until today. The 28th October 2003 was another decisive moment in its journey when the Universal Church re-affirmed once again the validity, relevance and beauty of Pallotti’s charism and approved its General Statutes as an international public association of the faithful of Pontifical Right, with its own juridical identity and person. We celebrated solemnly the 20th anniversary of this historical event on 28th October 2023.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><span> </span>The Emmaus experience was also the key Scriptural text chosen by Pope Francis for his Message for the World Mission Sunday on 22 October 2023. The Holy Father wrote: “I have chosen a theme inspired by the story of the disciples on the way to Emmaus, in the Gospel of Luke (cf. 24:13-35): <i>“Hearts on fire, feet on the move”.</i> Those two disciples were confused and dismayed, but their encounter with Christ in the Word and in the Breaking of the Bread sparked in them the enthusiastic desire to set out again towards Jerusalem and proclaim that the Lord had truly risen. In the Gospel account, we perceive this change in the disciples through a few revealing images: their hearts burned within them as they heard the Scriptures explained by Jesus, their eyes were opened as they recognized him and, ultimately, their feet set out on the way. By meditating on these three images, which reflect the journey of all missionary disciples, we can renew our zeal for evangelization in today’s world”.<br /><br /><span> </span>These words of Pope Francis sum up in many ways our aspirations for the General Congress of the Union. Our understanding of the Congress must not be limited only to the event in Rome. The journey of renewal of the life of the Union, before and after this event in Rome,is even more important. Otherwise, it will only serve to give an opportunity to the few participants to visit Rome and the Spiritual Center of the Union – which is certainly something good but not enough. We need to keep in mind also the enormous financial investment involved. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><span> </span>As UAC President, I cherish the following dreams for the Congress as well as for the entire Union. Firstly, our delusions and joys within the Union can be understood only when we journey with the Risen Lord and allow him to Break the Word and the Bread with us. Our primary responsibility is to proclaim the Risen Lord to the entire world and walk with the Church. Secondly, I wish and pray that our “hearts are set on fire” for St. Vincent Pallotti and his great charism. We need to do everything possible to rediscover the richness of our charism. Thirdly, our “feet on move” means engaging in concrete missionary activities in favor of God’s people, with particular attention to the poor and needy around the world. The Union cannot remain self-absorbed and self-serving; it needs to move out, especially to the peripheries of human existence and faith, and become an effective “<i>evangelical trumpet</i>”, inviting all to the apostolate of Jesus Christ. We need to listen to the “cries of the poor” and engage in the mission of compassion. That will give us the sense of purpose and inner joy.<br /><br /><span> </span>The radical living of the Gospel, thereby making it the fundamental rule of our life and apostolate, our commitment to the people of God, specially to the poor, and our ability to work and walk together as missionary-disciples of Jesus, always inspired and guided by the spirit and teachings of our Founder, are some of the elements that can set our hearts on fire and let our feet move forward.<br /><br /><span> </span>The General Congress will be one of the important moments of our journey together. However, if we truly intend to set out with renewed hope and joy in the company of the risen Lord, we need to go through a process of spiritual conversion. It is with such an intention that the monthly theme of <i>“Apostles for Today”</i> is chosen for this year. During the entire year 2024, we shall continue to meditate and pray over the many aspects of the main theme of the General Congress. I invite all the members and collaborators of the Pallottine Family to join in this spiritual journey together, under the maternal gaze of Mary, Mother of God and Queen of the Apostles, inspired by our Founder, St. Vincent Pallotti, and in the company of our Blessed Martyrs and Blessed Elizabeth Sanna.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><span> </span>May the New Year 2024 set our hearts on fire for the Gospel and for God’s people, always inspired by the profound spirituality and prophetic charism of St. Vincent Pallotti.</span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">P. Jacob Nampudakam SAC<br />UAC President<br />Rome, 1 January 2</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></span></p>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-56513268485579807712023-12-20T14:25:00.000-08:002023-12-20T14:29:15.616-08:00Apostles for Today Decemer 2023 Part II<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ejgrzvQlX9Qub6HMMKzLw-O6h0QQavxZNtcOfi82QhuKSHleblr0pAGWS0Ll3pL40PQoev-OdGHoCbvCWMHBoE5HtD7GZUlMn0yN5xr1yBbcTMCiYm5MM-o-yETBvyYAd4yqOPoNGQC-BR2PBL9pTEVrfg4FWTwV7XY7KMD7VvOliKNgIS406wlZ4Y1F/s140/image.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="104" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ejgrzvQlX9Qub6HMMKzLw-O6h0QQavxZNtcOfi82QhuKSHleblr0pAGWS0Ll3pL40PQoev-OdGHoCbvCWMHBoE5HtD7GZUlMn0yN5xr1yBbcTMCiYm5MM-o-yETBvyYAd4yqOPoNGQC-BR2PBL9pTEVrfg4FWTwV7XY7KMD7VvOliKNgIS406wlZ4Y1F/s1600/image.png" width="104" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: xx-large;"> Apostles for Today</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;">December 2023 # II</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Saint Vincent Pallotti and Nazareth - The Deliberate Choice of a Simple Life </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">A comparative analysis of the life of Saint Vincent PALLOTTI and the village of Nazareth
leads us to adopt as our theme: <i>"A life in all its simplicity"</i>. We adopt this theme in view of the
many points of similarity between the life this Saint led and life in Nazareth. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>Nazareth could derive from the root <i>"nasar"</i>, which in Hebrew means <i>"one who
observes"</i>, <i>"one who guards"</i>, <i>"to care for - to protect - to guard"</i>. We could call it <i>"the guardian"</i>.
It was a simple little place, poor and unadorned. People's lives were just as simple, with daily
activities typical of the lower classes: grain-grinding machines, oil presses, farming tools, water
tanks. Through this very ordinary life, Nazareth has much to teach humanity, but unfortunately
this simplicity and wisdom are not appreciated. In the end, Nazareth's fate was to have no fame
or reputation. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So the symbolism of <i>"Nazareth"</i> starts from its very etymology, and this is confirmed by
the birth of Jesus. We have the lexical field "to take care of, to guard, to protect, to observe",
which already gives an idea of the role and character of the people who live there, of their
responsible spirit. The family plays a key role in the upbringing of children, but let's understand
the family in the broadest sense, in the sense of the family clan. It's not just the nuclear family,
but all people consider themselves to be united by blood ties. It is truly the union of hearts, and
it is precisely this place that the Lord chose as the home of his son, Jesus of Nazareth, a place of
love and peace. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>If we now look at Joseph and Mary, we see that they are among those who espouse this
way of living and thinking. They were a religious and prayerful couple, committed to the
observance of the Law of Moses. They probably made an annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Their
faith is close to the realities of every day life and work. It is the same spirit of simplicity, love,
patience and obedience that animates them. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>In their family life in this village, they experience simplicity and the absence of
domination in human relationships. At the heart of this life, they have learned to turn to God, to
cry out their distress. They rely on his goodness and mercy, and praise is the expression of their
spirituality. And it was in this humble home of Nazareth that God was to find a home and was
born in Bethlehem. It's not his lineage, his wealth, or the size of his population that will make
him famous. It will be its smallness. We understand what this means for us, what the Lord
expects of us in terms of attitude: the spirit of poverty, humility. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>We are sometimes ashamed of our smallness. We believe that holiness is a matter of
virtue, whereas it is first and foremost a matter of faith and openness to God. Contemplating
Jesus, St. Paul said:<i> "He became poor for you out of riches, so that you might be enriched by his
poverty"</i> (2 Cor. 8:9). </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>On the other hand, we have the founder of the Catholic Apostolate, St. Vincent Pallotti,
who knocked on the conscience of the laity as one knocks on a door" (Pope Paul VI, September
1, 1963 in Frascati). He affirms: <i>"The fundamental rule of our little Congregation is the life of
Our Lord Jesus Christ to imitate him with all possible perfection"</i>. He intended a small
congregation as the small village of Nazareth, with simplicity in the foundation and objectives
of the apostolate, as in the Nazareth way of life. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>Vincenzo Pallotti, Vincent in French, was born in Rome on April 21, 1795 into a middle class family. The Lord, provider of all things, chose to have His Son born in a small, poor,
unnamed village. Saint Vincent Pallotti came from a middle-class family, but he decided to serve
the cause of the poor and destitute. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span> He decided to start from greatness, just as God, Creator and Giver of all riches, decided to
let His only Son to be born and live in simplicity, despite the difficulties he had to brave. In fact,
as we can see here, Vincent Pallotti decided to be a saint with all his might. He decided to give
his all – knowing that it's God who makes saints. But you can't become a saint without giving it
your all, without wanting it with all your might, without a very great desire, as Jesus manifested.
You can't become a saint by leading a quiet life, letting yourself go, always trying to do the
minimum... Committing yourself to the path of holiness means changing your life, giving yourself
totally without keeping anything for yourself. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>Vincent Pallotti is known throughout the city for his charitable work, where the
population often lived in wretched conditions. When a cholera epidemic broke out, he threw
himself wholeheartedly into caring for the sick, taking risks with his own health. In the same
way, God left Jesus in this environment, with no concern for the living conditions or the
environment. He was known throughout the city for his charitable work, where people often
lived in miserable conditions. When a cholera epidemic broke out, he threw himself
wholeheartedly into caring for the sick, taking risks with his own health. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>This obliged Vincent Pallotti to restate ever more clearly the objectives of his Society of
Catholic Apostolate, which were none other than to imitate and follow Christ in his work of
Redemption, and to kindle and nurture the fires of zeal and love. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ms. Genevieve Bofia </span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: medium;">UAC Member - Cameroon</span></div><p></p>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-74550685084616364582023-12-01T18:50:00.000-08:002023-12-16T19:02:21.914-08:00Apostles for Today December 2023<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfa4SNZ_mByaP7qk7wXWFifH6aWjuLw716dO2jBSZv2f7dF_z592Hb38hC18AStDyLQAy9KTsYgUM0odFZvv7yjDZAfhHgAIE6tx1wUGtek_OhXegjtxp5i9KyMUdIVyEClbahkgTifBf9GNffXBguPE8oLdiD7c4EQLGDdeKxOr2MGpMy-p6KLJf4gBDq/s171/image20200201210925.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="128" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfa4SNZ_mByaP7qk7wXWFifH6aWjuLw716dO2jBSZv2f7dF_z592Hb38hC18AStDyLQAy9KTsYgUM0odFZvv7yjDZAfhHgAIE6tx1wUGtek_OhXegjtxp5i9KyMUdIVyEClbahkgTifBf9GNffXBguPE8oLdiD7c4EQLGDdeKxOr2MGpMy-p6KLJf4gBDq/s1600/image20200201210925.bmp" width="128" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: xx-large;"> Apostles for Today</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;">December 2023</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Faith and Love: <br />The Essence of a Christian Family</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Bible repeatedly emphasizes the family as the sanctuary of life, and the Holy Family of Nazareth stands as the prime example. What made it special? Christ was at its center, and with God dwelling there, heaven was right in their midst. As someone wisely said, 'A happy family is but an earlier heaven,' and how true that rings.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Like every family, the family of Nazareth experienced both joys and challenges. They faced unique circumstances, including Mary being with child before living with Joseph, having to journey during her time to give birth, poverty, the necessity to escape to a distant country on a donkey's back, and moments like Jesus being lost. Mary likely endured all the sorrow foretold by Simeon, a piercing of her heart. They encountered rejection, accusations against Jesus, and the heartbreaking moment when Mary witnessed Jesus' crucifixion. What sustained them through it all? Their profound love for the Lord and for each other, their obedience to God, and their unwavering commitment to submit to God’s will through hard work and toil.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">For our families too, the fundamental rule remains unchanged. Christ must take centre stage, ensuring the constant and sure presence of God.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My early memories include rising with the dawn to walk to church for Holy Mass alongside my parents and siblings. I am thankful to have been born into a devout Catholic family. My father, a role model, prioritized Jesus and the sacraments, instilling in us the importance of practicing faith and upholding tradition. Sundays and first Fridays were marked by confession and Holy Communion without fail.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My childhood is adorned with cherished memories of joyful family moments with mom, dad, and my five siblings. Our tender love for each other created a close-knit bond where the older siblings cared for the little ones, and love and sacrifice were woven into the fabric of our lives. Together, we prayed, shared daily experiences – both the good and the challenging – offering encouragement and support.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Dad and mom instilled in us a love for God and others, teaching us the importance of prayer and guiding us on the path of values, morals, kindness, faithfulness, and gentleness.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Despite not having everything we desired, we found contentment in what we possessed. Instilled with gratitude, we consistently thanked the Lord for every blessing. Growing up in a nurturing family moulds individuals capable of standing tall as adults. We owe a profound debt of gratitude to our parents, the architects of the foundation that shaped us. As time passed, the moment arrived for me to start my own family. The values passed down from both my parents and my husband's parents played a crucial role in shaping and constructing a warm home for our three children – a divine gift bestowed upon us by God.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As our children grew, they brought both joy and challenges into our lives. As parents, we embraced the responsibility of meeting their evolving needs. We provided them with abundant love, comfort, and most importantly, imparted the faith inherited from our own parents. We emphasized the genuine value of things, instilled morals, and cultivated good values. Together, we attended mass, prayed the Rosary, and delved into God's Word. Family prayers took centre stage in our evenings.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Dinner time became a cherished moment for sharing, listening, and expressing care with patience and love. We invested considerable time and effort in nurturing interpersonal relationships and addressing the emotional dimensions of life.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ups and downs are inherent in our earthly journey. Just when life seemed to be flourishing, my husband received a cancer diagnosis, and our children were still very young. We navigated through the most challenging times. Despite the darkness that enveloped us, we felt the divine presence offering strength and solace. Our extended family provided unwavering support. Eventually, my husband lost his battle and succumbed to cancer. The days, weeks, months, and years that ensued were challenging, yet our resilient faith, a pure grace, remained our anchor. Guided by the Lord who walked beside us, we found the strength to persevere. As grown-ups, the elder children have broadened the sphere of love in our family with their marriages. The addition of Adam, my grandchild, a profound blessing, has further expanded this circle.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Indeed, as God's word states, 'Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.' The truth of these words resonates in the joy a grandchild brings. Witnessing his growth, especially in love for the Lord, is a precious gift. Recently, his parents shared with me that, at just nine years old, he eagerly arrives at school early every day. When I asked him why, his response was truly remarkable: 'I go to the school chapel and pray to Jesus before classes start!' Isn't that simply beautiful?"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My heart overflows with gratitude to the Lord for His unwavering faithfulness, love, grace, and blessings, often bestowed upon us even when we are unaware. If only we pause and reflect, we come to realize that our Lord is a generous God, willing to provide not only what we ask for but even what we haven't dared to imagine.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In conclusion, a good Christian family stands as a testament to the enduring power of love, faith, and values. Through the trials and triumphs, the foundation laid by parents becomes a guiding light for generations. It's a commitment to God at the centre, a dedication to passing on the torch of faith, and a willingness to navigate life's challenges with unwavering trust. As we reflect on the lessons learned from the Holy Family, it becomes evident that a good Christian family is a sanctuary of grace, where the echoes of love and faith resound across time. May our families, rooted in Christ's teachings, continue to be beacons of light, nurturing the values that transcend generations.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mrs Teresa Kattukaran</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">UAC Member, Bangalore, India</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-19642130616656832662023-10-31T18:47:00.002-07:002023-10-31T19:06:58.108-07:00Apostles for today - November 2023<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPhS8DEXg1neCQwkbcGDpYGa__DLdBt1nwPojFB8o97q5mvYTZVoXg_SopTcRzxPbnsgCLrROr2SA5H8WUgf2PRaEdO0dJlFZ_1FyRueq09x0HPZoglda0n-c5OTpB06WMUd1I8AeXJSo2T5U8hoOcF1JTmxlprSy6uzVM-w_kPV1JUAGxK_-YdqNke8x/s1415/St%20VincentP_040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1415" data-original-width="995" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPhS8DEXg1neCQwkbcGDpYGa__DLdBt1nwPojFB8o97q5mvYTZVoXg_SopTcRzxPbnsgCLrROr2SA5H8WUgf2PRaEdO0dJlFZ_1FyRueq09x0HPZoglda0n-c5OTpB06WMUd1I8AeXJSo2T5U8hoOcF1JTmxlprSy6uzVM-w_kPV1JUAGxK_-YdqNke8x/w141-h200/St%20VincentP_040.jpg" width="141" /></a></div> <span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;">Apostles for Today</span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;">Prayer and Reflection</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;">November 2023</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Do not turn your face away from anyone<br /> who is poor” (Tb 4:7)</span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;">With this invitation, Pope Francis invites us to live the World Day of the Poor, which falls this year on 19 November. We propose the same passage from the Old Testament to live our monthly meditation in the month of November and remain in tune with the thought of the Universal Church.<br /><br />It is an evocative and strong invitation, taken from the book of Tobit. But lived firsthand by Jesus as the evangelists bear witness in the New Testament. There we find numerous accounts of Jesus surrounded by the poor, the sick, the needy of all kinds. It would be good in our meditation to close our eyes and imagine Jesus in precisely these situations; touching lepers, stooping down to the sick, consoling those who weep, listening to those who stop him, looking at the person, etc..... Jesus teaches us to look at such people with caring attention, with attention that recognizes human dignity despite everything, to recognize each person as having a name. Remember that the poor in Jesus’ episodes in the Gospels have names: a poor man named Lazarus stood at his door, covered with sores, eager to eat what fell from the rich man's table (... Lk 16:19-31</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">)</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">; Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper (... Mk 14:3-9</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">)</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;">In our sharing in the community, we sometimes talk about the poor that we know, that we meet every day around the Vatican. Many of us know them by name, because we stop with them to talk, to listen to them. We can agree that sometimes it is easier to give a euro in alms, to pay for a sandwich, a cappuccino, than to stop and give them some of your time to talk or listen. <br /><br />It is touching when these poor young people ask you: Sister, aren't you ashamed to talk to me? Listening to their life story, you realize that maybe you could end up like them or you were lucky not to be there; they can teach you what they want most, what help they are waiting for. It is obvious that they normally want to eat but above all to be recognized as human beings, worthy of respect. Sometimes they point out that we who stop with them to talk, who give them a handshake, who bring them a sandwich and look them in the eye treat them as human beings and not as rejects of humanity. What is important - 'Do not look away from the poor' - see in the poor a friend of God.<br /><br />For us Christians, it is important to continue to pray for them and motivate them to change their lives with new choices. It is certainly an action that requires gentleness and courage. We think of one homeless man who was sleeping on the Vatican grounds until a saintly woman spoke to him, prayed for him, and then we can say a miracle happened. This man asked himself - what do I do with my life? To be brief, he rediscovered his faith and the desire to change his life drove him to eventually get a role in Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ, in which he plays a Roman soldier in the scene of the scourging. His life was completely changed. We think of another poor man, an acquaintance, a talented painter but addicted to alcohol who ended up on the streets. One of our nuns gave so much time, showed so much patience, accompanied him for so many hours to help him change his life. He now lives in a community and also continues to paint, and has even done several portraits of St Vincent Pallotti.<br /><br />We, the Pallottine Missionary Sisters who live in Rome, can touch various forms of poverty at close quarters in our guest house: poor people without food or drink who come almost every day to ask for a hot meal or a sandwich; people abandoned by relatives, or without any relatives at all - so much loneliness that hurts and needs to be filled with human warmth even for a short time. That is why people return to us because they feel at home.<br /><br />Certainly physical poverty is more visible, closer to our everyday life. But we know that there are many other poverty's, existential peripheries that cry out for our help. We often share in the community among ourselves how much spiritual poverty and suffering we can experience here. Often having as guests the families of sick children, admitted to the <i>Bambino Gesù</i> Hospital, we spend a lot of time listening to their parents torn apart by pain, anguish and worries. Listening and<br />consoling, crying together with them and giving them the courage to endure by entrusting them to God's love - this is a great mission and challenge for all of us every day. "Do not look away from the poor" (Tob 4:7). <br /><br />We desire that this biblical recommendation always echo in our ears and hearts.<br />"Haste, by now the daily companion of our lives, prevents us from stopping to help care for others ", Pope Francis writes in his letter this year. Let us keep this in mind but not allow it to influence our choices.<br /><br />St Vincent Pallotti always had a special concern for the poor and the weak. We already know by heart his desire to become food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, clothing to cover the naked, etc. This desire of his never ceases to be to us, the members of his Pallottine Family, a strong examination of conscience, never leaving us in peace but calling us to continuously live the creative sharing of our material and spiritual resources, our time and talents.<br /><br />Fr. Francesco Amoroso SAC wrote: The sick gave him no respite; in order to be able to answer everyone, he placed a box at the door of the rectory, where those who knocked, if there was no one there, would give their address and, as soon as they returned, he, or a priest of the Society, would rush to the call. He brought food and medicine to the sick and served them; he also organized a daily distribution of soup, for the poor, in the courtyard of the building next to the rectory. It seemed as if he would succumb, that he had contracted the disease; someone said to him: "Father, you are tired, rest!", he replied: "We will rest in Paradise!"<br /><br />In this meditation we ask for the help and intercession of dear Saint Vincent to have eyes that are always open, a sensitive heart that never stops loving, the courage to respond and the readiness to share. The saints teach us to always see in others the face of God, and especially in the poor and suffering the face of the suffering Jesus. This good practice does not allow us to remain indifferent to any face of poverty.<br /><br />Only in this way can we become more and more the joy of our Lord, the joy of those we have helped, and fill our lives with joy and meaning. We all need this.<br /><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: georgia; font-size: small;">Community of the Pallottine Missionary Sisters House of Procura - Rome</span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: georgia; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-74105915882879320292023-10-09T13:58:00.000-07:002023-10-09T13:58:31.037-07:00Apostles for Today - October 2023<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhclL2WxhcyT-bm7mX-LtapCO30Dc5SqCKDhxNcnd_MZ2k40fUj4bRDbp4YEThhj8IZ8TFDHgzj53ntNPKPJKflkRgpp-qspC3gTQIxvko5vsrOQYavqAIZ0_wATdJR2EOhuVGJ977h2BbqIAOhyphenhyphenHTCrAJV60cpLpmw46FMHs2WQ0gIdmMB3OlReteSK1q9/s140/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="104" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhclL2WxhcyT-bm7mX-LtapCO30Dc5SqCKDhxNcnd_MZ2k40fUj4bRDbp4YEThhj8IZ8TFDHgzj53ntNPKPJKflkRgpp-qspC3gTQIxvko5vsrOQYavqAIZ0_wATdJR2EOhuVGJ977h2BbqIAOhyphenhyphenHTCrAJV60cpLpmw46FMHs2WQ0gIdmMB3OlReteSK1q9/s1600/image.png" width="104" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Apostles For Today</span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">October 2023</span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Burning Hearts, Walking Feet<br /><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">For years now, the month of October has become a focal point for missionary awareness and activity. World Mission Sunday, which always takes place on the penultimate Sunday of the month, was established by Pope Pius XI in 1926 and it is thanks to this day of prayer, mobilization and gathering that the entire month has become known as "Mission Month"!<br /><br />Mission is not something to be thought of and accomplished in just one month of the year. We know well that mission is vital and essential for the Church to be truly Church: "the Church is by its very nature missionary," teaches the Decree <i>Ad Gentes</i> of the Second Vatican Council. The post-conciliar pontifical Magisterium has also deepened and made even clearer this ecclesial missionary self-awareness <br /><br />(1). For example, in his Message for Mission Sunday 2012, Pope Benedict XVI wrote that the mission <i>ad gentesis,</i> in fact, the "paradigm of all ecclesial action"! Pope Francis took up this expression in Evangelii Gaudium and, in a meeting with the Governing Council of <i>CELAM</i> - the Episcopal Conference of Latin America and the Caribbean - explained that the "paradigm is the yardstick," the yardstick of all ecclesial institutions and activities. In other words, mission, proclamation, evangelization are the measure of the value and evaluation of the whole Church!<br /><br />But why this? Is it just out of a desire to propagandize? Or to increase the number of followers? Does mission arise out of an impulse to proselytize? Or does mission exist out of a desire for power, to make the Church stronger or Christianity more hegemonic?<br />No! These cannot be the missionary motives! These are not the reasons why mission is truly crucial and the sine-qua-non condition for the Church to be truly Church.<br />Mission is essential because it is the direct result, the visible consequence, the overflow of that experience of faith and salvation, the fruit of the intimate encounter with Jesus, who gives Life and gives it abundantly (cf. Jn. 10:10)!<br />When the bishops of Latin America and the Caribi gathered for their Fifth Conference in Aparecida, Brazil, in 2007, they recognized this unique and saving experience as the motivation for all the Church's missionary activity. This is what he urged in the final document of that Fifth Conference:<br />"We cannot fail to take advantage of this hour of grace. We need a new Pentecost! We must go out to meet people, families, communities and peoples to communicate and share with them the gift of the encounter with Christ, who has filled our lives with 'meaning,' truth and love, joy and hope!We cannot sit and wait passively in our temples, but we must urgently go out in all directions to proclaim that evil and death do not have the last word, that love is stronger, that we have been liberated and saved by the paschal victory of the Lord of history, who calls us together as the Church and wants to multiply the number of his disciples to build his Kingdom on our continent! <br />Let us be witnesses and missionaries: in the great cities and countryside, in the mountains and forests of our America, in all environments of social coexistence, in the most diverse "<i>areopagus</i>" of the public life of nations, in the extreme situations of existence, assuming <i>ad gentes</i> our solicitude for the universal mission of the Church."<br />In addition to the inspiring, enthusiastic and contagious content of these words, the bishops made it clear that a person is "missionarily" active only if Jesus has become essential in his or her life. "We must go out to meet people, families, communities and peoples to communicate and share with them the gift of the encounter with Christ, who has filled our lives with 'meaning,' truth and love, joy and hope." So it is true that we need to go out ad gentes, to meet people, but this will only be possible IF-and "only" IF-He, Christ, has filled and continues to fill our lives with meaning... <br />Now, if Jesus no longer has a central value in a person's experience of life and faith, that person will not be impelled in the least to go out to meet others, to evangelize, to serve and to love. Pope John Paul II had already clarified the relationship between the experience of faith in Christ and missionary vigor: "In the history of the Church, in fact, the missionary impulse has always been a sign of vitality, just as its decline is a sign of a crisis of faith" (RM 2).<br /><br />Therefore, mission is the result of a profound experience of faith...on the other hand, the cooling, weakness and even questioning of missionary action would be the sign of a crisis... Of a crisis of faith! a crisis of faith!<br />It is along these lines that we can best understand Pope Francis' message for this year's World Mission Day. Inspired by the episode of the disciples on the road to Emmaus (cf. Lk. 24:13-15), he proposed the following theme, "Burning Hearts, Walking Feet."<br />According to the Pope, "those two disciples were confused and disillusioned, but the encounter with Christ in the Word and in the broken Bread kindled in them the enthusiasm to set out on the road to Jerusalem and announce that the Lord was truly risen." Identifying this necessary heart-warming experience of faith, Pope Francis also teaches that it is from this experience that eyes are opened to recognize the Lord and feet move to proclaim him.<br /><br />The faithful Christian is one who makes up his mind for Jesus, accepts his commandments and seeks to live them. The heart of this believer must be a heart in love, and therefore warmed by love. Nor should it be confused with being "crazy in love." In fact, when our founder St. Vincent Pallotti writes "God alone, alone, alone, alone.... My God alone! " (OOCC X, p. 66) - and he writes it that way, over and over again - perhaps an unsuspecting person would think he is crazy... but a poet would recognize in this repetition of words - precisely because they cannot express true feeling - a heart in love!<br />So, the driving force of this saint's life, his personal holiness, his way of understanding and living the Church, and the fruits of his commitment were all rooted in his mystical experience of God (2): it is from a heart warmed by the experience of faith that we see all the apostolic vigor of our founder arise.<br /><br />This is also what Pope Francis teaches us in his message:<br />"One cannot truly encounter the risen Jesus without being inflamed by the desire to speak of him to all. That is why the first and foremost resource for mission are those who have recognized the risen Christ in the Scriptures and in the Eucharist, and who carry his fire in their hearts and his light in their eyes. They can witness to the life that never dies, even in the most difficult situations and darkest moments."<br />We could present so many apostolic and missionary reflections here, as well as so many models and plans. They are really necessary, because mission is not done on the spur of the moment: it takes technique, plans and organization. But all this is a second step. It is an afterthought. Missionary vigor comes from the heart-warming experience of faith. Thus, feet will go where they need to go and hands will reach those they need to embrace only if the hearts of the faithful are already convinced that the One who came first and embraced, welcomed and loved has become essential to their story.<br />Therefore, the first attitude of a missionary must be to cultivate a deep and intimate life with Jesus, the apostle of the Eternal Father, through Word, Eucharist and Community. It is by starting from Christ and abiding in His Love (cf. Jn. 15:9) that we will be more active, more missionary and more apostolic!<br /><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Questions for personal and community prayer:</i></span><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />1. Is the person of the risen Jesus Christ really essential in my life?<br />2. If yes, why don't I have the courage to "get out of myself" and reach out to others to proclaim the great joy of believing? <br />3. What is the fear that paralyzes and encapsulates me, depriving me of my missionary enthusiasm?<br />4. After naming this paralyzing fear, how about praying with it, handing it over to Jesus to help you overcome it?<br /><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">P. Daniel Rocchetti, SAC</span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />............................................................................................................................................<br /></span></b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">1. Paul VI with the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi; John Paul II with the Encyclical <i>Redemptoris Missio;</i> Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium.<br />2. <i>Ratio Institutionis</i> of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate, Rome 2004, no. 79. (The text of the "Ratio Institutionis SAC" in six languages can be found at www.sac.info, SAC Documents - IDENTITY OF THE SAC, <i>Ratio Institutionis</i>)</span><br /></b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></p>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-6891269423742444562023-09-06T12:05:00.002-07:002023-09-06T12:05:55.448-07:00Apostles for Today - Sept 2023<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCWCTqngsyRihiRE5CcS1zLwj-0SO23dEWVkmTns2v0rT1Kpkgt28SMq32SUPCN3674CuyJAyvISV7PCeEqxPW88YWrBVLlrytb1eck9xnUcsHXqyO4UvtIJWEfJWaYD9cscMwwGqPIemQSUbvmcvIT0CO5b-3NOJ3D7yhzZnudqhf5T2WgaHTRbTvNkw/s171/image20200201210925.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="128" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCWCTqngsyRihiRE5CcS1zLwj-0SO23dEWVkmTns2v0rT1Kpkgt28SMq32SUPCN3674CuyJAyvISV7PCeEqxPW88YWrBVLlrytb1eck9xnUcsHXqyO4UvtIJWEfJWaYD9cscMwwGqPIemQSUbvmcvIT0CO5b-3NOJ3D7yhzZnudqhf5T2WgaHTRbTvNkw/s1600/image20200201210925.bmp" width="128" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> <b>Apostles for T</b></span><span style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><b>oday</b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: center;"><b><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>September -2023</b></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Overcoming Fear and Anxiety </b></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A few years ago I was ministering in a parish in one of the poorest neighborhoods of Paris. I was a parish priest and at the same time leading the Divine Mercy Apostolate movement of our Pallottine Region in France. The goal of this movement is to spread devotion to the Merciful Jesus by organizing prayer and formation meetings, publishing books, pamphlets and pictures.... Walking to church for one of the prayer meetings organized by the Apostolate of Mercy, I passed migrants living on the street around the church. There were really hundreds of them, and among them were women and children, including pregnant women! Preaching that evening about God's mercy, I felt very uncomfortable: a moment ago you passed by homeless migrants and refugees sitting on the ground, and now you are trying with words to convince the faithful gathered for prayer that God is merciful and leans over everyone, especially the poor, the suffering, the little ones... That evening made me realize that I cannot remain confined within the walls of the church and rectory. The Pope calls for the proclamation of the Risen Christ in the periphery, that is, in places where there is no God, but also in the so-called existential periphery marked by material poverty, spiritual poverty, loneliness, sadness, illness, suffering, indifference, rejection…
These peripheries were around our church. I began to go around the streets of the parish every day to meet homeless migrants, the vast majority of them newcomers from Africa. After a while, a group of parishioners formed and began not only to visit the homeless but also to help them. Many took up residence in the parish, while the children went to Catholic schools. Our Pallottine parish began to be known in Paris for its help to migrants. But there was also a lot of criticism: "we already have too many migrants", "your help encourages others to come".
I am not in favor of migration. People should not have to leave their families and homes and travel far, often at the risk of their lives, to seek a better life. Pope Francis mentions this in his Encyclical Fratelli Tutti (38-39): Emigrants "experience separation from their environment of origin and often cultural and religious uprooting. The rupture of contact also affects the communities of origin, which lose the most energetic and enterprising members, and families, especially in the case of the migration of one or both parents leaving their children in their country of origin". Therefore, "before the right to emigrate, it is necessary to realise the right not to emigrate, that is, to be able to stay in one's own land".
The charitable and educational work of the missionaries, including those of the Pallottines, and their assistance to the poor in countries affected by war or poverty, is intended precisely so that people can look to the future with confidence, staying at home and among their own. This is also the meaning of, for example, the action "Adoption of the Heart", run by the Pallottines in Poland, which consists in helping children from poorer families in some missionary countries. Donors help the children by paying for their schooling, financing the purchase of school materials, food, necessary medicines and anything else that is necessary at a given time for the development of a particular child. Currently, 3,500 children are covered by this action. The Region of Divine Mercy joined in this action: on the occasion of its 75th anniversary, a solemn jubilee celebration was dispensed with, offering 75 annual scholarships for the children.
Pope Francis, like his predecessors, continues to call for a fairer and more solidarity-based world. On 23 September this year, he will be present in Marseille for the conclusion of the Mediterranean Encounter. The event will bring together Catholic bishops, representatives of other Churches and young people of all faiths to discuss the challenges facing the Mediterranean region. And these challenges are many: geopolitical, socio-economic, environmental and precisely migration challenges. In the face of these challenges, we Christians are called to mobilize. How? First of all, by praying for illuminating reflections to be inspired by the Holy Spirit and by acting as Christ would have done in the face of these problems. Unfortunately, many of our brothers and sisters are still forced to migrate. In the history of the Church, concrete assistance to migrants and refugees is not new. In the prayer and works of the Church there has always been a special place for those who have had to leave their own, who live in a foreign land, who suffer. By caring for the excluded, the poor, the weak, something of the face of Christ is revealed to us." The Church's action in favor of the weakest, the excluded, has its origin in the life and teaching of Christ himself, but already in the Old Testament we read: "A stranger, settled among you, you shall regard as a native. You shall love him as yourselves, for you too were sojourners in the land of Egypt" (Lev 19:32-34).
Working in a Paris parish and developing the work of helping migrants and refugees, I have met Christians, including even priests or nuns, who have pointed out that this help is sometimes morally questionable because some of them have arrived illegally and have no right of residence. It is therefore necessary to keep reminding people that the Church is not there to make laws that states must enact. But the Church must proclaim, also through charitable works towards migrants, that there is an impassable red line, which is the limit of respect for human dignity. The Church is the one who reminds us that human dignity is inviolable, from conception to natural death. This dignity is also inviolable when a foreigner arrives on our soil. It is not up to us to decide whether they legally have the right to stay or not. No matter what. Every person must be treated with dignity. Even one who is on the territory of a country illegally. Helping such persons is not an exhortation to disobey the laws of the state, but is a prophetic cry that for the love of one's neighbor there are no limits.
Sometimes extending a helping hand to a migrant may be considered illegal by the law, but it is an obligation to our humanity. This, incidentally, is what the headmaster of a Catholic school in Paris, who collaborated with us, said, when accused of taking in migrant minors residing in France illegally: "maybe what I am doing is illegal, but it is loyal to our humanity and to our faith". While claiming the right to unconditionally care for migrants and refugees in need, the Church does not call for breaking the law, but reminds us that no law can put a limit to love of neighbors. So before we consider the presence of migrants and refugees in any territory, we first have a duty to care for them. This is probably what Jesus Christ would have done, this is what Vincent Pallotti would have done too. Because the poor, the migrants, the refugees are like the tabernacle in which Christ is present. If that needy person is before me, it is because the Lord has given him to me as a neighbor that he is entrusted to me so that I can take care of Him.
This is not always easy. In our societies, communities and families, there are fears that the newcomer, especially the poor, 'stranger' who needs help, is a threat to my well-being, to my future, to my values. "What remains today is faith, hope and charity; but of these three the greatest is charity," reads St Paul the Apostle's letter to the Corinthians. Mercy is a word that refers directly to love, the source of which is God himself. This is how I distinguish mercy from solidarity or humanitarianism. By doing good in the name of solidarity or humanitarianism, I am doing something good for another, for one who is in need.
An act of mercy, on the other hand, is allowing Christ to express His love for each person through our concrete actions. It is also expressing our love to Christ by leaning on my brother or sister: "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matt 25:40). By opening myself to a refugee or migrant, I open myself to Christ. By seeing the dignity of the person in the refugee and migrant, I also see it in myself. Through this, we grow together.
Saint Vincent Pallotti understood this perfectly. And he did not remain here only in the realm of fine words and theories. In 1844, he sends one of his companions, Fr Rafael Melia, from Rome to minister among the Italian emigrants living in London. Two years later he was joined by Joseph Faa di Bruno. They begin efforts to build a church dedicated to St Peter, which would become a center of not only spiritual and moral, but also social and material help for Italian emigrants. One could even say that the Pallottine mission among the Italians in London was the prototype of the pastoral action undertaken in the name of the Church and at the request of Pope Pius IX himself. In fact, it found recognition in the Apostolic Constitution of Pius XII on the spiritual care of emigrants (Exsul Familia) of 1 August 1952. In it, Pope Pacelli writes as follows: "We feel it a pleasant duty to mention the person of Blessed Vincent Pallotti, founder of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate. For we ourselves called him 'the glory and adornment of the Roman clergy', including him in the luminous company of the Blessed when the Jubilee celebrations of the universal Church began. It was he who, driven by love of souls and a desire to consolidate the faith among the Italians emigrating to England, directed many members of his congregation to London to undertake the spiritual care of his compatriots there" (no. 13).
In 1884, Fr Emiliano Kirner, a Pallottine of German origin, set off for the United States, where he organized the first parish for Italians, building a shrine to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. In time, this shrine would become a point of reference for all Italian migrants in the United States and a place around which various works of social assistance would be developed. Already two years later, in 1886, a dozen Pallottine confreres began their ministry among Italian migrants in Uruguay and Brazil. Maintaining religious customs, culture and the Italian language, the Pallottines did not undertake only the pastoral care for Italian migrants. They also contributed to the emergence of new cities, which even in their names remain very Italian: Santa Maria, Nova Treviso, Nova Palma or Palotina (see Fr. Stanislaw Stawicki, Holy Fathers of Migrants)
Pallotti wrote: "Whoever abides in love (that is, whoever practices acts of love) remains in God and God in him. If, therefore, one wishes to abide in God and desires God to be in him, he must abide in love (that is, he must abide in the practice of love). Love concerns God and neighbor. Thus friend or foe, Catholic or heretic, pagan or infidel, Christian or Jew, compatriot or foreigner of any nation on earth - is our neighbor" (OO CC, III, p. 152). Today, in the many countries where members of the Union of the Catholic Apostolate, spiritual disciples of Pallotti, minister, there are hundreds of thousands of foreigners: refugees from war, persecution or poverty. How do we express to them, both individually and communally, the love and care of which Pallotti wrote and which he concretely showed by sending Rafael Melia 179 years ago to care for migrants? The positive effects of this courageous decision are still bearing fruit today. May Saint Vincent Pallotti, by his intercession and example, help us to overcome our fears and apprehensions so that, in building the Kingdom of God, we do not stop at enjoying a certain security and complacency, but know how to accept risks and face new challenges with confidence.
</span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Fr. Krzysztof Hermanowicz SAC</span></span></div><p></p><div><br /></div>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-67058429022147404472023-08-29T21:24:00.001-07:002023-08-29T21:24:51.867-07:00Apostles for Today - August 2023<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqL2thbIuRybI_6BksZxWnB55U84OW1RvKK1kOtXM0vjPpdd94FvxCeMzI5eHCVUfO-a49SIylY0YmSiNLXtgCdw22xzHHSZLHAw4N_GEN1TdnJS8Yrso2If6wM58pv3woWzLEphrJBuPttfXniJvnZB-bhGONLQAK_Et2eTuszYxpq9EQMxjGpmyKKSF/s140/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="104" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqL2thbIuRybI_6BksZxWnB55U84OW1RvKK1kOtXM0vjPpdd94FvxCeMzI5eHCVUfO-a49SIylY0YmSiNLXtgCdw22xzHHSZLHAw4N_GEN1TdnJS8Yrso2If6wM58pv3woWzLEphrJBuPttfXniJvnZB-bhGONLQAK_Et2eTuszYxpq9EQMxjGpmyKKSF/s1600/image.png" width="104" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;">Apostles for Today</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">August 2023</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The young men and Mary</b></span> <b>... <i>She got up and ran </i></b>(Lk 1:39)</p><p style="text-align: left;"> In the spiritual life, we are blessed to have pivotal religious who assist us in the responsibilities that the Lord uses
to shape our destiny. For me, they are Fr. Frederick Link, Sr. Carmel Therese CSAC, Fr. Joseph Lasak SAC, Fr.
Peter Sticco SAC, Fr. Jacob Nampudakam SAC, and Pope Francis.</p><p style="text-align: left;"> Fr. Link, a diocesan priest in the United States, received his vocation at the canonization of St. Vincent Pallotti.
54 years later, again in Rome, he asked the young woman he had baptized two decades ago if she would like to
see a special Church.</p><p style="text-align: left;">In an instant, St. Vincent became the saint of my conversion, and the saint I promised my life to. </p><p style="text-align: left;"> These imitators of Christ tap the essential dynamism of youth, on the exhilarating premise of complete trust in the
Holy Spirit’s determinative fire and genius in young people. Their accompaniment, good humor, and
encouragement, “linked with spiritual direction, is a systematic school of the interior life”. (St. John Paul II,<i> Dilecti
Amici</i>) </p><p style="text-align: left;">Through the Society’s Immaculate Conception Province, I’ve been blessed to witness the spontaneity and passion
of the Fathers, Brothers, Sisters, and Lay Youth Leaders who are involved in creating and realizing flourishing
youth ministries for the Pallottine Congregations across the world.
Likewise, seated in Rome for six years, I’ve been equally blessed to meet the Pallottine greats. </p><p style="text-align: left;">An African proverb
says that when an old man dies, a library burns to the ground; and when an elderly woman dies, a school burns to
the ground.</p><p style="text-align: left;"> Fr. Wolfgang Weiss SAC pointed me to the words of Juliana of Norwich, who wrote in her Revelation of Divine
Love that "all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all matters of things shall be well." </p><p style="text-align: left;">Mother Lilia Capretti CSAC (+) explained that “we are in two different stages of our life; mine, the end; yours,
the beginning. Both are beautiful; do not be afraid.”
And the three books </p><p style="text-align: left;">Fr. Nicolàs Drieling SAC (+) sent to Rome from Turdera, on St. Vincent’s Argentinian
history, reached me only after his death. They are now cherished on a shelf in the Union office. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Those that truly lead the youth are intensely grounded in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ; courageously pointing
to <i>“ideals other than those of this world, testifying to the beauty of generosity, service, purity, perseverance,
forgiveness, fidelity to our personal vocation, prayer, the pursuit of justice and the common good, love for the
poor, and social friendship.”</i> (Pope Francis, <i>Christus Vivit</i>) </p><p style="text-align: left;">When I reflect upon these experiences, I recall the words of St. Therese of Lisieux: we do not need complicated
means. The youth apostolate, then, can be meditated upon with one conversation in the Gospel.</p><p style="text-align: left;"> <i>“Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you
will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”</i> (Mark 10:1)
St. John Paul II writes to young people that <i>“this meeting has a universal and timeless character, it holds good
constantly and continually, throughout centuries and generations.”</i> </p><p style="text-align: left;"> Manifested is a profound truth of man, and an honest question that the Union - when viewed in its <i>juridical
structure</i> and <i>central governance </i>as an Association of the Faithful - must ask itself. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>Have we gone away sorrowful, overly fearful and tied to our structures? Have we resisted change, to the point
where young people do not see the Union as relevant or critical to their lives? Are the roles we assign to the youth
passive, so that we can stifle a different style, schedule, pace, and method?</i> (Cf Pope Francis, <i>Christus Vivit</i>) </p><p style="text-align: left;">St. Paul VI professed that Pallotti enriched the Christian community <i>“not for the passive and quiet acceptance of
faith, but for the active and militant profession of it.” </i></p><p style="text-align: left;">
To attract the youth, Union members must rise to the consciousness of their commitment. A consciousness that
declares <i>“we are responsible! Tremendous, dynamic, disturbing, energetic; and who understands it can no longer
remain sleepless and indifferent!”</i> (St. Pope Paul VI Homily on St. Vincent Pallotti, Frascati 1 September 1963) </p><p style="text-align: left;">These same verbs are the characteristics of the theme of this year’s World Youth Day;<i> “Mary arose and went in
haste.”</i> (Luke 1:39)
<i>“She did not hold back or remain indifferent; and this gave enthusiasm and direction to her life.”</i> (Pope Francis’
Message for World Youth Day, Lisbon 2023)</p><p style="text-align: left;"> Like Mary, <i>“when we are faced with urgent needs, we need to act quickly; the Holy Spirit permits no delay.”</i>
(ibid) Her focus, always directed outward, gives rise to another set of questions Pope Francis posed in his message
for Lisbon; which is best contemplated in the context of the National Coordination Councils.</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>What kind of haste do we have?</b> </li><li><b>How do we react to the needs around us? </b></li><li><b>Do we think of some reason to
immediately not get involved? </b></li><li><b>Do we show interest and willingness to help? </b>(ibid)</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"> In every instance, and at every age, <i>“the Blessed Mother is the inspiration of everyone.” </i>(Venerable Archbishop
Fulton Sheen, Your Life is Worth Living) </p><p style="text-align: left;">The first to notice if we have accepted this imperative of doing today and immediately for the Union will be the
young people, just as little children recognize and replicate the mannerisms of their parents. It will be impossible
to invest in the youth’s fearlessness wherever there is an indifference to the urgent needs of the present. </p><p style="text-align: left;">To Jesus
Himself, and the greatest saints, indifference was an insufferable endurance. Christ revealed to St. Faustina that
lukewarm souls cause Him the most suffering, so great that His heart “cannot bear it.”
Venerable Fulton Sheen professed,<i> “I wonder maybe if Our Lord does not suffer more from our indifference than
He did from the Crucifixion.”</i> (“Spectators of Indifference”) </p><p style="text-align: left;">St. Pope Paul VI preached that<i> “St. Vincent Pallotti had what the saints all possess: a warning, which becomes
painful and almost dramatic in them. Many Christians continue to be passive and forgetful of the great call that
God - with Christianity - has given the world.”</i> (Ibid 5) </p><p style="text-align: left;">And this young woman’s inexpressible pain is no different. Where she sees no urgency for structure or proper
elections, she sees the impossibility to will the good of the Union’s future. Where she sees a central governance
not at the service of the Holy See, she sees one directed to its own imminences and interests, without the spirit of
openness, or radicality <i>sine glossa</i>. (St. Francis of Assisi - “without gloss” - living the radical Gospel as it demands)
“I have many thoughts, so do you, but God has only one thought. Let us go to God.” (Ibid 10)</p><p style="text-align: left;"> All of our vocations are unique and precious gifts that create the mystical body of Christ, and just one missing
would render the Church incomplete; as each individual soul is worth more than all the world. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Mary’s haste teaches
us that the commitment to the Union is not a badge, but rather an inseparable way of life in which the daily becomes
heroic, and the heroic becomes daily. St. Zelie Martin We do not need complicated means. (The daughter of St.
Zelie Martin, St. Therese of Lisieux)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><b>
Nos cum prole pia, benedicat Virgo Maria</b></i></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
Julianne Calzonetti,<br /> a youth <br />Rome / USA (New Jersey)</span></p>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-11011077891413077862023-06-26T21:29:00.000-07:002023-06-26T21:29:31.000-07:00Apostles for today - July 2023<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDDC4cqwxePM8kLtYe-FKqKbND3TzPTF5IcFzFWpYrirNiKv4Auhu-Sje5C5SCdImMzGso8GSfHzcmlIY_3KXwVh_ocp1iOeSk_JKb9mtFkIdwqKj8QP0EKuRC9hNx9-v7Rck3wI3wkoiRDtIM9WiktzzpbqWkxMja84rtOWbJgRfSI2GbUw2g04O-xGE/s140/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="104" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDDC4cqwxePM8kLtYe-FKqKbND3TzPTF5IcFzFWpYrirNiKv4Auhu-Sje5C5SCdImMzGso8GSfHzcmlIY_3KXwVh_ocp1iOeSk_JKb9mtFkIdwqKj8QP0EKuRC9hNx9-v7Rck3wI3wkoiRDtIM9WiktzzpbqWkxMja84rtOWbJgRfSI2GbUw2g04O-xGE/s1600/image.png" width="104" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Apostles for today</span></div></span><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Prayer and Reflection </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">July 2023</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b> The elderly, living signs of God's benevolence</b></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We are all familiar with World Youth Day, but the fact that Pope Francis is inviting us for the third time to a "World Day of Grandparents and Elders" is new to many; this year it will be celebrated on 23 July. Well, as members of the Union of Catholic Apostolate, we know that Pallotti was never tired of emphasising that "everyone is called", everyone is called, always and at all times, to be an apostle, to participate in the mission of the Church and to bring faith and love to the world - everyone, including the elderly.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In the prayer to the Queen of Apostles, Pallotti points out all the ways to respond to this vocation of ours and makes us pray: "and if all else is denied us, let us not cease to pray that soon the one flock may be united under the one Shepherd Jesus Christ!" and for all of us - young and old - what Pallotti says applies: "... therefore the life of Jesus Christ, which is his apostolate be the model for the apostolate of each one" (OOCC III, 142).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">What was Pallotti's time like? Elderly care as we know it today was still unknown. Pallotti did not know his grandparents, either on his father's or mother's side. But we know how worried he was about his parents growing old and becoming ill. As a student, Pallotti was not only active in youth work, but also helped at the St. Galla Hospice, a home for the homeless. His connection with San Michele a Ripa, in Trastevere, was also multifaceted.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">For almost 30 years, Bernardino Fazzini was our founder's confessor and spiritual director. For many years he was parish priest of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere and from 1825 until his death (1837) he was rector and parish priest of the Apostolic Hospice of San Michele a Ripa. This huge complex of buildings on the Tiber housed an orphanage, a youth prison and also a rest home for lonely old men and women. Since Pallotti often visited Fazzini, he must have also visited and cared for young and old people there.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The theme of this year's 'World Day of the Grandparents and the Elderly' chosen by Pope Francis is: 'From generation to generation his mercy' (Lk 1:50) and mercy is probably one of the key words that characterise Pallotti's life and work. Mercy addresses the whole person, and his physical and spiritual needs. In his 'enlightenment', his experience of prayer, on 9 January 1835, he became clearly aware of his vocation to also found "an institution of universal Charity in the exercise of all the spiritual, and corporal Works of Mercy, so that in every way possible You may be known in man; for You are infinite Charity." (OOCC X,199). His proxy plan shows how Pallotti envisioned this; it was a plan for thirteen working groups for the most diverse areas of the apostolate. Today this is probably a task for the Coordination Councils at all levels. The task of the ninth Procura (procura - from the Latin pro-curare, to care) was to care for the sick.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In the first half of the 19th century there were hardly any old people's homes. Therefore, the elderly who could not be cared for at home were often found in hospitals. Pallotti emphasized that works of corporal mercy open the sick to works of spiritual mercy. The task of the Twelfth Procura was Caritas, the care of the poor and needy - and the elderly were - and still are today - often present in both groups at the same time. When Pallotti saw people in need and in difficulty, he always tried to help them. There is nothing in his instructions for the work of this office that he himself did not experience. His instructions testify to both his love and his sober knowledge of human nature. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In many countries of the world the number of elderly people is increasing and many of them suffer from loneliness due to illness and the death of close relatives. That is why the most beautiful and precious thing we can give the elderly is our time: time to visit them, time to spend with them, time to listen to them. And sometimes it helps us to remember: I too will grow old and become old. There is no maybe! I too will grow old one day.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Last year, Pope Francis spoke about the dignity and beauty of old age in several of his Catechesis at the General Audiences. In the catechesis of 22 June 2022, he went so far as to talk about the dialogue between the risen Jesus and Peter in the last chapter of John's Gospel. The Pope emphasizes here that we all grow old, can no longer help ourselves and need help. But 'the following of Jesus always goes on', with good or bad health; 'always follow Jesus, on foot, walking, slowly, in a wheelchair, but always following him'. And we pray that </span><span style="font-family: arial;">the Lord, who has called us all to follow him, will help us to do so.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In the Union we have many people who, despite their advanced age, are witnesses who continue to live their apostolate to the full. We share two examples that give us tenderness, joy and hope:</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-family: arial;">My name is Sister Guglielmina, I belong to the Congregation of the Pallottine Sisters of the Catholic Apostolate. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">For over forty years I have been carrying out my apostolic mission in Riposto (Sicily). For several years I taught in the kindergarten, and at the same time I took care of the boys who were in boarding school. To this day I take care of the children in the residential community: 'Piccoli Gabbiani'. All the children I take care of are scarred by big wounds: children with parents in prison, some of them abused in the family and other situations of poverty. All of them express their need for affection in their own way, sometimes even through big tantrums</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">and bullying. Of course, welcoming these frailties is not easy, and it takes a lot of human and spiritual strength to be there for all of them. I thank the Lord, because despite my 77 years of age, He always gives me new energy to deal with the daily grind of dealing with: anger, aggression, opposition from the children. This truly free service has enriched me and made me a happy woman and nun. I exercise my motherhood in this way and every day I bring to the Lord, in my prayers, the pain and hopes of the little ones and their families. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">(Sr Guglielmina Vozzo, CSAC - Italy)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">..........................</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I am Dayse, Brazilian, widowed, with a family of four children, five grandchildren, two sons-in-law and two daughters-in-law. We should live the stages of life intensely, with much love, experiencing and living God's Love. I am 73 years old and try to live this stage by serving God and my family. I am active in my parish, serving in visiting the sick, in formation, in leading retreats and in the UAC. In the family I am the pillar because I try to lead and be present in everyone's life. I am now experiencing one of the most rewarding phases of life, that of being a grandmother. As the matriarch of my family, I try to be the living memory of the family history and thus transmit the values of the Gospel, so that they can feel and experience the value of family. I try to live and thus teach through the testimony of life, acceptance, understanding, sharing and brotherly love. We must not get stuck in the past and think that we can no longer contribute to building a just and fraternal world. As long as there is life and health, let us reconcile our apostolic work with our family. </span> </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: arial;">PRAISE TO GOD FOR HIS INFINITE MERCY.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">(Dayse da Conceição Barros da Conceição - Lay Pallottine Brazil)</span></p><p><br /></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Limburg, July 2023</span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">P. Wolfgang Weiss SAC</span></p>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-46255449979434108132023-05-23T13:32:00.004-07:002023-05-23T13:45:49.615-07:00Apostles for today - June 2023<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6Xi2cz-XmzHU0WYtRM9GpyaTAfL7qeh8J8N4FUDKLfiL0WcOpJCOOThd68FLSEx9CwL8UPYcQM8sBKNqmbf9P7gnEYFUOhxnbUAzWM_fAt0M2hsuJQhNvfif9el3bKA1OLYeXFwI6MHzIWExvjKeXZh6_BqNpHWvHM_Jgfqh4dP_frcV5m1EhpjE_w/s790/MoG%20Seal%20Window.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="790" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6Xi2cz-XmzHU0WYtRM9GpyaTAfL7qeh8J8N4FUDKLfiL0WcOpJCOOThd68FLSEx9CwL8UPYcQM8sBKNqmbf9P7gnEYFUOhxnbUAzWM_fAt0M2hsuJQhNvfif9el3bKA1OLYeXFwI6MHzIWExvjKeXZh6_BqNpHWvHM_Jgfqh4dP_frcV5m1EhpjE_w/w157-h153/MoG%20Seal%20Window.jpg" width="157" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: center;">Apostles for today</div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Prayer and Reflection </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">June 2023</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The Eucharist in the life of St. Vincent</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Dear members of the Union of Catholic Apostolate,</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">In the month of June we continue our journey of reflection and formation. I would like to share with you, through three points; the path lived by Pallotti regarding his Eucharistic experience. At the end of these three points, I leave a question so that it can help us in our personal reflection on our charism, the charism of the Union, and also to make us reflect on our way of celebrating and living the Eucharist today, with the Church.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>It all begins in the family.</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We know that Pallotti would say, "The Lord gave me holy parents”1 ; the Eucharist was at the center of his family's faith life.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">After the death of his mother, Fr. Vincent retired to the Monastery of Camaldoli (Frascati) and there wrote a long letter2 addressed to his spiritual director. In this text, Fr. Vincent "reported that his father heard at least one Mass every morning".3 The Eucharist was the comfort in his father's illness. Every morning priest Vincent brought him Holy Communion. Even on the day of his father's death he had received the Eucharist from Fr. Vincent.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Priest Pallotti was also close to his brothers. We know that from his visit to his brother John (1805-1869) who was ill and he "...after the administration of the Most Holy Viaticum (...) had an instantaneous recovery”.4</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Pallotti was admitted to First Communion in 1805 at the age of 10.5 In the school of the Clerics Regular of the Pious Schools, the students were also taught and encouraged "devotion to the Eucharist"6 and as a young man he was allowed to receive the Eucharist frequently. Our founder would remain in the family until 1837. In his house he had a small chapel to celebrate Mass. His parents, to facilitate the exercise of his ministry, made available to him the third floor at 130 Via del Pellegrino.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><b>Let us ask ourselves: </b></i>What place is given to the Eucharist in our families?</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The Path to Priesthood</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In his early writings we find his confident prayer in which he asks, "...I pray to my Jesus that from that Altar of the liveliest, and most wonderful love, where the Sacrament, day and night, dwells for the benefit of souls, he may deign to convert to himself with the odor of his ointments, to enlighten, sanctify, perfect, regulate, tranquilize, and console all these souls."7</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Jesus in the Eucharist is for Pallotti the "most beloved Spouse of my Soul." And he proposed himself "in hearing some Bell ring" to raise his mind to God to glorify, praise and bless Him. In his Spiritual Protests and Devotional Exercises he writes: "I intend that all my actions, and of all creatures be immersed in the Most Precious Blood of J.C. and united to his merits, and the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass."8 With all creatures he wanted to be "perpetually occupied in the highest adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in all places where He is found".9</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> And he intended that "the Most Holy Trinity and Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in everything be in my heart and soul”.10</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">His sense of unworthiness does not turn him away from the Eucharist. He writes "In the days preceding, accompanying, and following Communion I want to procure to excite myself to an interior consolation, and cheerfulness, because my soul is in Feast, and if it shall happen to me to receive Communion every day I will procure from time to time with the grace of God to excite myself to this interior cheerfulness."11 That is why Jesus in the Eucharist is "the more than beloved Spouse of my poor soul".12</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We can end with Pallotti's prayer that says, "Jesus in the Sacrament, more than beloved Spouse of my Soul, I beseech You by the merits of Mary Immaculate, my more than loving Mother, and Sorrowful, and by the merits of the Angels, the Saints, and all the Righteous, vibrate from that Sacred Altar of Love most burning darts of charity into all Hearts, that all, all, may love You”.13</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Let us ask ourselves:</b> Personally, how do we approach the Eucharist? What are the feelings and thoughts that help me live a Eucharistic spirituality? The Eucharist in the life of the deacon and priest Pallotti We come to the third point: in the years "around the time of diaconal and priestly ordination”. 14 Pallotti, a young deacon, enrolled in the Confraternities "of the Blessed Sacrament in St. Lorenzo in Damaso"15 and "to the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ”.16</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is between the years 1817-1818. The sacred ministry is close to entering his life; there will always remain in him the desire to educate God's people to celebrate Holy Mass well and to turn away from blasphemy. For this he thought of the Reparatory Lauds that later became customary in the Church after the blessing with the Blessed Sacrament.17</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">From this period is his writing Method of some Pious Works, where he thought about the spiritual concerns different for men and women and decided that at the end of the practices, "the Holy Blessing with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament will be given”.18</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">On May 16, 1818, he was ordained a priest and received "the faculty to celebrate Holy Mass in all churches in and around the city of Rome, as well as in the churches of the monasteries and private buildings”.19 This very great gift helped him deepen his unworthiness in the undeserved dignity of having been undeservedly elevated "to the most sublime degree of Priesthood"20 and he added that "it has deigned to raise me to the lofty Order of Priesthood...”.21 Before God he will always be "indignus sum sacrificium perpetuum Deo offerre". 22 And seventeen years later, in 1835, he will be able to say "Ah my God I already since 1818 made a Priest”.23</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">On May 17 he celebrated his first Mass in the Church of Jesus in Frascati. For the first time the voice of Vincent (alter Christus)said <i>"Hoc est enim Corpus meum"</i> and added <i>"Hic est enim Calix Sánguinis mei, novi et aetérni testaménti: mysterium fídei: qui pro vobis et pro multis effundétur in remissiónem peccatórum." </i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Let us ask ourselves:</b> As a UAC member, does Pallotti inspire a particular way of celebrating Holy Mass?</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Dear members of the UAC, I wanted to share these three points of St. Vincent's life and his close relationship with the Eucharist: they are just three points of a whole life penetrated by the Eucharist; indeed, he was so 'Eucharistic.' We could have seen even more, but I think these three selected points and even the questions can help us in this unending and endless journey to the infinity of God. </span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">P. Fabián Silveira, SAC </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">___________________________________________</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">1 </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Luigi VACCARI, Compendio della vita del Venerabile Servo di Dio Vincenzo Pallotti, Roma, [s.e.], 1888, 11.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;">2 OOCC XIII, 915-950.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;">3 TODISCO (a cura di), San Vincenzo Pallotti profeta della spiritualità di comunione, 34.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">4 </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">ISTITUTO SAN VINCENZO PALLOTTI, Cronologia della vita di San Vincenzo Pallotti, Società dell’Apostolato Cattolico, Roma, 2018, 47.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;">5 Cfr. TODISCO (a cura di), San Vincenzo Pallotti profeta della spiritualità di comunione, 48.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">6 </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Idem, 53.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;">7 OOCC X, 23, 102-103.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;">8 OOCC X, 76.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;">9 OOCC X, 77.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;">10 OOCC X, 88-89.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;">11 OOCC X, 110.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;">12 OOCC X, 111.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;">13 OOCC X, 102-103.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;">14 OOCC X, 145.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;">15 OOCC X, 499.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;">16 OOCC X, 500.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;">17 Idem, 427, 437-438 «Dio sia benedetto, benedetto il sia il Suo santo nome».</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;">18 OOCC V, 443.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;">19 ISTITUTO SAN VINCENZO PALLOTTI, Cronologia della vita di San Vincenzo Pallotti, 31.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;">20 OOCC X, 148.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;">21 OOCC X, 324.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;">22 OOCC X, 160.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;">23 OOCC X, 264.</span></p>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-59226143873008054542023-03-21T21:28:00.000-07:002023-03-21T21:28:10.625-07:00Apostles for Today April -2023<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhS_zHSu_RuPWn4E7k9Wb2gkxWeFXgUIBgw3T5akqXErMUx4Dw_wLvkV0c2D8grAwM5X4wm7_2bYlCayKTTo4iINdDIY5NjtX0n2GdH1BML7OVxc67GK0XNbTS9L2_NeAFCK1qOLpzbYqf40YkXHSfVBk5MYdjgazGDLqggJ7wb4s_stTjDztYLac_LA/s140/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="104" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhS_zHSu_RuPWn4E7k9Wb2gkxWeFXgUIBgw3T5akqXErMUx4Dw_wLvkV0c2D8grAwM5X4wm7_2bYlCayKTTo4iINdDIY5NjtX0n2GdH1BML7OVxc67GK0XNbTS9L2_NeAFCK1qOLpzbYqf40YkXHSfVBk5MYdjgazGDLqggJ7wb4s_stTjDztYLac_LA/s1600/image.png" width="104" /></a></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: center;">Apostles for Today</div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;">Prayer and Reflection</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;">April 2023</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Fix your eyes on the Light</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Fix your eyes on the light that comes from the resurrection of Christ For the Union monthly message "Apostles Today" I was asked to focus on the light that comes from the Resurrection of Christ. I thank you for the trust and I would like to share with you my thoughts on this topic.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Lumen Christi - the light of the Resurrection. What can we imagine by this, and is there something like this also for me, in my little life?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Lumen Christi" we call out in the Easter Vigil. Light of the Risen Lord. A light that is not turned on and illuminates the room, but one that shines in us, especially in dark hours, and that becomes visible to others in our deeds. Thus, it is independent of lamps, lighters, and candles. It is not a light that you can forget at home and then not have when you urgently need it. Rather, this light is always with you once you have it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Light must hit something, otherwise it can neither shine nor work. The light of Christ illuminates us human beings, and we need it. We may thereby assume this unfinishedness of us humans as part of the divine plan of creation. When God created the world, he obviously had something completely different in mind than a finished, perfect museum piece. It did not concern him an earth without natural disasters and human total failure. He was hardly concerned with a faultlessly functioning "crown of creation". No, the earth consists of divine variety and intentional diversity. With humans as actors in it, who are to make this complex planet "subject" to themselves. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is less a free ride or an invitation to arbitrariness, but rather a task and responsibility. However, God places both possibilities of interpretation without restriction in the freedom of decision of man. I sometimes like to read this directive formulated in Genesis (Genesis 1,26-31) this way: "I hereby lend you perhaps my best work, to which I am very attached. I really had a lot of work with your planet and the design of all millions of living beings. Above all, I have been occupied with you humans. I have put great hope in you, and you have become terribly complicated about it, of course, but I wanted to have you just like that: In their decision free living beings - just also, what concerns the distinction of right and wrong. And because only you can do that, I love you more than anything else in the world. Infinitely much more, than you can already understand now! Honestly: if I had really wanted you differently, I would have had to make you only differently. Now listen, make the best of it. I wish that you use your huge chance for a fulfilled life in love and responsibility, by switching on your heart and your mind (what else would you have both for?). Because there is also something which I do not want at all: to I get sometime back from you a dying scrap heap called earth. Which has fallen victim to the obstinacy and the greed of people who always care more about themselves than about others! But I have infinite confidence in you. Maybe I will contact you occasionally, but you know how to find me. Let us stay in contact!".</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But does the light of Christ show up in his first apostles as we know them from the New Testament? Were they a good mirror for the light that Jesus brought into the world not by means of prophets, but personally and as a human being? After all, these apostles sat "directly at the source", were allowed to get to know Jesus personally more exclusively than anyone else and even lived with him for a few years. They were eyewitnesses - in the immediate vicinity of the source of light. Could anything go wrong at all? At first glance, yes. Unlike Zacchaeus (Luke 19,1-10), for example, who met Jesus for only a few hours and then immediately turned his whole questionable life around, the apostles show very different sides of their personalities. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Let us look at Peter. The rock on which Jesus wants to build his church- and makes him understand this quite clearly. When Peter wanted to walk on the water and when he looked at his feet instead of the Lord, he began to sink. But when Jesus is arrested after Judas' betrayal, the same highly determined apostle Peter cuts off Malchus' ear (John 18,10-11). He shows his willingness to defend Jesus and his loyalty in public, which was certainly not without danger for him. But soon after, this combative Peter is gone again when he despairs and three times denies even knowing Jesus. How does this fit together? And Thomas also leaves a strange impression. He belonged, as it were, to the inner circle of the disciples, had followed Jesus for a long time (John 15,15), but to the message of the resurrection of Jesus, who after all was his friend, he responded with doubt, demanded tangible proof (John 20,19-29). And the experience of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: they were deeply disappointed and could not believe the "rumours" that He was alive; for what we do not understand cannot be true (Luke 24,32). Well, and then there is Judas, epitome of the traitor, for 2000 years without any forgiveness of mankind for his deed. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Personally, I have sympathy for the minor slip-ups and some understanding for the major human failure of the first apostles. After all, in the face of their own inadequacy, it is also a relief to see how even Jesus' closest friends fail because of themselves, and how they always come to their senses afterwards and grow - with God's assurance of His forgiveness and help. Judas Iscariot, too, and above all, quickly felt the enormity of his deed, which disfigured him as a human being and completely alienated him from himself. The fact that in his despair he no longer wanted to know about his blood money and could not go on living also tests our own morality: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">who are we to judge his deeds? None of us can know how we ourselves would act in a comparable situation; what ways out we would see that another, tormented person no longer recognizes. It is even more so with Peter's famous denial and all the doubts of the disciples: for one thing, one must have the same experience and then do it better in order to feel superior to others. The first apostles tell us on this way that also we do not have to be perfect, God knows (!).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is immensely comforting and perhaps the most valuable thing about our faith that God never loses sight of us or gives up on us with all our doubts, faults and even the very big sins. Never, never does the measure of His goodness seem to be finally full. For the light of the Resurrection always shines on us, and what we do not see and understand while we are alive hopefully becomes clear to us at the latest when we go home. In the Union, as baptized people, we consciously recognize the vocation to the apostolate; and you too, like many others in the world, are reading an issue of "Apostles Today." You are meant to be "apostles." Looking at these first apostles, we may consider how far we want to follow them and the saints and martyrs. Often, of course, we first look at our own doubts and imperfections in this question. But we should never overlook the good developments for which we may even have had enough faith and strength so far. We should be ever grateful for all what we, with God’s help, have achieved and done well, and where the light has already reached us. I was very lucky to be able to visit the Vinzent Pallotti College in Rheinbach, Germany, at the age of ten and to get to know very closely many Pallottine Fathers and Brothers over there. Probably none of them was a saint, but we experienced our teachers and prefects as very close and authentic. And yes, they were apostles. Not infrequently one could see and feel how they dedicated themselves to the weakest, to those who needed the most help. There was a lot of Pallotti in these men who could not have been more different, and yet they made common cause.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In fact, it does not have to be the very difficult testimonies to come to terms with oneself. Not everyone can be like Franz Reinisch, a Pallottine Father, who refused to take the oath of allegiance to Hitler and knew that he would be sentenced to death for it. Or a Vincent Pallotti who did as St. Martin did and shared his clothes with a needy person in the great cold - which brought him closer to his own death. Fortunately, most of us these days never get into situations where it is a matter of bare survival right away - just because we want to live our faith. Therefore, please be thankful that we can give so much to others without having to give up or put ourselves in danger. That we may pass on the light, for example, by contacting a lonely, disappointed, or needy person, so that, like an Easter candle, light may begin to glow in that person. The more we pass on this light, the more we ourselves become a light for the people around us, and can infect them with it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I wish you all the personal blessing of such Easter experiences - for every day of the year.</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: right;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">Stefan H. Heuel UAC</span></b></p>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-49915114999050424912023-02-21T13:15:00.001-08:002023-02-21T16:56:41.563-08:00Apostles for today March - 2023<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0IL2LIvKWMxybc9c2hYtOtB4-kPGyRqa627U_RjTAratgc8Gd7nUjGJxLIPKAMw_NHB-cE4D51peuuLDNGa3LGmtXt0vyTbr5IOk1MBCvDcQ1eb-8Ifz90xq9bfbOI7kDtVOflLYe8rfUOZ0TdVz62kZGTU31rLI09LmBkzScYVk6mDDCGdvyBiczw/s140/image.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="104" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0IL2LIvKWMxybc9c2hYtOtB4-kPGyRqa627U_RjTAratgc8Gd7nUjGJxLIPKAMw_NHB-cE4D51peuuLDNGa3LGmtXt0vyTbr5IOk1MBCvDcQ1eb-8Ifz90xq9bfbOI7kDtVOflLYe8rfUOZ0TdVz62kZGTU31rLI09LmBkzScYVk6mDDCGdvyBiczw/s1600/image.png" width="104" /></a></div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: center;">Apostles for Today</div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;">Prayer and Reflection</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;">March 2023</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800180; font-size: large;">The mission of women in the Church and society</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800180; font-size: large;">Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Pallottine Family!</span></p><p><span style="color: #444444; font-size: medium;">Write something pertaining to women; that was the assignment ... One cannot just talk about the great personalities among women in all eras and pretend that there is no problem. It would be shortsighted and above all dishonest. As a theologian who has spent her life in various church roles, I see and experience incessantly that the church, like all the great religious traditions of this world, is male-dominated. Religions are predominantly men's business. Men assume the sovereignty of interpretation over contents and norms. </span></p><p><span style="color: #444444; font-size: medium;">This is not only a mirror, a consequence of social situations, but also a motor and supposed justification for marginalization and discrimination in society. The reality of women is bleak - not only in Afghanistan - sometimes pitch black, sometimes in nuanced shades of grey, always dark in any case. Women are still often treated as second or third class human beings. Roman Catholic canon law is no exception, as lawyers can confirm. The fight against female mutilation and child marriages remains subdued, and the <i>Codex Iuris Canonici </i>still sets the marriageable age for girls at 14, which is far too young. The Black Book on the Status of Women presents repeatedly the most striking injustices worldwide. They are globally widespread, even if they are expressed differently in different cultures. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #444444;">And quite honestly: When you read "Apostles today", do you not think only of the twelve men under this heading and thus narrow the term "Apostles" to the circle of twelve. Yet, women are presented to us in the Gospels as the first witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus, as the first messengers. In the meantime, Pope Francis has also recognized</span><span style="color: #444444;"> Mary Magdalene as an apostle and raised her feast day in the liturgical calendar to the status of a feast of the apostles. - What do you know about the prophetesses in the Hebrew Bible? Or are you as familiar with Junia, Thekla, Hanna, Phoebe, Susanne, Johanna as you are with Peter or Paul? </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #444444; font-size: medium;">Nowadays, when "religious leaders" meet at large inter-religious conferences with inflationary frequency, they almost go into overdrive in declaring their intention to work for human rights and peace. They are almost exclusively men belonging to religious communities who are often very hesitant to demand or implement human rights in their own country and in their own ranks, sometimes quite the opposite. The issue of gender justice is particularly affected by this. Incidentally, the Vatican as a state has not adopted the Declaration of Human Rights.</span></p><p><span style="color: #444444; font-size: medium;">What does "justice" between women and men actually mean? They are different, after all. Can they then have the same dignity and rights? The Christian answer is a clear "yes". The reason is the presence of God within every human being. Here there is no difference. Whether old, young, woman, man or diverse, healthy or sick, all are equal in God and before God. The contingent diversity does not detract from the equality.</span></p><p><span style="color: #444444; font-size: medium;">Walking the path of following Jesus then means becoming all things to all people, as Paul puts it. Moreover, God is also present in criminals and sinners, and their dignity and rights must always be respected. - This fundamental equality does not mean ignoring diversity. All human beings have feminine and masculine sides within them, some more, others less. </span></p><p><span style="color: #444444; font-size: medium;">There are no two identical women and no two identical men, not even in identical twins. This dissimilarity with all similarity is called analogy: the more similarity, the greater the dissimilarity. There is great freedom and strong dynamism in this realization. The persons in God are also similar and yet also dissimilar.</span></p><p><span style="color: #444444; font-size: medium;">Likeness and dissimilarity belong together. Vincent Pallotti, who was a great mystic of the Trinity, was very aware of this.</span></p><p><span style="color: #444444; font-size: medium;">One of his great themes was the "collaboration" of all people. He wanted to include everyone, whether baptized or not, women or men, religious or clergy - simply everyone. He recognized this cooperation, for which he strove, as a "gift" from God. He calls it "the most divine of all gifts". In it, this simultaneity of similarity and dissimilarity is realized. Pallotti sees human beings as capable of such collaboration, which reflects the togetherness of the three divine persons and draws its strength and dynamism from this. This collaboration is less a human achievement and more a gift from God. With this confidence we may dare and build this gift - women and men, in the Church and elsewhere....</span></p><p><span style="color: #444444; font-size: medium;">If out of our commitment, our dedication then becomes the gift of our life, our life becomes and is allowed to become a gift for others, then the life "in persona Christi", to which we are all called, women and men, is realized in reality. Such liberation and freedom is reflected in the following Psalm, which I place at the end of my reflection:</span></p><p><span style="color: #444444; font-size: medium;">Psalm 124:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #444444;">If the LORD had not been on our side -<br /></span><span style="color: #444444;">let Israel now declare -<br /></span><span style="color: #444444;">if the LORD had not been on our side<br /></span><span style="color: #444444;">when men attacked us,<br /></span><span style="color: #444444;">when their anger flared against us,<br /></span><span style="color: #444444;">then they would have swallowed us alive,<br /></span><span style="color: #444444;">then the floods would have engulfed us,<br /></span><span style="color: #444444;">then the torrent would have overwhelmed us,<br /></span><span style="color: #444444;">then the raging waters<br /></span><span style="color: #444444;">would have swept us away.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #444444;">Blessed be the LORD, <br /></span><span style="color: #444444;">who has not given us as prey to their teeth.<br /></span><span style="color: #444444;">We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler;<br /></span><span style="color: #444444;">the net is torn, and we have slipped away.<br /></span><span style="color: #444444;">Our help is in the name of the LORD,<br /></span><span style="color: #444444;">the Maker of heaven and earth.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #444444; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial;">I would like to invite you to a dialogue, a digital exchange. Whatever themes you would like to share, please write to the Center for Spirituality - Pallotti Institute in Vallendar/Germany. </span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial;">My Email address is<br />Proksch(at)pollittiner.org –<br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Take my best wishes for a blessed Easter season</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Brigitte M. A. Proksch (Vallendar/Germany and Vienna/Austria</span></p>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-51907134043031788502023-02-04T12:40:00.002-08:002023-02-04T12:45:43.181-08:00Apostles for Today February 2023<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0xjoGEbkruxG6Quiz_RyK-QZqB0ryR7huUrtkDq_UpphjwCBROTg1r8DvP4EqfXSV1W5rPXHaB2cBJ0iPEuiCCZcQuZJMnCKvgB5sAqUts2KvDywz1zgXWOMCSoWidCHmSh-hXqHDn_LT1GWTigy8RxtVwqODrCW8liM4ge8VmTufT-dXbESoKaSVEw/s140/image.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="104" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0xjoGEbkruxG6Quiz_RyK-QZqB0ryR7huUrtkDq_UpphjwCBROTg1r8DvP4EqfXSV1W5rPXHaB2cBJ0iPEuiCCZcQuZJMnCKvgB5sAqUts2KvDywz1zgXWOMCSoWidCHmSh-hXqHDn_LT1GWTigy8RxtVwqODrCW8liM4ge8VmTufT-dXbESoKaSVEw/s1600/image.png" width="104" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Apostles for Today</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">February 2023</span></span></span></p><h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Monthly Reflection</span><br /></span></span></span></h4><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The Gift of Consecrated Life</b></span><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="color: black;">On the occasion of World Day of Consecrated Life, I would like to reflect with you about <br />“the gift of Consecrated Life”. </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black;">Consecrated life is a gift to the Church, it is born of the Church, it grows in the Church, and it is entirely directed to the Church. The call to consecrated life is a gift to the human person to become a fellow traveler. It is a partnership of alliance made between God and the person in the virtue of love. The person who has responded to God’s grace of a vocation to the priesthood and religious life is to yield the best of themselves with all creativity. Pope Francis calls Consecrated Life a pilgrimage of faith lived with joy and watchfulness. It requires tremendous courage for renunciation: to renounce the vanities of this world. Time and again we have so many men and women who have joyfully come forward to embrace the gift of Consecrated life. It is admiring to listen to their mesmerizing experience of giving up their positions, power and glory for a higher calling to Consecrated Life. It is the personal touch of God (charisma) which can’t define or describe in words but to feel themselves alone. While speaking to a newly ordained priest from Kerala, India, the impression that remained with me is “God is so attractive” because such a charming personality has climbed the altar of God to offer the sacrifice and become the sacrifice of God, which is impossible in this modern era. A small introduction about this priest, ‘at the age of 24 having completed his post-graduation in commerce he had responded to God’s call. At that time his status in society was ‘a top singer who won many awards from the reality show, sang in many albums, and had developed a carrier in the film industry recording more than 50 songs. Well integrated and appreciated and got the title ‘God of Music (<i>Gana Gandarvan</i>)’. The beauty of this call is, ‘the choice is made by God, and which is made possible to man irrespective of his state of being’.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black;">Dimensions of Consecrated Life in line with the Church and St Vincent Pallotti Late Pope Benedict XVI’s in his address to the religious on the World Day of Consecrated Life in the year 2008 said that “consecrated life calls us to refer constantly to the Gospel, to remain very much alive and fertile, bearing fruit for the salvation of souls. Further, he brought out different expressions of consecrated life from various founders of institutes, and then in his statement, he quoted from St. Vincent Pallotti in the following words: “Since the life of Jesus Christ is the fundamental rule of our small congregation...we must aim at what is most perfect always and in everything”. It was well quoted by His Holiness and it is also affirming that our Pallottine way of life is Christ-centered.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Christocentric Dimension:</b> Consecrated life is a call to share this love of Christ by accepting the invitation to be in union with Him and to follow Him by living the evangelical councils for the Kingdom of God. There is a missionary aspect in following Jesus who was sent by God, to evangelize manifesting the infinite love of God. The Holy Spirit prompts us to imitate Christ the missionary, therefore the consecration of Jesus is the model for every consecrated person and love is the hallmark of every man and woman who has responded to his call, like St. Paul “the love of Christ impels us on” (2 Cor 5:14); “Woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel” (I Cor 9:16). It is through an authentic witnessing of Christ that one arrives at the new evangelization.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Prophetic Dimension:</b> A prophet is the announcer of the Kingdom of God. Consecrated men and women by choosing to live the evangelical counsels give personal testimony to the Kingdom of God by the power of God’s grace. The prophetic dimension includes risking one’s life in proclaiming and living the evangelical counsels and in bearing witness with boldness. The consecrated persons profess the evangelical councils and live according to the Charism which is bestowed by God as a gift to their founders or foundresses. There has been a continuous reawakening in the past decades; it is also very much confirming Pope Francis’s declaration of 2014-2015 as the year of consecrated life, for reawakening in them the joy of evangelization and for challenging them to be a prophet to the nations.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Ecclesial Dimension:</b> Consecrated life is a vital part of the Church and it is lived in the world. It is apt to say that consecrated life is at the heart of the Church because it is an “intimate part of her, her holiness and her mission”. Vatican II highlighted the concept of communion in and out of the Church in all walks of life. Both contemplative and apostolic style of life intends to work for the welfare of the Church and its people. It emphasizes the aspect of <i>‘Koinonia’,</i> that is the life of communion which is the first message of consecrated life.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Apostolic Dimension:</b> The apostolic exhortation<i> Christifideles Laici,</i> following the footsteps of the Vatican Council emphasizes the vocation of all the baptized faithful. The call is a concern not only of pastors, clergy, and men and women religious. The call is addressed to everyone: lay people as well are personally called by the Lord, from whom they receive a mission on behalf of the Church and the world. According to Pallotti, every baptized person is an apostle. Therefore, let every catholic who lives in the Church of Jesus Christ be consoled; because whether Priest or lay person, whether with his talents, potentials, relationships, profession, words, possessions and material goods, and if with nothing else at least with his prayers and if he does all he can so that the faith of Jesus Christ is spread in the whole world, he will acquire the merit of the Apostolate, and much, much more accordingly as he commits himself to this goal. Pope John Paul II when he visited the church of San Salvatore at Onda in Rome on the 22nd of June, 1986, in his homily said: “Continue to increase your commitment so that which Vincent Pallotti prophetically announced, and which the Second Vatican Council authoritatively confirmed, may become a happy reality and that all Christians become authentic apostles of Christ in the Church and the world!”</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black;">As I conclude this reflection on Consecrated Life I would like to emphasize the words of Pallotti. Pallotti stressed the word ‘apostle’ because all Christians have been called to be apostles. The nature of the church is missionary; therefore, everyone has been called to the mission of the church to evangelize the gospel. The Church's mission of salvation in the world is realized not only by the ministers in virtue of the Sacrament of Orders but also by all the lay faithful; indeed, because of their Baptismal state and their specific vocation, in the measure proper to each person, the lay faithful participate in the priestly, prophetic and kingly mission of Christ.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black;">Everyone can render their service to society and their fellow traveler in all possible ways in their state of life, be it priests or lay persons; rich or poor; educated or illiterate; an elite group of people or common; persons belonging to any profession under any status or any vocation and any race or nation. They can be effective in their field by doing well what they have been called to fulfill. Even if a person has no job, no talents, no health, no efficiency, or is aged or sick he can still perform an apostolate through their prayers. The Pastors, therefore, ought to acknowledge and foster the ministries, offices and roles of the lay faithful that find their foundation in the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, indeed, for a good many of them, in the Sacrament of Matrimony.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black;">St. Vincent Pallotti had envisioned beautifully this universal call to the mission of the Church. The spirit of Pallotti echoes again and again when Pope Francis announced the theme of the 16th Synod of Bishops: “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission”. ‘Synod on Synodality’ is walking together and listening to one another but above all to the Holy Spirit.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></span></span></div><p style="text-align: right;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sr. Elizabeth Beena, CSAC</span></i></span></b><br /></p>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-39834969559450138232023-01-19T14:13:00.001-08:002023-01-19T14:13:57.523-08:00Apostles for Today - January 2023<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6154Iu2Ms_t7P6go2I94DdI6VNDrtbgAIsgbffAZsSDSqRBw-BWdlKVB30rakjsqMZVZS964YQRcHIUOdw38A9WxWx3Cel4Ymy74BebDvAMBraRYuepgEjpCrV7O-f42DfRAANHSLbdvr5nYEQO7RnEtkDnrk5NH93d-bGxDnF4ab54HFEfh4Vdv5tA/s140/image.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="104" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6154Iu2Ms_t7P6go2I94DdI6VNDrtbgAIsgbffAZsSDSqRBw-BWdlKVB30rakjsqMZVZS964YQRcHIUOdw38A9WxWx3Cel4Ymy74BebDvAMBraRYuepgEjpCrV7O-f42DfRAANHSLbdvr5nYEQO7RnEtkDnrk5NH93d-bGxDnF4ab54HFEfh4Vdv5tA/s1600/image.png" width="104" /></a></div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Apostles for Today - January 2023</span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Prayer and Reflection </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #660000;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Announcers of the Word like St. Vincent Pallotti<br /></span><br />This year, 2023, the celebration of the Sunday of the Word of God coincides with January 22. For us, it is a day of great feast, the feast of the Founder's birth into heaven, St. Vincent Pallotti. The Church draws The theme of this Day from the First Letter of John: "We proclaim to you what we have seen" (1 John 1:3); hence the title of the day itself: "Announcers of the Word!" And so, thanking the UAC General Secretariat for the invitation to write and following its outline for this month of January, I will try in this contribution to make the words of St. Vincent Pallotti and the Word of God, which is Jesus, speak to each other, to put them in dialogue with each other. It does not seem difficult to make this connection, because, fortunately, we have an infinite heritage of the Founder's words: the Complete Works, the Letters, the testimonies of those who knew him. So I said to myself, "I'll take a little bit from here and a little bit from there, and that's it: Jesus and St. Vincent said the same words."<br /><br />But then, once again, I realized that just as with the Gospel, it is not enough just to read it or say it to call ourselves Christians, disciples of Jesus - Mary, Joseph, the apostles and all (men and women) who followed Christ understood it well -; in the same way, the words that St. Vincent wrote, said are - also for me, for us today - a mirror of what the lived Gospel matured in him and made him discover that the life of God, of the Trinity, is possible to welcome it in everyday life and in communion with every brother, sister.<br /><br />"Remember that you are in the presence of God and say in faith - The Father who created me stands here - the Son, who redeemed me stands here - the Holy Spirit, who sanctified me stands here. I stand in the company of the three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity - Oh what a company!" (OOCC XI, 236).<br /><br />Yes precisely this always strikes and shocks me about the Founder: his relationship with Christ was vital and he lived it not as ethical or functional behavior but as active adherence, as participation in living Christ in all and with all.<br /><br />"God is charity by essence; he is always solicitous for the benefit of every person, and he was solicitous even to the point of sending his Only Begotten Son to redeem humanity by his death on the cross. Since therefore all persons, as creatures, are living images of divine charity, so all must in their possibilities love God by loving their neighbor." (OOCC IV, 308)<br /><br />And even more it strikes and shocks me that this life of his was not his alone, but he shared and broke it with everyone. As if to say that the life of Jesus in me does not separate me from others, but is to be lived with others, because Jesus is all in all.<br /><br />"God, with infinite Love, and with His infinite Mercy created us in His image and likeness to come to be like Him in glory for all eternity. Out of the same infinite loving Mercy He called disobedient Adam, and as in love with man so ungrateful, and miserable, He promised him the Redeemer, and for Redeemer His own unique divine Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ true God, and true Man in soul, body, and divinity is ours, and the whole life of Jesus Christ, his infinite merits, his most perfect virtues are all ours" (God, Infinite Love, Med. XXII)<br /><br />Many are the words of St. Vincent that touch us deeply and even if we repeat them many times, even when we happen to use them abstractly, we realize that they are our compass for loving God and loving our brothers and sisters.<br /><br />"The pious Union has no new object, but the eternal Law of Charity" (OOCC IV, 317).<br /><br />I believe that the greatest gift we can give the Founder on the occasion of January 22 is that we also commit ourselves, with God's grace, to re-practice among ourselves and with everyone the life of Jesus Christ as our fundamental rule. Thus, daily Practical Memory will gain more and more flavor as an experience to be lived.<br /><br />Of course, sometimes it seems to me that it would be easier for me to think of Pallottine spirituality as a form of devotion, certainly there is that aspect as well; but in my dealings with members all over the world, I realize that it is a concrete way of ongoing conversion to the Good News of Jesus.<br /><br />"Before beginning daily works, we must consider what the thoughts of the most holy mind of our Lord Jesus Christ would be in that case ... in a word, in everything we must imagine that we see our Lord Jesus Christ ... our model" (OOCC III, 36).<br /><br />Might this not also be the deeper meaning of this other famous word of the Founder: reviving faith and rekindling charity?<br />I would like to conclude this contribution with the first prayer of the faithful during the Mass of the Epiphany of the Lord, and I think it is of value for the whole work of St. Vincent Pallotti, the Union of the Catholic Apostolate:<br />For the Church and her unity: may she walk in peace to manifest to the world the plan of communion that God wants for all peoples. Amen<br /><br />Happy Feast and in communion with all,<br /><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #660000;">Donatella Acerbi</span></span></span><br /></span></span></p>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-43646664411064123322022-12-05T14:00:00.004-08:002022-12-05T14:00:57.736-08:00Apostles for Today December 2022<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8fcUWQfvy8Ko73Sa7FhEuKOJJfSp1EmP_mhyUPJ5T6CGsmyM2DJ43T6v4nz62kOBRfjBQwyFboqjmJFQZaawR7_piTOiCdjnwuilIgjZJrJO2s1rU0TOnt0GjacGlGQ15N4OxpivU7E5giSedEX9cVdjqWUreFTquhvA0MC1XNQs2tZdpWa_HK05EhQ/s140/image.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="104" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8fcUWQfvy8Ko73Sa7FhEuKOJJfSp1EmP_mhyUPJ5T6CGsmyM2DJ43T6v4nz62kOBRfjBQwyFboqjmJFQZaawR7_piTOiCdjnwuilIgjZJrJO2s1rU0TOnt0GjacGlGQ15N4OxpivU7E5giSedEX9cVdjqWUreFTquhvA0MC1XNQs2tZdpWa_HK05EhQ/s1600/image.png" width="104" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Apostles For Today</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">December 2022</span><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800180;">Synodality in the Vision of St. Vincent Pallotti</span></h3><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> -In the Vademecum (1.3) sent out by the Synod of Bishops, we read “...synodality is not so much an event or a slogan as a style and a way of being by which the Church lives out her mission in the world. The mission of the Church requires the entire People of God to be on a journey together, with each member playing his or her crucial role, united with one another. A Synodal Church walks<br />forward in communion to pursue a common mission through the participation of each and every one of her members.”<br /><br /> St. Vincent’s vision has invited us to be a Synodal Church. Through his life and work, we recognize all the elements mentioned above and realize that this has been our calling as members of the Union<br />of Catholic Apostolate. This is what we are called to live and have been living to a greater degree since our erection as an International Public Association of the Faithful on October 28, 2008. Many of us are acquainted with the picture of St. Vincent holding the crucifix and pointing to Christ on the cross. This is the basis for his vision. He was totally aware of the infinite and incomprehensible love God has for us all, whose Word became flesh and died on the cross to redeem<br />us. St. Vincent’s desire/vision was that everyone would come to know this great love and respond in kind to Him.<br /><br /> Every journey must have a goal or destination to which it moves. We do not wander aimlessly, not knowing where we are going or why. The goal for our journey in the Union, and in the Church, is – to live in all eternity with God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. That is what we have been created for and Jesus showed us how we are to accomplish this – “Love the Lord your God with all<br />your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10, 27) As Jesus, and St. Vincent, we are to put God at the center of our lives because He is the goal we strive for, our destination. <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> For St. Vincent, this starts and builds with prayer. He spent many hours in prayer, listening to the Lord, to aid him in his vocation and in the work he was to accomplish. “The humble, continuous and trustful practice of prayer (vocal and mental) is the greatest infallible means to obtain graces and divine blessings for our greater sanctification, for the greater progress of the glorification of God<br />and the greater sanctification of our neighbour. All, therefore, should be diligent in prayer.” (OOCC II,63)<br /><br /> It is our obligation but also our privilege to be people of prayer in the UAC by means of our Prayer Book “UAC - Community Prayers”, the recitation of the rosary, <i>lectio divina </i>and other forms of meditation with scripture, all prayed individually or with others. St. Vincent also encourages us to<br />pray frequently during the day, using short ejaculations that will help us to keep God in mind and present for us. Prayer and the Eucharist are means for us to build community and become a family. In this family, we all have equal rights and responsibilities, though differing roles. This family offers us continued education in the faith, support in our joint efforts for the mission, encouragement when times are difficult and a place where we are welcomed. As St. Paul says, “The love of Christ impels us” (2 Cor. 5, 14) “These words are meant to say that the motto of the Union is Love of Christ impelling and that the soul of the Union of Catholic<br />Apostolate is and should be “Love”. Love should be practiced in such a manner as to fulfill the precept of the Lord Jesus and to fulfill his commandment, “love one another, as I have loved you.” (OOCC I,8) <br /><br /> We are to act, not just to bask in the love God showers on us through prayer. We are to act together, because “Reason and experience prove that individual efforts for good are ordinarily small, inconsistent and short-lived and that a man’s most generous efforts cannot achieve any great success even in the moral or religious order unless they are united together and directed to a common goal.”<br />(OOCC IV,122).<br /><br /> St. Vincent may have been the one to provide incentive and leadership for his Union, but he did not undertake everything alone. He included and invited the laity, priests, brothers and sisters to make things happen – collecting monies for the missions, running the house for orphan girls, visiting those in prison and in hospitals, caring for the sick and the poor, helping during the epidemic, teaching the youth. He knew that he could not do all this alone and achieve much success. Part of the charism he left for us is also to show our love for neighbour through charitable works of mercy. “Jesus came to serve and not to be served: so who can refuse to live with this spirit of mutual service?” (OOCC VIII,405) “In the Christian and religious life there is more to do than to say. So, few words and many works, and good works done well.” (UAC – Community Prayers, p. 265, #23)</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> All the faithful, by right of their baptism, are called to be part of the Apostolate of the Church, reviving faith and rekindling charity, using all the gifts God has bestowed on each one for the greater glory of God and for our salvation and that of our neighbour. In the UAC, members working together, priests, brothers, sisters and the laity, walking in unity, help bring the mission of the Church to life. “Everyone, then, who, according to his state in life and his talents, trusts in the divine grace and tries to do as much as he can for the Propagation of Faith, can merit the name ‘Apostle’, and what he does for that purpose can be characterized as his ‘Apostolate’.” (OOCC III,142) “’Catholic Apostolate’ or ‘Universal Apostolate’ means that it is Universal to every class or persons and also means to do everything possible for the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls.” (OOCC III,143)</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Returning to the definition of synodality given above, we can see that St. Vincent was a man with a vision that was ahead of his time. The UAC members, united by the charism of St. Vincent Pallotti, form one body of people who pray, plan and work together for the greater glory of God. They are formed in the charism so that they may go out into the world of their daily lives to bring Christ to others through their example, dedication, commitment and conviction that reviving faith and rekindling charity will bring others to belief and life in Christ, which is also the mission given us by the Church.</span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Maria Domke</span></span><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><br /></p>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-82657753045659409102022-10-28T20:14:00.001-07:002022-10-28T20:14:32.639-07:00Apostles for Today October 2022<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT84THc-wuqdp5ZOwpdLDnQrKkSsucRVpZL8296LNPceZs1GKTbB-88AoLXYAT6MdJIGPoUwLaVQyeyzz8u0EzEgetWAXEicuai8-Q2hklWYceC5U1QuOlBbCXqSNn_4vsuvOb8yVVZJsaPVqWGBn_Waq8K0RTNBwIbPu0-CuPS3tgkqHbKNh3TiXLBQ/s140/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="104" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT84THc-wuqdp5ZOwpdLDnQrKkSsucRVpZL8296LNPceZs1GKTbB-88AoLXYAT6MdJIGPoUwLaVQyeyzz8u0EzEgetWAXEicuai8-Q2hklWYceC5U1QuOlBbCXqSNn_4vsuvOb8yVVZJsaPVqWGBn_Waq8K0RTNBwIbPu0-CuPS3tgkqHbKNh3TiXLBQ/s1600/image.png" width="104" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Prayer & Reflection</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Apostles for Today</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Monthly Reflection, October 2022</span></div><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b><span style="font-size: large;">-</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"> Synodality in the Vision of the Pallottine Charism</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><b>Discernment and Decision</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A fellow sister in Brazil sometimes says: "<i>somos um grupo de almas vibrantes!</i> (<i>We are a group of vibrant souls!</i>) I think she has hit on what Pallotti wanted the members of the Union of the Catholic Apostolate to be - journeying together alongside the mission of Jesus, moved by the love of God. How can we, the Pallottine Family, contribute today through our discernment processes and with our decisions to a fraternal communion in the Church journey?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The recently deceased Bishop Fr Seamus Freeman SAC and Fr Hubert Socha SAC both, in their specific function and competence, together with many others, elaborated the General Statutes of the Union of Catholic Apostolate, which had required much knowledge of Pallotti's intentions as well as many discernment processes that led to the result that our charism is now recognized in the Church and can contribute as a "synodal ferment". Let us thank them!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What criteria should guide us in our search processes and decisions today? - Although I am not an expert, I would like to respond to the question as I share my thoughts with you on this topic.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>1. Pallotti's Yes to Synodality in the Church</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Church was of great concern to Pallotti - he saw it, ahead of the 2nd Vatican Council, as an instrument of God's love for people, continuing the mission of Jesus. All the baptised should recognize and actively participate in their apostolic vocation. "Shared responsibility for the Gospel!". Pallotti would certainly have participated wholeheartedly in the synodal preparatory process, out of conviction that the Church needs to convert, open up and, while doing so, always strive for unity, so that the message of Jesus be credible and contagious for the people. To this end, the signs and needs of the times in which people live must be recognised and responded to.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are therefore called by our Founder to an active collaboration in the renewal process of the Church. Living our apostolic commitment, we should contribute in our places, family, community, at work with our abilities and possibilities, so that the Church becomes a togetherness of "almas vibrantes", moved by Jesus, moved by the Gospel. We are mission.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A few years ago, twelve young people in Germany joined the Union after having spent a year of volunteer missionary work in different countries. They chose a creative name for their group: "MitMission". In German it is a play on words with 2 meanings: Together in Mission and to be on it. They want to get involved in church and society as young Christians, and they also prepare other young people for voluntary missionary work in other countries.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>2. Asking about people today</b> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Technology, informatics, globalization have profoundly changed people and social coexistence. We are living in an epochal change in which the coordinates that have until now provided stability for common life no longer apply universally. Relativism, "fluid values", mixing fact and fiction can be just a few keywords. This demands from people they determine their own values, truth, and sense of life. Today many (at least in our part of the world) feel alone, despite media networking, and depression is spreading. The Corona pandemic has intensified this. However, the "Corona experience" has also made many people rethink, reconsider solidarity and the care for creation. In the last few months, the Russian attack on Ukraine and its consequences have cast a dark cloud over everyone. Fortunately, there is great openness and commitment to refugees on the one hand, but on the other hand there is increasing egocentrism, indifference/disinterest in the lives and suffering of others. One woman has put it this way: in the past, people used to apologise if - while watering flowers -they wet someone passing underneath their balcony. Today you can hear instead: Why do you have to pass below my balcony when I'm watering the flowers!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The cultural and social reality also affects people in the church. Many in our country are turning away in indifference or indignation at the inconceivable numbers of abuse scandals and at what they see as unsatisfactory answers on the part of the Church to questions regarding sexual morality. An unprecedented wave of church withdrawals is calling for a response - especially in Germany. Some Christians are switching to strict traditionalist circles. In many places, however, there are also parishes and groups that strive to keep the faith alive and reach out to others.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Pallotti encourages us not to close our eyes but to look for ways in which people, we as well, can find each other and experience the fraternal community of believers.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>3. Breathing God in – reaching out to people</b> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In his time Pallotti felt the need to encourage all the baptized to rekindle faith and love among themselves and to assume co-responsibility for the transmission of the faith and in works of charity. Apostles all! What can we do in our time, when God has become distant for many people and church life has become alien? Pallotti went among the people, met them on the streets, at the bedside of the sick, in their fraternities, and with the theology students at university. In him, people could feel the presence of God. Pallotti put his own person in the background, Jesus' in the center. " May my life be Jesus' life" In such a "quality of encounter" God can work. There may be someone in our own family, community who is alone and ultimately a stranger to us. There is much to do. "Make wide the space of your tent" says Isaiah (54:2) "stretch out your tent cloths without sparing!" Pallotti spoke of the friendly face with which we can "speak" of God to others. A nod on the street, a gesture on the bus can create community for a brief moment. - And here’s a short story of an encounter one day in Rome:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A common initiative for encounter was the weekly "Night of Nicodemus" at the church of San Salvatore in Onda in Rome. Some Pallottine priests and women would stand in front of the church on Friday evenings and try to make contact with the people passing by in the evening and also invite them for a short visit in the church. I remember a man who was walking his dog. Jokingly I said, "If you want to say a quick hello to the good Lord and you trust me, I'll stay outside with your dog in the meantime." He replied that he was an atheist, not interested. "That doesn't matter," I said. We got into dialogue talking about our different attitudes. I remember that during our conversation I asked God to "speak along" in His way. The man suddenly said, " Oh, you're in love with God!" I was, frankly, embarrassed. "I hoped it was so" I replied. The doors of the church had long been closed when we parted - just like friends.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>4. Cooperating with others</b> in Pallotti's style Pallotti was convinced that collaboration brings richer and more lasting results than "individual performance". He must have experienced, as we do, that cooperation is not always easier. However, he saw it as "the greatest gift": because it is God who invites us to cooperate in his work of salvation. The opening of the Pia Casa di Carità and especially the Octave of the Epiphany may serve as examples from Pallotti's time. Many were involved. Pallotti had a universal understanding of cooperation:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>spiritually,</i></b> the association should be linked to others through mutual membership. <i><b>Financially,</b></i> the various initiatives had to be supported by donors, nobles, well-to-do and simple private individuals and groups. In carrying out the works, a narrower circle of priests, religious and individual lay people was then involved in each </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">case.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">With the 2nd Vatican Council, many networks also began within the Church: Bishops' Conferences, lay associations, cooperation of religious and spiritual families like the Union, common commitment to ecumenism, care of creation, fight of human trafficking, etc. As the Union, we should see ourselves as a ferment in the Church and society. Our contribution to synodality is not to be focused on ourselves but on the common mission, unpretentiously offering "the color" of our charism together with the competences of others.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>5. Recognizing the mission/intention of Jesus today</b> Pallotti envisaged Jesus as the Apostle of the Father, and His "food was" to fulfil the will of his Father. Like Paul who said of himself "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" Gal 2:20, Pallotti aspired to a complete imitation of Jesus' life and mission: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" Jn 10:10b. In the Our Father, Jesus breaks down for us what life in fullness means: communion with God the Father and fraternal/solidarity communion with one another.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Union of Catholic Apostolate, which Pallotti founded in response to the "Enlightenment" on 9 January 1835 with a small missionary group that existed at that time, was to become a universal apostolic community, "urged by the love of Christ" to make His mission its own. Pallotti therefore advises members to ask themselves again and again as a "daily practical memory": "What would Jesus feel, think, do in this situation?" - Ignatius of Loyola recommends to imagine the Gospel periscopes and enter into the scene. Pallotti gave us the Gospel as a basic rule for our decisions and actions. Looking at the life of Jesus in the Gospels helps us to know Jesus more deeply - so that we can hear his voice in our situations today, especially when it comes to important apostolic or other decisions.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the disputes on difficult issues that divide different thinking groups even in the Church, in the face of human need that surrounds us - where is our "Pallottine place" - our contribution? We have to find it again and again from our continuous search for Jesus’ mission and intention, today.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Pope Francis has not shied away from admonishing Patriarch Cyril of Moscow: we must speak with the language of Jesus! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>6. Love - the spirit that should animate all</b> According to Pallotti, the love of Christ - Caritas - is the constitutive of the Union of Catholic Apostolate. The Apostle Paul, a master of Christian discernment, spells out love/charity for us in his hymn 1 Corinthians 13. This is how Jesus lived. He was the love of God Incarnate, meek and humble of heart. He came to seek what was lost and to heal what was wounded. We can also replace "love" in 1 Cor 13 with the name "Jesus". From what Paul lists, it follows per se what love cannot be and what Jesus is not: domineering and self-centered.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The "spirit of love" is not about us all having to like each other and be on the "same wavelength", as nice as that would be. However, Pallotti expects us in the Catholic apostolate to appreciate each other in our differences and to keep our eyes on Jesus, travelling together in His cause. Where there is a persistent poisoned atmosphere and mutual recrimination, without readiness for a new beginning, Pallotti says: Without love, the Catholic Apostolate does not exist! And here we are "out"!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The 1st reading of the liturgy on Pallotti’s feast day - Isaiah (58, 7-8. 10-11) -, describes the works of mercy as the "right fasting" - and says: your light will break forth like the dawn! To the extent that we engage together in the many needs of people, our charism shines forth in the Church. - We all certainly have good examples to tell, here is a small one from our community:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Near our guesthouse "Procura" in Rome is the children's hospital Bambino Gesù. While the children, often with serious illnesses, are being treated in the clinic, their parents need accommodation. Every year the requests increase at the Procura, also because the sisters offer them a special price that barely covers the costs of our house. Together with the General Administration, it was decided to give priority to these families. So the apostolate of the guesthouse has been extended. The sisters are there to share when the parents come home from the hospital, often in despair, and pray together for their children. Sometimes a Pallottine priest friend comes to say healing prayers and blesses the parents.... A Polish family with two children suffering from multiple sclerosis lived with the community for many months, sharing the kitchen with the sisters and becoming one family with them. This was possible because the sisters cooperated all together.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>7. „Place“ of discernment and decision: the Cenacle</b> The Cenacle is a place of crisis (Greek: krisis = decision, decisive turn). After the death and resurrection of the Lord, the disciples did not know how to move on. In the darkness of not seeing, the early church - the archetype of every Christian community - gathered in prayer. Certainly there were also confrontations, anxious struggles. With the gift of the Spirit, the apostles, disciples of Jesus could go and reach out to the people as missionary community. Pallotti understood the Cenacle as a universal, wide space in which the whole creation is groaning in labor pains, in crisis (Rom 8:22). Our questions and needs today are part of these travails. The Spirit is the protagonist of new life, of life in Christ, the power of our mission today. Just as Jesus was moved by the Spirit, one with the Father and able to stand firm in love even up to the cross, so today the Spirit gives us light in our discernment and steadfast love for our decisions and actions. Pallotti gave us as patroness and intercessor Mary, the "<i>virgo potens</i>", our Queen of the Apostles. Together with Pallotti and all the saints, she is our companion.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Fathers and Brothers of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate, gathered in Poland in Assembly, have elected their new General Animation Team. With our prayers we support them and believe that where one part of the family is again thinking about its mission, we will all be enriched for a new departure. Questions for reflection In the Union we have many groups, communities, councils (organs of synodality). How do our discernment and decision-making processes work? What should we pay more attention to?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What should be at the center of our commitment/effort/outreach to realize our charism?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">S. Maria Landsberger SAC</span></div></div>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-45279232101531449612022-09-26T19:52:00.002-07:002022-09-26T19:54:47.633-07:00Apostles for Today - September 2022<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVPuKJYcgobaAOqPF70_1Hu2avZisF__leogwhqefMNz2-TqZc8Njg__KQlyvHCl198Xkt0pmyBt8hcHiCJO-ea7KUCvQdHJT5qqpu-XmsD2Ns6wbka81Amw2WN18nw5HEiDCFQC1AolxvxhiayK-CaLD0ysy5IvoXZw7U7E07ySYU_MH-PaS0FJnDA/s140/image.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="104" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVPuKJYcgobaAOqPF70_1Hu2avZisF__leogwhqefMNz2-TqZc8Njg__KQlyvHCl198Xkt0pmyBt8hcHiCJO-ea7KUCvQdHJT5qqpu-XmsD2Ns6wbka81Amw2WN18nw5HEiDCFQC1AolxvxhiayK-CaLD0ysy5IvoXZw7U7E07ySYU_MH-PaS0FJnDA/s1600/image.png" width="104" /></a></div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Prayer and Reflection</b></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Apostles for Today <br /><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>September 2022</b></span></span><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Authority and Participation</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">First of all, I would like to thank all those who have written before me here on Apostles Today, and put myself in the same path as them to present these reflections on the theme that has been proposed to me. In communion therefore with all the writers and readers, I introduce myself: I am Corrado Montaldo, an Italian and a member of the Community of the Fifth Dimension, in the Union. <br /><br />I am convinced that the synodal path we are all walking is a decisive step for the implementation of the Second Vatican Council and, more generally, for the life of the entire Christian community. This path, which is the fruit of the Spirit, is in simple terms the will of God; therefore we are all striving to achieve it, each in our own sphere, with our own characteristics, with our own will and with the grace with which the Lord assists us. We have also become aware that the synodal path is not an invention of modernity, not someone's brilliant idea today, but is a life already undertaken by Jesus with his disciples gathered with him and then continued in the first communities.<br /><br />We are thus impelled to live a new and ancient experience, sometimes not lived in its fullness, but always present. I am convinced that there is no other way for us than to live this 'journey together' (synod): we know that this 'togetherness' is not just occasional, it is not just being all in the same room, it is not just being members of the same association, it is not just all signing the same document. It is much more: to make us understand this, Pope Francis was very clear: the Synod is not just an event, it is a process; I would say an experience that is prolonged over time, certainly made up of words, but above all of listening. The word 'together' seems to dominate over everything. What value do we want to give to it? How can this journey, in which everyone is involved, overcome differences and distances; how can it be a true service to unity? When we say 'together' we immediately have the image of a community Church, gathered in the Name of Jesus, where everyone finds a place. This is the People of God, the people of the baptized, which is also open to the unbaptized, to the distant; here there are all vocations, conditions of life, ministries, responsibilities, charisms. In this people there is no contradiction between participation and authority. I remember as if it were today, 13 March 2013, in the evening, when the announcement was made in St Peter's Square of the election of Pope Francis. There were many people there, mostly Romans. The new bishop of Rome said: “And now, let us begin this journey: bishop and people. This journey of the Church of Rome, which is the one that presides in charity over all the Churches. A journey of brotherhood, of love, of trust between us. Let us always pray for each other. Let us pray for the whole world, that there may be a great brotherhood”. The highest expression of authority was addressing us all, proposing a path, made of brotherhood and mutual prayer. It cannot escape us from these words that Charity is what allows us to preside over the Churches. St Vincent had written the same in his 1835 Appeal. For him, charity was the only substantial constitutive that allows us to walk together and stay together. For charity is God himself.<br /><br />When the first steps on the road of the Gospel were being taken, when the journey of the community to which I belonged began, we always heard this exhortation repeated: we are all different, we have different characters, often different opinions and even different life experiences among us: everything can fall but charity never falls... we renounce everything but never charity; with charity we always start again, let us ask the Lord for it and practise it concretely among ourselves. We understood that this had to be translated into concrete facts, into gestures, into life, and not remain a beautiful superficial reflection. We discovered that we were little capable of being faithful and so we asked God, because everything came from Him. We thus seemed to sense, just a little, what St Vincent had experienced in his life. For this I must always give thanks. In this fundamental relationship that was based on the New Commandment of Jesus: <br /><br />"This is my commandment:<br />that you love one another as I have loved you" (Jn 13:12), among other things, there were also reference figures, group leaders, both for individuals and for the various activities. At the centre was the priest, for it was he who had initiated our experience. Were these figures at odds with being communion? Certainly not, if everything was lived in the New Commandment of Christ. It was understood that charity, concretely, translated into listening, into patience, ultimately also into obedience, knowing how to lose one's own opinion or desire. It was a school, a gymnasium, not to learn to be perfect but to learn to love. All this is based on a convergence of all towards a common path, in which authority also has its place. The synodal path helps us to distinguish authority from power: indeed if we understand power as the possibility to act, this is very good because it gives the tools to try to do a lot of good. But it could be a negative, self-centered power, which does not produce life but pain, which imposes its own will, its own tastes and thoughts, without asking what God's will is. Authority is a great possibility to work for good and help everyone to do the same. This is why it is necessary to always remember that every authority, every ministry, every role, only makes sense within a people in which we recognize ourselves as brothers and sisters, and this not only in theory. I would also add that this is also a remedy for the loneliness of those who exercise any ministry: alone one does not go far, one often loses one's way; in the Christian community one helps one another towards the goal, one is saved together. Participation in the common journey is also a very serious matter. In fact, participating is certainly a right, but it is above all a necessity; everyone's contribution to the journey cannot be lacking: to be part as a subject, a protagonist, and this applies to every vocation. In my experiences over the past year, within the synodal path, I have seen how the presence of everyone, even the one who never comes to Church or the one who is very critical of Christians, the person who has no interest or the priest who does not feel involved, is always an important presence. In addition, many new relationships have been created between people, born precisely from listening to each other and sharing, always starting from the Word of God and from lived life. There has been fatigue, certainly, a lot of work, but also joy.<br /><br />We know that in the first phase of consultation the entire people of God (hence all the baptized, all the ministries, everyone!) listens and makes its voice heard. At the end of the process, when all voices have reached the pastors, they will give the final directions and also make decisions. This is their charisma and in this they will be the interpreters of the voice of the Holy Spirit, to which they will have to give the utmost attention. We will all pray for them and be in communion.<br /><br />I believe that the synodal path poses a question for us: are we committed to a path of communion? Let us ask ourselves again: was that Jesus whom we met on our way, whom St Vincent loved so much that he wanted everyone to meet Him, communicated to us His life, the life lived with the Father and the Spirit, the life of His family, Love? Have we understood that, even if we are all sinners, the Love of Jesus among us saves us and makes us Church? Outside of this, what else do we have to do? Perhaps to communion we need to form together, because it is like a water that we all need to drink, religious, clergy, laity, families, communities, schools, parishes... Perhaps we should have shared formation experiences where we humbly learn communion, learn to walk together, all needing to learn, from the smallest to the largest. "There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28)". Was it not one of St. Vincent's greatest desires that all, all without distinction, work together to awaken in everyone the presence of Jesus Christ? How can we achieve this? Only by organizing ourselves well, only by giving ourselves regulations, only in a hierarchical structure? All these things are important but not decisive, they do not guarantee that we walk together. Vincent knew this and placed Charity as the constitutive element of his work.<br />Today the Church walks in communion, in synodality: do we want to learn among ourselves and with everyone how to ask for, receive and live the gift of communion? I think this is a great need, as well as a great desire.<br />I would like to thank all of you, members and friends of the Union, for your testimony and for this common journey. I would like to extend to everyone what Pope John Paul II said, in Roman dialect, in an audience to the priests of Rome (he was already very ill): Let us give ourselves, let us love each other, let us be Romans! (in dialect it was: 'Damose da fa' e volemose bene, semo romani!'). I could say now: we are brothers and sisters, on the road, 'together'. Are we naive to desire this? Mary, Queen of Apostles, gather us in unity.</span><br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: right;"><b>Mr. Corrado Montaldo</b></p><p style="text-align: right;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4DsWNjIGEWVttxQN97ou4vs7dpbgtm39_ZGyhpmowKo1Yefls9QRDIE9kRX4CHTSQivrptfjWQjlVNIkffLlDwfcHPY49jXkBUK6R0ifwYJV35HUTin-xWSJ3F6rRLmxCq3cuv7wQMr0D9rSIbGGmd9v3HKXy_U1qCmctjY2JLSSgivi2B0v27TkuWQ/s157/image20200201212547.bmp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="157" data-original-width="117" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4DsWNjIGEWVttxQN97ou4vs7dpbgtm39_ZGyhpmowKo1Yefls9QRDIE9kRX4CHTSQivrptfjWQjlVNIkffLlDwfcHPY49jXkBUK6R0ifwYJV35HUTin-xWSJ3F6rRLmxCq3cuv7wQMr0D9rSIbGGmd9v3HKXy_U1qCmctjY2JLSSgivi2B0v27TkuWQ/s1600/image20200201212547.bmp" width="117" /></a></b></div><b><br /> </b><br /><p></p>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-8577782772714015072022-08-17T17:25:00.006-07:002022-08-17T17:35:06.821-07:00Apostles For today August 2022<h1 align="center" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqXO6KXQc5VcnkUc1IDOd9ppYbrep6u9rKezQOPi2RtWequsmZHwtLjdd0Gf6-e8W3XhKTiuUE1Qg-QlUAyil1TZbV8_ZVhc7U6SDgaANeKZKf5Mqimai8TILvToRjumbMOnMzF_27Ax7NVKczhC4oncQAGC7H0iZ-o4EQHfl0j3RmECT_0DjLhiwQw/s640/UAC-Inal-logo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="640" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqXO6KXQc5VcnkUc1IDOd9ppYbrep6u9rKezQOPi2RtWequsmZHwtLjdd0Gf6-e8W3XhKTiuUE1Qg-QlUAyil1TZbV8_ZVhc7U6SDgaANeKZKf5Mqimai8TILvToRjumbMOnMzF_27Ax7NVKczhC4oncQAGC7H0iZ-o4EQHfl0j3RmECT_0DjLhiwQw/w189-h185/UAC-Inal-logo.JPG" width="189" /></a></div></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Candara, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Ecumenism
- Towards A Successful Unity as Children of God</span></span></span></span></h1><h1 align="center" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Candara, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></h1>
<ol style="text-align: left;" type="I"><li><h4 align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB">Ecumenism
- Because All are Called</span></span></span></h4><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></li></ol><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p align="justify" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"> God
gave us Jesus Christ so that "He might be our firstborn brother,
<b><i>'ut sit Ipse primogenitus in multis fratribus'</i></b> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"><i>(Rom
8:29) </i></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB">...
In this way He wished to animate more vividly and palpably in us
faith in that intimate, true, very close relationship which may be
called ... supernatural kinship. Through it we enter into the rights
of the children of God, heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus
Christ."</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><sup><span style="font-family: Candara, serif;"><span><span lang="en-GB"><a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="#sdfootnote1sym" name="sdfootnote1anc"><sup>1</sup></a></span></span></span></sup><span style="font-family: Candara, serif;"><span><span lang="en-GB">
These words of St. Vincent Pallotti make it clear that all who
profess Christ are united as brothers and sisters and called to
follow him into communion with God and with one another.</span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"> On
the way to this fellowship of churches, the Christian confessions
have come a decisive distance in recent decades within the framework
of ecumenical encounter and ecumenical dialogue. But in the face of
present and future challenges, we need to redefine ecumenism from the center of Christian faith. Experience shows that the ecumenical
process must come from the center of Christianity and be sustained by
the life and faith practices of Christians as a whole. </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><sup><span style="font-family: Candara, serif;"><span><span lang="en-GB"><a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="#sdfootnote2sym" name="sdfootnote2anc"><sup>2</sup></a>
</span></span></span></sup><span style="font-family: Candara, serif;"><span><span lang="en-GB">If
ecumenism is to carry its own concerns right into the hearts of
people and the movements of life, it needs a spiritual reorientation
and a clear change of perspective inspired from the centre of the
Christian message, as well as a broadening of horizons.</span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><ol start="2" type="I"><li><h2 align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB">Building
Blocks of a Spiritual Ecumenism</span></span></span></h2>
</li></ol><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p align="justify" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"> Before
the unity of Christian denominations becomes a visible reality,
Christians must first become aware once again of the foundation and
the goal of unity.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><sup><span style="font-family: Candara, serif;"><span><span lang="en-GB"><a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="#sdfootnote3sym" name="sdfootnote3anc"><sup>3</sup></a></span></span></span></sup><span style="font-family: Candara, serif;"><span><span lang="en-GB">
This foundation can only be religious and at the same time spiritual.
The visible unity of the Church is only a concretisation and
manifestation of unity in the spirit of faith and the mission of the
People of God. Ecumenism cannot be reduced to the level of mere
conversation, argument and problematisation, or to diplomacy and
human benevolence. It must emerge from the spiritual power of living
proclamation and witness to the Gospel from life. It must blossom in
lived faith.</span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"> It
is therefore indispensable that Christians of all denominations first
become aware of their mission and calling as Christians. The basic
condition of the unity of the Church is the fundamental awareness
that there is only one God and one humanity. This fundamental unity
precedes all differences and all legitimate diversity. The one God is
the Creator of all human beings. All human beings are creatures of
the one God, made in his image (cf. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"><i>Gen
1:26</i></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB">).
The Creator of all human beings, according to the Christian faith, is
the heavenly Father. Because we have only one Father, we are all
children of God and therefore brothers and sisters.<a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="#sdfootnote4sym" name="sdfootnote4anc"><sup>4</sup></a>
The desired unity of the Church is nothing other than the unity of
humanity already founded in creation, which the Church is called to
live. This can only succeed as a spiritual process. Such a spiritual
perspective enables us to seek without prejudice that which unites us
and to give it form: Are we not united by the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
our vocation and common mission as Christians, the profession of
faith, the call to mercy and holiness of life, and last but not
least, our common hope in eternal life? The sacramental bond of
Baptism unites us deeply with one another and gives us a spiritual
kinship with Christ and in him with our fellow human beings. It is
necessary to recognize this deep kinship and to fill it with life.</span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"> We
must understand ecumenism as a spiritual process encompassing all
dimensions of the Christian life. "Because ecumenism, with all
its human and moral demands, is so deeply rooted in the mysterious
work of the Father's providence through the Son and in the Holy
Spirit, it reaches into the depths of Christian spirituality."<a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="#sdfootnote5sym" name="sdfootnote5anc"><sup>5</sup></a>
This means penetrating the truth of the faith existentially and
appropriating the essence and truth of the Christian message in such
a way that it shapes and transforms one's whole life. The common
confession of faith that all Christians pray must become an
experiential existential reality for life and Christian practice.
This confession is, of course, an ongoing task which we hope will be
fulfilled.</span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"> To
realize unity in legitimate diversity of faith traditions and
approaches is above all a spiritual task wrought by the Holy Spirit.
Only the Spirit of God can give the necessary power to reconcile
differences. For the intention of the petition for unity in Jesus'
high priestly prayer (cf. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"><i>Jn
17:20-26</i></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB">)
has in view a unity that is per-formed in God himself. But it is an
eschatological reality that can already be experienced now in the
presence of the Holy Spirit. The "already" and "not
yet" of the faith founded in the message of the kingdom of God
is especially decisive in questions of ecumenism. Ecumenism can only
be successful if we look for a theologically-reflective contemporary
form of the gospel and the church that comes from the center of the
Christian faith and is oriented towards the present ecumenical
necessity and the present world situation rather than towards the
outdated confessional categories and reasons for separation of the
past. We need a great spiritual strength to surrender part of our own
history and the narrowness of our own confessional limiting identity
and to attain a larger and more comprehensive common Christian
identity.</span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"> Ecumenism
as a spiritual process demands from everyone a spiritual breadth of
heart and an inner spiritual strength to respect and love not only
individual brothers and sisters in other churches, but entire
denominations as such, without rashly giving up one's own
self-understanding. This is, of course, the more difficult and
uncomfortable way, but in the long run it is fruitful. For true
fidelity to the Lord and his Church and openness to the various
challenges of the reality of others are not mutually exclusive. To
the extent that we live in communion with Christ, abiding in his love
that accepts and purifies us all, to the extent that we share in
Christ's community, we too can be faithful to the Gospel and to our
own journey of faith while at the same time being open to other
journeys of faith. We are all united in the spiritual search for the
all-surpassing truth of the Christian faith in its depth and
fullness.</span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><ol start="3" type="I"><li><h2 align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB">Theocentric
Orientation</span></span></span></h2>
</li></ol><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p align="justify" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"> In
our common confession of faith, first and foremost is the confession
of the one God who is the Creator of all people. In this confession
we are given a great vision of unity. When God is at the center of
ecumenism, we are on a sure spiritual path. The point is to refocus
all our ecumenical efforts on God and to understand the whole process
of ecumenism as a journey of deeper knowledge of God and relationship
with God. All our ecumenical efforts should be about grasping more
deeply God's one plan of salvation for all humanity and drawing
strength from it for our actions.</span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"> What
we need today is a God-centeredness in the life of the churches and
the ecclesial communities.<a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="#sdfootnote6sym" name="sdfootnote6anc"><sup>6</sup></a>
When we look together to God, we have the strength to perceive from a
new perspective the reality of human life and all that belongs to the
human condition. All ecumenical movements must start from God and
lead more and more to him. For the vocation of all Christians and of
the Church is to be witnesses for God in the world. Since this
witness is obscured by the division of Christians, the abiding goal
of ecumenism is to be together "convincing" witnesses to
God. If we succeed in a new departure towards God, we will also
succeed in ecumenism. If we are on this spiritual journey, we will
discover more deeply our common calling as Christians. When we put
God at the centre, we will all have a common direction of vision to
guide individual Christians and the church as a community.</span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"> The
necessary theocentric orientation in ecumenism becomes concrete and
real for us in a lived Christocentricity.<a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="#sdfootnote7sym" name="sdfootnote7anc"><sup>7</sup></a>
Jesus Christ is at the center of the Christian faith and the
confession of him makes us what we are: Christians. In Christ we
recognize who God is. In him and through him, God becomes Immanuel,
the God with us. The concretisation of the experience of God in
Christ is only possible if we are willing to enter into friendship
with him. This friendly relationship with Jesus is the central theme
of a spiritual ecumenism. Through the knowledge of Christ we become
new people. In him we live in a new way in the awareness of the unity
given in him to all who follow him and have become brothers and
sisters in him and through him.</span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"> Jesus
Christ is the common foundation of the Church. If we want to build
ecumenism not on sand but on solid rocky ground, and if we want to
come closer to the goal of the unity of all Christians, then we must
first turn our gaze to him and to the salvation given in him.</span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"> We
must return to Jesus Christ and his saving message: Jesus Christ is
always the same, yesterday, today and forever (cf. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"><i>Heb
13:8</i></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB">).
Christians confess together about him: Jesus Christ is true God and
true man. This confession is the common foundation of all churches
and the common heritage of undivided Christianity in the first
century. An ecumenism built on this foundation can be purposeful.</span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><ol start="4" type="I"><li><h2 align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB">Ecumenism
and Evangelisation</span></span></span></h2>
</li></ol><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p align="justify" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"> When
we recognize that the divisions are obviously contrary to the will of
Christ, then for the sake of the cause of Jesus we must make every
effort to intensify ecumenism from the mission of the Church and to
continue it as a spiritual process of bringing the faith to life and
passing it on. For the raison d'être of the visible Church is solely
the mediation and realization of the salvation given in Christ, so
that people may find their salvation, to the infinite glory of God.<a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="#sdfootnote8sym" name="sdfootnote8anc"><sup>8</sup></a>
The source of ecumenism's strength is the awareness of Christians'
sacramental union with God, the bond this gives them with one
another, and the spiritual community of life and witness that follows
from this.<a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="#sdfootnote9sym" name="sdfootnote9anc"><sup>9</sup></a></span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"> The
Church's mission of evangelization and ecumenism are closely linked.
Therefore, we must start at the root. We must once again make the
Gospel the center of the Church's life, because the Gospel is the
beginning, the permanent foundation and the source of ecclesial life
and of all renewal. Of course, by Gospel is meant the living Word of
God, Jesus Christ Himself. Thus we must again begin everything anew
on the ground of the Gospel and renew everything in Christ. Only on
the path of evangelization, which means at the same time a new
evangelization and self-evangelisation, can we walk ecumenism as a
spiritual path to unity. This is how we realize our apostolate.</span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"> One
thing is necessary: A new enthusiasm for God that opens and inclines,
unites, builds up and completes. If we are close to God, we will also
be close to one another and together we will be a sign and witness of
human unity. If we succeed in grasping anew the glorification of God
as our proper vocation and mission, the ecumenical rendezvous will
take on a new quality. Many divisive issues will then appear in a
different light and this goal of unity will unite us: "You have
called us to stand before you and serve you". This prayer of the
Church in the celebration of the Eucharist is the confession of her
very<i><b> raison d'être.</b></i></span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"> When
Christians existentially embrace the spiritual implications of one of
the most quoted words of the Bible, ecumenism will appear in a new
perspective: "But you are a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, a holy tribe, a people who have become his special
possession, that you may proclaim the great deeds of him who called
you out of darkness into his marvelous light." </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"><i>(1
Peter 2:9) </i></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB">This
calling is our mission: When the glorification of God is seen as the
unifying center of God's people and is also grasped and lived
existentially, then a new horizon opens for ecumenism. The ecumenism
of the future can only succeed if we are prepared to join in Jesus'
prayer for unity and to live our lives accordingly: "Let all be
one, so that the world may believe that you have sent me" </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: small;"><span><span lang="en-GB"><i>(Jn
17:21).</i></span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p align="justify" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
</p>
<p align="justify" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 400px;">
<span style="font-family: Candara, serif; font-size: medium;"><span><span lang="en-GB">Dr.
Fr. George Augustine SAC</span></span></span></p>
<div id="sdfootnote1"><p class="sdfootnote-western"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="#sdfootnote1anc" name="sdfootnote1sym">1</a><span style="font-family: Candara, serif;"><span lang="en-GB">
V. Pallotti, God the Infinite Love, Friedberg 1981, 130.</span></span></p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote2"><p class="sdfootnote-western"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="#sdfootnote2anc" name="sdfootnote2sym">2</a><span style="font-family: Candara, serif;"><span lang="en-GB">
Cf. W. Beinert, Die Rezeption und ihre Bedeutung für das Leben und
Lehre der Kirche, in: W. Pannenberg/T. Schneider (Eds.),
Verbindliches Zeugnis, Vol. 2, Freiburg - Göttingen 1995, 193-218.</span></span></p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote3"><p class="sdfootnote-western"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="#sdfootnote3anc" name="sdfootnote3sym">3</a><span style="font-family: Candara, serif;"><span lang="en-GB">
On the following cf. G. Augustin, Die Seele der Ökumene. Einheit
der Christen als geistlicher Prozess, Ostfildern 2017 and G.
Augustin, Geistliche Ökumene. Path to the success of unity, in:
Diakonia 48 (2017) 161-166.</span></span></p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote4"><p class="sdfootnote-western"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="#sdfootnote4anc" name="sdfootnote4sym">4</a><span style="font-family: Candara, serif;"><span lang="en-GB">
Cf. in detail Pallotti, God the Infinite Love, 130.</span></span></p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote5"><p class="sdfootnote-western"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="#sdfootnote5anc" name="sdfootnote5sym">5</a><span style="font-family: Candara, serif;"><span lang="en-GB">
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Directory for the
Execution of the Principles and Norms on Ecumenism, Rome 1993, 25.</span></span></p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote6"><p class="sdfootnote-western"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="#sdfootnote6anc" name="sdfootnote6sym">6</a><span style="font-family: Candara, serif;"><span lang="en-GB">
Cf. G. Augustin, God First. A Conversation on the Future of Faith,
Ostfildern</span></span><sup><span style="font-family: Candara, serif;"><span lang="en-GB">2</span></span></sup><span style="font-family: Candara, serif;"><span lang="en-GB">
2022.</span></span></p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote7"><p class="sdfootnote-western"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="#sdfootnote7anc" name="sdfootnote7sym">7</a><span style="font-family: Candara, serif;"><span lang="en-GB">
Cf. G. Augustin, God unites - Christ separates?, Paderborn 1993.</span></span></p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote8"><p class="sdfootnote-western"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="#sdfootnote8anc" name="sdfootnote8sym">8</a><span style="font-family: Candara, serif;"><span lang="en-GB">
Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis Redintegratio, 1.</span></span></p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote9"><p class="sdfootnote-western"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="#sdfootnote9anc" name="sdfootnote9sym">9</a><span style="font-family: Candara, serif;"><span lang="en-GB">
Cf. ibid, 12.</span></span></p>
</div>
<p> </p>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-56039882740805145032022-07-22T16:06:00.001-07:002022-07-22T16:06:38.640-07:00UAC Committment of Helen Kim<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxjBMoL2U7lactun4g7bwWARnE2ylJiQfaI4kZGWYjG0HdF0Mr1RmzO-uuuuRTpN9S288mPfdSoggUTlqBBwg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /> <p></p>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-11572420447565085002022-07-10T20:50:00.004-07:002022-07-10T21:03:41.905-07:00Apostles For Today --July 2022<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKxifIaoFdyTZfglLUwiIx9cqotUydpQFfdTqf_EiUUZwmwp4O9bplIIAaAjN9RB5yVthAdjIqr6hTujU2txvX5-iBhJpRc8cVe7X94M86bI6WJpu1puW1xjUQDJV4LxP_FR0GQ9oOob_uYAnVrrK_oV1upBFKn6klY_QMDobjErrAjysVet9ZBXuxGA/s171/image20200201210925.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="128" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKxifIaoFdyTZfglLUwiIx9cqotUydpQFfdTqf_EiUUZwmwp4O9bplIIAaAjN9RB5yVthAdjIqr6hTujU2txvX5-iBhJpRc8cVe7X94M86bI6WJpu1puW1xjUQDJV4LxP_FR0GQ9oOob_uYAnVrrK_oV1upBFKn6klY_QMDobjErrAjysVet9ZBXuxGA/s1600/image20200201210925.bmp" width="128" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span> </span><span> <span> </span> </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Apostles For Today</span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>July 2022 </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">Dialogue in the Church and in the society</span><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Currently, the synodal process proposed by Pope Francis is an excellent moment to re-examine issues like: community discernment, collaboration in the Church and society; but also - perhaps above all – that of the dialogue we live within our Church, community, or society. I must admit that, especially in recent years I’ve been observing what is happening in the world and I have the overwhelming impression that the word dialogue has become extremely popular in theory, as it sounds well in homilies, reflections, or speeches by politicians or famous personalities. However, if we take a closer look at this, it turns out that, apart from the façade of beautiful words, for many this topic becomes generally inconvenient when we see how it is practised in the daily life of a community, family, and society. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the context of the Church, the word dialogue has become particularly popular in relation to the so-called interreligious dialogue, broadly understood as ecumenism. We can see it in the attitude of the Popes ofthe 20th century up to Francis, with whom interreligious dialogue today seems to get a special focus with the world of Islam. The Catechism of the Catholic Church goes even farther, with a very strong emphasis on dialogue with those who have not yet accepted the Gospel. We read: The missionary task implies a respectful dialogue with those who do not yet accept the Gospel (CCC 856). Looking with hope at the reality of the Union of Catholic Apostolate, we see that dialogue and collaboration were at the heart of the life of our Founder, St. Vincent Pallotti. Already during his time at the seminary, Pallotti had tried to promote the missionary and ecumenical activity of the Church; then it culminated in the Celebrations for the Octave of Epiphany, he organized for the first time in Rome in 1836.<br /><br />Pallotti was a man of dialogue and collaboration, open to anyone and any possibility of doing good together, even with people who showed no interest in God. It should be particularly emphasized here that in Pallotti dialogue primarily began within the Church among those who constituted it on a daily basis, and as a consequence, or perhaps because of this foundation, his dialogue spread all over and beyond, reaching out to the peripheries of the world of his time. It was also the premise for the establishment of the Union, which has in its very name the feature of unity, dialogue, and collaboration from the very beginning. As we read: the Union was called the &quot;Pious Union of the Catholic Apostolate; to emphasize that its main purpose is to zealously cooperate with works for the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls” (cf OOCC I, 192). We can’t collaborate with zeal, if dialogue and openness towards others do not become part of our DNA, because, as our Founder says: Reason and experience demonstrate that the good done individualistically is usually lacking and of limited duration. Even the best efforts of individuals cannot be successful unless they are united and directed to a common goal (OOCC IV, 122). If we want to be effective, if we really and deeply want to be the salt of the earth, we have to remember that this salt can give flavor to every reality of life, including the reality we do not understand or is strange and unknown to us, and which, on the surface, may arouse a natural sense of human fear: fear of the unknown, of a different opinion, or perhaps of a challenging disagreement that shatters our apparent order.<br /><br />So, we see that, in the depths of our charism, we are invited to be people of dialogue that leads to collaboration. In the first part, I mentioned that dialogue has become a trendy word, but not necessarily a practiced one. This is unfortunately the case. Let us leave for a moment society, which by its very nature “lives its life”, and let us try for a moment to look at our reality in the Church, which by its own very nature should be a place of dialogue. A few simple examples. Today in Poland, in every parish we have Parish Councils, but some of them do not function at all in practice, because everything is decided by the parish priest already. He has the first and the last say. In our communities we have priests or consecrated people who avoid difficult topics. They have no problem voicing unpopular opinions from the pulpit or through the media, but not necessarily they are keen to meet others who are looking for answers to difficult questions that may challenge our thinking or sometimes show the fragility of our testimony. Lay people are no better in this regard, as the pandemic has clearly shown us. For it has turned out that also in our social environments we are not open to dialogue and sometimes we cross out people when they do not fit into our thought pattern. <br /><br />Perhaps they are unusual, or even their way of living is in opposition to what we believe. Dialogue does not mean that we agree on everything, that we accept whatever the world brings, but dialogue does allow us to remain open to others, to be there for them like the bread when it is needed, and to be ready to accept them with whatever they bring, even with what is inconvenient. Is this not what it is all about? It’s about changing the world, not running away from it and its problems, or building an atmosphere of exclusion.<br /><br />Fortunately, recent years have also borne in examples of beautifully conducted dialogue full of respect and love. The number of parishes where laity and priests are together, listen to each other, and where they sometimes disagree but in a healthy way, is constantly growing. Yes- they can disagree. In our Pallottine spirituality we speak of our diversity, of the variety of vocations, sometimes also of our different opinions, and although this can be difficult sometimes, if used well, it allows us to serve better, live better and be more humble. Dialogue requires humility and a deep awareness that I am not perfect, that I have flaws and also that I am often wrong. Pope Francis, in the <i>Evangelii Gaudium</i>, made it very clear: Pastoral ministry in a missionary key seeks to abandon the complacent attitude that says: “We have always done it this way” (<i>Evangelii Gaudium</i> 33). Doesn't dialogue make us open our horizons to new forms also in the field of evangelize? In our communities, let us answer the question: how do we live? Are we able to give up our habits and routines? Do we, like Jesus, do not exclude those who are different, but open ourselves to their voice? Do we have the courage to live a pure Gospel which shows that it is possible to be so close to<br />Him, and yet so distant from Him? Or apparently so distant, and yet close - like the tax collector in the Gospel. In the following part of <i>Evangelii Gaudium</i> Pope Francis, writing about the Christian ideal, says: The Christian ideal will always be a summons to overcome suspicion, habitual mistrust, fear of losing our privacy, all the defensive attitudes which today’s world imposes on us. Many try to escape from others and take refuge in the comfort of their privacy or in a small circle of close friends, renouncing the realism of the social aspect of the Gospel. For just as some people want a purely spiritual Christ, without flesh and without the cross, they also want their interpersonal relationships provided by sophisticated equipment, by screens and systems which can be turned on and off on command. Meanwhile, the Gospel tells us constantly to run the risk of a face-to-face encounter with others, with their physical presence which challenges us, with their<br />pain and their pleas, with their joy which infects us in our close and continuous interaction. True faith in the incarnate Son of God is inseparable from self-giving, from membership in the community, from service, from reconciliation with others. The Son of God, by becoming flesh, summoned us to the revolution of tenderness<br />(Evangelii Gaudium 88).<br /><br />I invite you and myself to take the risk of meeting others, to be open to dialogue and to constantly listen to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who blows as he wills, and not as we will.<br /><br />Michał Grzeca</span></span><br /></p>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-67537256589384010582022-04-22T18:25:00.000-07:002022-04-22T18:25:06.600-07:00Apostles for Today --February 2022<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMkP3_Q0gRIR0pyEwJog2f8I58XkrdV08TwW0OYO33FqdrzOuGsiVX4IzKHUs51-RxGnvAjYPu8aANOT7hZqqhTMOwQjJw4mZII5INWnepbIZT6FVRO9M28WGsefoco_f52DAYl_J4nlHEuVkaYPovzxyAQOYjcEKGA3129E7Ydd7jPZ4cAlULqlpk2w/s140/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="104" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMkP3_Q0gRIR0pyEwJog2f8I58XkrdV08TwW0OYO33FqdrzOuGsiVX4IzKHUs51-RxGnvAjYPu8aANOT7hZqqhTMOwQjJw4mZII5INWnepbIZT6FVRO9M28WGsefoco_f52DAYl_J4nlHEuVkaYPovzxyAQOYjcEKGA3129E7Ydd7jPZ4cAlULqlpk2w/s1600/image.png" width="104" /></a></div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;"> Apostles for Today<br /><div style="text-align: center;">Feb 2022</div></h2><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"> Theme: Journeying Together</h3><p>In the last two years, the whole world has been marked by a series of crises and situations, the likes of which we were not used to in our daily lives. We have lived through times of uncertainty, anxiety, fears, bereavements, unemployment, challenges, and preoccupations. How does one face up to all these consequences that the pandemic has brought to the world?</p><p>Pope Francis proposes to us and at the same time he challenges us to live the synodal spirit: that is, to journey together on this road of life. At the beginning of Christianity one of the terms that described the Christians was: the followers of the Way.</p><p>Once again, today, this reasoning makes a lot of sense: Jesus is the Way and we walk that way, not stationary and merely gazing up at the sky, but with a profound desire to walk the roads of life in order to transform them in signs of the Kingdom of God.</p><p>It’s true that we do not walk on our own; we meet many people on the way. On that road we meet people who teach us, who ask us for our help, who question us, who comfort us, who test our patience, persons who we love, and others whom we have difficulty in loving.</p><p>Our fidelity to the way of Jesus is that which will determine our attitudes towards these people. To walk along the way of Jesus, and to look at the world with the eyes of Jesus, to have the right attitudes, to fight so that the Gospel values do not disappear from the world. Sacred Scripture, namely the Gospel of Saint Luke chapter 24, verses 13 to 25 is the foundation that makes us reflect on the necessity to journey together.</p><p>The Gospel shows us the disciples going to Emmaus. They journey together but they are discouraged, asking themselves whether it was worth the effort to hope, because they had followed a Master who had died on the cross, crucified between two thieves. They felt as if they had chosen the wrong road and that they were alone, no longer having a direction in life.</p><p>Jesus met with the disciples on the road to Emmaus. He walked with them and he asked them what was the reason for the sadness and the delusion that they were experiencing. In telling their story, they shared questions.</p><p>Jesus helped them to remember all that they already knew, showing that there is already enlightenment in the Word of God that gives hope in the face of difficult realities. Emmaus was not an isolated event, it was an experience that the community of believers knew well, something that they continued to experience on their life journey. Our current situation is precious, not because it is beautiful or perfect, but because it is where God is revealing Himself, our God, Who, despite everything, does not abandon us to the caprices of history.</p><p>The conversation on the road was a preparation for what would later take place. The companion on the journey is invited to supper. The conversation on the road has re-awakened a sense of welcome for the unknown fellow-traveller, and in what follows he is recognized in the blessing and the breaking of the bread.</p><p>We are a Church that recognizes herself as a community of followers of Jesus that gathers around the Eucharistic Bread. Our ecclesial identity is marked with the sign of the presence of the Lord.</p><p>The presence of the Risen One is that which brings the Church to birth. A Church nourished by the Eucharist that enables us to journey on the way. A Synodal Church: of communion, participation and mission (theme of the Synod of Bishops).</p><p>It is necessary to remember that the Synod is not only an episcopal assembly; it is also a journey for all the faithful. And it is not just an event; it is also a process, a journey, a real and true synodal experience.</p><p>In order to live this Synodal journey, one must first welcome the other with his/her questions, his/her challenges, just as Jesus did with the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Therefore, it is necessary to walk together, to listen to our brothers and sisters and their reality.</p><p>The listening has to be reciprocal and transformative in order to make possible the pastoral conversion that creates new paths where ALL (laity, men and women, consecrated persons, deacons, priests, bishops) can discern the direction in which the Lord is calling them. To journey together has to be a journey of authentic growth towards communion and the mission of the Church.</p><p>Pope Francis, in his discourse on the occasion of the opening of the Synod on Synodality on October 10th 2021 warns us not to fall into the risks or traps of:</p><p>1. Formalism: reducing the Synod to an event which is formal and which is done to fulfil the requirements.</p><p>2. Intellectualism: to turn the synod into a kind of study group, but which is disconnected from the reality of the People of God.</p><p>3. Complacency: summed up in the expression: “we have always done it this way.” The last risk or trap is perhaps the gravest because such an attitude leaves people stagnant, immobile in the face of present reality and does not accept the new challenges that call for changes to be made. The Gospel of Jesus is the same, yesterday today and forever, but in order to proclaim it today it is important to find the right language, the right way of proclaiming the Gospel in our time.</p><p>To journey together is a journey of holiness. Therefore, all our efforts to listen to and to discern that which is better for living the Gospel helps us to become the missionary and the synodal Church.</p><p>Let us call on God that He may bless us, that Jesus protect us, that the Holy Spirit give us wisdom and discernment, that the Queen of the Apostles cover us with her Divine Mantle, that Saint Vincent Pallotti encourage us in the mission and that the Pallottine Blesseds accompany us on our journey towards holiness.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Dayse da Conceição Barros da Conceição</span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-family: arial;">President of the National Coordination Council in Brazil.</span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-77817742423758664412022-01-06T13:58:00.000-08:002022-01-06T13:58:00.227-08:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgbBwqpQ8xdF77hDdRZVk3oXY9-K14etBQRmeG7mQK0uhL2eqmOR0GTxGBzrKhqqRI6ZK5VY4cU1Y155eYxuuk7FwHKXplKZq0BTiNrbbdf4B2TLvPu_qYW4iSVdTxYupAjCC5R35aL7eIEDBNAaSSS8pFieTQjMOjVQ0UyK41HkSw1CNiPdH44c5ndmA=s171" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="128" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgbBwqpQ8xdF77hDdRZVk3oXY9-K14etBQRmeG7mQK0uhL2eqmOR0GTxGBzrKhqqRI6ZK5VY4cU1Y155eYxuuk7FwHKXplKZq0BTiNrbbdf4B2TLvPu_qYW4iSVdTxYupAjCC5R35aL7eIEDBNAaSSS8pFieTQjMOjVQ0UyK41HkSw1CNiPdH44c5ndmA" width="128" /></a></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">Apostles for Today</div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;">January 2022</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2022, a New Year and a new start for us all.</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: center;"><b>Apostles for Today</b></span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">, our monthly reflection and prayer bulletin, reminds us in a timely fashion of our call and vocation to be Apostles of Jesus Christ, in the Church and in the world. The General Secretariat of the UAC proposed that we reflect and pray throughout this year on Synodality, the theme for the next Synod of Bishops which will be held in 2023. The Secretariat has prepared an outline of twelve (12) topics on Synodality which will be the material for reflection each month. Pope Francis has chosen Synodality as he believes that it is really at the very foundation of the Church and of her life and, as such, is deep in his heart. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> In the Preparatory Document we read that “The Church of God is convoked in Synod. <b>The path</b> entitled <i>‘For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission</i>’”; it is significant that it is described as ‘<b>path</b>’, an indication that it is a journey and a way and not only a theme. The word Synod indicates to us what is involved, it comes from the Greek and is a composite of ‘<i>syn</i>’ meaning ‘together with, jointly, at the same time’ and ‘<i>hodos</i>’ which means ‘<i>a way, path, road, journey</i>’. The path and the process in the Document are formulated as “journeying together”. From a reflection on the word ‘synod’ we can understand what is envisaged, that we, the members of the Church are consciously and reflectively journeying together as God’s people and identifying how this takes place in our own lives, in our church life and on all the levels of the life and mission of the Church today. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> The Covid-19 pandemic continues to be an ever-present reality for us and certainly here in the northern hemisphere it impedes our coming together and enjoying full in-presence communion, and we are challenged to find means of consciously and meaningfully walking together. There are essential elements of our path to the Synod and the first of these is ‘<i>Together</i>’: the material prepared and circulated by the General Secretariat of the Synod places great stress on this as we are intrinsically connected and linked to one another, we belong one to another; we share life on earth together and we will share eternal life together. A phrase used several times by Pope Francis while writing on “Temptations faced by Pastoral Workers ”in <i>Evangelii Gaudium</i>, is “Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of ...” (EG 80, 83, 86, 92, 97, 101); the repetition of this exhortation comes to mind now in this pandemic as there is much that isolates us and keeps us apart from one another. There are things that can create division and distance and can ‘rob us’ of essential elements of our common Christian journey. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Perhaps a question can be put here, can I, can we, identify what creates distance between us and others in the UAC? Are we being “robbed of” the opportunity to journey together?</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> A second element is ‘<b>Walking or journeying</b>' and signifies onward movement, it is not a static state; we are always going towards God. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> In Advent we reflected on journeys in the Nativity scenes, Mary journeying over rough terrain to be with Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph travelling to Jerusalem to comply with the census, Joseph, Mary and the child Jesus journeying into Egypt. In our Christian life we are journeying deeper and deeper into God and into the mystery of God, in Jesus. What is my/our sense of journeying or walking? </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> A third element is awareness of being part of the living Church; we tend to hark back to the early Church and the experience of lived communion as related in the New Testament, we can think of this as the ‘ideal’ experience; I have often thought how wonderful it would have been to live in that church in such close connection to the earthly life of Jesus. However, over the years I have realized that we are just one step away from the experience of the early Church, the Church is, and the Church is new in every generation as we receive a lived faith, make it our own and pass it on to the next generation. Can I/we come up with an image that reflects a sense of being part of the living Church?</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <b>The fourth element</b> is one that is central to our Pallottine spirituality: Communion and cooperation are words which run through all the writings of our Founder. He experienced himself as in communion with God and with all creatures in God; he was conscious of the call to cooperation with God in all his works and in particular in the salvation of souls; “... the most holy, noble, august and divine of all divine works is the work of cooperating with the merciful designs, wishes and desires of God for the salvation of souls.”(OOCC IV).</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">St Vincent was ‘an apostle of a spirituality of communion’(cf. St Vincent Pallotti, Prophet of a Spirituality of Communion”, Fr Franco Todisco, SAC).In the UAC we are called to live a spirituality of cooperation and of communion which is rooted in the love of the Holy Trinity and it is part of our Pallottine heritage. What is my/our sense of living communion and cooperation in the UAC? For mission: we the members of the Pallottine family, in the condition and state of life we are in, are all called to cooperate in the mission of Jesus Christ in the Church. The General Statutes affirm that “...the multiple forms of personal vocation and the diversity of life styles, of commitment and of service are united by the founding charism, by a common spirit and mission and by the communion of the members...” (GS 6).</span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> We are for mission; our mission is to live the Gospel in the day-to-day activities and engagement; to proclaim the Gospel and to facilitate access to the Gospel in accompanying others in their quest. How do I/we see the mission today? How do I/we see the mission in the circumstances in which I/we find ourselves?</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Personally, I am excited and enthused by the path proposed to us by Pope Francis and the Secretariat of the Synod; enthused because there is no fixed agenda, nomaster-plan already laid out which we are asked to study, understand, accept and implement. The point of departure for the path is to gather together, to be together, and to talk, share, meet each other where we are and share what being Church is to us, and together share where we think God’s Spirit is leading us; what God’s Spirit wants of us. In the Vademecum prepared by the Secretariat for the Synod it is stressed that “The Synodal Process is first and foremost a spiritual process” (Vademecum 2.2). The path is exciting because something new will be born of our encounter, something which we will create together in God; the Vademecum warns against gathering with a sense of positions already taken and with viewpoints to defend or to impose; it also urges a leaving behind of prejudices and stereotypes, of ‘the virus of self-sufficiency’; to avoid temptations of ‘wanting to lead ourselves instead of being led by God’, of focusing on ourselves and our immediate concerns, on ‘problems’ and on structures. It is to be a spiritual process leading to discernment. WhileI reflected on the request to prepare this number of Apostles for Today I thought of what attitudes might facilitate my participation in the process and I came up with the following:</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: x-small;">A conscious awareness of the continuous call to communion, to communion with God, to communion with all others in God.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: x-small;">A recognition that I/we are all protagonists in the process because I/we all have faith and my/our experience in faith and the convictions that grow out of it are valid.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: x-small;">•My/our vocation is that of the Church, a vocation to evangelize which is our mission; daily reading of the Gospel will throw light on the here-and-now of the mission.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: x-small;">Listening with an open ear and mind, Pope Francis gives the impression that he is listening attentively and he responds, sometimes he may trip up in his response, but he continues onwards on the path he sees as being the one the Spirit is indicating. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: x-small;">In the Union of Catholic Apostolate I/we have experience of ‘walking together’ through my/our experience of being in communion in the charism of St Vincent Pallotti; my/our experience is valid and can contribute to the discernment of the Church on Synodality. </span></li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> I will conclude with a quote from <i>Lumen Fidei,</i> Encyclical Letter of Pope Francis, and make it my prayer for our participation in the Synodal path: “The experience of love shows us that a common vision is possible, for through love we learn how to see reality through the eyes of others, not as something which impoverishes but instead enriches our vision. Genuine love, after the fashion of God’s love, ultimately requires truth, and the shared contemplation of the truth which is Jesus Christ enables love to become deep and enduring.” (<i>Lumen Fidei </i>47).</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: xx-small;">-Fr. Derry Murphy, SAC.</span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="page" data-loaded="true" data-page-number="1" id="pageContainer1" style="background-clip: content-box; background-color: white; border-color: transparent; border-image: url("images/shadow.png") 6 / 1 / 0 repeat; border-style: solid; border-width: 3px; direction: ltr; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 26px; height: 1403px; margin: 1px auto 4px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 992px;"><div class="textLayer" style="height: 1403px; inset: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; opacity: 0.2; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 992px;"><div data-canvas-width="356.90000000000003" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 241.813px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.908553); white-space: pre;">2022, a New Year and a new start for us all. </div><div data-canvas-width="162.49999999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 304.813px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.987654); white-space: pre;">Apostles for Today</div><div data-canvas-width="726.98" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 219.233px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 304.813px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.927589); white-space: pre;">, our monthly reflection and prayer bulletin, reminds us in a timely fashion of our call and </div><div data-canvas-width="513.7599999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 329.613px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.904355); white-space: pre;">vocation to be Apostles of Jesus Christ, in the Church and in the</div><div data-canvas-width="56.79999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 575.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 329.613px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.964244); white-space: pre;">world. </div><div data-canvas-width="889.5399999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 361.213px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.916885); white-space: pre;">The General Secretariat of the UAC proposed that we reflect and pray throughout this year on Synodality, the </div><div data-canvas-width="889.6599999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 386.013px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.854961); white-space: pre;">theme for the next Synod of Bishops which will be held in 2023. The Secretariat has prepared an outline of </div><div data-canvas-width="251.12000000000003" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 410.813px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.925788); white-space: pre;">twelve (12) topics on Synodalit</div><div data-canvas-width="441.40000000000003" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 307.833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 410.813px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.929932); white-space: pre;">y which will be the material for reflection each month. </div><div data-canvas-width="889.3551599999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20.04px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 442.178px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.91033); white-space: pre;">Pope Francis has chosen Synodality as he believes that it is really at the very foundation of the Church and of </div><div data-canvas-width="93.72000000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 467.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.947096); white-space: pre;">her life and</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 150.44px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 467.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">,</div><div data-canvas-width="59.57999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 162.04px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 467.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.864408); white-space: pre;">as such</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 221.633px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 467.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">,</div><div data-canvas-width="516.3999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 233.233px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 467.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.900212); white-space: pre;">is deep in his heart. In the Preparatory Document we read that </div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 751.567px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 467.061px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">“</div><div data-canvas-width="184.00000000000003" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 762.767px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 467.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.940481); white-space: pre;">The Church of God is </div><div data-canvas-width="843.3600000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 492.061px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.940055); white-space: pre;">convoked in Synod. The path entitled ‘For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission’”</div><div data-canvas-width="46.339999999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 900.567px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 492.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.992931); white-space: pre;">; it is </div><div data-canvas-width="263.64" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 516.863px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.915671); white-space: pre;">significant that it is described as </div><div data-canvas-width="52.22" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 320.883px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 516.861px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.09218); white-space: pre;">‘path’</div><div data-canvas-width="573.4" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 373.083px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 516.863px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.916066); white-space: pre;">, an indication that it is a journey and a way and not only a theme. The </div><div data-canvas-width="131.29999999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 541.663px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.881358); white-space: pre;">word Synod ind</div><div data-canvas-width="636.4599999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 188.033px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 541.663px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.842024); white-space: pre;">icates to us what is involved, it comes from the Greek and is a composite of </div><div data-canvas-width="39.86000000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 826.767px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 541.661px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.996257); white-space: pre;">‘syn’</div><div data-canvas-width="73.6" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 873.367px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 541.663px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.894557); white-space: pre;">meaning </div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 566.461px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">‘</div><div data-canvas-width="317.46" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 63.2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 566.461px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.937367); white-space: pre;">together with, jointly, at the same time’</div><div data-canvas-width="41.04" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 386.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 566.461px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.946295); white-space: pre;">and ‘</div><div data-canvas-width="47.959999999999994" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 427.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 566.463px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.880126); white-space: pre;">hodos</div><div data-canvas-width="129.79999999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 475.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 566.461px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.949394); white-space: pre;">’ which means ‘</div><div data-canvas-width="93.89999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 605.317px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 566.463px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.93154); white-space: pre;">a way, path</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 699.317px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 566.463px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">,</div><div data-canvas-width="116.01999999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 709.917px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 566.461px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.957406); white-space: pre;">road, journey’</div><div data-canvas-width="120.93999999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 825.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 566.463px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.898908); white-space: pre;">. The path and </div><div data-canvas-width="235.70000000000002" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 591.263px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.906062); white-space: pre;">the process in the Document </div><div data-canvas-width="24.340000000000003" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 293.233px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 591.263px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.842032); white-space: pre;">are</div><div data-canvas-width="115.14" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 323.283px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 591.263px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.908556); white-space: pre;">formulated as </div><div data-canvas-width="77.72" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 439.283px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 591.261px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.01331); white-space: pre;">“journeyi</div><div data-canvas-width="108.56" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 517.083px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 591.261px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.95725); white-space: pre;">ng together”.</div><div data-canvas-width="315.18" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 631.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 591.261px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.945106); white-space: pre;">From a reflection on the word ‘synod’ </div><div data-canvas-width="889.7399999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 616.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.85601); white-space: pre;">we can understand what is envisaged, that we, the members of the Church are consciously and reflectively </div><div data-canvas-width="806.4200000000004" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 640.861px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.936326); white-space: pre;">journeying together as God’s people and identifying how this takes place in our own lives, in our c</div><div data-canvas-width="83.13999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 863.767px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 640.863px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.95884); white-space: pre;">hurch life </div><div data-canvas-width="518.1" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 665.663px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.916152); white-space: pre;">and on all the levels of the life and mission of the Church today. </div><div data-canvas-width="88.52" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 697.263px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.915323); white-space: pre;">The Covid</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 145.24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 697.263px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">-</div><div data-canvas-width="314.18000000000006" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 151.84px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 697.263px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.869491); white-space: pre;">19 pandemic continues to be an ever</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 466.283px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 697.263px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">-</div><div data-canvas-width="473.69999999999993" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 472.883px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 697.263px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.884049); white-space: pre;">present reality for us and certainly here in the northern </div><div data-canvas-width="516.06" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 722.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.928368); white-space: pre;">hemisphere it impedes our coming together and enjoying full in</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 573.117px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 722.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">-</div><div data-canvas-width="84.46000000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 579.717px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 722.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.863316); white-space: pre;">presence c</div><div data-canvas-width="282.68" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 664.117px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 722.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.908038); white-space: pre;">ommunion, and we are challenged </div><div data-canvas-width="520.3586399999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20.04px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 746.828px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.921333); white-space: pre;">to find means of consciously and meaningfully walking together.</div><div data-canvas-width="614.2399999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 778.297px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.891124); white-space: pre;">There are essential elements of our path to the Synod and the first of these is </div><div data-canvas-width="91.04" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 670.917px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 778.294px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.04092); white-space: pre;">‘Together’</div><div data-canvas-width="184.93999999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 761.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 778.297px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.894392); white-space: pre;">: the material prepared </div><div data-canvas-width="349.2800000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 803.097px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.880054); white-space: pre;">and circulated by the General Secretariat of t</div><div data-canvas-width="540.7199999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 406.083px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 803.097px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.870114); white-space: pre;">he Synod places great stress on this as we are intrinsically connected </div><div data-canvas-width="889.5800000000004" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 827.897px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.913341); white-space: pre;">and linked to one another, we belong one to another; we share life on earth together and we will share eternal </div><div data-canvas-width="607.9799999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 852.897px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.938102); white-space: pre;">life together. A phrase used several times by Pope Francis while writing o</div><div data-canvas-width="14.999999999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 665.117px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 852.897px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.899297); white-space: pre;">n </div><div data-canvas-width="265.22" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 681.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 852.894px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.946752); white-space: pre;">“Temptations faced by Pastoral </div><div data-canvas-width="78.67999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 877.694px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.97446); white-space: pre;">Workers”</div><div data-canvas-width="20.56" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 141.84px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 877.697px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.973344); white-space: pre;">in </div><div data-canvas-width="157.6" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 163.84px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 877.697px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.908736); white-space: pre;">Evangelii Gaudium</div><div data-canvas-width="40.04" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 321.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 877.694px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.06); white-space: pre;">, is “</div><div data-canvas-width="374.1600000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 361.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 877.694px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.953369); white-space: pre;">Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of ...</div><div data-canvas-width="210.82000000000002" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 735.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 877.694px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.95772); white-space: pre;">” (EG 80, 83, 86, 92, 97, </div><div data-canvas-width="36.660000000000004" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 902.497px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.915829); white-space: pre;">101)</div><div data-canvas-width="10.639999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 93.2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 902.497px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.957413); white-space: pre;">; </div><div data-canvas-width="260.48" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 103.24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 902.497px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.915188); white-space: pre;">the repetition of this exhortation </div><div data-canvas-width="583.1999999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 363.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 902.497px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.88618); white-space: pre;">comes to mind now in this pandemic as there is much that isolates us and </div><div data-canvas-width="37.6" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 927.297px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.866976); white-space: pre;">keep</div><div data-canvas-width="238.28" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 94.2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 927.297px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.840534); white-space: pre;">s us apart from one another. </div><div data-canvas-width="611.6999999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 334.683px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 927.294px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.942124); white-space: pre;">There are things that can create division and distance and can ‘rob us’ of </div><div data-canvas-width="425.31999999999994" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 952.097px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.905237); white-space: pre;">essential elements of our common Christian journey. </div><div data-canvas-width="465.02" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 481.683px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 952.097px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.884256); white-space: pre;">Perhaps a question can be put here, can I, can we, identify </div><div data-canvas-width="328.48" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 976.897px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.87929); white-space: pre;">what creates distance between us and oth</div><div data-canvas-width="561.42" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 385.283px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 976.894px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.930009); white-space: pre;">ers in the UAC? Are we being “robbed of” the opportunity to journey </div><div data-canvas-width="74.33999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1001.7px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.879641); white-space: pre;">together?</div><div data-canvas-width="168.44" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1033.3px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.907278); white-space: pre;">A second element is </div><div data-canvas-width="210.34" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 225.833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1033.29px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.04929); white-space: pre;">‘Walking or journeying’</div><div data-canvas-width="33.98" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 441.883px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1033.3px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.872943); white-space: pre;">and </div><div data-canvas-width="362.96" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 476.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1033.3px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.927624); white-space: pre;">signifies onward movement, it is not a static </div><div data-canvas-width="42.38" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 840.367px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1033.3px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.866383); white-space: pre;">state;</div><div data-canvas-width="58.51999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 888.367px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1033.3px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.892264); white-space: pre;">we are </div><div data-canvas-width="60.420599999999986" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20.04px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1058.06px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.904192); white-space: pre;">always </div><div data-canvas-width="534.7874400000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20.04px; left: 118.04px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1058.06px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.933984); white-space: pre;">going towards God. In Advent we reflected on journeys in the Na</div><div data-canvas-width="293.64611999999994" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20.04px; left: 653.117px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1058.06px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.938262); white-space: pre;">tivity scenes, Mary journeying over </div><div data-canvas-width="465.71999999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1082.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.9107); white-space: pre;">rough terrain to be with Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph travel</div><div data-canvas-width="31.179999999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 522.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1082.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.00152); white-space: pre;">ling</div><div data-canvas-width="313.73999999999995" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 558.717px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1082.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.898858); white-space: pre;">to Jerusalem to comply with the census</div><div data-canvas-width="10" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 872.567px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1082.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.899824); white-space: pre;">, </div><div data-canvas-width="64.44" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 882.567px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1082.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.852319); white-space: pre;">Joseph, </div><div data-canvas-width="389.67999999999995" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1107.75px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.91759); white-space: pre;">Mary and the child Jesus journeying into Egypt. </div><div data-canvas-width="484.69999999999993" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 446.683px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1107.75px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.912058); white-space: pre;">In our Christian life we are journeying deeper and deeper int</div><div data-canvas-width="15.399999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 931.767px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1107.75px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.923279); white-space: pre;">o </div><div data-canvas-width="347.0799999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1132.55px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.902353); white-space: pre;">God and into the mystery of God, in Jesus. </div><div data-canvas-width="385.99999999999994" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 403.883px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1132.55px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.921061); white-space: pre;">What is my/our sense of journeying or walking?</div><div data-canvas-width="255.8" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1163.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.898868); white-space: pre;">A third element is awareness of </div><div data-canvas-width="145.70000000000002" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 312.083px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1163.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.970638); white-space: pre;">being part of the </div><div data-canvas-width="67" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 457.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1163.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.02171); white-space: pre;">living C</div><div data-canvas-width="51.08" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 524.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1163.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.021); white-space: pre;">hurch</div><div data-canvas-width="24.639999999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 575.717px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1163.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.964133); white-space: pre;">; w</div><div data-canvas-width="346.5399999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 600.317px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1163.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.890571); white-space: pre;">e tend to hark back to the early Church and </div><div data-canvas-width="474.28000000000003" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1188.75px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.881453); white-space: pre;">the experience of lived communion as related in the Ne</div><div data-canvas-width="106.13999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 531.117px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1188.75px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.900848); white-space: pre;">w Testament</div><div data-canvas-width="309.3799999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 637.317px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1188.74px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.01939); white-space: pre;">, we can think of this as the ‘ideal’ </div><div data-canvas-width="86.46" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1213.75px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.883671); white-space: pre;">experience</div><div data-canvas-width="803.32" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 143.04px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1213.75px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.887685); white-space: pre;">; I have often thought how wonderful it would have been to live in that church in such close </div><div data-canvas-width="817.78" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1238.54px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.91607); white-space: pre;">connection to the earthly life of Jesus. However, over the years I have realized that we are just one st</div><div data-canvas-width="71.55999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 875.367px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1238.54px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.893954); white-space: pre;">ep away </div><div data-canvas-width="583.8" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1263.34px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.893122); white-space: pre;">from the experience of the early Church, the Church is, and the Church is </div><div data-canvas-width="38.239999999999995" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 640.117px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1263.34px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.905172); white-space: pre;">new </div><div data-canvas-width="269.1" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 677.717px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1263.34px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.886667); white-space: pre;">in every generation as we receive </div><div data-canvas-width="528.44" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1288.14px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.890092); white-space: pre;">a lived faith, make it our own and pass it on to the next generation. </div><div data-canvas-width="362.26000000000005" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 584.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1288.14px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.895268); white-space: pre;">Can I/we come up with an image that reflects </div><div data-canvas-width="164.14" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1312.94px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.878708); white-space: pre;">a sense of being part</div><div data-canvas-width="170.61999999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 225.833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1312.94px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.935805); white-space: pre;">of the living Church?</div><div class="endOfContent active" style="color: transparent; cursor: default; inset: 249.031px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; transform-origin: 0px 0px; user-select: none; white-space: pre; z-index: -1;"></div></div></div><div class="page" data-loaded="true" data-page-number="2" id="pageContainer2" style="background-clip: content-box; background-color: white; border-color: transparent; border-image: url("images/shadow.png") 6 / 1 / 0 repeat; border-style: solid; border-width: 3px; direction: ltr; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 26px; height: 1403px; margin: 1px auto 4px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 992px;"><div class="canvasWrapper" style="height: 1403px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; width: 992px;"><canvas height="1404" id="page2" style="display: block; height: 1404px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 993px;" width="993"></canvas></div><div class="textLayer" style="height: 1403px; inset: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; opacity: 0.2; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 992px;"><div class="page" data-loaded="true" data-page-number="1" id="pageContainer1" style="background-clip: content-box; border-color: transparent; border-image: url("images/shadow.png") 6 / 1 / 0 repeat; border-style: solid; border-width: 3px; direction: ltr; height: 1403px; margin: 1px auto 4px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 992px;"><div class="textLayer" style="height: 1403px; inset: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; opacity: 0.2; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 992px;"><div data-canvas-width="356.90000000000003" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 241.813px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.908553); white-space: pre;">2022, a New Year and a new start for us all. </div><div data-canvas-width="162.49999999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 304.813px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.987654); white-space: pre;">Apostles for Today</div><div data-canvas-width="726.98" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 219.233px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 304.813px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.927589); white-space: pre;">, our monthly reflection and prayer bulletin, reminds us in a timely fashion of our call and </div><div data-canvas-width="513.7599999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 329.613px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.904355); white-space: pre;">vocation to be Apostles of Jesus Christ, in the Church and in the</div><div data-canvas-width="56.79999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 575.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 329.613px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.964244); white-space: pre;">world. </div><div data-canvas-width="889.5399999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 361.213px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.916885); white-space: pre;">The General Secretariat of the UAC proposed that we reflect and pray throughout this year on Synodality, the </div><div data-canvas-width="889.6599999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 386.013px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.854961); white-space: pre;">theme for the next Synod of Bishops which will be held in 2023. The Secretariat has prepared an outline of </div><div data-canvas-width="251.12000000000003" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 410.813px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.925788); white-space: pre;">twelve (12) topics on Synodalit</div><div data-canvas-width="441.40000000000003" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 307.833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 410.813px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.929932); white-space: pre;">y which will be the material for reflection each month. </div><div data-canvas-width="889.3551599999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20.04px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 442.178px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.91033); white-space: pre;">Pope Francis has chosen Synodality as he believes that it is really at the very foundation of the Church and of </div><div data-canvas-width="93.72000000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 467.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.947096); white-space: pre;">her life and</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 150.44px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 467.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">,</div><div data-canvas-width="59.57999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 162.04px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 467.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.864408); white-space: pre;">as such</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 221.633px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 467.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">,</div><div data-canvas-width="516.3999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 233.233px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 467.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.900212); white-space: pre;">is deep in his heart. In the Preparatory Document we read that </div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 751.567px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 467.061px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">“</div><div data-canvas-width="184.00000000000003" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 762.767px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 467.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.940481); white-space: pre;">The Church of God is </div><div data-canvas-width="843.3600000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 492.061px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.940055); white-space: pre;">convoked in Synod. The path entitled ‘For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission’”</div><div data-canvas-width="46.339999999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 900.567px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 492.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.992931); white-space: pre;">; it is </div><div data-canvas-width="263.64" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 516.863px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.915671); white-space: pre;">significant that it is described as </div><div data-canvas-width="52.22" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 320.883px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 516.861px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.09218); white-space: pre;">‘path’</div><div data-canvas-width="573.4" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 373.083px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 516.863px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.916066); white-space: pre;">, an indication that it is a journey and a way and not only a theme. The </div><div data-canvas-width="131.29999999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 541.663px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.881358); white-space: pre;">word Synod ind</div><div data-canvas-width="636.4599999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 188.033px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 541.663px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.842024); white-space: pre;">icates to us what is involved, it comes from the Greek and is a composite of </div><div data-canvas-width="39.86000000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 826.767px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 541.661px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.996257); white-space: pre;">‘syn’</div><div data-canvas-width="73.6" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 873.367px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 541.663px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.894557); white-space: pre;">meaning </div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 566.461px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">‘</div><div data-canvas-width="317.46" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 63.2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 566.461px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.937367); white-space: pre;">together with, jointly, at the same time’</div><div data-canvas-width="41.04" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 386.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 566.461px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.946295); white-space: pre;">and ‘</div><div data-canvas-width="47.959999999999994" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 427.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 566.463px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.880126); white-space: pre;">hodos</div><div data-canvas-width="129.79999999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 475.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 566.461px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.949394); white-space: pre;">’ which means ‘</div><div data-canvas-width="93.89999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 605.317px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 566.463px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.93154); white-space: pre;">a way, path</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 699.317px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 566.463px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">,</div><div data-canvas-width="116.01999999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 709.917px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 566.461px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.957406); white-space: pre;">road, journey’</div><div data-canvas-width="120.93999999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 825.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 566.463px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.898908); white-space: pre;">. The path and </div><div data-canvas-width="235.70000000000002" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 591.263px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.906062); white-space: pre;">the process in the Document </div><div data-canvas-width="24.340000000000003" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 293.233px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 591.263px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.842032); white-space: pre;">are</div><div data-canvas-width="115.14" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 323.283px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 591.263px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.908556); white-space: pre;">formulated as </div><div data-canvas-width="77.72" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 439.283px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 591.261px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.01331); white-space: pre;">“journeyi</div><div data-canvas-width="108.56" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 517.083px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 591.261px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.95725); white-space: pre;">ng together”.</div><div data-canvas-width="315.18" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 631.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 591.261px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.945106); white-space: pre;">From a reflection on the word ‘synod’ </div><div data-canvas-width="889.7399999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 616.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.85601); white-space: pre;">we can understand what is envisaged, that we, the members of the Church are consciously and reflectively </div><div data-canvas-width="806.4200000000004" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 640.861px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.936326); white-space: pre;">journeying together as God’s people and identifying how this takes place in our own lives, in our c</div><div data-canvas-width="83.13999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 863.767px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 640.863px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.95884); white-space: pre;">hurch life </div><div data-canvas-width="518.1" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 665.663px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.916152); white-space: pre;">and on all the levels of the life and mission of the Church today. </div><div data-canvas-width="88.52" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 697.263px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.915323); white-space: pre;">The Covid</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 145.24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 697.263px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">-</div><div data-canvas-width="314.18000000000006" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 151.84px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 697.263px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.869491); white-space: pre;">19 pandemic continues to be an ever</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 466.283px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 697.263px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">-</div><div data-canvas-width="473.69999999999993" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 472.883px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 697.263px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.884049); white-space: pre;">present reality for us and certainly here in the northern </div><div data-canvas-width="516.06" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 722.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.928368); white-space: pre;">hemisphere it impedes our coming together and enjoying full in</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 573.117px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 722.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">-</div><div data-canvas-width="84.46000000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 579.717px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 722.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.863316); white-space: pre;">presence c</div><div data-canvas-width="282.68" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 664.117px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 722.063px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.908038); white-space: pre;">ommunion, and we are challenged </div><div data-canvas-width="520.3586399999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20.04px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 746.828px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.921333); white-space: pre;">to find means of consciously and meaningfully walking together.</div><div data-canvas-width="614.2399999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 778.297px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.891124); white-space: pre;">There are essential elements of our path to the Synod and the first of these is </div><div data-canvas-width="91.04" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 670.917px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 778.294px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.04092); white-space: pre;">‘Together’</div><div data-canvas-width="184.93999999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 761.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 778.297px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.894392); white-space: pre;">: the material prepared </div><div data-canvas-width="349.2800000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 803.097px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.880054); white-space: pre;">and circulated by the General Secretariat of t</div><div data-canvas-width="540.7199999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 406.083px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 803.097px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.870114); white-space: pre;">he Synod places great stress on this as we are intrinsically connected </div><div data-canvas-width="889.5800000000004" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 827.897px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.913341); white-space: pre;">and linked to one another, we belong one to another; we share life on earth together and we will share eternal </div><div data-canvas-width="607.9799999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 852.897px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.938102); white-space: pre;">life together. A phrase used several times by Pope Francis while writing o</div><div data-canvas-width="14.999999999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 665.117px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 852.897px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.899297); white-space: pre;">n </div><div data-canvas-width="265.22" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 681.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 852.894px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.946752); white-space: pre;">“Temptations faced by Pastoral </div><div data-canvas-width="78.67999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 877.694px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.97446); white-space: pre;">Workers”</div><div data-canvas-width="20.56" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 141.84px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 877.697px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.973344); white-space: pre;">in </div><div data-canvas-width="157.6" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 163.84px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 877.697px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.908736); white-space: pre;">Evangelii Gaudium</div><div data-canvas-width="40.04" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 321.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 877.694px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.06); white-space: pre;">, is “</div><div data-canvas-width="374.1600000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 361.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 877.694px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.953369); white-space: pre;">Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of ...</div><div data-canvas-width="210.82000000000002" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 735.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 877.694px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.95772); white-space: pre;">” (EG 80, 83, 86, 92, 97, </div><div data-canvas-width="36.660000000000004" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 902.497px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.915829); white-space: pre;">101)</div><div data-canvas-width="10.639999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 93.2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 902.497px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.957413); white-space: pre;">; </div><div data-canvas-width="260.48" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 103.24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 902.497px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.915188); white-space: pre;">the repetition of this exhortation </div><div data-canvas-width="583.1999999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 363.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 902.497px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.88618); white-space: pre;">comes to mind now in this pandemic as there is much that isolates us and </div><div data-canvas-width="37.6" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 927.297px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.866976); white-space: pre;">keep</div><div data-canvas-width="238.28" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 94.2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 927.297px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.840534); white-space: pre;">s us apart from one another. </div><div data-canvas-width="611.6999999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 334.683px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 927.294px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.942124); white-space: pre;">There are things that can create division and distance and can ‘rob us’ of </div><div data-canvas-width="425.31999999999994" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 952.097px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.905237); white-space: pre;">essential elements of our common Christian journey. </div><div data-canvas-width="465.02" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 481.683px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 952.097px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.884256); white-space: pre;">Perhaps a question can be put here, can I, can we, identify </div><div data-canvas-width="328.48" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 976.897px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.87929); white-space: pre;">what creates distance between us and oth</div><div data-canvas-width="561.42" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 385.283px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 976.894px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.930009); white-space: pre;">ers in the UAC? Are we being “robbed of” the opportunity to journey </div><div data-canvas-width="74.33999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1001.7px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.879641); white-space: pre;">together?</div><div data-canvas-width="168.44" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1033.3px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.907278); white-space: pre;">A second element is </div><div data-canvas-width="210.34" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 225.833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1033.29px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.04929); white-space: pre;">‘Walking or journeying’</div><div data-canvas-width="33.98" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 441.883px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1033.3px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.872943); white-space: pre;">and </div><div data-canvas-width="362.96" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 476.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1033.3px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.927624); white-space: pre;">signifies onward movement, it is not a static </div><div data-canvas-width="42.38" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 840.367px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1033.3px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.866383); white-space: pre;">state;</div><div data-canvas-width="58.51999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 888.367px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1033.3px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.892264); white-space: pre;">we are </div><div data-canvas-width="60.420599999999986" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20.04px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1058.06px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.904192); white-space: pre;">always </div><div data-canvas-width="534.7874400000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20.04px; left: 118.04px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1058.06px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.933984); white-space: pre;">going towards God. In Advent we reflected on journeys in the Na</div><div data-canvas-width="293.64611999999994" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20.04px; left: 653.117px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1058.06px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.938262); white-space: pre;">tivity scenes, Mary journeying over </div><div data-canvas-width="465.71999999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1082.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.9107); white-space: pre;">rough terrain to be with Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph travel</div><div data-canvas-width="31.179999999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 522.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1082.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.00152); white-space: pre;">ling</div><div data-canvas-width="313.73999999999995" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 558.717px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1082.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.898858); white-space: pre;">to Jerusalem to comply with the census</div><div data-canvas-width="10" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 872.567px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1082.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.899824); white-space: pre;">, </div><div data-canvas-width="64.44" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 882.567px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1082.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.852319); white-space: pre;">Joseph, </div><div data-canvas-width="389.67999999999995" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1107.75px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.91759); white-space: pre;">Mary and the child Jesus journeying into Egypt. </div><div data-canvas-width="484.69999999999993" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 446.683px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1107.75px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.912058); white-space: pre;">In our Christian life we are journeying deeper and deeper int</div><div data-canvas-width="15.399999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 931.767px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1107.75px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.923279); white-space: pre;">o </div><div data-canvas-width="347.0799999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1132.55px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.902353); white-space: pre;">God and into the mystery of God, in Jesus. </div><div data-canvas-width="385.99999999999994" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 403.883px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1132.55px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.921061); white-space: pre;">What is my/our sense of journeying or walking?</div><div data-canvas-width="255.8" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1163.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.898868); white-space: pre;">A third element is awareness of </div><div data-canvas-width="145.70000000000002" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 312.083px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1163.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.970638); white-space: pre;">being part of the </div><div data-canvas-width="67" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 457.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1163.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.02171); white-space: pre;">living C</div><div data-canvas-width="51.08" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 524.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1163.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.021); white-space: pre;">hurch</div><div data-canvas-width="24.639999999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 575.717px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1163.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.964133); white-space: pre;">; w</div><div data-canvas-width="346.5399999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 600.317px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1163.95px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.890571); white-space: pre;">e tend to hark back to the early Church and </div><div data-canvas-width="474.28000000000003" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1188.75px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.881453); white-space: pre;">the experience of lived communion as related in the Ne</div><div data-canvas-width="106.13999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 531.117px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1188.75px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.900848); white-space: pre;">w Testament</div><div data-canvas-width="309.3799999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 637.317px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1188.74px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.01939); white-space: pre;">, we can think of this as the ‘ideal’ </div><div data-canvas-width="86.46" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1213.75px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.883671); white-space: pre;">experience</div><div data-canvas-width="803.32" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 143.04px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1213.75px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.887685); white-space: pre;">; I have often thought how wonderful it would have been to live in that church in such close </div><div data-canvas-width="817.78" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1238.54px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.91607); white-space: pre;">connection to the earthly life of Jesus. However, over the years I have realized that we are just one st</div><div data-canvas-width="71.55999999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 875.367px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1238.54px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.893954); white-space: pre;">ep away </div><div data-canvas-width="583.8" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1263.34px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.893122); white-space: pre;">from the experience of the early Church, the Church is, and the Church is </div><div data-canvas-width="38.239999999999995" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 640.117px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1263.34px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.905172); white-space: pre;">new </div><div data-canvas-width="269.1" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 677.717px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1263.34px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.886667); white-space: pre;">in every generation as we receive </div><div data-canvas-width="528.44" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1288.14px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.890092); white-space: pre;">a lived faith, make it our own and pass it on to the next generation. </div><div data-canvas-width="362.26000000000005" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 584.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1288.14px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.895268); white-space: pre;">Can I/we come up with an image that reflects </div><div data-canvas-width="164.14" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 56.6px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1312.94px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.878708); white-space: pre;">a sense of being part</div><div data-canvas-width="170.61999999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; left: 225.833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1312.94px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.935805); white-space: pre;">of the living Church?</div><div class="endOfContent active" style="color: transparent; cursor: default; inset: 249.031px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; transform-origin: 0px 0px; user-select: none; white-space: pre; z-index: -1;"></div></div></div><div class="page" data-loaded="true" data-page-number="2" id="pageContainer2" style="background-clip: content-box; border-color: transparent; border-image: url("images/shadow.png") 6 / 1 / 0 repeat; border-style: solid; border-width: 3px; direction: ltr; height: 1403px; margin: 1px auto 4px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 992px;"><div class="canvasWrapper" style="height: 1403px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; width: 992px;"><canvas height="1404" id="page2" style="display: block; height: 1404px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 993px;" width="993"></canvas></div><div class="textLayer" style="height: 1403px; inset: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; opacity: 0.2; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 992px;"><div data-canvas-width="427.7568000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 65.0928px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.888696); white-space: pre;">The fourth element is one that is central to our Pallottine </div><div data-canvas-width="88.20479999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 487.283px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 65.0928px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.972557); white-space: pre;">spirituality:</div><div data-canvas-width="237.61919999999992" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 579.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 65.0928px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.963766); white-space: pre;">Communion and cooperation</div><div data-canvas-width="129.3312" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 820.767px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 65.0928px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.897784); white-space: pre;">are words which </div><div data-canvas-width="774.0095999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 88.8928px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.900939); white-space: pre;">run through all the writings of our Founder. He experienced himself as in communion with God and wi</div><div data-canvas-width="19.776" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 834.767px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 88.8928px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.926413); white-space: pre;">th </div><div data-canvas-width="96.69119999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 853.367px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 88.8928px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.879712); white-space: pre;">all creatures </div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 112.693px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">i</div><div data-canvas-width="883.5072" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 65.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 112.693px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.937534); white-space: pre;">n God; he was conscious of the call to cooperation with God in all his works and in particular in the salvation of </div><div data-canvas-width="39.436800000000005" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 136.293px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.879857); white-space: pre;">souls</div><div data-canvas-width="10.262266666666665" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 99.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 136.293px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.961901); white-space: pre;">; </div><div data-canvas-width="32.39039999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 110.24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 136.291px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.16801); white-space: pre;">“... </div><div data-canvas-width="805.9199999999994" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 143.24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 136.293px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.934991); white-space: pre;">the most holy, noble, august and divine of all divine works is the work of cooperating with the merciful </div><div data-canvas-width="198.91199999999995" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 160.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.862843); white-space: pre;">designs, wishes and desire</div><div data-canvas-width="252.2496" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 259.033px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 160.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.885233); white-space: pre;">s of God for the salvation of souls</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 511.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 160.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">.</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 516.283px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 160.124px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">”</div><div data-canvas-width="89.85599999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 528.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 160.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.957316); white-space: pre;">(OOCC IV)</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 618.317px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 160.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">.</div><div data-canvas-width="323.02080000000007" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 626.717px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 160.124px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.901695); white-space: pre;">St Vincent was ‘an apostle of a spirituality </div><div data-canvas-width="119.30879999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 183.924px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.95557); white-space: pre;">of communion’</div><div data-canvas-width="21.3696" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 184.433px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 183.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.00195); white-space: pre;">(cf</div><div data-canvas-width="221.7024" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 205.833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 183.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.928731); white-space: pre;">. St Vincent Pallotti, Prophet</div><div data-canvas-width="403.8336" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 433.083px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 183.924px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.946135); white-space: pre;">of a Spirituality of Communion”, Fr Franco Todisco</div><div data-canvas-width="47.193599999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 837.367px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 183.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.941108); white-space: pre;">, SAC</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 884.567px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 183.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">)</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 890.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 183.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">.</div><div data-canvas-width="49.17119999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 900.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 183.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.921295); white-space: pre;">In the </div><div data-canvas-width="379.4496000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 207.726px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.948173); white-space: pre;">UAC we are called to live a spirituality of coope</div><div data-canvas-width="509.6832" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 439.883px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 207.726px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.94381); white-space: pre;">ration and of communion which is rooted in the love of the Holy </div><div data-canvas-width="888.9599999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 231.526px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.939804); white-space: pre;">Trinity and it is part of our Pallottine heritage. What is my/our sense of living communion and cooperation in the </div><div data-canvas-width="53.79839999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 255.326px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.951343); white-space: pre;">UAC? </div><div data-canvas-width="97.19039999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 289.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.979588); white-space: pre;">For mission</div><div data-canvas-width="458.89920000000006" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 157.24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 289.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.937511); white-space: pre;">: we the members of the Pallottine family, in the condition </div><div data-canvas-width="332.12160000000006" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 617.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 289.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.926155); white-space: pre;">and state of life we are in, are all called to </div><div data-canvas-width="433.13279999999986" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 312.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.920336); white-space: pre;">cooperate in the mission of Jesus Christ in the Church. </div><div data-canvas-width="454.9056000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 494.683px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 312.924px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.950133); white-space: pre;">The General Statutes affirm that “...the multiple forms of </div><div data-canvas-width="722.5727999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 336.726px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.914972); white-space: pre;">personal vocation and the diversity of life styles, of commitment and of service are united by t</div><div data-canvas-width="166.73279999999994" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 783.367px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 336.726px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.908271); white-space: pre;">he founding charism, </div><div data-canvas-width="726.1247999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 360.524px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.911345); white-space: pre;">by a common spirit and mission and by the communion of the members...” (GS 6). We are for </div><div data-canvas-width="65.0496" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 786.167px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 360.526px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.923796); white-space: pre;">mission;</div><div data-canvas-width="94.52159999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 855.567px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 360.526px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.913253); white-space: pre;">our mission </div><div data-canvas-width="66.98879999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 384.326px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.965866); white-space: pre;">is to live</div><div data-canvas-width="164.81279999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 132.44px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 384.326px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.908295); white-space: pre;">the Gospel in the day</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 297.433px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 384.326px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">-</div><div data-canvas-width="15.062266666666664" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 303.633px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 384.326px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.940658); white-space: pre;">to</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 318.683px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 384.326px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">-</div><div data-canvas-width="139.64159999999993" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 325.083px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 384.326px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.91499); white-space: pre;">day activities and </div><div data-canvas-width="484.22400000000005" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 465.283px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 384.326px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.903789); white-space: pre;">engagement; to proclaim the Gospel and to facilitate access to </div><div data-canvas-width="68.5632" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 408.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.879968); white-space: pre;">the Gosp</div><div data-canvas-width="414.10560000000027" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 128.64px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 408.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.910842); white-space: pre;">el in accompanying others in their quest. How do I/we</div><div data-canvas-width="402.1440000000002" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 547.717px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 408.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.890833); white-space: pre;">see the mission today? How do I/we see the mission </div><div data-canvas-width="19.776" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 431.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.975239); white-space: pre;">in </div><div data-canvas-width="212.77439999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 79.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 431.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.906352); white-space: pre;">the circumstances in which </div><div data-canvas-width="11.744" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 292.833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 431.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.10079); white-space: pre;">I/</div><div data-canvas-width="143.44319999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 304.633px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 431.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.902053); white-space: pre;">we find ourselves?</div><div data-canvas-width="775.8335999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 462.376px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.893371); white-space: pre;">Personally, I am excited and enthused by the path proposed to us by Pope Francis and the Secretariat</div><div data-canvas-width="108.15359999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 841.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 462.376px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.912834); white-space: pre;">of the Synod; </div><div data-canvas-width="348.5568" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 486.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.873064); white-space: pre;">enthused because there is no fixed agenda, no</div><div data-canvas-width="50.956799999999994" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 413.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 486.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.868413); white-space: pre;">master</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 464.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 486.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">-</div><div data-canvas-width="478.8671999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 470.883px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 486.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.896143); white-space: pre;">plan already laid out which we are asked to study, understand, </div><div data-canvas-width="889.0176" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 509.976px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.924445); white-space: pre;">accept and implement. The point of departure for the path is to gather together, to be together, and to talk, share, </div><div data-canvas-width="67.4688" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 533.776px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.854307); white-space: pre;">meet eac</div><div data-canvas-width="821.9519999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 127.64px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 533.774px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.895868); white-space: pre;">h other where we are and share what being Church is to us, and together share where we think God’s Spirit </div><div data-canvas-width="290.93760000000003" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 557.374px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.900719); white-space: pre;">is leading us; what God’s Spirit wants </div><div data-canvas-width="20.793602384999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 350.283px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 557.376px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.974083); white-space: pre;">of </div><div data-canvas-width="26.592" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 370.083px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 557.376px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.85928); white-space: pre;">us. </div><div data-canvas-width="48.1536" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 395.683px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 557.376px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.902229); white-space: pre;">In the </div><div data-canvas-width="93.81119999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 442.883px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 557.376px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.882022); white-space: pre;">Vademecum</div><div data-canvas-width="409.24800000000005" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 540.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 557.376px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.87153); white-space: pre;">prepared by the Secretariat for the Synod it is stressed </div><div data-canvas-width="231.37919999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 581.174px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.903418); white-space: pre;">that “The Synodal Process is f</div><div data-canvas-width="148.07039999999995" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 291.633px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 581.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.901032); white-space: pre;">irst and foremost a </div><div data-canvas-width="64.8768" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 439.883px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 581.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.980615); white-space: pre;">spiritual</div><div data-canvas-width="70.73279999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 509.683px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 581.174px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.895849); white-space: pre;">process” </div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 580.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 581.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">(</div><div data-canvas-width="125.54879999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 586.917px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 581.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.907248); white-space: pre;">Vademecum 2.2</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 712.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 581.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">)</div><div data-canvas-width="9.600000793333333" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 718.917px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 581.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.899826); white-space: pre;">. </div><div data-canvas-width="221.45279999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 728.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 581.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.890509); white-space: pre;">The path is exciting because </div><div data-canvas-width="749.472" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 604.976px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.8638); white-space: pre;">something new will be born of our encounter, something which we will create together in God</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 810.167px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 604.976px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">;</div><div data-canvas-width="28.1664" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 821.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 604.976px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.879514); white-space: pre;">the </div><div data-canvas-width="93.83039999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 851.767px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 604.976px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.882202); white-space: pre;">Vademecum</div><div data-canvas-width="491.23200000000014" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 628.776px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.902467); white-space: pre;">warns against gathering with a sense of positions already taken </div><div data-canvas-width="335.36640000000006" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 552.117px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 628.776px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.924186); white-space: pre;">and with viewpoints to defend or to impose</div><div data-canvas-width="62.073599999999985" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 887.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 628.776px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.938244); white-space: pre;">; it also </div><div data-canvas-width="588.6912000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 652.574px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.957587); white-space: pre;">urges a leaving behind of prejudices and stereotypes, of ‘the virus of self</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 649.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 652.576px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">-</div><div data-canvas-width="91.33439999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 655.917px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 652.574px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.976285); white-space: pre;">sufficiency’</div><div data-canvas-width="202.52159999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 747.367px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 652.576px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.878536); white-space: pre;">; to avoid temptations of </div><div data-canvas-width="700.0704" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 676.374px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.923809); white-space: pre;">‘wanting to lead ourselves instead of being led by God’, of focusing on ourselves and our </div><div data-canvas-width="188.42879999999994" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 761.567px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 676.376px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.90086); white-space: pre;">immediate concerns, on </div><div data-canvas-width="219.76319999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 700.174px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.911196); white-space: pre;">‘problems’ and on structures</div><div data-canvas-width="14.400001189999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 279.833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 700.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.899826); white-space: pre;">. </div><div data-canvas-width="403.6224000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 294.233px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 700.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.902637); white-space: pre;">It is to be a spiritual process leading to discernment. </div><div data-canvas-width="46.886399999999995" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 730.576px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.97661); white-space: pre;">While</div><div data-canvas-width="835.5264000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 113.64px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 730.576px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.857487); white-space: pre;">I reflected on the request to prepare this number of Apostles for Today I thought of what attitudes might </div><div data-canvas-width="237.31199999999995" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 754.376px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.942276); white-space: pre;">facilitate my participation in th</div><div data-canvas-width="335.13599999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 297.633px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 754.376px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.912844); white-space: pre;">e process and I came up with the following:</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 90px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 787.414px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">•</div><div data-canvas-width="829.0943999999993" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 120.04px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 789.609px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.919397); white-space: pre;">A conscious awareness of the continuous call to communion, to communion with God, to communion with </div><div data-canvas-width="133.11359999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 120.04px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 811.609px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.917116); white-space: pre;">all others in God.</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 90px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 832.814px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">•</div><div data-canvas-width="143.86559999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 120.04px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 835.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.92959); white-space: pre;">A recognition that </div><div data-canvas-width="11.744" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 263.833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 835.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.10079); white-space: pre;">I/</div><div data-canvas-width="351.7631999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 275.633px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 835.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.878908); white-space: pre;">we are all protagonists in the process because </div><div data-canvas-width="11.344533333333333" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 627.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 835.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.06334); white-space: pre;">I/</div><div data-canvas-width="163.52639999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 639.117px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 835.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.906545); white-space: pre;">we all have faith and </div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 802.567px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 835.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">m</div><div data-canvas-width="14.537599999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 817.567px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 835.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.973433); white-space: pre;">y/</div><div data-canvas-width="117.77279999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 832.367px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 835.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.889881); white-space: pre;">our experience </div><div data-canvas-width="427.8144000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 120.04px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 857.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.925743); white-space: pre;">in faith and the convictions that grow out of it are valid.</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 90px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 878.414px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">•</div><div data-canvas-width="41.568" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 120.04px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 880.609px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.999081); white-space: pre;">My/o</div><div data-canvas-width="787.5071999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 161.64px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 880.609px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.934038); white-space: pre;">ur vocation is that of the Church, a vocation to evangelize which is our mission; daily reading of the </div><div data-canvas-width="268.30080000000004" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 120.04px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 902.609px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.931116); white-space: pre;">Gospel will throw light on the here</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 388.683px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 902.609px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">-</div><div data-canvas-width="27.7824" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 394.883px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 902.609px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.867269); white-space: pre;">and</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 422.683px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 902.609px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">-</div><div data-canvas-width="151.10399999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 429.083px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 902.609px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.91944); white-space: pre;">now of the mission.</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 89.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 923.814px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">•</div><div data-canvas-width="97.01759999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 119.44px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 926.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.967064); white-space: pre;">Listening wi</div><div data-canvas-width="732.6143999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 216.433px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 926.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.909177); white-space: pre;">th an open ear and mind, Pope Francis gives the impression that he is listening attentively and </div><div data-canvas-width="829.7856000000005" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 119.44px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 948.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.866731); white-space: pre;">he responds, sometimes he may trip up in his response, but he continues onwards on the path he sees as being </div><div data-canvas-width="239.96159999999992" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 119.44px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 970.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.91768); white-space: pre;">the one the Spirit is indicating. </div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 89.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 991.214px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">•</div><div data-canvas-width="123.07199999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 119.44px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 993.409px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.945118); white-space: pre;">In the Union of </div><div data-canvas-width="157.65119999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 242.833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 993.409px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.923203); white-space: pre;">Catholic Apostolate </div><div data-canvas-width="11.744" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 400.883px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 993.409px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.10079); white-space: pre;">I/</div><div data-canvas-width="388.87680000000006" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 412.683px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 993.407px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.920842); white-space: pre;">we have experience of ‘walking together’ through </div><div data-canvas-width="29.9136" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 801.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 993.409px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.967198); white-space: pre;">my/</div><div data-canvas-width="118.13759999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 831.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 993.409px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.892637); white-space: pre;">our experience </div><div data-canvas-width="472.89599999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 119.44px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1015.41px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.935485); white-space: pre;">of being in communion in the charism of St Vincent Pallotti; </div><div data-canvas-width="29.9136" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 593.117px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1015.41px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.967198); white-space: pre;">my/</div><div data-canvas-width="326.61119999999994" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 623.117px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1015.41px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.908058); white-space: pre;">our experience is valid and can contribute </div><div data-canvas-width="377.95200000000006" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 119.44px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1037.61px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.913508); white-space: pre;">to the discernment of the Church on Synodality. </div><div data-canvas-width="66.06719999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1083.46px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.04962); white-space: pre;">I will co</div><div data-canvas-width="201.5615999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 126.24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1083.46px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.9396); white-space: pre;">nclude with a quote from </div><div data-canvas-width="98.26559999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 329.083px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1083.46px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.930051); white-space: pre;">Lumen Fidei</div><div data-canvas-width="521.9712" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 427.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1083.46px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.937071); white-space: pre;">, Encyclical Letter of Pope Francis, and make it my prayer for our </div><div data-canvas-width="889.0176" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1107.26px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.925555); white-space: pre;">participation in the Synodal path: “The experience of love shows us that a common vision is possible, for through </div><div data-canvas-width="292.1664" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1131.06px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.891712); white-space: pre;">love we learn how to see reality throug</div><div data-canvas-width="597.1392000000003" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 352.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1131.06px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.876978); white-space: pre;">h the eyes of others, not as something which impoverishes but instead enriches </div><div data-canvas-width="77.35679999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1154.86px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.941403); white-space: pre;">our vision</div><div data-canvas-width="811.9295999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 137.44px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1154.86px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.912525); white-space: pre;">. Genuine love, after the fashion of God’s love, ultimately requires truth, and the shared contemplation of </div><div data-canvas-width="455.38560000000007" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1178.46px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.890801); white-space: pre;">the truth which is Jesus Christ enables love to become deep</div><div data-canvas-width="118.75199999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 520.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1178.46px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.919423); white-space: pre;">and enduring.” </div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 639.317px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1178.46px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">(</div><div data-canvas-width="97.47839999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 645.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1178.46px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.9226); white-space: pre;">Lumen Fidei</div><div data-canvas-width="30.393603179999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 747.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1178.46px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.918671); white-space: pre;">47).</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 743.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1212.26px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">-</div><div data-canvas-width="20.262399999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 755.167px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1212.26px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.11812); white-space: pre;">Fr</div><div data-canvas-width="45.69599999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 780.167px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1212.26px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.973681); white-space: pre;">Derry</div><div data-canvas-width="68.56319999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 830.767px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1212.26px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.0093); white-space: pre;">Murphy,</div></div></div><div data-canvas-width="427.7568000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 65.0928px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.888696); white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: 19.2px;">SAC.</span>The fourth element is one that is central to our Pallottine </div><div data-canvas-width="88.20479999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 487.283px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 65.0928px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.972557); white-space: pre;">spirituality:</div><div data-canvas-width="237.61919999999992" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 579.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 65.0928px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.963766); white-space: pre;">Communion and cooperation</div><div data-canvas-width="129.3312" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 820.767px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 65.0928px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.897784); white-space: pre;">are words which </div><div data-canvas-width="774.0095999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 88.8928px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.900939); white-space: pre;">run through all the writings of our Founder. He experienced himself as in communion with God and wi</div><div data-canvas-width="19.776" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 834.767px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 88.8928px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.926413); white-space: pre;">th </div><div data-canvas-width="96.69119999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 853.367px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 88.8928px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.879712); white-space: pre;">all creatures </div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 112.693px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">i</div><div data-canvas-width="883.5072" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 65.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 112.693px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.937534); white-space: pre;">n God; he was conscious of the call to cooperation with God in all his works and in particular in the salvation of </div><div data-canvas-width="39.436800000000005" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 136.293px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.879857); white-space: pre;">souls</div><div data-canvas-width="10.262266666666665" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 99.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 136.293px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.961901); white-space: pre;">; </div><div data-canvas-width="32.39039999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 110.24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 136.291px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.16801); white-space: pre;">“... </div><div data-canvas-width="805.9199999999994" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 143.24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 136.293px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.934991); white-space: pre;">the most holy, noble, august and divine of all divine works is the work of cooperating with the merciful </div><div data-canvas-width="198.91199999999995" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 160.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.862843); white-space: pre;">designs, wishes and desire</div><div data-canvas-width="252.2496" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 259.033px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 160.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.885233); white-space: pre;">s of God for the salvation of souls</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 511.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 160.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">.</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 516.283px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 160.124px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">”</div><div data-canvas-width="89.85599999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 528.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 160.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.957316); white-space: pre;">(OOCC IV)</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 618.317px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 160.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">.</div><div data-canvas-width="323.02080000000007" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 626.717px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 160.124px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.901695); white-space: pre;">St Vincent was ‘an apostle of a spirituality </div><div data-canvas-width="119.30879999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 183.924px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.95557); white-space: pre;">of communion’</div><div data-canvas-width="21.3696" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 184.433px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 183.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.00195); white-space: pre;">(cf</div><div data-canvas-width="221.7024" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 205.833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 183.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.928731); white-space: pre;">. St Vincent Pallotti, Prophet</div><div data-canvas-width="403.8336" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 433.083px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 183.924px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.946135); white-space: pre;">of a Spirituality of Communion”, Fr Franco Todisco</div><div data-canvas-width="47.193599999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 837.367px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 183.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.941108); white-space: pre;">, SAC</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 884.567px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 183.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">)</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 890.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 183.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">.</div><div data-canvas-width="49.17119999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 900.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 183.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.921295); white-space: pre;">In the </div><div data-canvas-width="379.4496000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 207.726px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.948173); white-space: pre;">UAC we are called to live a spirituality of coope</div><div data-canvas-width="509.6832" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 439.883px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 207.726px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.94381); white-space: pre;">ration and of communion which is rooted in the love of the Holy </div><div data-canvas-width="888.9599999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 231.526px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.939804); white-space: pre;">Trinity and it is part of our Pallottine heritage. What is my/our sense of living communion and cooperation in the </div><div data-canvas-width="53.79839999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 255.326px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.951343); white-space: pre;">UAC? </div><div data-canvas-width="97.19039999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 289.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.979588); white-space: pre;">For mission</div><div data-canvas-width="458.89920000000006" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 157.24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 289.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.937511); white-space: pre;">: we the members of the Pallottine family, in the condition </div><div data-canvas-width="332.12160000000006" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 617.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 289.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.926155); white-space: pre;">and state of life we are in, are all called to </div><div data-canvas-width="433.13279999999986" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 312.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.920336); white-space: pre;">cooperate in the mission of Jesus Christ in the Church. </div><div data-canvas-width="454.9056000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 494.683px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 312.924px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.950133); white-space: pre;">The General Statutes affirm that “...the multiple forms of </div><div data-canvas-width="722.5727999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 336.726px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.914972); white-space: pre;">personal vocation and the diversity of life styles, of commitment and of service are united by t</div><div data-canvas-width="166.73279999999994" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 783.367px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 336.726px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.908271); white-space: pre;">he founding charism, </div><div data-canvas-width="726.1247999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 360.524px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.911345); white-space: pre;">by a common spirit and mission and by the communion of the members...” (GS 6). We are for </div><div data-canvas-width="65.0496" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 786.167px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 360.526px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.923796); white-space: pre;">mission;</div><div data-canvas-width="94.52159999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 855.567px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 360.526px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.913253); white-space: pre;">our mission </div><div data-canvas-width="66.98879999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 384.326px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.965866); white-space: pre;">is to live</div><div data-canvas-width="164.81279999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 132.44px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 384.326px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.908295); white-space: pre;">the Gospel in the day</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 297.433px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 384.326px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">-</div><div data-canvas-width="15.062266666666664" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 303.633px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 384.326px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.940658); white-space: pre;">to</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 318.683px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 384.326px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">-</div><div data-canvas-width="139.64159999999993" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 325.083px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 384.326px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.91499); white-space: pre;">day activities and </div><div data-canvas-width="484.22400000000005" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 465.283px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 384.326px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.903789); white-space: pre;">engagement; to proclaim the Gospel and to facilitate access to </div><div data-canvas-width="68.5632" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 408.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.879968); white-space: pre;">the Gosp</div><div data-canvas-width="414.10560000000027" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 128.64px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 408.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.910842); white-space: pre;">el in accompanying others in their quest. How do I/we</div><div data-canvas-width="402.1440000000002" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 547.717px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 408.126px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.890833); white-space: pre;">see the mission today? How do I/we see the mission </div><div data-canvas-width="19.776" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 431.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.975239); white-space: pre;">in </div><div data-canvas-width="212.77439999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 79.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 431.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.906352); white-space: pre;">the circumstances in which </div><div data-canvas-width="11.744" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 292.833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 431.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.10079); white-space: pre;">I/</div><div data-canvas-width="143.44319999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 304.633px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 431.926px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.902053); white-space: pre;">we find ourselves?</div><div data-canvas-width="775.8335999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 462.376px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.893371); white-space: pre;">Personally, I am excited and enthused by the path proposed to us by Pope Francis and the Secretariat</div><div data-canvas-width="108.15359999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 841.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 462.376px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.912834); white-space: pre;">of the Synod; </div><div data-canvas-width="348.5568" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 486.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.873064); white-space: pre;">enthused because there is no fixed agenda, no</div><div data-canvas-width="50.956799999999994" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 413.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 486.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.868413); white-space: pre;">master</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 464.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 486.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">-</div><div data-canvas-width="478.8671999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 470.883px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 486.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.896143); white-space: pre;">plan already laid out which we are asked to study, understand, </div><div data-canvas-width="889.0176" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 509.976px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.924445); white-space: pre;">accept and implement. The point of departure for the path is to gather together, to be together, and to talk, share, </div><div data-canvas-width="67.4688" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 533.776px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.854307); white-space: pre;">meet eac</div><div data-canvas-width="821.9519999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 127.64px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 533.774px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.895868); white-space: pre;">h other where we are and share what being Church is to us, and together share where we think God’s Spirit </div><div data-canvas-width="290.93760000000003" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 557.374px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.900719); white-space: pre;">is leading us; what God’s Spirit wants </div><div data-canvas-width="20.793602384999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 350.283px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 557.376px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.974083); white-space: pre;">of </div><div data-canvas-width="26.592" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 370.083px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 557.376px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.85928); white-space: pre;">us. </div><div data-canvas-width="48.1536" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 395.683px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 557.376px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.902229); white-space: pre;">In the </div><div data-canvas-width="93.81119999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 442.883px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 557.376px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.882022); white-space: pre;">Vademecum</div><div data-canvas-width="409.24800000000005" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 540.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 557.376px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.87153); white-space: pre;">prepared by the Secretariat for the Synod it is stressed </div><div data-canvas-width="231.37919999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 581.174px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.903418); white-space: pre;">that “The Synodal Process is f</div><div data-canvas-width="148.07039999999995" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 291.633px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 581.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.901032); white-space: pre;">irst and foremost a </div><div data-canvas-width="64.8768" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 439.883px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 581.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.980615); white-space: pre;">spiritual</div><div data-canvas-width="70.73279999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 509.683px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 581.174px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.895849); white-space: pre;">process” </div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 580.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 581.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">(</div><div data-canvas-width="125.54879999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 586.917px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 581.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.907248); white-space: pre;">Vademecum 2.2</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 712.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 581.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">)</div><div data-canvas-width="9.600000793333333" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 718.917px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 581.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.899826); white-space: pre;">. </div><div data-canvas-width="221.45279999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 728.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 581.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.890509); white-space: pre;">The path is exciting because </div><div data-canvas-width="749.472" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 604.976px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.8638); white-space: pre;">something new will be born of our encounter, something which we will create together in God</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 810.167px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 604.976px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">;</div><div data-canvas-width="28.1664" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 821.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 604.976px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.879514); white-space: pre;">the </div><div data-canvas-width="93.83039999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 851.767px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 604.976px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.882202); white-space: pre;">Vademecum</div><div data-canvas-width="491.23200000000014" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 628.776px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.902467); white-space: pre;">warns against gathering with a sense of positions already taken </div><div data-canvas-width="335.36640000000006" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 552.117px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 628.776px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.924186); white-space: pre;">and with viewpoints to defend or to impose</div><div data-canvas-width="62.073599999999985" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 887.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 628.776px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.938244); white-space: pre;">; it also </div><div data-canvas-width="588.6912000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 652.574px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.957587); white-space: pre;">urges a leaving behind of prejudices and stereotypes, of ‘the virus of self</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 649.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 652.576px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">-</div><div data-canvas-width="91.33439999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 655.917px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 652.574px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.976285); white-space: pre;">sufficiency’</div><div data-canvas-width="202.52159999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 747.367px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 652.576px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.878536); white-space: pre;">; to avoid temptations of </div><div data-canvas-width="700.0704" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 676.374px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.923809); white-space: pre;">‘wanting to lead ourselves instead of being led by God’, of focusing on ourselves and our </div><div data-canvas-width="188.42879999999994" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 761.567px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 676.376px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.90086); white-space: pre;">immediate concerns, on </div><div data-canvas-width="219.76319999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 700.174px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.911196); white-space: pre;">‘problems’ and on structures</div><div data-canvas-width="14.400001189999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 279.833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 700.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.899826); white-space: pre;">. </div><div data-canvas-width="403.6224000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 294.233px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 700.176px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.902637); white-space: pre;">It is to be a spiritual process leading to discernment. </div><div data-canvas-width="46.886399999999995" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 730.576px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.97661); white-space: pre;">While</div><div data-canvas-width="835.5264000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 113.64px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 730.576px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.857487); white-space: pre;">I reflected on the request to prepare this number of Apostles for Today I thought of what attitudes might </div><div data-canvas-width="237.31199999999995" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 754.376px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.942276); white-space: pre;">facilitate my participation in th</div><div data-canvas-width="335.13599999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 297.633px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 754.376px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.912844); white-space: pre;">e process and I came up with the following:</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 90px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 787.414px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">•</div><div data-canvas-width="829.0943999999993" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 120.04px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 789.609px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.919397); white-space: pre;">A conscious awareness of the continuous call to communion, to communion with God, to communion with </div><div data-canvas-width="133.11359999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 120.04px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 811.609px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.917116); white-space: pre;">all others in God.</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 90px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 832.814px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">•</div><div data-canvas-width="143.86559999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 120.04px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 835.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.92959); white-space: pre;">A recognition that </div><div data-canvas-width="11.744" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 263.833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 835.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.10079); white-space: pre;">I/</div><div data-canvas-width="351.7631999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 275.633px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 835.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.878908); white-space: pre;">we are all protagonists in the process because </div><div data-canvas-width="11.344533333333333" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 627.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 835.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.06334); white-space: pre;">I/</div><div data-canvas-width="163.52639999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 639.117px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 835.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.906545); white-space: pre;">we all have faith and </div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 802.567px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 835.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">m</div><div data-canvas-width="14.537599999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 817.567px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 835.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.973433); white-space: pre;">y/</div><div data-canvas-width="117.77279999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 832.367px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 835.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.889881); white-space: pre;">our experience </div><div data-canvas-width="427.8144000000001" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 120.04px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 857.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.925743); white-space: pre;">in faith and the convictions that grow out of it are valid.</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 90px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 878.414px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">•</div><div data-canvas-width="41.568" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 120.04px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 880.609px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.999081); white-space: pre;">My/o</div><div data-canvas-width="787.5071999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 161.64px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 880.609px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.934038); white-space: pre;">ur vocation is that of the Church, a vocation to evangelize which is our mission; daily reading of the </div><div data-canvas-width="268.30080000000004" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 120.04px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 902.609px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.931116); white-space: pre;">Gospel will throw light on the here</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 388.683px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 902.609px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">-</div><div data-canvas-width="27.7824" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 394.883px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 902.609px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.867269); white-space: pre;">and</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 422.683px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 902.609px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">-</div><div data-canvas-width="151.10399999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 429.083px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 902.609px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.91944); white-space: pre;">now of the mission.</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 89.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 923.814px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">•</div><div data-canvas-width="97.01759999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 119.44px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 926.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.967064); white-space: pre;">Listening wi</div><div data-canvas-width="732.6143999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 216.433px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 926.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.909177); white-space: pre;">th an open ear and mind, Pope Francis gives the impression that he is listening attentively and </div><div data-canvas-width="829.7856000000005" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 119.44px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 948.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.866731); white-space: pre;">he responds, sometimes he may trip up in his response, but he continues onwards on the path he sees as being </div><div data-canvas-width="239.96159999999992" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 119.44px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 970.009px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.91768); white-space: pre;">the one the Spirit is indicating. </div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 89.8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 991.214px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">•</div><div data-canvas-width="123.07199999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 119.44px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 993.409px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.945118); white-space: pre;">In the Union of </div><div data-canvas-width="157.65119999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 242.833px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 993.409px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.923203); white-space: pre;">Catholic Apostolate </div><div data-canvas-width="11.744" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 400.883px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 993.409px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.10079); white-space: pre;">I/</div><div data-canvas-width="388.87680000000006" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 412.683px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 993.407px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.920842); white-space: pre;">we have experience of ‘walking together’ through </div><div data-canvas-width="29.9136" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 801.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 993.409px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.967198); white-space: pre;">my/</div><div data-canvas-width="118.13759999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 831.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 993.409px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.892637); white-space: pre;">our experience </div><div data-canvas-width="472.89599999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 119.44px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1015.41px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.935485); white-space: pre;">of being in communion in the charism of St Vincent Pallotti; </div><div data-canvas-width="29.9136" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 593.117px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1015.41px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.967198); white-space: pre;">my/</div><div data-canvas-width="326.61119999999994" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 623.117px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1015.41px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.908058); white-space: pre;">our experience is valid and can contribute </div><div data-canvas-width="377.95200000000006" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 119.44px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1037.61px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.913508); white-space: pre;">to the discernment of the Church on Synodality. </div><div data-canvas-width="66.06719999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1083.46px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.04962); white-space: pre;">I will co</div><div data-canvas-width="201.5615999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 126.24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1083.46px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.9396); white-space: pre;">nclude with a quote from </div><div data-canvas-width="98.26559999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 329.083px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1083.46px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.930051); white-space: pre;">Lumen Fidei</div><div data-canvas-width="521.9712" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 427.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1083.46px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.937071); white-space: pre;">, Encyclical Letter of Pope Francis, and make it my prayer for our </div><div data-canvas-width="889.0176" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1107.26px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.925555); white-space: pre;">participation in the Synodal path: “The experience of love shows us that a common vision is possible, for through </div><div data-canvas-width="292.1664" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1131.06px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.891712); white-space: pre;">love we learn how to see reality throug</div><div data-canvas-width="597.1392000000003" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 352.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1131.06px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.876978); white-space: pre;">h the eyes of others, not as something which impoverishes but instead enriches </div><div data-canvas-width="77.35679999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1154.86px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.941403); white-space: pre;">our vision</div><div data-canvas-width="811.9295999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 137.44px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1154.86px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.912525); white-space: pre;">. Genuine love, after the fashion of God’s love, ultimately requires truth, and the shared contemplation of </div><div data-canvas-width="455.38560000000007" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 60px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1178.46px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.890801); white-space: pre;">the truth which is Jesus Christ enables love to become deep</div><div data-canvas-width="118.75199999999997" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 520.483px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1178.46px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.919423); white-space: pre;">and enduring.” </div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 639.317px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1178.46px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">(</div><div data-canvas-width="97.47839999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 645.517px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1178.46px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.9226); white-space: pre;">Lumen Fidei</div><div data-canvas-width="30.393603179999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 747.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1178.46px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.918671); white-space: pre;">47).</div><div style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 743.967px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1212.26px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; white-space: pre;">-</div><div data-canvas-width="20.262399999999996" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 755.167px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1212.26px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.11812); white-space: pre;">Fr</div><div data-canvas-width="45.69599999999999" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 780.167px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1212.26px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.973681); white-space: pre;">Derry</div><div data-canvas-width="68.56319999999998" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 830.767px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1212.26px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.0093); white-space: pre;">Murphy,</div><div data-canvas-width="41.011199999999995" style="color: transparent; cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; left: 904.167px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 1212.26px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.915174); white-space: pre;">SAC.</div></div></div>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-20277342695350756682021-12-10T17:37:00.002-08:002021-12-10T17:37:33.467-08:00Apostles for Today - December 2021<p></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800180;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyhw4_2DZtK-LaHUShaIAh4i6Pukgln2P-zZd0xpRqhJSLwICqV-IZ_cMq5CK_Z66To_8dVprJuAg4swVGaCNYejJns_BG3Ew58ogvdGhUp23mKhPAxD2Ryyzh0LkPWda7rm8_BdMxumwm1trJ1xn7cfstM3VleTqmnfyey2zMlqbMWLs6DA3233AR7Q=s140" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="104" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyhw4_2DZtK-LaHUShaIAh4i6Pukgln2P-zZd0xpRqhJSLwICqV-IZ_cMq5CK_Z66To_8dVprJuAg4swVGaCNYejJns_BG3Ew58ogvdGhUp23mKhPAxD2Ryyzh0LkPWda7rm8_BdMxumwm1trJ1xn7cfstM3VleTqmnfyey2zMlqbMWLs6DA3233AR7Q" width="104" /></a></div><br />Apostles for Today <br /></b></span><span style="color: #800180;"><b>December 2021</b></span></h2><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Fratelli Tutti</i> in the footsteps of <br />St. Vincent Pallotti</span></p><p>We have arrived at the end of this annual cycle of Apostles for Today dedicated to reflection on the third Encyclical Letter of Pope Francis “Fratelli Tutti”, on fraternity and social friendship.</p><p>I thank all in the Pallottine world who have written monthly reflections on each chapter of the encyclical. I felt very enriched by these articles which presented reflections born of the living, concrete experience of each person’s place. Every reflection also spoke strongly to me because each one described not only a particular place or form of life, but had something of a universal flavor.</p><p>It is the flavor of the Gospel, as the Pope says at the beginning of the encyclical, and as such can embrace all places and all forms of life in our Pallottine world, of the whole Church, of all humanity, of all creatures:</p><p>“Wherever I find myself, I intend to imagine myself and I will try often to renew this desire to remain with all creatures in the cenacle in Jerusalem … along with Mary Most Holy” (cf. OOCC X, 86).</p><p>In giving my contribution to add to the others, I would immediately like to note that, in the title of the Encyclical, the word TUTTI (ALL) involves us directly by embracing the deepest meaning of every Pallottine vocation. EVERYONE (TUTTI) and the other correlative word - EVERYTHING (TUTTO) - mark every part and the entirety of the encyclical. The Pope affirms that, in order to be fully human, fraternity - and consequently also social friendship - must place these two vital characteristics at the foundation of relationships: being for all and embracing everything. "True charity is always capable of incorporating all" (cf. FT 165).</p><p>Immediately comes to mind how for St. Vincent Pallotti the same words - all - everyone, everything - were the paradigm of his life in his relationship with God and with neighbor:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p>“My God, my all”, “all God”;</p><p> “God in everything and in all”;</p><p>“all are called to the apostolate";</p><p> "since therefore all, as creatures, are a living image of divine love, so all must love God and their neighbor according to their possibilities” (OOCC IV, 308);</p><p>“we always treat everyone with charity, look at everyone with charity, think of everyone with charity, and speak of everyone with charity” (OOCC III, 338).</p></blockquote><p>I think that we are very fortunate to perceive the enduring timeliness and truth of these words of the Founder</p><p>today more than ever and that, by the grace of God, we too can put them into practice immediately with everyone and in all we are and do.</p><p>The Pope describes life, notwithstanding all of its confrontations, as ‘the art of encounter. I have frequently called for the growth of a culture of encounter capable of transcending our differences and divisions. This means working to create a many-faceted polyhedron whose different sides form a variegated unity, in which “the whole is greater than the part”’ (FT, 215).</p><p>I think that we are very fortunate to perceive the enduring timeliness and truth of these words of the Founder today more than ever and that, by the grace of God, we too can put them into practice immediately with everyone and in all we are and do.</p><p>The Pope describes life, notwithstanding all of its confrontations, as ‘the art of encounter. I have frequently called for the growth of a culture of encounter capable of transcending our differences and divisions. This means working to create a many-faceted polyhedron whose different sides form a variegated unity, in which “the whole is greater than the part”’ (FT, 215).</p><p>And this is also true for us, in all contexts of the UAC. In this regard, the central part of a letter which Saint Vincent wrote to Don Giovanni Allemand very often comes to mind, which makes clear to me that I do not need to wait for the other (especially those closest to me in daily life) to come to meet me, but I must be the first to take the initiative to go to meet them, where they are and as they are.</p><p>In the letter, St. Vincent says in a very practical and concrete way what holiness is and what its path is: “Become holy: but holy in that way which God wants us to become holy. Holiness consists in doing the will of God. Therefore we will become holy by speaking indifferently with everyone, entering into discussion with each one: we will become holy in literary discourses, in scientific academies, in academic chairs, in circles of scholars no less than in the midst of the crowd, and of sinners: in a word, we will become holy by making ourselves everything to all people in order to gain all for Jesus Christ” (cf. Letters, Vol. 2, n. 308, pp. 23ss.).</p><p>Finally, the letter concludes with a very powerful phrase: "<i>I greet everyone in Jesus Christ and I declare myself for all</i>". For me, these words are an attraction to follow the Founder with his very own practical measure of declaring himself for all. Even today, every person's call is for others, to be for everyone.</p><p>“<i>Declaring oneself of all</i>”, I believe, is our form of life in harmony with <i>Fratelli Tutti:</i> but what does this mean concretely for us, the Union of the Catholic Apostolate?</p><p>In my opinion, it is not connected only to doing, to carrying out activities or works that do not exclude but unite people of different ages and different states of life. Of course, all of this is commendable. But it is not enough. If this were the case, it goes without saying that once a specific activity or work has been completed, the need and even the desire to declare ourselves brothers and sisters of all would disappear.</p><p>From what I have seen and continue to see in the experience of many parts of the Pallottine world, it seems to me that I can say that fraternity has its deep roots in communion, in mutual belonging, in equal dignity, in equality. And the source is the communion of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is a reflection and imitation of the art of loving in the way in which God, the Most Holy Trinity, loves, and generates familial and fraternal communion (cf. OOCC XI, 259).</p><p>Concluding this contribution, I would like to highlight that even the journey of synodality which has just begun does not leave us spectators, but motivates us to discover and develop our declaration that we are for all insofar as we are all sisters and brothers. So let us not miss the opportunity to refine our culture of encounter, especially through listening and dialogue.</p><p><b>With Pope Francis, let us put these words into practice: ‘God willing, after all this, we will think no longer in terms of “them” and “those”, but only “us”’ (FT 35).</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">_____________________</p><p>Questions for personal and community reflection: The Union of the Catholic Apostolate is so called because the Founder wanted to emphasize unity. Yet, we are different: faithful who are religious, consecrated, lay, ordained; communities, congregations, individuals. Can we still say that we are one? How?</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Our mission, through our works and our presences, responds to what the Spirit asked of the Founder; is it adequate to pursue its aims in today's society and Church? Is there something we need to change? Do we have the same passion for our neighbors, are we close to them to the point of sharing their joys and their sorrows, so as to truly understand their needs?</li><li>Often this Encyclical affirms that walking together as brothers does not waste time. Instead it takes up time, it needs time. That of arguing and that of reconciliation. Walking together “wastes” time. It is the opposite of abstract human relations of etiquette, but it calls us back to the encounter. How do we walk together? With what resistances? With what steps forward?</li></ol><p></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: right;">- <i><b>Donatella Acerbi</b></i></p>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416715153413309294.post-91402258107354821352021-10-17T14:16:00.001-07:002021-10-17T14:16:37.978-07:00Apostles for Today -October 2021<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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</div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"></h3><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Apostles For Today<br /></span>October 2021</h1><h3 style="text-align: left;">
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be
troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14, 27-28)</h3><div> <span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The chapter "Paths of a new meeting" is about building peace and about beginning with truth through social friendship,
through forgiveness and overcoming inevitable conflict. </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b> Jesus gave his daily words a new sacred meaning. Such as "peace" or "forgiveness." </b></span><b style="font-family: arial;"> In the above words of Jesus there is
the awaited peace of the Messiah. Each of us is the architect of such a peace on the way to God. There is also a harbinger
of a conflict because it is related to the struggle for the Truth. Peace without Jesus is an earthly peace that keeps us
captive. The room of the Tower of Babel is built for a superficial earthly unity because it is based on the status quo.
Meanwhile, Jesus teaches us that we unite in Him and not in our earthly world, transforming and growing for Him,
remaining different people, culturally and socially different. </b></div><div><b style="font-family: arial;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: arial;"> Earthly peace is based on collective forgiveness, thus freeing the individual from change, from talking about conversion.
There is some madness of the mind that resorts to elevating the reflection to the level of large numbers, countries,
national and social agreements, earthly boundaries. The more human tragedies are hidden under the name of war or
national and social conflicts, the more they appear to be complex, foreign and independent phenomena. The easier it is
for us to escape from a reflection on ourselves and the specific interpersonal relationships surrounding us.</b></div><div><b style="font-family: arial;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: arial;"> "Give each other the sign of peace" is, however, an invitation to individual action. So what about this one particular
person, my neighbor, my colleague at work and the daily forgiveness of anger, jealousy, humiliation, violence. What
language, what kind of conversation should I use?</b></div><div><b style="font-family: arial;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: arial;"> I am a foreigner living in Denmark for over 30 years and I think I know a lot about the complications of evangelistic
communication that creates the peace of Jesus. It's not just finding a common language, but everything behind it. What
is the word peace, mercy and forgiveness for me, a Catholic, and what is it for my Muslim or atheistic neighbor? Mercy
and forgiveness in Islam have various interpretations, but it is the prerogative of Allah in the work of Judgment Day’s
justice and can also mean punishment (Quran 6: 147ff; 49:29). The way for forgiveness is the Koran (27:77, 81). For an
atheist, "love" and "peace" have only earthly value, and forgiveness is based on a cause--effect relationship. "Truth" is
relative - as for Pilate. Furthermore, it should even be hidden and erased from reality in the way forgiveness works for
cancel culture and relates to ideologies of political correctness - even having an element of revenge (Fratelli tutti 226-
227) </b></div><div><b style="font-family: arial;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: arial;"> For a Christian, on the other hand, God is infinite love. "I understand and I forgive" for me is reaching to the very source
of sin, transformation, conversion and absolute love that lifts me to God who is the Truth.</b></div><div><b style="font-family: arial;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: arial;"> We are all children of God, but in the confused map of languages, we build peace and forgive ourselves in completely
different ways.
Scandinavian countries rank first in surveys on happiness. Positive thinking dominates here, enjoying the instantaneous
and fleeting moment and the small things in life. Hygge has become a known word worldwide as a relaxed way of life.
However, it is obvious to a foreigner that this positive mentality feeds on silence. Silence about crises, problems and
reactions to evil. Forgiveness in the Christian mentality is not forgetting (<i>Fratelli tutti 250</i>).
These are the dilemmas that Jesus talks about, to which the rich young man approaches, presenting himself as a good,
humanitarian and merciful person, asking if there is anything else he can do (Mt 19:20). Jesus' answer is total dedication
to God. It is not a conversation in which two people exchange opinions, but a dialogue that serves the purpose of
proclaiming the Good News and waiting for conversion. </b></div><div><div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;">I am looking for a sign of Jesus' peace in "dialogue, in quiet conversation or in heated discussion" <i>(Possiamo cercare </i></span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>insieme la verità nel dialogo, nella conversazione pacata o nella discussione appassionata) (Fratelli tutti, 50).</i> </span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Originally, </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Latin "conversatio" meant a targeted interaction with the world with a built-in transformation, a change in the way of</span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">life, in relation to meeting other people. So, a conversation for a Christian does not have to be a normal, relaxed social </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">interaction, but a part of a conversion (the verb <i>"versare"</i>).</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"> In the language of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Benedict's "conversatio" refers to sacrum and perhaps it is a sign of our </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">times that the meaning of the word has faded into a casual conversation. Sacrum is pushed out of the tongue and yet it </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">is the architect of Jesus' peace and the expected conversion. Just as the removal of God from the word "peace" pushes </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">us to the paths of noncommittal, eternal negotiations and aimless conversations, because it just confirms the obvious </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">fact that we are different. Even the Platonic word "dialogue" contains "logos" in the original, which for us may refer to </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">the work of Creation. St. Pallotti teaches us the transcendental meaning of Jesus' words by adding an absolute dimension </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">to the most important ones. So "love" is infinite! <i>"Dio dell'Amore infinito e della Misericordia infinita"</i>. As Jesus</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;">formulated it in the original Greek of the Gospels: agape (ἀγάπη).</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"> I chose the story of the young man because it fits the country where our little Pallotti community lives. Denmark is one </span></b><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>of the richest countries and a society that anticipates excessively in humanitarian programs around the world. But at </b></span><b><span style="font-family: arial;">the same time, it is a spiritual desert in which, in all spheres, it avoids discussions on religious and even spiritual topics </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">in general. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">So there comes a time when, by being rich, and by devoting your time and resources to helping others, you get to the </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">point where you ask, "Is there anything else?", "What's next?" The quickest answer these days seems to be… fitness and </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">yoga. These two spheres of life are expanding astronomically, especially among young people.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"> And here it is - a young man who has just returned from the morning fitness and is trying to fill the day with some </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">meaning. We do not speak the same language, because the sacrum does not exist for my interlocutor, and he will not </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">understand that sacrum is as real as the bread that is eaten for breakfast. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">In conversation and dialogue, there is always a conflict, that is, a clash of two worlds. Jesus says about it (Mt 10, 34-11, </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">1): "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but the sword. " But he </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">adds in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:10): "Blessed are the meek." The contradiction is apparent but can be </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">understood in the original meaning of the words. First, the Greek word "machaira (μάχαιρα)" is not a traditional sword</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;">that we associate with the image of medieval battles. It is a single-blade knife with which we separate good from evil.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"> The Greek word "meek" (οἱ πραεῖς) connects us with the adjective <i>"praos"</i>, that is, gentle, tamed. It refers to a force </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">that is restrained. For example, a wild horse that becomes obedient. Thus, by combining these two statements, we are </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">to reflect the pattern of Jesus, who has unlimited power, but is able to "tame" his divine powers by keeping the sword </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">in its scabbard. It changes the world with the Good News.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;">As Christians, we are extremely strong with love and support in God. We are not small and helpless. On the contrary, by </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">carrying a sword hidden in a scabbard, we are heading towards God's love and peace. Dialogue is just a means of </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial;">transport.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"> This is my conversation with my neighbor, colleague in need, brother and sister who asks "is there anything else?"</span></b></div><h3 style="text-align: right;"><b>Mr. Caesar Szwebs, Denmark</b></h3></div></div>Pallottine reflectionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15636376231242920863noreply@blogger.com0