Posted On 2015-11-13 In Second Century of the Covenant

Three questions…about the Schoenstatt of the second century of the Covenant of Love (46)

Today Sonia Zárate and José Antonio Zaracho respond: We have been married for 31 years, we have 3 children: José Emilio (28), José Roberto (23) and María Florencia (19). We belong to the Family Branch of the Diocese of Encarnación, and currently we are fulfilling our commission as leaders of the Family Branch and we are postulants of the 1st Circle of the Apostolic League •

Over a year into the pilgrimage through the second century of the covenant of love…what is your dream for this Schoenstatt in who we are and where we find ourselves in the Church in the world, and in our mission?

One year into Schoenstatt’s second century, we are more and more convinced that this is our place; this is where we want to be and to be the Blessed Mother and her Son Jesus’ living instruments. We feel that we are more and more in love with our Father and Founder, and we have a great thirst to continue to know him more and more.

In the deepest recesses of our being, we dream that all of us together can build the Nation of God that the Father dreamed and thus we may be a large united family in Jesus Christ, sheltered within the Blessed Mother’s maternal arms… that we may be reflections of holiness to radiate to the world, through that witness of life we may give, fill the naves of our Holy Church, and that we may never be lukewarm or sad Christians, that joy be our flag to conquer hearts for Jesus and for the Church.

Therefore we will try every day to sanctify our work that through it we may also reflect that we are Schoenstatters. Thus, we put this into practice our Father and Founder’s teachings, offering everything as a contribution to the capital of grace of work Shrine. We have conquered it and Fr. Antonio Cosp blessed it in July 2014.

In order to fulfill this dream, what do we need to avoid or leave behind?

In order to fulfill this dream, what practical steps do we have to take?

To fulfill this dream of building the Nation of God, we should make everyday sanctity a reality: building families rooted in the faith, being living members of the Church, truly knowing our catechism, embodying ethical and moral values, seeing our weakest and neediest brothers/sisters and helping them; not judging others, but instead to live and reflect the spirit of our Founder.

The steps that we should take to accomplish this is in educating ourselves more and more, using all the tools that Father Kentenich placed in our hands, and to ensure that every branch – the pioneers, the youth, the professionals, all the League branches, federations, apostolic works – have a wholesome formation even to catechize everyone, so that we will be capable of defending our faith and our Holy Church before others… that we train ourselves to be everyday saints in the state of life that Lord chose for us in this earthly life. And that we even can capably launch ourselves headlong to defend our ideals as Schoenstatters, and if it were necessary to re-found today, tomorrow and always…

Original: Spanish. Translation: Celina M. Garza, San Antonio, TX USA – Edit: Melissa Peña-Janknegt, Elgin, TX USA

 

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