Before being a work of discernment, evaluation, communal searching and programming, “a General Chapter is first of all an epiclesis-an ongoing plea-that the Spirit dwell in and among you to inspire you and open your hearts and minds so as to make you docile and infuse you with his fruit, which is ‘fraternal love, joy and peace’ (Ga. 5:22).” With these words, Fr. Edoardo Scognamiglio, OFM Conv., opened our course of spiritual ex-ercises this morning, holding up to our gaze several persons to serve us as guides and wit-nesses on our journey: the Samaritan woman at the well, Joel, Jeremiah, Paul and his disciple Timothy…
Both the backdrop and the horizon of Fr. Edoardo’s meditations will be faith, today examined as “a passionate and dramatic meeting with Love”: an experience that changes a person’s life and humanizes the world, beginning with ourselves.
Both the backdrop and the horizon of Fr. Edoardo’s meditations will be faith, today examined as “a passionate and dramatic meeting with Love”: an experience that changes a person’s life and humanizes the world, beginning with ourselves.
Everything takes as its starting point the thirst of Jesus, which must permeate us and urge us on because without faith we will get nowhere.
Fr. Alberione was well aware of this: he made the thirst of God his own, to the point that he wanted to be “all to all” like Paul, and to take the Gospel-the Good News that is Jesus-to the farthest corners of the earth.
The first day of our spiritual exercises is now drawing to an end. We spent it serenely, dedicating ourselves to what will be our primary work in these days, namely: to “lose ourselves” in an encounter with Love by “putting down our ‘water jugs’-that is to say, all the securities we brought along with us to this meeting, so as to surrender ourselves to the will of the Father, listen to the voice of his Son, and allow ourselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit along new paths of evangelization.”
Thank you for your prayers and solidarity with us. The text of Fr. Scognamiglio’s meditation can be downloaded from the Chapter web site.
The first day of our spiritual exercises is now drawing to an end. We spent it serenely, dedicating ourselves to what will be our primary work in these days, namely: to “lose ourselves” in an encounter with Love by “putting down our ‘water jugs’-that is to say, all the securities we brought along with us to this meeting, so as to surrender ourselves to the will of the Father, listen to the voice of his Son, and allow ourselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit along new paths of evangelization.”
Thank you for your prayers and solidarity with us. The text of Fr. Scognamiglio’s meditation can be downloaded from the Chapter web site.
Ariccia, 16 August 2013