Michaellis Bouwer. “I had never participated in a Holy Mass at the Women’s Federation Shrine,” commented a Schoenstatter, who, while searching for a video on www.schoenstatt-tv mediatech, ‘accidentally’ found the transmission of Holy Mass that was celebrated there on the afternoon of July 10th. Thanks to the Internet and www. schoenstatt-tv, he was not the only one who had this experience for the first time. In this beautifully prepared Holy Mass that was celebrated in several languages, the Schoenstatt Women’s Federation invited the entire world to enter their Shrine blessed by Father Kentenich on May 14, 1967 and on the 101st Anniversary of his First Holy Mass.
“Greetings to all the women of our community in Europe and in Latin America who have their spiritual home in this Shrine. The Schoenstatt Women’s Federation is a lay community recognized by the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Its members are single women who live the evangelical counsels in the midst of the world. As lay people, they want to be at the service of the Church like Mary, the Mother of the Church, is at the service of God, and they do this by being present in the parishes, in their professions, in the Schoenstatt apostolate, and in society.” That was Gertrud Beilmann’s introduction, at the beginning of the Holy Mass; she is the leader of the Women’s Federation. After her greeting, she recalled Gertrand von Boullion, the co-founder of the Women’s Federation, who gathered all the seeds spread by the Founder – the Gospel of the day was the parable about the sower – afterwards her greeting was translated into Portuguese. During the Holy Mass, many songs were heard in Portuguese, and the celebrant, Father Ángel Strada, preached in German and briefly in Spanish. Those who followed the live transmission could receive a brief summary with English subtitles. These were small gestures of great importance; that is being Family. The covenant culture was experienced here: it accomplished the feeling of belonging in New York, as well as in Santiago, Sao Paulo or in Enschede.
Through the intercession of Gertraud von Boullion
For some time, the Women’s Federation has created the “Prayer Community, Serviam.” To assume everything in prayer, this is a service for life, since all men and women have worries and problems, needs, and petitions. This is the purpose of this prayer community, and many women of the Federation make up this community. They pray daily through the intercession of Gertraud von Boullion, for all the intentions that they have received, and on the 11th of every month (to commemorate the date of her death, June 11, 1930), they offer a Holy Mass for all the intentions that have been entrusted to them. This is the reason they maintain the motto that their co-founder understood very well in her relatively short life: to be present for others, like she was, to give them love, joy, and consolation to help them corporally and spiritually. “This ‘Service to Life’ continues after her death,” said Marianne Mertke. On the eve of July 11th, in the Cenacle Shrine of the Women’s Federation, Holy Mass was celebrated with this sense explained Gertrud Beilmann.
About crops and fruits
The readings for this Sunday – the parable of the sower and that of Isaiah about the Word of God, which says: “It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it…” (Isaiah: 55: 11) highlight a fundamental event of the covenant with God: the seeds come from God and always have the potential to give abundant fruit. However true fruitfulness depends on the ground where the seed falls, its receptivity in the openness and the willingness of everyone, both men and women; it ultimately depends on our freedom. Mary gave herself to God with total freedom, and she gave herself one hundred percent. Father Kentenich was unconditionally receptive to the word of God, and in this way he was transformed into a reality of this word for us, this is called a charism: a gift from heaven, a gift of the Holy Spirit, a gift that above all does not seek the sanctity of the person rather it was given for the edification of a community as Saint Paul says. We can also contemplate on Gertraud von Bouillon as one who also was totally receptive ground.
What is expected of a jubilee?
As Father Ángel Strada said, “…within the Schoenstatt Family, we are preparing to celebrate in 2014, the fundamental crop sown by Father Kentenich. What does jubilee mean?” In response, Father Strada cited a phrase of Father Kentenich’s from the Conference in October 1951 said on the occasion of the founding of the Sisters of Mary Silver Anniversary that was celebrated at that time. Father Kentenich responded to what is expected in a jubilee year:
A re-founding.
What is the purpose a jubilee year? To seek to bring out the light, the foundations of the Family, to continue to build anew on them.
What is the purpose of jubilee year? It wants to verify whether everything that was born and grown, is healthy, whether it is developing uprightly or if it has strayed and needs to be set straight anew.
It is almost certain that today Father Kentenich would repeat the same words to our International Schoenstatt Family. It is valid to return to the foundations, to take out the light -the fundamentals that are unequivocally the work of the Blessed Mother in our Shrines – and to continue to build on them.
In 1985 on the occasion of Father Kentenich’s centenary, we were led by the expression: creative loyalty. This expression means, on one hand, to keep his message intact, but to read it again, in a new era, with new eyes, with new hearts. So therefore, it is worthwhile to honestly and seriously verify whether everything has grown healthily and upright or whether it has strayed and needs to be set straight anew.
In 2000 Blessed John Paul II guided the Church toward a purification of memory, and he personally asked forgiveness in the name of the Church, for all the faults committed in and through the Church. Father Strada said, “We also want to do this in 2014, since of course we have not developed the entire charism of our Father, nor have we made it one hundred percent fruitful. There is still much to do, we are at the beginning.”
All of us are recipients of his words, of his charism; but fruitfulness depends on our sensibility and openness. And here there is also the step toward the missionary aspect: whoever truly receives the word, is one who spreads the word, who accepts being part of the mission of the sower, who also has to spread the seed…and hopes for fruitfulness.
The homily and the entire Holy Mass is available on the mediatech of www.schoenstatt-tv.de
Translation Spanish/English: Celina M. Garza – English edit: Melissa Peña-Janknegt
