JUBILEE CELEBRATION OF THE PAULINE FAMILY
crypt of the Shrine "Regina Apostolorum
June 29, 2010
HOMILY
the Superior General Don Silvio Sassi
celebrating the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, we wish to reflect
on the Word of God just proclaimed, as the assembly of the Pauline Family members celebrating the 75, 70, 60, 50 and 25 years of religious profession, 60, 50 and 25 years of priesthood and Pauline 25 years of promises to cooperate.
The passage of first reading (Acts 12 , 1-11 ) tells how the angel of the Lord delivers the apostle Peter was imprisoned by King Herod. The way chosen by Luke to tell the miraculous episode highlights that the protagonist of the episode is the Lord Almighty. With his actions and his words, the angel implementing what the Lord wants. Peter was sleeping, woke up, he obeys mechanically and only once lost an angel, part of himself, as he was in an altered state of consciousness. The Church, the community of other Christians, awake in a "constant prayer" for Peter. Luca
in this story presents the Christian community in its head and its members, abandoned to the divine intervention of God and trusting their own when going through the first political persecution that has already killed the Apostle James . The story of the miraculous deliverance, is in the tradition of all his miracles made by Yahweh in Jewish history and experience of the Easter resurrection of Christ lived by the apostles and early Christians.
celebrating today the various anniversaries of the Pauline Family scattered all over the world, the first and we all celebrated with them, we, like Peter, "return to ourselves" and discover God's presence with clarity in the gift of life, Pauline faith and vocation we have received. With the eyes of faith, today we wish to thank Providence for what he has done in all of us in the various institutions we belong to Pauline and all the good that, with God's help, we have made for others with our witness of life and our apostolate convergent. The protagonist of our lives, personal and community
continues to be mysterious but wise Providence of God
We must be grateful to those who, in all these years, have raised an "unceasing prayer" to God for us. We know of some who have accompanied us through prayer, but only God knows all those who help us with the hidden love of prayer. There are times in our history and stages of human existence in which the only generous apostolate we can do is a "constant prayer" only if we pray we may feel abandoned and useless.
In the second reading (2 Tim 4,6-8.17-18 ), the writer gives us a sacred balance of life of the Apostle Paul: the past, the present and the future of his relationship with Christ and his mission of evangelization. Already in the letter to the Philippians (cf. Phil 2.17) and in Romans (cf. Rom 12:1 ; 15.16) Paul himself describes the existence and his preaching as a "libation" offered to God , a liturgical act, "" a religious function. " Paul's will, becomes a lesson for those who read it: Paul met the risen Christ, has agreed to be his collaborator in evangelizing the Gentiles and would like to eventually be with Christ for eternity. A whole life lived as an ongoing "liturgy" for God
With Pauline and Pauline who today celebrate their anniversary, we must rely on the Spirit realize ever clearer and deeper to understand the time and work of our entire existence as a "liturgy" that lives its faith with missionary equal intensity in the contemplation and apostolic action. First we learned from the Master the necessary balance and integration of a fruitful apostolate apostolic prayer and praying.
The passage of the Gospel (Mt 16.13 to 19) shall send to us the questions that Jesus gives his disciples: "Who do people say the Son of Man?" And "Who do you say that I am? ". To Peter, inspired by the Father, on behalf of all the disciples saw Jesus as "the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus entrusts its entire work of salvation:" You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church "and" I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. "
tradition based on these words on the role of Peter and his successors in the church community. Theological reflection, especially since Vatican II, emphasizing the identity of the Church as the People of God, remind all the baptized the missionary dimension of the faith received as a gift with the revelation. To all of us are directed not only questions of Jesus, but also its promise to build on us His Church. God asks each of us to be his "assistant" and our membership of the Pauline Family reinforces the need to live an authentic "missionary evangelization to become a" ministry. "
read more numerous reflections of Blessed Giacomo Alberione on St. Peter and St. Paul in the work of harmonization of spirituality Pauline apostolate of the Sisters of Jesus the Good Shepherd. Inviting the Good Shepherd to plead with the Saints Peter and Paul, the First Teacher states: "Begging is because progress in the ministry, which is your specialization (the Sisters of Jesus the Good Shepherd, 1965, n. 172). He adds: "Ask the pastoral spirit. Peter, Supreme Pontiff, the supreme pastor, but as he worked, Paul's plenty more widely acted "(Id, 1967, n. 421).
In the second reading (2 Tim 4,6-8.17-18 ), the writer gives us a sacred balance of life of the Apostle Paul: the past, the present and the future of his relationship with Christ and his mission of evangelization. Already in the letter to the Philippians (cf. Phil 2.17) and in Romans (cf. Rom 12:1 ; 15.16) Paul himself describes the existence and his preaching as a "libation" offered to God , a liturgical act, "" a religious function. " Paul's will, becomes a lesson for those who read it: Paul met the risen Christ, has agreed to be his collaborator in evangelizing the Gentiles and would like to eventually be with Christ for eternity. A whole life lived as an ongoing "liturgy" for God
With Pauline and Pauline who today celebrate their anniversary, we must rely on the Spirit realize ever clearer and deeper to understand the time and work of our entire existence as a "liturgy" that lives its faith with missionary equal intensity in the contemplation and apostolic action. First we learned from the Master the necessary balance and integration of a fruitful apostolate apostolic prayer and praying.
The passage of the Gospel (Mt 16.13 to 19) shall send to us the questions that Jesus gives his disciples: "Who do people say the Son of Man?" And "Who do you say that I am? ". To Peter, inspired by the Father, on behalf of all the disciples saw Jesus as "the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus entrusts its entire work of salvation:" You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church "and" I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. "
tradition based on these words on the role of Peter and his successors in the church community. Theological reflection, especially since Vatican II, emphasizing the identity of the Church as the People of God, remind all the baptized the missionary dimension of the faith received as a gift with the revelation. To all of us are directed not only questions of Jesus, but also its promise to build on us His Church. God asks each of us to be his "assistant" and our membership of the Pauline Family reinforces the need to live an authentic "missionary evangelization to become a" ministry. "
read more numerous reflections of Blessed Giacomo Alberione on St. Peter and St. Paul in the work of harmonization of spirituality Pauline apostolate of the Sisters of Jesus the Good Shepherd. Inviting the Good Shepherd to plead with the Saints Peter and Paul, the First Teacher states: "Begging is because progress in the ministry, which is your specialization (the Sisters of Jesus the Good Shepherd, 1965, n. 172). He adds: "Ask the pastoral spirit. Peter, Supreme Pontiff, the supreme pastor, but as he worked, Paul's plenty more widely acted "(Id, 1967, n. 421).
The Good Shepherd Sisters, with the specific apostolate entrusted to them by the Founder, the other institutions have a permanent memory of an essential part of the Pauline charism: the pastoral spirit. Primo Maestro clearly bequeaths to us that everything and everyone in the life of St. Paul: "... everything has to be inspired pastoral apostolate, because the whole Pauline Family is ordained to the pastoral care" (At the Sisters of Jesus the Good Shepherd, 1965, n . 94).
Since all the baptized and the whole ecclesial community are committed to living a faith that "God give to men and men to God," is necessary to recall the meaning of pastoral care for Blessed Alberione "do something for the people of today" to all men, but especially for those who do not believe. The specific pastoral care of the Pauline Family is to "target, men of today."
With the memory of the labor costs for the Gospel and celebrate the festivities of today and the invocation of the Spirit, we ask for the Church and for the entire Pauline Family to understand better the need for a plan of pastoral care depart from ' identity of audience they want to bring the full Christ and all human reality with thought and lived the Gospel values.
Since all the baptized and the whole ecclesial community are committed to living a faith that "God give to men and men to God," is necessary to recall the meaning of pastoral care for Blessed Alberione "do something for the people of today" to all men, but especially for those who do not believe. The specific pastoral care of the Pauline Family is to "target, men of today."
With the memory of the labor costs for the Gospel and celebrate the festivities of today and the invocation of the Spirit, we ask for the Church and for the entire Pauline Family to understand better the need for a plan of pastoral care depart from ' identity of audience they want to bring the full Christ and all human reality with thought and lived the Gospel values.
by: Paulus.net