org. Every part of the Church, and many others outside of her – believers or non-believers – have received Pope Francis` clear and hope-filled words. They are also words that motivate us to assume the responsibility we all have to build a world in accordance to the Will of God, in the strength of the Spirit and through the way of Christ. Cardinals and bishops, priests, men and women religious, novices and seminarians, families, the youth and elderly, communities and institutes have received this challenge to go out “onto the street” to take – not a utopian hope – but concrete deeds in living evangelization projects to all men and women wherever they may be. And if they are on the “outskirts” then we have to go there, with all the risks and dangers it may include. He repeats to us constantly: I prefer an injured church, because she goes out to serve, to a Church that is sick because of her self-absorption. Testimony to this can be found in the section of Schoenstatt.org where on a weekly basis texts are selected which motivate us on our own pilgrimage toward the 2014 Jubilee. Undoubtedly, because we are the Church, these words are also directed to us. How happy must our Father not be with this missionary impetus which is given to us from the very heart of the Church! (Fr. José María García)
WEEK 18/2014
We must not let ourselves fall into the vortex of pessimism. Faith can move mountains!
Tweet from 25.4.2014
At the Lord’s greeting of peace, the disciples, instead of rejoicing become upset and full of fear, thinking they were seeing a ghost. Jesus tries to make them realise that what they are seeing is real, and he invites them to touch his body and asks them to give him food. He wants to lead them to the joy of the Resurrection, the joy of his presence among us. But the disciples could not believe because they were afraid of joy. This is a sickness among Christians. We are afraid of joy. It is better to think: “Yes, yes, God exists but he is over there; Jesus rose from the dead, he is over there.” Keep our distance. We are afraid to draw near to Jesus, because this brings us joy. And this explains why so many Christians have a funereal existence, not so? Their lives seem like a never ending funeral. They prefer sadness to joy. They move better, not in the light of joy, but in the shadows, like those animals that only come out at night, but not in the light of day because they cannot see anything. Like bats. And with a little bit of a sense of humour, we can say that there are bat-like Christians who prefer the shadows to the light of the Lord’s presence.
Santa Marta, 24.05.2014
And so often we are either worried when this joy comes to us or we believe that we are seeing a ghost or we think that Jesus is a way of behaving: ‘But we are Christians and we should do this. But where is Jesus? No, Jesus is in heaven.’ Do you speak with Jesus? Do you tell Jesus: “I believe that you live, that you have risen from the dead, that you are near me, that you will not abandon me? This is how Christian life should be: a dialogue with Jesus, because – this is the truth – Jesus is always with us, is always with our problems, with our struggles, with our good works! How often we, as Christians, are not joyful because we are afraid! Christians who have been conquered on the Cross: there is a saying in my country that goes: ‘When someone burns himself with boiling milk, he cries when he sees a cow.” And they had been burnt by the drama of the cross and say: “No, let us stop here; He is in heaven, very well, he has risen, but may he never come here again because we can’t take this again.” We ask the Lord to do to us what he did with the disciples who were afraid of joy: to open our minds: then, he opened their minds so that they could understand the scriptures; may he open our minds and make us understand that He is a living reality, that He has a body, that He is with us, that He accompanies us, and that He has won. We ask the Lord for the grace to not be
afraid of joy.
Santa Marta, 24.04.2014
As I was coming down to make this recording, I was thinking about what I would say to you. To make a noise, I have already told you that. Not to be afraid of anything, I have already told you that. To be free, I have already told you that. Then the image of some young people in the Gospel came to mind. Some young people who met Jesus or whom Jesus spoke about…I thought of the young apostles, the rich young man, I thought about the young man who went in search of a new life with his father’s inheritance, I thought of the young man who died…how they were moved by the person of Jesus, enthused with astonishment when they meets Jesus! And then, the apostles faltered and did not behave so well: then comes the battle to be faithful to this encounter, the encounter with Jesus…God is very good. God uses our weaknesses to speak to our hearts. God did not say to this young person: “You are a failure, look at what you did.” He made him understand.
Video message to the youth gathered for National Youth Day 2014 in Buenos Aires, 26.04.2014
“Father, you are unfair – the girls will tell me – because the examples you give us are for the boys, and what about us?” With your lives you are challenged to strengthen tenderness and fidelity. You are on the same path as the women who followed Jesus – the good and the bad. Women have this great treasure of being able to bring life, to offer tenderness, to give peace and joy. There is only one model for you, Mary: the woman of faithfulness who did not understand what was happening but obeyed. The one who, when she learnt that her cousin was in need, went running to her, is the Virgin of Readiness. The one who escaped as a refugee to a foreign country to save her Son’s life. The one who raised her Son and accompanied him, and when her Son began to preach, she followed Him. The one who suffered everything that was happening to this boy, to this grown man. The one who stood next to this Son and told him about the problems: “Look, they do not have wine.” She was with him at the foot of the Cross…you are the women of the Church…which is feminine, like Mary. This is your place. To be Church, to make up the Church, to be close to Jesus, to give tenderness, accompany, allow to grow. Now, don’t get upset, because you have come out tops over the boys! Mary is the Lady of Tenderness, the Lady of Readiness to serve, to show them the way…May each one of you encounter Jesus, this resurrected Jesus. And I will tell you one thing: Do not be afraid! Look at Jesus, look at Mary and continue onwards!
Video message to the youth gathered for National Youth Day 2014 in Buenos Aires, 26.04.2014
The great danger in today’s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades. This is a very real danger for believers too. Many fall prey to it, and end up resentful, angry and listless. That is no way to live a dignified and fulfilled life; it is not God’s will for us, nor is it the life in the Spirit which has its source in the heart of the risen Christ.
Evangelii Gaudium 2
I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since “no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord”. The Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk; whenever we take a step towards Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms. Now is the time to say to Jesus: “Lord, I have let myself be deceived; in a thousand ways I have shunned your love, yet here I am once more, to renew my covenant with you. I need you. Save me once again, Lord, take me once more into your redeeming embrace”. How good it feels to come back to him whenever we are lost! Let me say this once more: God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy. Christ, who told us to forgive one another “seventy times seven” (Mt 18:22) has given us his example: he has forgiven us seventy times seven. Time and time again he bears us on his shoulders. No one can strip us of the dignity bestowed upon us by this boundless and unfailing love. With a tenderness which nev- er disappoints, but is always capable of restoring our joy, he makes it possible for us to lift up our heads and to start anew. Let us not flee from the resurrection of Jesus, let us never give up, come what will. May nothing inspire more than his life, which impels us onwards!
Evangelii Gaudium 3
The aim of the pilgrimage
is the renewal of the covenant of love
as a missionary and unifying creative force,
i.e. internally the renewal of the Schoenstatt Family
and externally the shaping of covenant culture.
