Posted On 2013-10-18 In Original Shrine

The Original Shrine Glows With Light

emz/mda. 17 October and night is falling.  It was a cold and rainy afternoon, buzzing with last minute preparations and a thorough practice of the hymns, texts, testimonials and symbols for the international opening of the Jubilee Year.  There is a feeling of nervous anticipation…we are just hours away from 18 October, the vigil has begun.  The spotlights around the shrine are switched on.  The Shrine shines with a warm light. “It is like the light at home,” someone commented.  People stopped to look at the Original Shrine glowing with light, after having been recently painted and renovated, and it now glows like never before. “How marvellous,” said one of the Schoenstatt Sisters.

It is a moment of jubilee in the midst of all of the preparations.  “This is how it should be from on every afternoon, every evening,” said Fr. Michael Marmann, the rector of the Original Shrine.  A few days ago the workers, under the guidance of Mr. Reiche, installed permanent spotlights with great attentiveness, care and commitment.  “Let us put the Original in the spotlight,” were the words that inspired this new feature

The Rainbow

“Did you see the rainbow just now?” asked someone who had been down at the Original Shrine at the moment when Australia entered the Jubilee Year. “Yes,” answered Fr. Egon.  “It was exactly at the same time that we were in the Covenant House (Bundesheim) looking at a model of the entrance directly into Fr. Kentenich’s room and the historic rooms where he lived, worked and prayed.”

This brought to mind how the Covenant House was lit up at the start of the triennium.  It made us think that it is not just about this House which “belongs to all of us” that we can say “it is ours,” but also and especially, the house over which the International Family prayed for the first time on 17 October three years ago: “Fr. Kentenich’s faith in Divine Providence motivated you to build a house in Schoenstatt…”

This is our house, since 22 May and 22 September respectively.  In a few hours, its doors will be opened to pilgrims and the entire world.

Living stones for a new century

The Original Shrine glows with light: a sign of hope and “faith tested by life” of thousands of people throughout the world who offered and offer their lives for this shrine, within whose walls are thousands of names of people who are ready to be the founding generation of a new century for Schoenstatt.  The Original Shrine, in the warm light, appears to be radiated from within.

 

 

 

Original: Spanish: Translation: Sarah-Leah Pimentel, Cape Town, South Africa

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