Apostles for today

February 2024

Risen Christ walks with us to make us live in the joy of hope

Number 654 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church shows us that there is a double aspect in the Paschal mystery: through his death he frees us from sin, through his Resurrection he opens for us access to a new life.

This is first of all the justification which restores us to the grace of God (cf. Rom 4, 25) “so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead, we too may live in new life” (Rom 6, 4). In approaching our theme for this month there is a whole project of the resurrected Christ on each and every one of us. As he walked with the disciples of Emmaus, he also walks with us today to make us live in the joy of hope.

Let us pause in our thoughts for a moment and remember the experience of the Paschal Vigil. We all have this experience of the celebration of the Easter Eve which begins in darkness but only the Paschal candle guides the procession. The priest sings: Light of Christ and we all respond: We give thanks to God. After this song and this response, you will no longer see sad faces but all the faithful and the celebrants radiate with joy because the risen Christ, light of the world is in the midst of his children. 

The paschal candle always gives us hope that we are children of light and we no longer walk in darkness. Another experience that we would like to contemplate is that in the Gospel of Saint Luke 24: 18-35 where we see the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. They were in despair because they believed that Jesus in whom they had placed all their hope had died and that everything was over. But when they realized that on their march towards Emmaus they were accompanied by the risen Christ, their eyes were opened, a new light shone in their 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 brothers and sisters differently. With renewed zeal, they hastened back to Jerusalem to testify of what they had seen. As Christ gave his life for humanity, Saint Vincent Pallotti also in experiencing the risen Lord, he desired to be food to satisfy the hungry, clothing to clothe the naked, drink to refresh the thirsty, medicine to strengthen the stomach of those who are weak, care to relieve the suffering of the sick, the crippled, the mute and the deaf,

light to enlighten those who are physically and spiritually blind, life to raise the dead by the grace of God. (OOCC X,115).”

As daughters and sons of Saint Vincent Pallotti, we have the great responsibility of perpetuating the ideal of the Founder. This is possible if we walk together in unity and fraternity. Walking alone we go fast and we get lost, but walking together we are strong and we can go far. Let us remember that our Holy Founder Vincent Pallotti bequeathed us his charism. At a time when the Church had to face crises relating to faith and found itself faced with the multiplication of its tasks for the mission, Pallotti realized the urgency of reviving faith and rekindling charity among Catholics and to unite all in Christ. The way he found to achieve this is the collaboration of all members of the Church, both the clergy and the laity, and to unite their efforts in order to promote more effectively the apostolic mission of the Church. (Preamble b.). Experts in Pallottine spirituality speak to us of collaboration as a gift above all gifts. If collaboration is lacking then let us know that the Union is in danger of ruin.

As an Auxiliary Body of the Church (General Statutes no. 58), the Union of the Catholic Apostolate needs to take a step forward in carrying out its mission in the Church. It is necessary to discover new initiatives that engage even the youngest in order to bring new oxygen to the entire Union. Routine is no longer useful. Being a tireless apostle, Pallotti never stopped inventing new methods to be the evangelical trumpet in the Church and in the world. He knew how to open up to the poor and the confined, to the sick and the marginalized, he took care of soldiers, workers, students and prisoners, he was a tireless confessor, he gave conferences to nuns and preached popular missions in parishes, he organized training for young people, adults and the clergy, he opened and supported orphanages, he spread the Good Press, he encouraged foreign missions, he inaugurated the Octave of the Epiphany.

Beyond everything, his concern is to be a man concerned with the infinite Glory of God and the salvation of men. Like the disciples of Emmaus, we must set out again to leave our routines and our comfortable zones and embrace new horizons. Today, there is so much to do around us, there is poverty of all categories: spiritual, material; isolated, people who lost their loved ones, lack of peace, refugees, the homeless, orphans, street children, widows and widowers, elderly people who live alone, people who live with incurable illnesses, drug addicts, people living with inner wounds, couples torn apart by all kinds of problems etc. All these needs around us need answers. The others are waiting for us.

We cannot wait to do great works but rather we can start with small concrete gestures to give our brothers and Sisters the hope of living. There is more joy in giving than in receiving. The following witness helps us see how the risen Christ walks with us when we decide to engage in his mission. Walking requires us to leave one place to go to another. This requires a firm decision and constant will. Every decision in life involves an Easter mystery. I die within myself so that Christ will resurrect me and give me new life in Him.

For us Missionary Sisters of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottines), walking with the risen Christ also means being available and accepting the mission entrusted to us. This availability allows us to live the Easter experience. Trusting in the one who calls us and sends us and reading the signs of the times, the Pallottine Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Kibeho Province (Rwanda), by the invitation of the Local Ordinary, they left their country to open a new mission in Brittany (Bretagne) in France in the Diocese of Vannes in the Parish of Saint Peter of Quistinic. They are aware 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 African 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 Brittany, the Sisters carry out their apostolate with children by giving them catechism and preparing them for the sacraments. They supervise those who feel the call to be altar boys and girls, they visit the elderly and give time to

listen to them, they bring Holy Communion to the sick and doffer accampaniement for those who desire it, they participate in funerals and take care of pastoral care in the parishes, they are part of the Parish choir and they lead Masses during the week... By citing these few apostolates it is to show how much others are waiting for us. It is not by their strength that the sisters fulfil their mission but thanks to the one who calls them and sends them. The sisters are grateful and they rejoice that the first missionaries prepared them well, instilling the missionary spirit in them.

Many elderly people live alone, they need someone to share at least a word with. How important it is to be with those who have lost their loved ones! The presence is very comforting. Sometimes we think that this or that person is used to living alone but deep down we all need each other. How encouraging it is to listen to Christians say that you Pallottine Sisters have brought oxygen to our Parishes. You are lightning rods. All this for the infinite glory of God.

I who write these pages have just spent more than three months in this mission and I give thanks to the Lord who wanted this mission here in Brittany. The others are waiting for us. By praying this prayer of our Pallottine community prayers, let us allow our heart be impregnated with it and let it to engage us again.

Pray:

Guide. Lord, the others are waiting for us:

Assembly. They expect something from us; they wait for our word;

they count on our patience

Guide. Many expect a letter from us, a visit; perhaps they are waiting for us

to give them our time, to look at them with compassion!

Assembly. The world needs us so much, those we meet expect us to call them by their own names.

Guide. Many people look for an open door in us; they need a place and a time to talk with us,  they want to share their burdens with us

Assembly. Now we bring to you, Lord, all those who have come into us:
 accept them and us also with our failings.

Guide. Give us the courage to hold the door of our heart open,
so that all those who seek us can only meet you.

Amen 

Sr Liberata Niyongira SAC

_____________________________________________

Piazza San Vincenzo Pallotti, 204 00186 Roma, ITALIA

Tel: (+39) 06.6876827 E-mail: uacgensec@gmail.com

 www.vincenzopallotti.org

Apostles for Today January 2024

 Apostles for Today

January 2024

Prayer and Reflection

“Renewing Our Weary Hearts and Transforming Our Horizons”

Why did the Gospel of Emmaus inspire the Pallottine horizon?

 
    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 Saint Lorenzo da Brindisi, 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.
    The theme of the Congress will be: “With Christ, our hope, let us set out together with renewed joy and hope." "Of this you are witnesses” (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). 

    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.

    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): “Hearts on fire, feet on the move”. 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”.

    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. 

    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 “evangelical trumpet”, 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.

    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.

    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 “Apostles for Today” 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.

    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.

P. Jacob Nampudakam SAC
UAC President
Rome, 1 January 2

Apostles for Today Decemer 2023 Part II

 Apostles for Today

December 2023 # II

Saint Vincent Pallotti and Nazareth - The Deliberate Choice of a Simple Life 

    A comparative analysis of the life of Saint Vincent PALLOTTI and the village of Nazareth leads us to adopt as our theme: "A life in all its simplicity". We adopt this theme in view of the many points of similarity between the life this Saint led and life in Nazareth. 

    Nazareth could derive from the root "nasar", which in Hebrew means "one who observes", "one who guards", "to care for - to protect - to guard". We could call it "the guardian". 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. 

So the symbolism of "Nazareth" 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. 

    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. 

    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. 

    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: "He became poor for you out of riches, so that you might be enriched by his poverty" (2 Cor. 8:9). 

    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: "The fundamental rule of our little Congregation is the life of Our Lord Jesus Christ to imitate him with all possible perfection". 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. 

    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. 

     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. 

    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. 

    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. 

Ms. Genevieve Bofia 

UAC Member - Cameroon

Apostles for Today December 2023

 Apostles for Today

December 2023

Faith and Love:
The Essence of a Christian Family

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.

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.

For our families too, the fundamental rule remains unchanged. Christ must take centre stage, ensuring the constant and sure presence of God.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?"

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.

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.

Mrs Teresa Kattukaran

UAC Member, Bangalore, India

Apostles for today - November 2023

 Apostles for Today

Prayer and  Reflection

November 2023

“Do not turn your face away from anyone
 who is poor” (Tb 4:7)

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.

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); Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper (... Mk 14:3-9).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Bambino Gesù Hospital, we spend a lot of time listening to their parents torn apart by pain, anguish and worries. Listening and
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).

We desire that this biblical recommendation always echo in our ears and hearts.
"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.

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.

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!"

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.

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.

Community of the Pallottine Missionary Sisters House of Procura - Rome

Apostles for Today - October 2023

 Apostles For Today

October 2023

Burning Hearts, Walking Feet

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"!

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 Ad Gentes of the Second Vatican Council. The post-conciliar pontifical Magisterium has also deepened and made even clearer this ecclesial missionary self-awareness

(1). For example, in his Message for Mission Sunday 2012, Pope Benedict XVI wrote that the mission ad gentesis, 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 CELAM - 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!

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?
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.
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)!
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:
"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!
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 "areopagus" of the public life of nations, in the extreme situations of existence, assuming ad gentes our solicitude for the universal mission of the Church."
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...
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).

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!
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."
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.

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!
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.

This is also what Pope Francis teaches us in his message:
"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."
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.
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!

Questions for personal and community prayer:
1. Is the person of the risen Jesus Christ really essential in my life?
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?
3. What is the fear that paralyzes and encapsulates me, depriving me of my missionary enthusiasm?
4. After naming this paralyzing fear, how about praying with it, handing it over to Jesus to help you overcome it?

P. Daniel Rocchetti, SAC

............................................................................................................................................
1. Paul VI with the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi; John Paul II with the Encyclical Redemptoris Missio; Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium.
2. Ratio Institutionis 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, Ratio Institutionis)

Apostles for Today - Sept 2023

 Apostles for Today

                          September -2023

Overcoming Fear and Anxiety

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.

Fr. Krzysztof Hermanowicz SAC