ARGENTINA, Monina Crivelli. For some time I have been thinking, why do I feel that Schoenstatt – with it missionary fire, social commitment and heroic giving of self of those whom we can witness day by day on schoenstatt.org – baffles me at times, when it should be exactly the opposite, before a challenge as great as 2014.
Perhaps that is why I was not surprised with the news about the Original Shrine. Like many others, I said to myself, it must be that there was not enough capital of grace, or more probably it was a mistake of the hierarchy in the negotiation.
What I finally discovered, whatever the reason, is that what has been missing for some- time is the deepening of bringing the Founding Document to life, the ABC of our Family, the “Schoenstatt Mystery”. Without this, it will be difficult to reach our objectives; moreover, we will slowly lose them, like the Original Shrine and so many other things that come from it.
How can we have the Blessed Mother establish herself in the Original Shrine once again like in 1914?
How can we reconquer the source, the cradle, the common home? How can we have the Blessed Mother establish herself again in the Original Shrine like in 1914?
We must return to the roots, the Founding Document. Not simply to read it or to recite it from memory, but rather, consuming every word, every phrase and reflecting on whether we are embodying Father’s fundamental words.
And when I say we, I am not only referring to the laity; but rather also to those who lead the destinies of the Movement. That is, from the smallest of the pilgrims to the members of the Presidencies. From experience, those of us who think we know it all and take for granted the things that we repeat from memory are more in danger of failing because it does not go from our mind to touch the heart and pass through our hands, that is, to embody it and spread it. It is as if we are “happily and comfortably” resting on the first grace of the Shrine and we forget the other two.
“Who embodies the apostolic zeal, daring, giving of self of the sodalists?”
“Words are touching, examples move” What examples do we have today?
In every branch, Institute, Federation, let us return to the Founding Document. May each one of us contemplate on it in the light of these times and of our concrete situation. Let us meditate on whether we are responding, so that it will become a reality as it happened in October of 1914, and may we also be willing – departing from there – to go into the daily battles, even to giving our life if necessary for that which we believe, like Joseph Engling and so many other youths.
In my country and through the website, I have seen ALL the capital of grace that is offered by the people. It is enough to mention the missionaries of the Campaign, with their daily rosary in the majority of the cases, who unknowingly – or knowingly – are fulfilling the demands of the Founding Document: “Diligently bring me contributions to the capital of grace. By fulfilling your duties faithfully and conscientiously and through an ardent prayer life earn many merits and place them at my disposal.” (Schoenstatt The Founding Documents, p.34).
Give us the grace to be bearers of the Schoenstatt Mystery
I hope that the organized Movement will also do it. If we, above all the hierarchy and the leaders, do not fulfill these three requirements, we are not embodying or living the Founding Document, which gave the Movement its origin.
What is the Schoenstatt Mystery? In Father’s words:
– Give us the grace to understand the Schoenstatt Mystery.
– Give us the grace to embody the Schoenstatt Mystery.
– Give us the grace to be bearers the Schoenstatt Mystery.
May the Blessed Mother give us the wisdom and openness of heart to understand this triple request and allow ourselves to be oriented once again by the Father.
At this special time for the Movement, a few months from Jubilee 2014 and when we need the Original Shrine to live a covenant in solidarity with our church, let us embrace the covenant, our mission in the spirit of the sodalists.
Original: Spanish – Translation: Celina M. Garza, San Antonio, Texas, USA
