COSTA RICA, Maria Fischer with Gonzalo Vega •
Voices of the soul. A constitutive element in discovering God’s will in the personal life of Schoenstatters and all Schoenstatt. Voices of the soul and their repercussions on other souls, especially in souls attuned to the same mission. Discernment in Kentenich terms. On the occasion of his silver anniversary of ordination, Fr. Kentenich stressed that nothing in Schoenstatt had emerged in a theoretical manner, but instead through hundreds of individual contributions, from the best each person had interiorly… Even more, I can say from every element or experience where the inspiration came from, he said.
On 18 March, when the Shrine of Costa Rica will be blessed, a prayer will be recited there at that moment. Possibly the same prayer will be said in hundreds of Shrines and wayside shrines during the Covenant Mass or Rosary. This inspiration came from Renate S. a German woman, when she was enthused by the Costa Ricans’ commitment to their Shrine. In Costa Rica, they were excited with the request to unite with them in prayer, they began to write this requested prayer, and on 20 January 2017, it was offered it to the entire Schoenstatt Family.
Council of the Archdiocese of San José, Costa Rica
“Family of Hope Shrine” Prayer
Mother Thrice Admirable of Schoenstatt, Queen of Hope, we come to you with grateful hearts, for the gift of this virtue, infinite source of joy and of peace.
Hope reigned in the Holy Family and accompanied you everyday of your life. We come to you because our families need to live in the Hope of Love and with the Hope of Faith.
Consolidate our family in unity, commitment and fraternal love, with the Hope of building the New Community as thought by our Father and Founder.
In this Shrine, HOPE is the Grace for the pilgrims,
Because you, Blessed Mother, are the Model and Teacher of Hope.
Hope in God allows us to enter within the range of his remembrance
It seems like Pope Francis also is uniting himself to this current of hope coming from Costa Rica. Since Advent, he has dedicated his catechesis in the general audiences to hope. In the general audience of 11 January, he said:
“The Lord always remembers. Even in the bad times he remembers us. And this is our hope. And hope does not disappoint. Never. Never. Idols always disappoint; they are make-believe; they are not real. Here is the wonderful reality of hope: in trusting in the Lord, we become like him. His blessing transforms us into his children who share in his life. Hope in God allows us to enter, so to speak, within the range of his remembrance, of his memory that blesses us and saves us. And it is then that a Hallelujah can burst forth in praise to the living and true God, who was born for us of Mary, died on the Cross and rose again in glory. And in this God we have hope, and this God — who is not an idol — never disappoints.” (Vatican website)
For Fr. Kentenich, what came from the youngest children of the family always had a strong touch of God’s voice. The youngest Shrine, the Shrine, which will be blessed on 18 March, calls us to be a Family of Hope.
Consolidate our family in unity, commitment and fraternal love with the Hope of building the New Community thought by our Father and Founder
Can you imagine what would happen if in many, if not in all the Shrines of the world, Schoenstatters pray with a single voice on 18 March: “Consolidate our family in unity, commitment and fraternal love with the Hope of building the New Community thought by our Father and Founder…?”
If you do it, and if the entire Schoenstatt Family participates in this initiative, it will be a moment of grace that the Blessed Mother wants to give from here, her youngest Shrine…and all this from the root of a simple inspiration from a German woman who was enthused by the commitment and joy of the Costa Rican family.
Schoenstatt’s real life stories are never boring.
Official website of the Schoenstatt Movement in Costa Rica: http://www.schoenstattcostarica.org/
Information: bendicionsantuariocr@gmail.com
Original: Spanish. Translation: Celina M. Garza, TX USA.Edited: Melissa Peña-Janknegt, Elgin, TX USA
