ARGENTINA, Diana Zunini. The Unity Cross is so beautiful, and it has so much symbolism for our Schoenstatt being, as Father’s words in Dachau reveal. It is part of the first century of our Movement’s history; it is good to remember it, to relive it. As a missionary of the Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign, I am convinced that along with this Cross there is the pilgrim image that John Pozzobon carried for thirty-five years, the one that thousands and thousands of missionaries take into the world today.
If we speak of “missionary willingness” what more eloquent sign than the Great Missionary, the Pilgrim MTA? Which as her name indicates, travels from her Shrines to reach out to all people, especially to the people of God who are excluded, needy, isolated, and suffering, there where Jesus is present in a special way, in the poorest of the poor, in the dispossessed and she invites them to carry out the “Marian circuit,” as our beloved Father Esteban Uriburu would say, to return to her House, to the Shrine to express gratitude for all the gifts that have been received.
Symbol of Mission
We have a Missionary Image, that we do not present to the centenary as something new, or something that we want to discover; but rather, as our symbol of Mission. Like everything in Schoenstatt, life, history speaks to us. You just have to go out with her and people approach, they touch her, they look at her, they follow her, and they kiss her. So many testimonies: “…this is the little Virgin who visited me when I was in the hospital…;” “…this Virgin Mary visited my sister in jail…;” “…since I met her, my life has changed…;” “I have little, but thanks to Her I learned how to share;” “…she comes to my house to bring me the Virgin, my son committed suicide, I need for her to embrace me and to give me the little Virgin;” “I take her because you tell me, but write the Our Father, because I cannot remember how to pray it.” These and thousands of testimonies of so many missionaries who see their lives change gives it new meaning, they feel sheltered in the Lord and are his instruments to help others.
Pope Francis says: “It is essential to draw near to new forms of poverty and vulnerability, in which we are called to recognize the suffering Christ; the homeless, the addicted, refugees, indigenous peoples, the elderly who are increasingly isolated and abandoned.”(1) If we pause to ask, there are missionaries of the Campaign who touch all these painful realities of our people.
It is good to use the inductive method that is proper to Schoenstatt, from inside out if we have a treasure in our life, in our history, let us use it; it has given and continues to demonstrate proven examples of being an instrument for evangelization, the evangelization to which our beloved Pope Francis calls us every day.
The Art of Accompanying
There is something distinctive in this Schoenstatt Rosary Campaign, it is a continuing mission, every month the pilgrims receive her presence, her image; this allows “the art of accompanying,” in his apostolic exhortation “The Joy of the Gospel,” Pope Francis says, “Today more than ever we need men and women who, on the basis of accompanying others, are familiar with the processes which call for prudence, understanding, docility to the Spirit, so they can protect the sheep from wolves who would scatter the flock. We need to practice the art of listening, which is more than simply hearing.” (2)
This is precisely the concern in all the missionaries’ meetings– how to listen and how to train oneself to effectively accompany our pilgrims.
I could not say image or cross, I would say image and cross; the Pilgrim MTA is the most well-known Schoenstatt symbol in the Church, the people of God. The cross is the heart of Schoenstatt spirituality.
(1) Apostolic Exhortation “The Joy of the Gospel” (210. p.143)
(2) Apostolic Exhortation “The Joy of the Gospel” (171. p. 117)
Original: Spanish. Translation Celina M. Garza, San Antonio, TX USA
