Posted On 2015-07-06 In Covenant Life, Second Century of the Covenant

Three questions…about Schoenstatt of the second century of the Covenant of Love (26)

Today Pedro Fadul Niella, from Asunción, Paraguay answers: He belongs to the Family Federation and is a businessman and politician. He is also a founding member of Fundación DEQUENI [DEQUENI Foundation], a founding member of Foundation in Covenant, founder of the “Patria Querida” [Beloved Nation] Party, and a race car driver. He answers with “Comments…towards response and proposals,” adding: “Of course, as a good disobedient follower of Jesus, Ignatius of Loyola and Father Kentenich, I did not directly answer any of your questions.” Here goes!” •

I do not have answers or much less identical recipes for everyone, except one that might seem too general:

BE AWARE, TURN TO AND CONNECT WITH YOUR INNER GOD AND DO WHAT YOU WANT. WHILE YOU CANNOT CONNECT WITH YOUR INNER GOD, TURN TO A PERSON WHO YOU THINK IS CONNECTED, AND ACT LIKE A SOLDIER.

There is only one great challenge: The encounter with God. But the traditional ways of encountering God that were useful in childhood and continue to be useful at this stage of life or spiritual maturity are not enough, or they may even be obstacles to a more profound and constant life with God (with the true God…who is mine), and therefore, to becoming much happier.

Therefore, it becomes necessary to abandon those old forms that may have served me at the time and make room for the new that emerges from a very personal, non-mechanical encounter with God, with my inner God.

We do not know who God is or what God is. We are not very clear about where He is. Or rather, we have mechanical verbal answers for these repetitive basic questions, but we do not have a real experience of God.

As a result, our way of communicating is confused. It is poor and insufficient. How do I know this? It is easy…The mirror shows me when I am not happy.

The God of my life

In my personal experience, I continued to pursue traditional tools of spiritual childhood, but then, in the Federation…and with each consecration, the translation of God of the childhood catechism into the true God becomes indispensible, and furthermore, there isn’t only one translation, in fact there as many as there are people on earth.

I do not have any doubt that God exists, but He is not one person. He certainly is not like “the one that has been painted” most often, and He certainly is everywhere; but so that this does not distract me, the One who lives inside me I the One who matters, and we have to learn how to find him.

It should not surprise or frighten me that your God tells you things that differ from what my God tells me. And these differences are not only between religions (which our Church has found difficult to accept), but also between people within the same Federation course.

Heaven on earth

I cannot imagine a hardening of structures or norms. On the contrary, I rather imagine a deepening in freedom, but in order to do this, we must help one another. It was much easier to follow every little rule than to take individual responsibility and to take charge of the co-creation and permanent re-creation of “my own religion.” This is part of the group of elements that will help me keep and strengthen my spiritual health, my encounter and constant living with God. If I accomplish this, and when I accomplish it, I will be in Paradise, along a path that is unique, special and unrepeatable..

Hmmm…in reality, I do not know if it was easier or simply more hypocritical and cowardly. The truth is, that today, I am an atheist in relation to the God described by many Catholics ha-ha-ha…

Or perhaps I would propose a single rule: Everyday at noon pour a little red wine into a large wine glass, raise it to heaven, consecrate it, make a toast with your God and the Gods of others, families and friends, and drink it.

                                           Original: Spanish. Translation: Celina M. Garza, San Antonio, TX USA

 

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1 Responses

  1. Joe Yank says:

    Thank you Pedro – A dynamic encounter with the God of life and search for true inner freedom. I had to read 2 or 3 times to take it all in. MPHC-EV – a fellow Family Federation member – Milwaukee, USA

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