Heritage Programme September 2013

Pope Francis & Prayer for World Peace

On 7 September 2013 people of good will all over the world joined hands with Pope Francis to pray for peace in the world. The particular context was to pray for the crisis in Syria.

Prayer life became more fully alive on that day. It started around 7pm at St. Peter’s Square in Rome, Italy where around a hundred thousand people gathered to pray with Pope Francis. It was a great experience to see people from different nationalities, ethnic groups, religions and languages coming together to pray.

It all had one purpose, as I have mentioned, to pray as one family for peace. It was a great occasion of feeling the oneness and deep faith. It manifested the power of prayer that can lead humanity to come together in God’s love. The Pope’s message was very powerful and personal. He was fatherly and had the ability to win over the hearts of the people. His paternal heart spoke to thousands of other hearts around the world.

One could get the feeling of faith, forgiveness and healing. Four hours were spent for the purpose of coming together to express solidarity and to pray.  Through the symbols of fire and incense we also offered to God the suffering, struggle, pain, loss, hurt, anger and every emotion and thoughts of people who suffer and have suffered. These symbolized the purification and deep passion for change. The rosary and thoughtful rituals to honour Mother Mary added a maternal touch. It was beautiful to see the Holy Father Pope Francis paying homage to her, surrendering all our efforts to God through her intercession.

We could divide our vigil prayer that day into three levels: The first was to bring to God’s presence all the countries that experience war and violence and to offer them to God with their realities. The prayer methods (praise and worship, silent prayer, listening to the Word of God, offering symbolic things representing our lives, Eucharistic adoration) and hymns used helped us to surrender their struggle to forgive and reconcile, their helplessness and anger. It formed a sort of universal prayer where all of us had our part to contribute. We also had intercessory prayer where specific mention was made of the names of the countries and their people, especially the little children whose lives are at stake and their leaders who need wisdom and healing.

The second was to offer those good willed women and men who are involved in bringing peace, relief and change, offering thanks to the Lord of life and asking Him to strengthen their minds, hearts and hands with his power. It might have surely sent positive vibrations of healing and impacted them.

The third was to pray for our own personal intention and need for healing, because we also carry the ‘chaos’ as Pope rightly said which alienates us from love and brotherhood. Offering our life situations, hurts, pain, suffering, helplessness, anger, unhealed memories and our very selves so that we become people of reconciliation and peace. On the whole it was a moment of strength and St. Peter’s Square was filled with God’s presence, warmth and new hope that this world is filled with harmony. The impact of that coming together was felt within two days as there was new initiative taken to resolve the Syrian issue without using force. We only need to join hands time and again to become aware of our oneness and work together to let the dove of peace find an abode in our hearts.

Words of His Holiness Pope Francis 

at the Vigil of Prayer for Peace in Saint Peter's Square

Saturday 7 September 2013 

(From the website: www.vatican.va)

“And God saw that it was good” (Gen 1:12, 18, 21, 25). The biblical account of the beginning of the history of the world and of humanity speaks to us of a God who looks at creation, in a sense contemplating it, and declares: “It is good”. This allows us to enter into God’s heart and, precisely from within him, to receive his message. We can ask ourselves: what does this message mean? What does it say to me, to you, to all of us?

It says to us simply that this, our world, in the heart and mind of God, is the “house of harmony and peace”, and that it is the space in which everyone is able to find their proper place and feel “at home”, because it is “good”. All of creation forms a harmonious and good unity, but above all humanity, made in the image and likeness of God, is one family, in which relationships are marked by a true fraternity not only in words: the other person is a brother or sister to love, and our relationship with God, who is love, fidelity and goodness, mirrors every human relationship and brings harmony to the whole of creation. God’s world is a world where everyone feels responsible for the other, for the good of the other. This evening, in reflection, fasting and prayer, each of us deep down should ask ourselves: Is this really the world that I desire? Is this really the world that we all carry in our hearts? Is the world that we want really a world of harmony and peace, in ourselves, in our relations with others, in families, in cities, in and between nations? And does not true freedom mean choosing ways in this world that lead to the good of all and are guided by love?

But then we wonder: Is this the world in which we are living? Creation retains its beauty which fills us with awe and it remains a good work. But there is also “violence, division, disagreement, war”. This occurs when man, the summit of creation, stops contemplating beauty and goodness, and withdraws into his own selfishness. When man thinks only of himself, of his own interests and places himself in the centre, when he permits himself to be captivated by the idols of dominion and power, when he puts himself in God’s place, then all relationships are broken and everything is ruined; then the door opens to violence, indifference, and conflict. This is precisely what the passage in the Book of Genesis seeks to teach us in the story of the Fall: man enters into conflict with himself, he realizes that he is naked and he hides himself because he is afraid (cf. Gen 3: 10), he is afraid of God’s glance; he accuses the woman, she who is flesh of his flesh (cf. v. 12); he breaks harmony with creation, he begins to raise his hand against his brother to kill him. Can we say that from harmony he passes to “disharmony”? No, there is no such thing as “disharmony”; there is either harmony or we fall into chaos, where there is violence, argument, conflict, fear ....

It is exactly in this chaos that God asks man’s conscience: “Where is Abel your brother?” and Cain responds: “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen 4:9). We too are asked this question, it would be good for us to ask ourselves as well: Am I really my brother’s keeper? Yes, you are your brother’s keeper! To be human means to care for one another! But when harmony is broken, a metamorphosis occurs: the brother who is to be cared for and loved becomes an adversary to fight, to kill. What violence occurs at that moment, how many conflicts, how many wars have marked our history! We need only look at the suffering of so many brothers and sisters. This is not a question of coincidence, but the truth: we bring about the rebirth of Cain in every act of violence and in every war. All of us! And even today we continue this history of conflict between brothers, even today we raise our hands against our brother. Even today, we let ourselves be guided by idols, by selfishness, by our own interests, and this attitude persists. We have perfected our weapons, our conscience has fallen asleep, and we have sharpened our ideas to justify ourselves. As if it were normal, we continue to sow destruction, pain, death! Violence and war lead only to death, they speak of death! Violence and war are the language of death!

At this point I ask myself: Is it possible to change direction? Can we get out of this spiral of sorrow and death? Can we learn once again to walk and live in the ways of peace? Invoking the help of God, under the maternal gaze of the Salus Populi Romani, Queen of Peace, I say: Yes, it is possible for everyone! From every corner of the world tonight, I would like to hear us cry out: Yes, it is possible for everyone! Or even better, I would like for each one of us, from the least to the greatest, including those called to govern nations, to respond: Yes, we want it! My Christian faith urges me to look to the Cross. How I wish that all men and women of good will would look to the Cross if only for a moment! There, we can see God’s reply: violence is not answered with violence, death is not answered with the language of death. In the silence of the Cross, the uproar of weapons ceases and the language of reconciliation, forgiveness, dialogue, and peace is spoken.

This evening, I ask the Lord that we Christians, and our brothers and sisters of other religions, and every man and woman of good will, cry out forcefully: violence and war are never the way to peace! Let everyone be moved to look into the depths of his or her conscience and listen to that word which says: Leave behind the self-interest that hardens your heart, overcome the indifference that makes your heart insensitive towards others, conquer your deadly reasoning, and open yourself to dialogue and reconciliation. Look upon your brother’s sorrow and do not add to it, stay your hand, rebuild the harmony that has been shattered; and all this achieved not by conflict but by encounter!

May the noise of weapons cease! War always marks the failure of peace, it is always a defeat for humanity. Let the words of Pope Paul VI resound again: “No more one against the other, no more, never! ... war never again, never again war!” (Address to the United Nations, 1965). “Peace expresses itself only in peace, a peace which is not separate from the demands of justice but which is fostered by personal sacrifice, clemency, mercy and love” (World Day of Peace Message, 1975). Forgiveness, dialogue, reconciliation – these are the words of peace, in beloved Syria, in the Middle East, in all the world! Let us pray for reconciliation and peace, let us work for reconciliation and peace, and let us all become, in every place, men and women of reconciliation and peace! Amen.

Third Reconciliation Week

To our brothers in Formation

From the  Secretariat of Formation we would like to greet all of you our student friars. You, our dear brothers, are the future of our Order and your witness and promising lives will add meaning to this world. Whenever we pay a visit to you in the name of our General Minister Br. Mauro and his Definitory, our hope and enthusiasm are renewed. Here is a message for you from our Holy Father Francis which he delivered to the youth gathered for the sacrament of Confirmation at St. Peter’s Square on the 28^th April 2013.

It is an invitation which I make to you, young confirmandi, and to all present.  Remain steadfast in the journey of faith, with firm hope in the Lord.  This is the secret of our journey!  He gives us the courage to swim against the tide.  Pay attention, my young friends: to go against the current; this is good for the heart, but we need courage to swim against the tide.  Jesus gives us this courage!  There are no difficulties, trials or misunderstandings to fear, provided we remain united to God as branches to the vine, provided we do not lose our friendship with him, provided we make ever more room for him in our lives.  This is especially so whenever we feel poor, weak and sinful, because God grants strength to our weakness, riches to our poverty, conversion and forgiveness to our sinfulness.  The Lord is so rich in mercy: every time, if we go to him, he forgives us.  Let us trust in God’s work!  With him we can do great things; he will give us the joy of being his disciples, his witnesses.  Commit yourselves to great ideals, to the most important things. We Christians were not chosen by the Lord for little things; push onwards toward the highest principles. Stake your lives on noble ideals, my dear young people!

The new things of God, the trials of life, remaining steadfast in the Lord.  Dear friends, let us open wide the door of our lives to the new things of God which the Holy Spirit gives us.  May he transform us, confirm us in our trials, strengthen our union with the Lord, our steadfastness in him: this is a true joy! So may it be!

This can be an inspiring message for all of you, our younger brothers. You have the potential to bring new fresh air into our Capuchin Brotherhood through your creative and meaningful living. While getting to know our Franciscan roots, as our Pope invites us to do, open wide the doors of your hearts and be attentive to the new things that God wants us to do through the power of the Holy Spirit. Let our Father Francis come alive through your new contributions. For now you will have to do the homework of healing your past negative memories and strengthening your inner being with spiritual strength that Christ gives you. Our Father St. Francis had an answer due to his continued search and preparation, and you are invited to do your part. Along with your formators we are with you to accompany you. All the best brothers!

Connected with us through our blog: http://sgfofmcap-en.blogspot.it/

Dear Brothers,
Pace e Bene!

Wishing you a pleasant time of renewal during this time of Easter!

As our Pope Francis has said, let us not lose the hope that is within us! And let love be our motivating language of communication and living. The resurrecting power of Christ is within us, offering us the possibility to begin again a new life. Let us share that life with others, especially the needy. Happy Easter! And we wish that there be Pentecost in all our lives.

Our General Minister Br. Mauro Jöhri with his Definitory invites us again to form ourselves continuously in whatever way possible. We are called by them to reflect on the Formation Programme of the Order (Ratio Formationis) that we are to develop gradually within these six years. Along with that we would try to reach you through some of the animation programmes we are planning to have during this time. Some of our objectives are as follows: ‘Ratio Formationis’ preparations at different levels, conducting animation programmes (both for initial and ongoing formation, some in the repective conferences themselves), establishing contact with the formation houses and friars of the Order through the website, connecting with friars who are involved in special ministries around the globe, networking with the animation centres of the Order.

And here our Formation Office is ever ready to collaborate with you as were our predecessors Br. Rocco Timpano and Br. Marek Miszczyński in the past years. May God reward them!

Keep in touch with us.

Third Reconciliation Week

SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO  The third International Reconciliation Week in the fiftieth year of the opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council will take place from March 11 to 15, 2013, and will have the theme: “I believe in the forgiveness of sins”. This time of reflection and formation for priests, in this year dedicated to a greater deepening of our faith, seeks to spur consideration of this article of the Creed and the Tradition of the Church as it speaks to the regenerating and saving Mercy of God. The initiative, which is by now a tradition, is carried out in a fraternal collaboration between the General Secretariat of Formation and the shrine of St. Pio of Pietrelcina. This year it will see the special participation of major representatives of the Apostolic Penitentiary and the Congregation for the Clergy, as well as the voice of a lay theologian and a roundtable of journalists and laity who will speak to us on the reception of this article of faith in the culture of today. For information and to invite your participation, together with everyone with whom you will share the invitation, you may consult the program of the week and download the brochure and registration form here: program. To browse prior events, click here: I Week (2011)  II Week (2012)

Bibliography news

• Luciano Manicardi, La vita religiosa radici e futuro. (Problemi di vita religiosa), EDB 2012 

Quale futuro per la vita consacrata? Come rinnovarla? «La crisi non impedisce il futuro, ma ne è spesso la condizione, spesso è la fucina che lo prepara affinando, bruciando, purificando, eliminando...» (dall'Introduzione). Le pagine proposte dall'autore intendono cogliere l'attuale crisi della vita consacrata come appello e come possibilità. Sull'esempio e sul fondamento della vita e della pratica di umanità di Gesù, di cui testimoniano i Vangeli, la vita religiosa è chiamata a essere anzitutto una vita umana e umanizzata all'interno delle strutture antropologiche del celibato e della vita comune. Emerge qui l'importanza delle dinamiche relazionali, della comunicazione e dell'autorità nella vita comunitaria per caratterizzare la qualità umana ed evangelica della vita religiosa. Questi alcuni dei nodi affrontati dall'autore disegnando un percorso di semplificazione e di essenzializzazione che la vita religiosa è chiamata a intraprendere.

• Lécrivain, Philippe, Vita religiosa in tempo di crisi: un rischio e un'opportunità, EDB 2012 

La vita consacrata è un modo di vivere il Vangelo sulla scia di un fondatore. Partendo da questi due riferimenti - Vangelo e mandato del fondatore - l'autore ricostruisce come e con quali intenti sono emersi, lungo la storia del cristianesimo, i tratti tipici che caratterizzano la vita monastica e religiosa. Individua le ragioni teologiche e storiche che hanno prodotto i grandi modelli, spirituali e giuridici, che così fortemente hanno caratterizzato il cattolicesimo occidentale. Colloca, infine, questi modelli nella crisi presente, per individuare motivi di attenzione, ragioni di speranza, prospettive su cui costruire. Egli giunge quindi a concludere che la vita religiosa, così come lo stesso cristianesimo, non è in crisi a motivo della nequizia dei tempi, ma perché, chiamata a superare se stessa per ritrovare le grandi intuizioni fondatrici, fatica a conformarsi a Cristo in modo nuovo nella forza dello Spirito. Vera e propria teologia fondamentale della vita consacrata, il volume costituisce un punto di riferimento nel ripensamento di quest'ultima per l'oggi e guardando al futuro.

• Cozza, Rino, Voglia di vita evangelica. Nuovi modelli di vita religiosa, EDB 2012 

La vita consacrata fatica a pensarsi e proporsi in modo nuovo, soprattutto in Occidente. Ma essa rimarrà viva solo se saprà non farsi paralizzare da un'identità predefinita, se saprà rispondere alle aspettative dell'attuale società, che dai consacrati si attende di vedere il riflesso concreto dell'amore di Cristo per ogni persona e della sua attitudine guarente, attraverso forme che portino anche pienezza di umanità. Il volume non si ferma all'analisi e alla denuncia, ma aiuta ad aprire il cuore alla speranza, indicando nuovi cammini possibili, segnalando in particolare alcune scelte: vera e profonda attenzione ai segni dei tempi, condivisione carismatica con i laici e fraternità che si fanno carico di una nuova uguaglianza e di una nuova libertà, fuoriuscita dalle solite prassi istituzionali di governo e di amministrazione.