Something to think about Category

Michael Okpala I., Nigeria • Upon entering the Shrine, there is an inscription on the antependium (the decorative front to the altar cloth) in the Shrine. That saying (or inscription) “Nothing without You, Nothing without us” is rightfully the foundation of Schoenstatt Spirituality (and even Christian Spirituality). This is because at the center of Schoenstatt Spirituality is the Covenant of Love that is built on the foundation of this saying. The saying indicates a bilateral spirituality, a spirituality wherein we need the Blessed Mother, and she demands our cooperation. ThisRead More
Carlos E. Barrio y Lipperheide, Argentina • I am saddened by the profound events that dress our contemporary world in mourning.  To cite just a few examples, I think of the recent attack in Barcelona, the hungry and desperate immigrants who reach the developed world’s closed doors, the hunger and misery of so many who cannot find a way to escape their poverty. These pains bring me to the cross of inconsolable people that are destroyed, anxious and hopeless. The weight of so many crosses, much crueler than mine!  WhatRead More
Fr. Oscar Saldivar • Dear brethren: Once more, the Liturgy of the Word presents us a selection of Jesus’ parables, and in fact, today´s Gospel (Mt.13: 24-43) contains three parables. We are used to hearing them and trying to understand their message. However, what does it mean for us that Jesus chooses to teach in parables? At least two things: Jesus shows us that the daily routine, the daily language of man and his reality, can speak about God and his Kingdom. “Using imagery from situations of daily life, theRead More
PARAGUAY, Fr. Pedro Kühlcke • In Paraguay every year, Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June. It is not only a tribute to biological fatherhood, but for all those who act as father figures. On the occasion of Father’s Day this year, Fr. Pedro Kühlcke dedicated an article in Revista Tuparenda to… no, not directly to the fathers but rather to Pepito.  Pepito? Yes, Pepito, his friend Pepito is in the juvenile detention center… the Pepito who has searched for a father his whole life.    Read More
Fr. Juan Pablo Catoggio • Fr P. Juan Pablo Catoggio asked schoenstatt.org`s editorial staff to help spread his letter, written in the name of the General Presidency, proclaiming a “Father Kentenich Year” in preparation of the 50th anniversary of his death. The idea is to share this letter, at Pentecost, with the entire Schoenstatt Family. Already on Friday, June 2, all National Presidencies and Centrals of the Schoenstatt Movement received the letter. We publish here the official english translation of the letter, that is also available in Spanish and German.Read More
By Sarah-Leah Pimentel, Cape Town, South Africa There is a story that goes like this: A wicked king wanted to destroy his people’s faith in God. So he called his wisest advisors and asked them where they could hide the truth of God’s existence so that the people would never find him. The first adviser said: “Hide the truth of their God in the furthest star, where they can never find it.” “No,” said the second counsellor. “One day, they will learn to fly and find their God. It wouldRead More
MEXICO, Jaime Septién via Aleteia.org • February 3rd, this year, Mr. Lorenzo Servitje Sendra died at the age of 98.  He was one of the most successful businessmen in the world and a committed Catholic whose true success lies in an organization like Grupo Industrial Bimbo, which can only measure itself by its Christian values, lived out interiorly. He was considered as “the greatest baker in the world,” since 3% of the world’s population consumes Bimbo products, especially the classic loaf of bread.  But in Mexico, he is also rememberedRead More
CHRISTMAS GREETING FROM FR. JUAN PABLO CATOGGIO TO HIS BROTHERS AND FRIENDS • We share Fr. Juan Pablo Catoggio’s letter with great joy, demonstrating the gift and the task of the internationality and inter-cultural nature of our Schoenstatt, with the backdrop of Christmas as an event of a God on the way. Dear brothers and friends, Two experiences marked this year and both are very united to the mystery of Christmas: the Jubilee of Mercy and the international reality I experienced on many trips. 1 Pope Francis does not tireRead More
Maria Fischer • A black title page with a photo of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, illuminated in the national colours of Germany at the centre: this is how the “Berliner Morgenpost”, Berlin`s biggest and most reputable newspaper,  appeared on December 21, two days after the terrorist attack in Berlin.  Under the picture, in large white letters are the words: Do not be afraid! Gospel according to Luke Chapter 2 Verse 10   When a truck ploughed into the middle of pre-Christmas activity and atmosphere, killing 12 people and leavingRead More
CHILE, Maria Fischer with “Razón en Cristo” (Reason in Christ) • Did you know that in Amoris Laetitia, the Pope speaks of the family from the aspect of the Covenant of Love?  If you do not, it is worth reading – or watch the testimony of Pilar and Luis Jensen in the video on REC, Razón en Cristo. Two married people in the setting of an REC event were invited to give their testimony.  Stemming from their experience of thirty-five years of marriage, Pilar and Luis narrate on the vocationRead More