Directly from the Congress
BE QUIET…
There is too much noise in you….
Listen to the depth of your being.
There are too many “worries” in your mind…
Too much “weight” in your heart…
Listen to the depth of your being…
Remain on your own…
Listen to the depth of your being.
Get into your room…
listen to the depth of your being.
Your Creator is here and he “is calling” you…
He loves you; he is waiting for you…
Listen to him in the depths of your being.
Be quiet before your Creator…
Forget all your words,
forget your memories, your requests, your plans,
look at him. Listen to him;
do not let other words within disturb you….
Be in peace before him,
leave in him every worry, everything…
forget all your problems…
forget all…
Get rid of all your ties, of all your longings,
be as poor as the dead trees in winter,
empty yourself of all that is not God.
Alone, with nothing else in your heart.
Without letting any creature to stand in the way …
Ger rid of every complain, every burden,
get rid of strangers,
seek nothing but God alone.
Be wholly, thinking only of him
do not seek human comfort,
bury’ yourself with God, in God…
Disappear in order to become a gift in his heart.
Do not stick to sadness, to bitterness, to pride,
to false images of yourself
Listen carefully to his Word,
become his Word and his Will.
Get rid of powers, of privileges,
of honours, of idols…
Let your God be God in you.
Bow your being in deep adoration,
may nothing disturb your attention,
no sorrows, no pleasures hinder your surrender.
Be quiet
before your Creator,
try to disappear,
may He be the One in you.
“Be quiet before your Creator”
Before your Creator…
Catégories: Directly from the Congress | 21/09/2012
Listening to the heart of the Universe:
the three fundamental principles
The day began with prayer in the garden – a prayer to God present in the Universe…
Turning towards the four cardinal points with outstretched arms we prayed and we welcomed:
- The emerging vision and the gift of new life that comes from the East
- Growth and learning the gift that comes to us from the South
- The gift of intuition that comes from the West
- Renewal and transformation –the gift that comes from the North
The assembly then met to share on the responses to the two questions reflected on in yesterday’s groups. The following points were noted:
There are great desires for unity; the need to “unlearn” all that prevents us from embracing this new vision of the world of interconnection, interrelatedness, interdependence; the desire to choose life; to live as a Family rooted in God; to be present in those places where life is being threatened. These desires were repeated time and time again throughout the assembly.
Then a slide show on the three basic principles of the Universe was presented. These are:
Diversity…”Nothing is identical to anything else…the universe never repeats the same creative process…there is no loss of identity but only increasing diversity and creativity.
Interiority…is the innate potential in every created being which has the right to be, to grow, to develop and flourish and reach its full potential…everything is sacred…creation is a communion of subjects not a collection of objects.
Communion…nothing exists in isolation…we are all in relationship…we are all one…everything on the planet is interconnected and interdependent.
These are the three fundamental laws of the universe and the universe could not exist without them.
In the afternoon a beautiful PowerPoint called “The essence of our being” invited us to go more deeply within ourselves. “Each person is an unfathomable and profoundly rich mystery that we can never know completely.”
After a pause, and by means of another slide show, we were invited to listen to the heartbeat of Mother Earth; to her suffering caused by the violence and destruction done to her.
Then there was a brief time of working in groups in order to share on the deep desires that have surfaced during the last two days,
A quotation from Scripture and a question were offered to guide the reflection:
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which God has called you, the riches of God’s glorious inheritance.” (Eph. 1, 18)
How do you discover this hope in today’s world?
How can we contribute in order to spread this hope?
There was some sharing in the assembly on these questions:
Urged on by our faith in Christ, we wish to live our interconnectedness in a conscious manner and to give our lives so that others may have life
Return home to Mother Earth, contemplating God present in her, work to safeguard life, stand out against all that threatens life and oppose all forms of injustice.
Act together as a Family to promote life
Be appreciative of life, our identity and live sustainably on earth
Be “a real presence”, knowing who we are, looking for what is good and positive in all that exists.
Our earth cries out….let us wake up!
Then Nelly took her leave of us, inviting us to move forward with hope. One of the participants expressed the gratitude of the whole group for all that was shared during these two deeply enriching days.
Catégories: Directly from the Congress | 21/09/2012
God cannot communicate God’s self totally to any one being, and so creates this array of beings so that the perfection lacking in one would be supplied by other, and the total universe of things would manifest and participate in the divine more than any single. (Ref. Summa Theologica Part 1, Q47, Art 1 BY thomas Aquinas)
Catégories: Directly from the Congress | 20/09/2012
The Gift You are
Imagine a month of Sundays
Each one a cloudy day
Imagine the moment the sun came shining through
Imagine that ray of sunshine as you
Remember your darkest hour
With dawn still far away
Remember the way that you longed for mornings light
And think of yourself as a candle in the night
Make believe this is the first day
Everything all brand new
Make believe that the sun is your own lucky star
And then understand the kind of gift you are
Chorus:
The gift you are
like the very first breath of spring
The gift you are
all the joy that love can bring
The gift you are
all of our dreams come true
The gift you are
the gift of you
You are the promise of all the ages
You are the Prodigal Son
You are the vision of prophets and sages
You are the only one
Dream of a bright tomorrow
Know that your dream will come true
Carry your dream in a sparkling crystal jar
Then you will know the kind of gift you are
Catégories: Directly from the Congress | 20/09/2012
The main aim of this day was to listen to the voice of the Universe. This was done through the use of slide shows, talks, group dialogue and sharing in the large assembly. We heard about…
- The gift each one of us is
- The universe, the origin of all that is
- A universe that is interdependent, interconnected and in relationship
- The gifts of the universe
- Our place in the universe
The above points just give the briefest of outlines of the content and experience of this intense day.
THE UNIVERSE AS GIFT
“114 million years ago mammals emerged in an awesome variety – THE GIFT OF DIVERSITY
40.000 YEARS AGO, modern Homo sapiens emerges into this astounding web of life…formed in the ancient stars along with all of life. Earth comes to birth in the self-conscious human – GIFT OF SELF-REFLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS.
Humans have no existence outside of the ecological cycles of Earth. Earth has no existence outside of the universe. The universe has no existence outside of God. Everything is totally inter-related and inter-dependent. The universe has a spiritual dimension as well as a material one.
God is acknowledged to be embodied in creation rather than totally separate from it. We are deceived if we think that we can love God and honour God’s holiness without loving others (humans and nonhumans) and honouring the holiness of nature.
“Make believe this is the first day; everything is brand new. Make believe that the sun is your own lucky star and then understand the kind of gift you are.”
“Dream of a bright tomorrow; know that your dream will come true. Carry your dream in a sparkling crystal jar, then you will know the kind of gift you are”
At the end of the day participants gathered into international groups and were asked to reflect and share on the following two questions:
- 1. When Jesus says: “I want you to have life, life in abundance” (John 10,10) what do you think he means by this? What does it say to me, to us today?
- 2. We are here to awaken from the illusion that we are separate from the rest of creation. How can we do this?
Catégories: Directly from the Congress | 20/09/2012
Connected to the source of all life – God –we continue to listen deeply to who we are as a Family.
The gift that we are today as a Family, is in itself a response to the needs of our world.
Throughout the day there were numerous expressions of our deepest desires, our struggles and our gratitude for so many gifts.
In the assembly there was great consensus and participants expressed their thoughts in an environment of deep listening and discernment.The participants were invited to divide into vocational groups. Seven groups were formed. The results of their meetings were later presented in a plenary session.
In the evening groups met to discuss the following question:
What is practical and possible so that the Holy Family may be gift in your context?
Participants showed great unanimity of expression.
The following aspects were highlighted:
- The gift of our charism is rooted in the Word of God and the Eucharist
- We need to bring out the relationship between the Eucharist and the story of the universe so as to live in communion with all.
- We need to grow in a contemplative stance and be bearers of joy and hope to creation and to suffering humanity
- Common formation in order to deepen our understanding of the story of the Universe
- To work together as a Family on common projects in the different contexts
- Welcoming all five vocations and forming intervocational communities
- Continue intervocational meetings
- Draw close to young people; listen to them, accompany them and respond to their needs
- Creation is groaning. The world is dehumanised and it is urgent that we give a corporate response that brings hope.
- Missionary boldness. Be present in difficult contexts. Be committed to those who are vulnerable and firmly denounce situations where life is being threatened.
- Encourage communication at the service of communion among the five vocations of the Family.
The assembly took a further step towards consensus. What have you heard from the different contexts that you wish to retain in your memory?
At the end of the day, the participants gathered in the chapel to celebrate the Eucharist presided over by Monsignor Laurent Dognin, Auxiliary Bishop of Bordeaux.
Catégories: Directly from the Congress | 19/09/2012
Yesterday, we listened to the voice of the Family, coming from the Holy Family world.
Today, we continue to LISTEN deeply to who really are.
The Gift we are IS the ASSOCIATION, Is the FAMILY.
The grace given to Pierre Bienvenu Noailles, with deep insight into the mystery of the Holy Family, was a spirit-inspired response to the needs of the world of his day.
The GIFT WE ARE today, still rooted in his inspiration, is a response to the needs of OUR World.
Catégories: Directly from the Congress | 18/09/2012
We are a family that is “MISSION”
befor being “family”;
a family that is “ONE”
before being diverse.
For our part in the Mission of Jesus-Christ
For our Oneness in diversity of vocations
For our Charism of Comunion
For the gift we are
and that we hope to be in our world
Laudate omnes gentes, laudate Dominum!
Catégories: Directly from the Congress | 18/09/2012
There is too much noise in you….
