Apostles For today August 2022

Ecumenism - Towards A Successful Unity as Children of God

 

1. Ecumenism - Because All are Called

God gave us Jesus Christ so that "He might be our firstborn brother, 'ut sit Ipse primogenitus in multis fratribus' (Rom 8:29) ... 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."¹ 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.

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. ² 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.

2. Building Blocks of a Spiritual Ecumenism

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.³ 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.

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. Gen 1:26). 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.⁴ 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.

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."⁵ 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.

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. Jn 17:20-26) 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.

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.

3. Theocentric Orientation

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.

What we need today is a God-centeredness in the life of the churches and the ecclesial communities.⁶ 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.

The necessary theocentric orientation in ecumenism becomes concrete and real for us in a lived Christocentricity.⁷ 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.

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.

We must return to Jesus Christ and his saving message: Jesus Christ is always the same, yesterday, today and forever (cf. Heb 13:8). 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.

4. Ecumenism and Evangelisation

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.⁸ 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.⁹

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.

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 raison d'être.

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." (1 Peter 2:9) 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" (Jn 17:21).

Dr. Fr. George Augustine SAC

1 V. Pallotti, God the Infinite Love, Friedberg 1981, 130.

2 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.

3 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.

4 Cf. in detail Pallotti, God the Infinite Love, 130.

5 Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Directory for the Execution of the Principles and Norms on Ecumenism, Rome 1993, 25.

6 Cf. G. Augustin, God First. A Conversation on the Future of Faith, Ostfildern² 2022.

7 Cf. G. Augustin, God unites - Christ separates?, Paderborn 1993.

8 Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis Redintegratio, 1.

9 Cf. ibid, 12.

 

UAC Committment of Helen Kim

 

Apostles For Today --July 2022

 

            Apostles For Today

                    July 2022 

 Dialogue in the Church and in the society

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.                   

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.

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 "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.

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.

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.

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 Evangelii Gaudium, 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” (Evangelii Gaudium 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
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 Evangelii Gaudium 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
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
(Evangelii Gaudium 88).

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.

Michał Grzeca

Apostles for Today --February 2022

                               

                            Apostles for Today

Feb 2022

   Theme: Journeying Together

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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:

1. Formalism: reducing the Synod to an event which is formal and which is done to fulfil the requirements.

2. Intellectualism: to turn the synod into a kind of study group, but which is disconnected from the reality of the People of God.

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.

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.

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.

Dayse da Conceição Barros da Conceição

President of the National Coordination Council in Brazil.

Apostles for Today

January 2022

2022, a New Year and a new start for us all.

Apostles for Today, 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.  

   In the  Preparatory Document we read that “The Church of God is convoked in Synod. The path entitled ‘For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission’”; it is significant that it is described as ‘path’, 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 ‘syn’ meaning ‘together with, jointly, at the same time’ and ‘hodos’ which means ‘a way, path, road, journey’. 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. 

   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 ‘Together’: 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 Evangelii  Gaudium, 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. 

   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?

 A second element is ‘Walking or journeying' and signifies onward movement, it is not a static state; we are always going towards God. 

   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? 

   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?

 The fourth element 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).

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).

  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?

  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:

• A conscious awareness of the continuous call to communion, to communion with God, to communion with all others in God.
• 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.
• •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.
• 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. 
• 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.  

  I will conclude with a quote from Lumen Fidei, 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.” (Lumen Fidei 47).

-Fr. Derry Murphy, SAC.

2022, a New Year and a new start for us all.

Apostles for Today

, 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 Synodalit

y 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. In the Preparatory Document we read that

“

The Church of God is

convoked in Synod. The path entitled ‘For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission’”

; it is

significant that it is described as

‘path’

, an indication that it is a journey and a way and not only a theme. The

word Synod ind

icates to us what is involved, it comes from the Greek and is a composite of

‘syn’

meaning

‘

together with, jointly, at the same time’

and ‘

hodos

’ which means ‘

a way, path

,

road, journey’

. The path and

the process in the Document

are

formulated as

“journeyi

ng 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 c

hurch life

and on all the levels of the life and mission of the Church today.

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 c

ommunion, 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

‘Together’

: the material prepared

and circulated by the General Secretariat of t

he 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 o

n

“Temptations faced by Pastoral

Workers”

in

Evangelii Gaudium

, 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

keep

s 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.

Perhaps a question can be put here, can I, can we, identify

what creates distance between us and oth

ers in the UAC? Are we being “robbed of” the opportunity to journey

together?

A second element is

‘Walking or journeying’

and

signifies onward movement, it is not a static

state;

we are

always

going towards God. In Advent we reflected on journeys in the Na

tivity scenes, Mary journeying over

rough terrain to be with Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph travel

ling

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 int

o

God and into the mystery of God, in Jesus.

What is my/our sense of journeying or walking?

A third element is awareness of

being part of the

living C

hurch

; w

e tend to hark back to the early Church and

the experience of lived communion as related in the Ne

w 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 st

ep 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?

2022, a New Year and a new start for us all.

Apostles for Today

, 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 Synodalit

y 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. In the Preparatory Document we read that

“

The Church of God is

convoked in Synod. The path entitled ‘For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission’”

; it is

significant that it is described as

‘path’

, an indication that it is a journey and a way and not only a theme. The

word Synod ind

icates to us what is involved, it comes from the Greek and is a composite of

‘syn’

meaning

‘

together with, jointly, at the same time’

and ‘

hodos

’ which means ‘

a way, path

,

road, journey’

. The path and

the process in the Document

are

formulated as

“journeyi

ng 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 c

hurch life

and on all the levels of the life and mission of the Church today.

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 c

ommunion, 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

‘Together’

: the material prepared

and circulated by the General Secretariat of t

he 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 o

n

“Temptations faced by Pastoral

Workers”

in

Evangelii Gaudium

, 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

keep

s 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.

Perhaps a question can be put here, can I, can we, identify

what creates distance between us and oth

ers in the UAC? Are we being “robbed of” the opportunity to journey

together?

A second element is

‘Walking or journeying’

and

signifies onward movement, it is not a static

state;

we are

always

going towards God. In Advent we reflected on journeys in the Na

tivity scenes, Mary journeying over

rough terrain to be with Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph travel

ling

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 int

o

God and into the mystery of God, in Jesus.

What is my/our sense of journeying or walking?

A third element is awareness of

being part of the

living C

hurch

; w

e tend to hark back to the early Church and

the experience of lived communion as related in the Ne

w 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 st

ep 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?

The fourth element 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 wi

th

all creatures

i

n 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 desire

s of God for the salvation of souls

.

”

(OOCC IV)

.

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 coope

ration 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 t

he founding charism,

by a common spirit and mission and by the communion of the members...” (GS 6). 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 Gosp

el 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?

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, no

master

-

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 eac

h 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 f

irst 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.

While

I reflected on the request to prepare this number of Apostles for Today I thought of what attitudes might

facilitate my participation in th

e process and I came up with the following:

•

A conscious awareness of the continuous call to communion, to communion with God, to communion with

all others in God.

•

A recognition that

I/

we are all protagonists in the process because

I/

we all have faith and

m

y/

our experience

in faith and the convictions that grow out of it are valid.

•

My/o

ur 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.

•

Listening wi

th 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.

•

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.

I will co

nclude with a quote from

Lumen Fidei

, 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 throug

h 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.”

(

Lumen Fidei

47).

-

Fr

Derry

Murphy,

SAC.The fourth element 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 wi

th

all creatures

i

n 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 desire

s of God for the salvation of souls

.

”

(OOCC IV)

.

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 coope

ration 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 t

he founding charism,

by a common spirit and mission and by the communion of the members...” (GS 6). 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 Gosp

el 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?

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, no

master

-

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 eac

h 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 f

irst 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.

While

I reflected on the request to prepare this number of Apostles for Today I thought of what attitudes might

facilitate my participation in th

e process and I came up with the following:

•

A conscious awareness of the continuous call to communion, to communion with God, to communion with

all others in God.

•

A recognition that

I/

we are all protagonists in the process because

I/

we all have faith and

m

y/

our experience

in faith and the convictions that grow out of it are valid.

•

My/o

ur 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.

•

Listening wi

th 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.

•

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.

I will co

nclude with a quote from

Lumen Fidei

, 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 throug

h 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.”

(

Lumen Fidei

47).

-

Fr

Derry

Murphy,

SAC.