ARGENTINA, aat. Still contemplating with awesome gratitude about the miracle of WYD in Madrid with it extraordinary moments of grace and youthful enthusiasm (of all ages), a “little pearl” from the mail from Zenit of September 10th, activates the Schoenstatt radar.
An account of some aspects of WYD written by Bishop José Ignacio Munilla Aguirre, Bishop of San Sebastián, contains a lot of information of great interest, this paragraph:
“The number of pilgrims who registered from the other countries was very large, but it was not the same for the Spaniards. All right, one of the explanations regarding the attendance of close to two millions of youth at Cuatro Vientos – as a point of reference, the telephone companies have provided some data that there were 1,560.000 active telephone terminals, which surprised all of us. We have looked at this, among other factors, that the pilgrims from every part of the world carried out among the Spaniards, during the days before WYD. Their joy and maturity conquered us!! Once again, just like at so many other moments of Church history, we proved how the “Catholicity” (universality) of the Church heals our local crisis. At one time, we were the ones who took the faith to the New World. Now the time has come to humbly open ourselves to all of the charisms that can rejuvenate us.”
They not only receive from the place of origin, rather they return a new life, born of the same source
Isn’t it wonderful? Nothing more or less than the return current! For a former Schoenstatter – who wrote this – Schoenstatt is always the reason for continued surprise admiration, and gratitude. What this wise bishop deduces from the massive participation of the Spanish youth at WYD has existed in the International Family for more than six decades. Perhaps the first concrete expression was Father Kentenich’s at Nueva Helvecia, in front of the first daughter Shrine and what was experienced during his first visit to South America in 1947: “They not only receive from the place of origin, rather, they return a new life, born of the same source”.
Will there be answers?
Perhaps Bishop Munilla Aguirre’s last phrase could be modified, but this should be reflected upon around the Original Shrine. Is humility required to open oneself to the charisms that could rejuvenate the Family? Or in the case of Schoenstatt, what emerges is an enormous joy and gratitude to prove how the seed of the Covenant of Love has fallen on good soil in “many good lands”, and they have given the most varied fruits, with thousands of colors of the many cultures that have welcomed it and that returns with joy to the place where everything began…
Translation: Celina Garza, San Antonio/Melissa Janknegt, Elgin, USA
