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
It is 9 o’clock in the morning; the assembly hall is full of new life; gradually silence falls.
Margaret Muldoon’s opening words invite the Family to reflection and a great openness to the reality of who we are.
María Dolores Pérez Plé, General Leader of the Holy Family Secular Institute shares the hopes and desires of the Consecrated Seculars.
There is a short period of reflection followed by a presentation of the aim of our meeting.
What are we here to do? How will we use this time offered to us as gift? Then Colleen Moore explains the process of the Congress. There will be different stages to the process as follows:
Listening to the voice of the Family coming from the different contexts is the first stage and the work of this day.
As you can imagine an attitude of deep listening and discernment is essential in this process
After this overview of the Congress, the assembly divides into intervocational groups – 7 in all. These groups are to reflect on the following question:
From what you have heard during the first phase of the Congress in the different realities, what are the three most important points that your group wishes to present to the Family?
Some common important points were shared:
- As a Family to rediscover the Word and the Eucharist as strength for our life and mission
- Listen to Jesus in his humanity, who shows us the way to approach the reality of the world today and to listen to the groans of creation
- Accept our identity as an interdependent and egalitarian Family of five vocations, different cultures and a common mission; to journey together being interconnected and interdependent so that we can be gift to the world.
To look for new ways forward and new responses in the living of our mission of communion in a divided world. To build communion with our differences
A contemplative approach, rooted in the Spirit of God Alone, who opens us up to the whole of Creation with its lights and shades, its goodness and struggle.
Rediscover the values of our original cultures in harmony with the Creator and all creation
These and other elements that were shared, expressed the newness of our Charism and our mission in a changing world.
Tomorrow we will continue to explore more deeply all that we have heard.
Catégories: Directly from the Congress | 17/09/2012
CONGRESS OF THE FAMILY – SEPTEMBER 2012
Maria-Dolores Peréz Plé, General Leader of Secular Institut Holy Family
Following on from what Margaret has said, as a representative of the Secular Group, I would like to convey to everyone our earnest desire that that this Congress will not just be one more meeting, where we enjoy our relationships and our contact with one another, where we make proposals that we never carry out, and then allow it all to drop into oblivion.
Hopefully we will be able to find pathways that can lead us to take a further step forward in transmitting our charism according to the specific vocation to which each one of us is called.
In our troubled world, which appears to have no backbone, the values that we considered essential are being replaced by others which may in some ways have the same value as the previous ones, but are expressed differently. Our task, at this time, is to help humanity to regain hope. Hence, today, in this Congress, in fidelity to our Holy Family spirit, we express our willingness to assume the changes that will come about….
Word of M.Dolores Peréz Plé
Catégories: Directly from the Congress | 17/09/2012