OUR LADY OF SORROWS

Transcription

OUR LADY OF SORROWS

International Newsletter LCA - www.laicican.org
NO.23/2012
OUR LADY OF SORROWS
SUMMARY:
PRAYER JESUS CRUCIFIED
GREETINGS FROM ALC PRESIDENT
“I RECOMMEND TO YOU MY BELOVED POOR” SO THAT
THE CROSS OF CHRIST BE NOT EMPTIED OF ITS POWER
THE SPIRITUALITY OF A “SERVANT”
OUR LADY, MOTHER OF CHARITY, IN MAGDALENE’S
JOURNEY OF FAITH
IDA ZANOLINI: A WITNESS OF THE COUNCIL
SPIRITUAL EXERCISES LAY CANOSSIANS JULY 2013 TIME FOR FORMATION
PRAYER FOR THE GENERAL CHAPTER
Page 1 of 24
Page 2, St.Magdalene Canossa
Page 2, Adele CremonesI
Page 4, Marisa Gini
Page 9, M. Elda Pollonara
Page 10, ALC International team , Italy
Page 15, Fr. Giuseppe Laiti
Page 17, Marisa Gini
Page 21, Ada, Lidia, Ketty, Sr. Daniela - MariaPia
Page 23, ALC International team , Italy.
Page 24 Canossian Sisters
OUR LADY OF SORROWS 2013 ALC NEWSLETTER
NO.23/2012
JESUS, CRUCIFIED AND RISEN,
IS OUR GREATEST GOOD.
HE, WHO ON THE CROSS
WAS STRIPPED OF EVERYTHING
EXCEPT HIS LOVE,
INVITES US TO BE GUIDED
BY A MOST AMIABLE,
MOST GENEROUS
AND MOST PATIENT SPIRIT,
IN EVERY CHOICE
AND SERVICE OF OURS.
ST. MAGDALENE OF CANOSSA
TO JESUS CRUCIFIED WITH OUR
LADY OF SORROWS
This is the title of a small book which I found in a
cupboard in the House of the Canossian Sisters in
Via Tagliamento, Milan, Italy. There is no
indication of when it was printed, being a small
manuscript; certainly it was been written after
Vatican II because it quotes some references to
Council Documents.
The author (it is not indicated whether a man or a
woman!) aimed at giving “a little help to the
Canossian Sisters in order to live their Marian
spirituality.”
Page 2 of 24
This booklet gives some precious suggestions that
I would like to share with all the Lay Canossians
of our Association throughout the world, on the
occasion of the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, that
the Church celebrates on 15th September.
In our daily prayer, perhaps, the contemplation of
Mary’s sorrows is limited to a few minutes each
day, to make a devout, but very brief,
Commemoration of her.
Our Statutes too, at n. 7, remind us that
“Magdalene of Canossa proposes to each Lay
Canossian the daily recitation of the seven Hail
Marys, as a time of communion.”
In fact, in the Plan of the Institution of the
Tertiaries of 17th November 1823,
Magdalene wrote:
“Every day they will recite 7 Hail Marys in
honour of the Sorrowful Heart of Mary to
obtain the grace of leading a holy life, of
dying a good death and for the conversion of
sinners … .”
The author of this booklet, that I have in
hand, suggests to make the division of the
remembrance of the Sorrows of Mary, during
the week rather than during
the day, more meaningful.
In
this
way
our
contemplation will give light
and warmth to the daily life
of each Lay Canossian!
I was so struck by this way
of living daily the devotion
to Our Lady of Sorrows, that
I started to write short
reflections on each sorrow
of Mary.
Therefore, every day of the
week I pray the seven Hail
Marys as a moment of
communion with all the
members of the Association
and the Canossian Family
and I decided to spread
seeds which could bloom
during the course of time and in the years to
come, while going towards the One Whom
we desire to love with our whole selves
throughout the day: TO JESUS CRUCIFIED
THROUGH OUR LADY OF SORROWS.
The Lord is searching for us and is never tired.
We hand over our life, such as it is, to Him
every day. Only He can restore strength and
flavour to the hours of our days.
Together with Our Lady of Sorrows, the Lord
will help us to re-read and re-understand our
work and our service. Morning prayer and the
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NO.23/2012
meditation of one of Mary’s sorrows will
allow us not to be overtaken by concern and
anxiety; before the Lord we do not have to
prove anything because He is just and
generous, He teaches us how to see the
beauty of the past which has led us to the
present and gives us once again the taste and
the meaning of beauty concerning the things
we accomplish every day.
I would like to address this proposal to all of
you, dear Lay Canossians: try to write your
reflections on each sorrow of Mary, as Lay
people
and
as
Lay
Canossians.
What does it mean for me
to contemplate a painful
moment in Mary’s life, her
total
acceptance,
the
example of her way of
living? How does it enrich
my life as a wife, husband,
parent, educator? What
newness will it bring,
today, to my work, my
relationships?
True devotion leads to
action, it is not simply
ecstatic contemplation. It is
true action.
It helps us to imitate
Mary’s virtues. This is the
foundation of our devotion
towards Jesus’ Mother. If you will accept my
invitation, I commit myself to gather together
your meditations on the Sorrows of Our Lady,
divide them for each day of the week and
make it a gift for everyone at the next
Congress 2016. I look forward to receiving
your reflections at my email address:
[email protected]
Mary, Mother of Jesus at the foot of the
Cross, pray for all of us.
Adele Cremonesi
NO.23/2012
“I RECOMMEND TO YOU MY
BELOVED POOR”
“I recommend to you as much as I can my
beloved poor: for goodness sake, see that all of
them will go one day to enjoy the Lord, through
your instruction, prayers, charity and hard work,
guided, however, all the time by obedience to
your Superiors.”
This is the expression that inspired the last
International Congress of the
Canossian Family; it is an expression
taken from Magdalene’s spiritual
testament. Magdalene fostered
great hope for the poor. Her
personal holiness shines in a special
way through her evangelization of
the
poor.
In this farewell letter, written only a
few months before her death,
St. Magdalene demonstrated her
love for the poor and showed that
her great mission consisted in
promoting the human person in
every aspect of life. She gave her
whole life so that one day even the
poor may enjoy the Lord’s presence
and be eternally happy. She did not simply
dedicate herself to improve the situation of the
human person but in this way she also
evangelized them. In fact, the key to
understanding her whole life, consecrated to the
Lord, the Church and humanity, is in her faith in
“God alone”, it is in her total love for Jesus, loved
and contemplated in his Incarnation, Life,
Passion, Death and Resurrection.
Magdalene brings trust to the hearts of the poor
because of the love she has for Christ. The great
love Magdalene has for them is without
dissimulation, selfinterest, deceit and
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superficiality. The poor experienced the authentic
goodness that Magdalene showed them. They
felt it in their hearts even before understanding
her help, her actions and decisions in their
favour. Being docile to the Spirit, she proclaimed
the Gospel and lived it, realising it in the daily gift
of self. Even in difficult moments, when obstacles
were numerous, she irradiated the joy of
evangelising. When the salvation
of souls is at stake, the faith of
Magdalene was expressed in new
creative and dynamic energy.
Her charism is universal
Let us pause for a moment on the
understanding of the word
charism.
A charism is a gift of the Holy Spirit
given to God’s people that helps
them to live the Gospel in a
concrete and recognisable way for
the good of the Church. Every
Christian receives this gift. Every
authentic charism brings with it a
certain drive of genuine newness
and active initiative for the spiritual life of the
Church.
In the mystery of the Church, unity in Christ
requires reciprocal communion of life among the
members. In fact:
"God has willed to make men holy and save
them, not as individuals without any bond or link
between them, but rather to make them into a
people." (LG 9) The same life-giving presence of
the Holy Spirit (cf LG 7) builds up in Christ the
unity of “one single body in which we all belong
to each other.”
(Rm 12:5)
Christians are called, by virtue of Baptism,
to become holy. What does becoming holy mean
today? Being holy does not mean being without
sin.
Even in the heart of a holy person there is
place for the darnel and the good seed, but a
good person dedicated self to cultivating,
guarding and making good actions flourish.
Holiness means for us, just as it was for Peter,
renewing our choice of Christ. Peter do you love
me, now? Yes, you know I do, at least I love you a
little! Holiness means
renewing one’s passion
for God and for the poor.
We are holy because we
love. We are holy
because God has pored
out his grace in us, that is,
his life in us.
Love always and forever.
St Paul writes: “Who will
separate us from Christ?”
(Rm 8:38) There is a list of
seven things that cannot separate us And then,
“Nothing will ever separate us from the love of
God.” And then another list of ten things.
We are holy if we understand the invitation:
“Remain in me and I in you!” (Jn 15:4), “in Jesus”
“with Jesus” and “for Jesus”. “Like Jesus”: this
does not mean in the same identical way as Him.
We must remember the changed historical
situation and that of individuals, but, above all,
the fact that we are not like Jesus. Becoming like
Jesus for today means being a creative reminder
of Him, maintaining one’s own personal
characteristics. Our charism thus becomes a
specific way of living the Gospel, of bringing out
some aspects of Jesus’ life through our lives. The
love that binds us to Jesus brings us to be in
communion with God and among ourselves.
How can we make the Church a home and a
school of communion?
The answer can be found in Novo
Millennio Ineunte of John Paul II.
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NO.23/2012
The Pope presents this spirituality as “the guiding
principle of education wherever individuals and
Christians are formed, wherever ministers of the
altar, consecrated persons, and pastoral workers
are trained, wherever families and communities
are being built up.” (n. 43) Reciprocal
relationships within the Church are the result of
formation received both by the clergy, religious
and lay people.
Some people, like founders of Religious
Congregations or Church Movements, have
received, besides a personal charism, also a
charism that animates specific works within the
Church in collaboration with other people and in
the same communion of
the same Spirit.
Even
Church
Movements, like the Lay
Canossian Association, are
luminous signs of the
beauty of Christ and His
Church, His Bride, a gift of
the Spirit to the Church and
to religious Congregations.
Transmitting a charism,
making it live in today’s
world, is a moral obligation. This is how the
Father General of the Canossian Fathers, Fr.
Giorgio Valente, expressed himself in the meeting
at Verona on 5th May 2012.
Magdalene’s charism is a gift of the Holy Spirit
given to her for the good of the whole Church.
She “proposed to herself to put the Gospel into
practice, she founded her “Work”, that is, the
Canossian Institute, as an expression of the
Church. From the moment when Magdalene was
proclaimed a Saint by Blessed John Paul II in
October 1988, the whole Church recognises her
charism and her holiness is acclaimed by all
Christians.
All Lay Canossians may receive her
charism by living it faithfully today, in the spirit of
Jesus Crucified and Risen, and experiencing the
joy of the Greatest Love and growing in holiness
for the good of every man and woman in the
world.
“Above all make Jesus known so that He may be
loved since He is not loved because He is not
known.” These words carry the originality and the
creativity of the Holy Spirit who invites us to
choose a lifestyle which is most generous, most
amiable and most patient.
Let us accept, with faith, the charismatic gift of
St. Magdalene experiencing its light in the
Eucharistic Liturgy and in the Word of God. Let us
light the fire of charity.
The secret of accepting the charism is to find
prolonged times of silence so as to enter into the
mind of God and penetrate His plan and His will
for us and history. It is not sufficient to accept the
charism; it must be lived, sown, spread, made
known and witnessed.
A dimension of the Canossian charism, as
we know, is the attention and help for the poor.
Magdalene always turned her gaze to God and
kept her eye on the situation of the poor.
With the Crucified One well implanted in
her heart, she lived in humility, inventing always
new forms of apostolate.
The Document of Aparecida by the Bishops of
Latin America indicates the Family, the Person
and Life as issues of special relevance for our
times. “The Family is one of the most important
treasure of the Latin American peoples and
patrimony of the whole of humanity.”
Let us try to imagine how St. Magdalene
of Canossa spoke to her beloved poor.
A normal family: they love each other but they do
not always agree.
Everyone in the homes gives a helping hand, they
are not all perfect but goodness is more
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important.
Parents are concerned about the education of
their children, they provide the opportunity to
study even if it requires making sacrifices.
One day they asked Magdalene:
“Talk to us about the family, about how we can
help those which are poorer than ours.”
Magdalene replied:
“Since I was a child I knew that the family was a
very precious and great gift.
The experience of my father’s death when I was
five and the abandonment of my mother at seven
left a deep wound in me. My personal experience
helped me to be understanding and good, kind
and generous. Growing with the help of friends
but especially my Companions, the Daughters of
Charity, we decided to spend ourselves in the
formation and education in faith of many young
people.
How many families suffer because of the
lack of respect and non-acceptance. How much
neglect from those around us, how much bad
behaviour towards others. How much physical
exploitation, abuse and violence.
Even you, normal families, can collaborate to
help the poorest families by witnessing respectful
love, demonstrating by your daily actions the
dignity and the greatness of the human person,
of every human person. You can be people of
peace. Dedicate yourselves to making the Gospel
known by living it and translating it into daily
action.
A poor man in a low voice said to her:
Talk to me Magdalene so that my faith may not
falter and my suffering in life may not bring me
despairing thoughts.
Magdalene thus said:
“I do not dare to think that hope is lost since
misery destroys and makes the poor person even
poorer.
One day I left my palace and, walking among the
poor in the district of San Zeno, I saw in the eyes
of many people the humiliation of misery, the
anger of those who were unjustly treated, a
hidden cry for help.
I smelt the sour smell
of poverty, I saw the
squalor of certain
houses. The silent
dignity of those who
do not know how to
ask for help and need
everything wrung my
heart.
So I dreamt of a “great
Plan”, I asked God to
create a new Work
and I did not think it
an exaggeration that
all my worldly goods
should be used for the poor.
“Shame on those who create a scandal by their
waste and exaggerated luxury vaunted in front of
the eyes of the hungry.”
“Woe to the insatiable avidity of those who
destroy others.”
And you who search for work, who are
preoccupied about the uncertainties of today, do
not give up hope, do not resign yourself to
passivity, do not become insensitive to the
poverty of others and may the injustice you
suffer not make you unjust.
A poor woman said:
I am overburdened. I am filled with bitterness
and disappointment. I have to provide for my
children by myself. I need to hear a few words of
consolation.
And Magdalene replied:
“Do not think that God has forsaken you. Do not
think that God is tired of your moaning, of your
bitterness. Often the burden of the family falls
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upon the mother. You are forced to carry out two
jobs which is even more difficult if you have to
take care of your children.
You may advance in your dignity as a woman if
you take care of the education of your children.
The words of the Angel, spoken to the Virgin
Mother, are for you too: “Do not be afraid, Mary,
because you have found grace with God.”
Mary often remembered these words. She often
thought
them
over
secretly in her heart. On
the way to Calvary, when
she met her Son carrying
the cross, she must have
asked herself, humanly
speaking, how the words
of the Angel could be
fulfilled. Now she sees
that her life is being
fulfilled as a word of
suffering.
Since she is the Mother
she suffers deeply, but
she renews her Fiat just
the same to God and understands that Jesus is
carrying the cross of his Mother. She is the
Sorrowful Mother.”
Let us pray to her with the same words used by
John Paul II.
“O Mary, you who trod the way of the cross
together with your Son,
Your motherly heart was tormented by pain and
sorrow, but always remembering your Fiat
and intimately trusting that the One to whom
nothing is impossible would have kept his
promises.
Implore for us and future generations the grace
of abandoning ourselves to God’s love.
Grant that we may never doubt His love when
faced by the sufferings, our refusal to accept
trials,
even if they are unending
and bitter.
May honour and glory be given to Jesus, Your
Son, for ever and ever. Amen!”
A confused and restless girl who finds it
hard to fill the lack of affection, presented
herself.
“I feel a great dislike for others. They only
take advantage of me. They do not think I am
important. My beauty is what attracts others
and very soon all my free time activities
become oppressing and
annoying. I continue to
ask myself what I want
to do with my life? It is
impossible that it is so
empty. Who can give
me joy?”
With a passionate and
extremely sweet voice,
Magdalene said to her:
“I, too, have experienced, for a short time,
letting myself be drawn to a world life but I
understood that I would never have been
happy. Your question about the meaning of
life brings you to a response of a sincere selfgiving to others. Look around yourself, come
out of your shell and see how many people
ask you to love them. Discover once again the
beauty of relationships, friendships, solidarity
with those who need your help. Experience
the solidarity of women like you which is able
to overcome difficulties in the daily struggle
of life. Put your individualism apart and when
you meet a promising young man, remember
that marriage is a very special form of
personal friendship: friendship is dialogue,
esteem, respect and loyalty.”
In her book, “La donna eterna”, Gertrud von
le Fort writes that the characteristic of the
mission of woman is her veil, whether she
wears it or not. The writer considers the
woman to be a channel of the great mysteries
of Christianity in the world, the birth of
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Christ, the proclamation of the Resurrection,
the descent of the Holy Spirit, which “shows
man in the attitude of a woman who
receives”, and that she is the “firstborn cell of
the Church.”
It is the feminine
that gives life to the
whole of creation, as
expressed so well in “La
donna eterna”. And
rightly so Bonaventura
Tecchi could speak of a
"veil" which extends
over the whole of the work of this German
writer von la Fort: the characteristic and task
of a woman is to conserve a veil, something
mysterious, not only of the body, but also of
her soul, her abandonment, dedication and
total love, just as happened to Mary when
she pronounced her Fiat. Mary is the woman
par excellence, so greatly loved by
Magdalene, and celebrated so splendidly in
these lines:
“Rejoice, Virgin Mary, daughter of my land,
sister of my soul,
rejoice, joy of my joy.
I am like a wanderer in the night but you are
a shelter under the skies.
I am a thirsty chalice but you are the open sea
of the Lord.
Rejoice, Virgin Mary, wing of my land, crown
of my soul;
rejoice, joy of my joy: happy are those who
proclaim you to be blessed!”
Marisa Gini
Secular Missionaries of St. Magdalene
NO.23/2012
SO THAT
THE CROSS OF CHRIST
BE NOT EMPTIED
OF ITS POWER …
Set the Crucified Lord before the Sisters
recalling to their minds what He suffered
on the Cross with unconquerable,
patience, meekness and gentleness.
St. Magdalene of Canossa
The path that the Foundress treads in
the contemplation of Christ Crucified is not
that of an isolated person, but of a leader.
Christ is the Life that generates
children to the Father; He is the Truth that
enlight– ens the children of God and He is the
Way itself.
Magdalene follows Christ who goes to
the Father and is inspired to follow Him in his
last days from the Cenacle to Calvary.
She does not encounter Him at
Bethlehem, at Nazareth, at the Jordan, in the
desert, along the lake of Galilee, at Cana or
among the crowds of Jerusalem singing
hosannas, but she meets Him on the way of
the Cross.
She follows Him close to or with the
Sorrowful Virgin along the road that leads to
Calvary.
This is in truth a charismatic gift of a
leader, capable of drawing behind her
thousands of women who, like her, feel they
have received the very same charism from
the Lord.
“Let the Crucified Lord be placed
before all the Sisters (all the Lay Canossians)”
says Magdalene. (U.R. p. 159)
To contemplate Jesus at Bethlehem, at
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Nazareth, or on Tabor is something pleasant,
but to contemplate Him nailed on the Cross
and to desire to follow Him on such a path of
love is a vocation that requires strength,
generosity and often heroism.
The love of Christ on the Cross
surpasses infinitely His sufferings.
He suffers as a man, but loves as God.
The powerful attraction for Magdalene
is not the suffering of Christ, but the love that
makes Him accept “with invincible patience,
meekness and gentleness” (U.R. p. 159) the
physical, moral and spiritual sufferings that
accompany His death on the Cross.
Every Daughter and Son of Charity,
every Lay Canossian, contemplating the
Crucified Lord, are called upon to consider
and to reflect on those interior dispositions of
Christ in order to learn from Him to live out
and to practise such dispositions in the daily
events of their lives.
“Bear with one another charitably, in
complete selflessness, gentleness and
patience” (Eph 4:2) exhorts Paul, “so that the
Cross of Christ be not emptied of its power.”
(1 Cor 1:17)
The Cross of Christ is made empty or
futile when one lives giving in to sentiments
of jealousy, envy, hatred, a desire for
vindication, for revenge, for betrayal like
Judas, or when like Pilate, one washes one’s
hands when faced with a negative decision or
judgment or when an
innocent
person
is
condemned, or when, like
Herod, one mocks at the
faith of the believers in
Christ, or when one trifles
with compromises as the
Pharisees did, or when,
like the Twelve, one avoids
and runs away from the courage of an open
witness.
All the above makes the Cross of Christ
empty and futile.
Magdalene wants us to be beneath the
NO.23/2012
Cross like John and like Mary, to be strong
like them, to be patient and loving like them.
“… I appeal to you by the gentleness
and patience of Christ” (2 Cor 10:1) says
Magdalene with Paul, to be strong and
unshakeable in faith (cf 1 Cor 15:58), keeping
firm “in the hope we profess”
(Heb 10:21), but above all “be
rooted and founded in
charity” to be able to
understand always better
“with all the saints the
breadth and the length, the
height and the depth, until
knowing the love of Christ,
which is beyond all knowledge, you are filled
with the utter fullness of God.” (Eph 3:17-19)
M. Elda Pollonara
THE SPIRITUALITY OF A “SERVANT”
This is a theme that has not been
developed much by us in recent times.
Therefore it merits a little more attention on
our part.
It is interesting to look up the
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dictionary to see what our society means by
the words: to serve, service, servant. Often
enough the word ‘service’ is seen positively,
as for instance social service. ‘To serve’ has
an ambiguous meaning, while ‘servant’ has
negative connotations, for example ‘slave’.
The way we use these words is not the same
as that of current usage.
The dictionary speaks of ‘to serve’,
‘servant’, ‘service’ etc. as functions, not as an
identity. People are willing to serve, but not
to be servants. The dictionary also gives us no
inkling as to the motivation behind the
service. It is the motivation that will make all
the difference. I may serve, but for my own
advantage. In Greek, the word servant is
close in meaning to the word deacon, that is,
one who distributes common goods.
Are we really sure of what these terms
mean from the Biblical and spiritual point of
view? It is interesting to see if, in the Bible,
the idea of servant emphasises more the
function or the condition of being servant and
also the relationship that develops between
the servant and the one
served. The relationship is
what links the motivation to
the action. To serve the poor
or the sick is not the same as
saying being servant of the
poor or the sick. The first
points to the beneficiary, the
second is more committing
because it points to one’s
dedication, irrespective of
the need of the other. The
emphasis is on ‘servant’ not
on ‘of the poor’.
SERVANT/SERVICE has
4 elements:
1 the function towards self or towards others
2 the condition of being servant
3 the motivation for the service
4 the quality/modality of the relationship
between the server and the one served.
Our competence affects our function.
One’s identity has nothing to do with
competence. So the passage from ‘service’ to
‘servant’ comes from our motivations and not
our competence. Being ‘servant’, ‘serving’ –
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does something to me, to my identity. We are
called to be ‘servants’ by identity. In Greek ‘to
serve’ is ‘to believe’.
The passage from ‘function’ to
‘identity’ is not spontaneous. It has to do with
my motivations. Why do I serve? If my
motivations are right, then serving would not
bother me. It would make me feel at home.
Servant is often seen as opposed to freedom.
To freely accept being a servant requires
strong motivations of faith.
Theologically, Christ is the model of
service. Only in the spiritual sense is ‘servant’
understood in a positive way.
From the anthropological point of view
Anthropologically, that is, according to
nature alone, the concept of serving does not
come easily, unless it is
backed up by one’s faith and
spirituality. Guided by nature
alone, man does not feel
inclined to serve anybody
other than himself.
Maturity is the degree
of being able to serve. God
potentiates us and stimulates
us to serve. ‘I have come to
serve and not to be served’.
Can any of us really say that
our aim in life is to be a
servant? To others? It all
depends on what we
understand by ‘being a
servant’.
Every human being comes into the
world with a lot of possibilities. Some of these
will
be
developed
and
become
abilities/capacities. The process of education
is to discover the possibilities/potentialities of
each child and to help him develop these, at
least some of them. Our possibilities are
overwhelmingly more than we can cultivate
or develop in a lifetime. So, through
education a person brings some of his/her
talents to a level of development so that
these can be put to use, translated into
action. The talent can become useful for
oneself and/or for others.
I have my energies and possibilities. I
am capable of doing things. These capacities
can be used by me for myself or for others.
Now comes the next step in formation.
We are at the level of motivations. I am
aware of my capacities. Now I learn to decide
how and for whom I am going to use them.
Am I motivated to use my gifts, talents,
capacities for my own advantage only, or am I
moved to use them for the good of others? I
may use them to enhance my own
importance, role, power, money etc., or for
my own gratification and self-fulfilment,
trying to be a step higher than others on the
social ladder. I can also use them to exert
power over others, make them dependent on
me. I can refuse to use these for the good of
others. My possibilities, which have become
capacities, can earn me wealth, possessions,
comfort,
influence,
power,
position,
promotion, title, honours, privileges … also a
sense of self-satisfaction and fulfilment.
The aspect of “servant” does not come
automatically,
both
culturally
and
anthropologically. In society it does not come
naturally to use one’s potentialities for the
service of others. I may do it if I have some
advantage at the same time, for example,
being a doctor, teacher, nurse. There is
service, but for my self-affirmation, to earn a
living, a higher salary, etc.
‘To serve’ – means to grow to the
extent of being able to use one’s talents and
capabilities for the good of others. It requires
a deep spirituality to discover that by serving
others I grow as a person. It is worthwhile
asking: What is my motivation in serving
others? Rarely do we ask an adult what his
motivations are in doing a service? Therefore,
doing a ‘service’, or ‘serving’, does not
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NO.23/2012
automatically make one a ‘servant’. I may be
only serving my own interests very subtly or
even unconsciously.
We are almost always living at a
competitive level – trying to get even or
ahead of others. Only at the spiritual level
would one want “to take the last place”.
Every culture proposes a survival strategy –
how to manage to live in a world that is
grasping. So I too learn to grasp and to grab.
Is my motivation to fulfil the real needs of
others, or to satisfy my own subtle needs?
Fulfilling one’s tasks is not always oriented
towards the good of others. Often it is to
have power over others, make them
dependent on me. A politician is willing to do
services, to serve, but is not willing to be a
‘servant’.
We come from a background of
emancipation – a situation of being servant
though we may like to call it by other, more
glorious names – freedom, liberty, equality,
fraternity, independence. So we have an
innate fear of being manipulated by others,
by those we serve. So we are afraid to serve –
to put ourselves ‘under’ another. Only if
someone gives me an example of being a
servant, would I be able to follow and be
ready to serve.
All this shows how complex this
argument is. It is not only a question of
goodwill. It requires a radical change of
mentality. When Paul called himself the
‘servant’ of Jesus, what did he mean? What
made him want to be a servant of Jesus?
What is voluntary service? – is it really
placing oneself at the service of others and
renouncing one’s own advantage? There may
be many other ulterior motivations that
vitiate the real scope of service. That is why
we need to be in touch with our motivations;
be transparent in what we do.
Gratuitous service is an evangelical
concept. In our society we have too little of
real service and too much of self-interest.
That is why our society is sick and this has its
cultural and economic consequences.
In the Bible, where do we find the
concept of service? In the middle: at one end
is God’s love and at the other end is man’s
misery. Service is God’s way of showing His
love to fallen and needy humanity. When we
say that service is “abasing” oneself, we are
looking at it sociologically. From the
theological and biblical point of view, service
is ennobling, not self-abasing. It is living love
for others and renouncing it for anything.
On the one hand, we have the idea of
climbing a ladder, making a career. The other
difficulty is our historical context. The MiddleEast philosophy was vertical; abandoning
one’s historical reality and rise above it
towards a spirituality that escapes from the
earthly and the here and now. We need to fill
in the gaps of history which sees “service”
only from the utilitarian point of view. How
can we remedy these defects of our history?
We need to keep these in mind so that we
see service not as a step up the ladder, but as
real service of another for the other. This calls
for a mentality, a modality, attitudes of
service. To translate one’s identity or state of
being into concrete living, we talk of a style or
modality or attitudes that make our ideals of
service and being a servant, concrete, visible,
lived, applied … from the realm of concepts
to that of action and life.
The ideal of one’s identity has to
grapple with other factors: for example, my
passions and emotions, cultural values, my
own lived experiences and the models of
service I have encountered in life and how
they influenced me….
Service can mature a person and make
him/her capable of living gratuitously for
others.
There is a certain satisfaction
involved in service, a joy, a sense of selffulfilment, a pay-off.
Page 13 of 24
NO.23/2012
Different roles require different
qualifications/talents. Even in the Church
there are grades, e.g. Bishop, Priest, Deacon.
The Church took the language of society, but
the philosophy behind it is different. It is not
a question of grades of importance, but of
responsibilities. The outer signs should reflect
this reality. If instead, our signs show the
opposite, how can we talk of authority as
service?
Human maturity leads us to a sense of
gratuitous self-giving and service. History and
society go in the opposite direction, trying to
make a career for oneself. These are saved
from disaster precisely by persons capable of
giving of themselves without self-interest.
When a person is too long in one role, she
may feel that he/she cannot do without that
role. Identification with one’s role means a
loss of a sense of one’s real identity. This is
where the difficulty arises, because a certain
sense of gratification, a sense of fulfilment
and utility are involved. But we must try to
transcend this and be able to live even
without it. A three-fold recommendation:
1. Do not impose yourself on others (do not
make crosses for them)
2. Do not make useless crosses for yourself
either
3. When life asks for it, allow yourself to live
for love, with a transparent conscience.
The socio-cultural concept of “servant”
“Service” is considered a “job” one decides to
do because of the remuneration one gets, or
because of the sense of gratification or selffulfilment it may bring. Services are paid for
according to their hierarchy on the social
ladder. Some services are esteemed and
appreciated more than others and are also
paid a higher salary. Some services are even
deemed “menial” or “low”.
One of the maxims of Karl Marx was that
since all jobs in society serve the common
good, all workers should be paid the same
sum. Again, since every worker works in
order to support a family, workers should be
paid according to the number of his
dependents. This axiom, laudable in itself,
does not hold in a capitalist setting. Even in
communist circles there were some who
were more equal than others.
When it comes to being a “servant”, it
often means to be at the beck and call of
another. You do it for the salary you are paid.
If you are paid better elsewhere, you would
move there. A certain affection and loyalty
may build up in time, but the service required
of you may not be done “out of love” for
those served. It is more a “have to” than a
“want to” or a “like to” job.
Yet the reason why I do this service may be
“because of love”, for
my family for instance,
that depends on me for
its needs. Then it is the
love for my family that
keeps me at my job. And
it will keep me there
even when the job is
irksome or underpaid or
even dangerous.
So we have two
situations.
- While at work I serve,
but not necessarily
because I love what I do
or those for whom I
work.
My attitudes may be
to do the minimum,
Page 14 of 24
NO.23/2012
to find positions that pay me better, are
easier, are more appreciated in society,
have a greater sense of self-fulfilment ...
My service is self-centred, for my own
advantage or those I work to support (my
self-interests).
- But while I work I may also keep in mind my
family and their needs. This can make me
other-centred, putting their needs before
my comforts, bearing pain and even insults
for their sake. There is more gratuitousness
in this second instance.
A father or mother of a family serves
the family out of love for the members of the
family. This type of service is a sign of
maturity, the capacity of spending oneself for
the sake of another.
The spirituality of a servant is based on this
kind of loving. The person loved is God and
the circle keeps widening to include many
others, not just friends and well-wishers …
until one can be all
things to all men ...
loving
and
serving
everybody with the
heart of God. It is a love
that is other-centred,
gratuitous,
unconditional … .
“If you love only
those who love you,
what great thing have
you done? Even pagans
do that. But I tell you,
love your enemies and
pray for those who
persecute you… . ” (cf.
Mt 5: 43-47)
NO.23/2012
OUR LADY, MOTHER OF CHARITY,
IN MAGDALENE’S JOURNEY OF
FAITH
In the spiritual memoirs
of Magdalene, in that personal
intimate self in which each
person treasures one’s history
and identity, where the
memories of people who have
helped us to grow and have
consoled us converge and
have attracted and guided us,
Mary is an affectionate
remembrance of childhood, linked to that
first impression of faith that every child
usually receives. It is the warm sharing of a
devotion which is widely spread among
Christian people; a very personal communion
which illumines the ecclesial dimension of the
charism received from the Lord.
In 1806, amidst many difficulties when
she sought to give a precise identity to the
work which God had entrusted to her,
Magdalene thus records: “It was precisely
then that I began to honour the Most Holy
Virgin under the title of the ‘Sorrowful
Mother’; in fact, from my
childhood I had always been
very attracted and devoted to
her.” As her biographers point
out,
in
her
childhood
Magdalene, without doubt, had
an experience of deep suffering
which left a great void in her
heart.
This
makes
us
understand her better when she says that:
“since I was a child I had always been very
loving and devoted”; at the age of seven, in
fact, Magdalene, having already lost her
father, was also deprived of the care of her
Page 15 of 24
mother, Lady Maria Teresa
Szluha, who left the palace
to marry Marquis Zenetti of
Mantua.
The “dear Mamma”
In that absence of affection,
almost unknowingly but
intensely, she began to
accept the
Mother whom the Lord had
given to all His disciples. An echo of the
depth of this acceptance may be found in the
Memoirs dating back to 1824. “Leaving
Bergamo for Milan, Magdalene was weighed
down by cares because of a controversy
regarding the House of San Michele alla
Chiusa, she stopped at the Shrine of
Caravaggio and ‘utterly dejected … I wept for
about an hour before Mary, invoking her in
tears and calling her by the name Mamma!’ …
little by little I placed myself in the heart of
Mary.” (Memoirs XIV, n. 46-54)
It is to be noted that in a moment of
great weariness the invocation
to Mary is formulated with the
same spontaneity of the
language of a child: “Mamma!”.
The confidence gained in
her childhood, which has
matured and deepened through
the years, is easily seen:
“regarding what we said about
the affectionate feelings you have for Mary in
the recourse you have to her in your needs,
my dear daughter, there is no other reason
than to attach yourself even more to so great
a Mother, to foster in your heart sentiments
of gratitude and devotion towards her.
Entrust to Mary the matter of your vocation,
too … .” (Don Libera, Letter 8)
The Sorrowful Virgin
Perhaps
the
Spiritual Exercises of
1795, most probably
following a popular
devotion to the Most
Sorrowful
Virgin
common during the
years 1795-96, (in
many places of Italy,
including
Verona,
images of the Virgin
were seen shedding
tears), because of the
great
uneasiness
provoked
by
the
serious
political
situations,
oriented
Magdalene to Mary at the foot of the Cross.
Also family problems, which in those same
years made it very difficult for her to pursue
her vocation, inclined her even more towards
this devotion.
The spontaneous confidence of
childhood matured in that patience and
fortitude shown her by the Sorrowful Mother
at the foot of the Cross. Even in this Don
Libera guided her wisely protecting her from
eventual sentimentalism, encouraging her to
remain in the sobriety of faith: “You desire to
have the consolation of seeing with your own
eyes the prodigies worked by the Most Holy
Virgin Mary. Well, my dear daughter, if it
pleases the Lord, let it be done.
On the other hand, continue to trust Mary,
relying on faith alone, this may be more
meritorious.” (Don Libera, Letter 8)
NO.23/2012
When finally the charism given to her by the
Lord became clear to her, and she could
begin to give shape to her work, then, Mary
at the foot of the Cross became the “Mother
of Charity” for Magdalene.
If the charism of
Magdalene is the
reflection, aroused by
the Spirit, of the
charity of the Lord
who “on the Cross was
stripped of everything
except his love”, and if
to such a charism
Magdalene feels called
to give the form of an
ecclesial institution, it
was in this logic of
faith that she should
find
it
totally
expressed
and
perfectly fulfilled in
the person of Mary.
Placing herself “in the heart of Mary”,
Mother of Charity, Magdalene discerns the
work which the Lord entrusts to her and
accompanies the efforts of the first Sisters
whom the Lord gives her. “I resolved, this
time also, to really serve God and seek Him
alone and I placed myself in the heart of
Mary.”
In Mary, as Mother of Charity, Mother
of Mercies, Magdalene sees the ecclesial way
of living the charism which had been
entrusted to her. The “beloved Mother” of
her childhood, ”the Mother of Sorrows” of
those toilsome years of her youthful search,
was revealed to her in all her depth as the
“Mother of Charity”. And Mary became the
“Mother” of her Institute.
Fr. Giuseppe Laiti
The “Mother of Charity”
Page 16 of 24
NO.23/2012
IDA ZANOLINI: A WITNESS OF THE
COUNCIL
“You are the salt of the earth,
you are the light of the world.”
The Gospel according to St. Matthew (Mt 5:1316)
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: «You
are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes
tasteless, what can make it salty again? It is
good for nothing and can only be thrown out to
be trampled underfoot by men. You are the
light of the world. A city built on a hill-top
cannot be hidden. No one
lights a lamp to put it
under a tub; they put it on
the lamp-stand where it
shines for everyone in the
house. In the same way
your light must shine in
the sight of men, so that,
seeing your good works,
they may give the praise
to your Father in heaven.»
Light and salt
The evangelical images of light and salt are very
fitting for Ida Zanolini who was born in Brescia
on 21st March 1895. Her life-span, marked by
her consecration to God lived in the world,
came to an end on 9th September 1985.
The gospel image of light was very dear to
Ida.
In her circular letter of Lent 1957, she wrote to
her Collaborators:
Page 17 of 24
“Let us bring light: the world is in darkness
because it does not know God. May one of our
dearest and most holy commitments be the
teaching of Catechism, both to children and
adults. Let us prepare ourselves very well by
studying the situation and the people, not
refusing the help of good books, (see: “Le verità
del catechismo reso chiaro ai fanciulli” of Rev.
M. Orsolina Grillo), and
let us ask advice to wise
people, but above all, let
us fill ourselves with God.
Only in this way our
teaching will be fruitful.”
Let us become salt, we
will give savour to life.
“We must be up-dated
on social problems. We
must know about the
new laws. We will be able
and
prepared
to
approach people. Let us remember that a little
social culture is indispensable for us and is
useful to form and help others. Where possible,
we could organise courses of social and political
culture to the great advantage of many
people.”
As we can see, there was in Ida a great desire
for authentic promotion of lay people which
would make them take a stand and open them
to social life, in which they must be salt and
light. Ida was very concerned about society and
the world, and thus became more convinced, in
pre-Council times, of the position of lay people
in the Church and the relationship between the
Church and the world.
In all her writings, directly or indirectly, there is
an invitation, sometimes even impelling, to her
Collaborators, to make their lives become salt
that gives savour so that they may bring the
Gospel to the world.
She wrote in her Easter letter of 27th March
1952:
“An article of our Regulations says: the
Collaborators must, as far as possible, embrace
every form of good work, have a broad outlook,
great charity, an open heart like that of the
Foundress, without meanness and narrowmindedness, nor severe judgement, or envy, or
jealousy and gossip.
St. Magdalene comments with some of her
‘thoughts’ and says that ‘If you want to live
without love, you will not bring forth fruit in
your neighbours and you will not have merit
before God … Love must be the apple of your
eye. Above all, seek union and charity, and I
(Magdalene) will assist you from heaven.’”
The beginning of the Council
In the 1960’s (1962-65) the Ecumenical Council
Vatican II erupted into the life of the Church
and the world, desired by Blessed John XXIII but
conducted and brought to completion by Paul
VI. Benedict XVI, in his talk to priests of Rome
on 13th February 2013, said about the Council:
“We were full of hope, enthusiasm
and also the will to play our part in
this historical event.”
Ida recognises the great novelty
that the Council will bring to the
Church in its relationships with the
world. She prays, then she informs
the Collaborators, she tells them
about the Council Documents
regarding lay people and invites
them to study them.
Following the teaching of Montini,
Page 18 of 24
NO.23/2012
Ida prepares herself to present “the wonderful
teaching that refers to lay people in the Church
of God.”
Paul VI desires to make the Church evermore
capable of proclaiming the Gospel to people of
the 20th century and opens the Church to
dialogue with the world. Ida feels herself
involved personally and her action is alive,
fervent, intelligent and authentic.
She understands that the origin of mission in
the Church is in Christ. Commitment in the
apostolate consists in bringing Christ to
humanity. Certainly, Ida would have seen the
ceremony of the opening of the Council on TV.
In his opening address at the Council, 11th
October 1962, John XXIII set out his objectives
to be reached in his speech Gaudet Mater
Ecclesia which was regarded by everyone as the
“magna charta” of Vatican II. In this act in
which the Pope declared, without half
measures, his disagreement with the
“pessimistic prophets” who interpreted in a
pessimistic tone modern progress, he
encouraged the Church to see the evolution of
human history with new eyes, so as to see the
providential presence of God at work in history.
Ida feels herself a part of this new adventure
and is attracted by it. She wants to involve her
Collaborators so that they may open
themselves to understanding the “signs of
today” with equilibrium and wisdom. A breath
of spring, the inkling of a new humanism, the
conviction of something great, of no return to
the past animated the Church; these ideals
were alive in all those who lived during those
years. Ida, who gave herself to
education, dedicated herself to
the apostolate as the need to
promote in lay people the
awareness of their dignity.
She
is
active
in,
and
communicative of, this new
atmosphere which founds this
new Christian humanism and
supports the universal mission of
the Church in the world for
humanity. A new way of bringing
Christ to people is taking shape. “There is no
doubt that the effort to proclaim the Gospel
to the people of today, who are buoyed up by
hope but at the same time often oppressed
by fear and distress, is a service rendered to
the Christian community and also to the
whole of humanity.” (E.N. 1)
One of the lights that the Council shed on the
Church was the vocation to expand faith and
Christian vitality in which the insertion of the
Christian in the Mystical Body of Christ brings
with it the infusion of interior fullness.
Vocation is a call to that love for God’s
Kingdom, a religious and moral witness that
goes beyond the individual.
Our Christian vocation is the expression
of the need to communicate to others the
treasure of truth and grace that the Church
possesses. Even the lay person, in whatever
condition he/she is in, is called to become
aware of this and to respond. It is necessary
to insist on this truth because it is this which
will bring about that renewal and progress
that the Council wanted to bring to the
Church.
“The apostolate is not simply an exterior or
sociological fact; it is a spiritual and interior
exigency that receives its reason to be from
the same mystery of the Church to which the
Christian belongs. But how does this exigency
express and realise itself? The Council speaks
of two basic forms of apostolate: one
individual, the other associative. (cf. Apost.
Actuos., n. 15 and following)
For some people the
associative
apostolate
seems to be an awkward
network
lacking
spontaneity and geniality;
others see it as simply an
organisational affair. The
essential aims of the
apostolate
itself
are
forgotten, which Ida had
Page 19 of 24
NO.23/2012
well understood and which, in this context, I
have tried to underline even if briefly.
“Man, the Council reminds us, is by nature a
social being.” (ib., n. 18 ) But what counts
more for us is the fact that «associative
apostolate, as the Council says, happily
corresponds to the human and Christian
needs of the faithful and, at the same time, it
is a sign of communion and the unity of the
Church in Christ, who said: “Where two or
three are gathered in my name, I am in their
midst.”
(Mt 18:20)
Ida, too, worked for many years to promote
associative apostolate. She saw in the
Association a diversified family journeying
towards God. She was convinced that
associative apostolate was of great
importance because it takes root in the
community and does good to everyone. It
has been the modality that she carried out for
many years to render more beautiful this fruit
of the Council.
“The world is waiting for the passing of saints.
You should be contemplatives in your
environment, you lay people since you are
not called to become anchorites. Be
contemplatives where you are, praying with
the heart in the midst of your cares, work,
even in the confusion of the crowd, always in
intimate union with God, imploring Him to
grant salvation to you and to all.”
Ida dedicated many letters and talks to this
task; she wrote the Regulations, but above
all, she witnessed with her
life. She passed in our
midst and still does so
today encouraging us by
her invitation to be
faithful. Let us aspire to
holiness: we need to fix
our
eyes
on
high,
illumined by the Son.
Only in this way can life
acquire light and have meaning. The one who
lives the Gospel has found fullness, has given
a precious goal to one’s life. Ida is aware that
many lay people are like light, salt and leaven
hidden in the flour. In the Church there is
much tepidness and opposition to the Church
itself. One needs fortitude and faith to be
apostles; these are virtues that derive from
prayer.
The secret of a witness lies in the
contemplation of God.
A twofold relationship is created between
Christ and the Christian and between him/her
and brothers and sisters of faith. The Council
called us to our
original vocation to
holiness which is the
source of unity.
“God wanted to
constitute a People
who
would
acknowledge Him in
truth and serve Him
faithfully. Can we say
that
this
unity
characterises spiritual
and
associative
movements?
Fortunately,
many
can say yes.”
To live in the spirit of our Foundress is
possible if we allow ourselves to be guided by
the Holy Spirit. He is Love which unites.
Mother General, M. Antonietta Monzoni,
wrote to the Provincials: “We are filled with
consolation at the thought that our works will
be sustained by a great number of generous
souls. Today, more than ever, this precious
collaboration is urgent so as to extend in a
more fruitful way a network of apostolate for
Page 20 of 24
NO.23/2012
every social class, especially for those
furthest from God.”
Ida was convinced of the preciousness of
building bridges of unity in the Church, with
the Sisters and in society through her
teaching
profession
and
political
commitment. Her vocation was to be the
leaven of the Gospel in union with the
Canossian Sisters, and her humility towards
others who receive from her love and
support.
“Be leaven, but do not let anyone know you
are, be leaven, not dough”, she exhorted her
Collaborators. This is
a
wonderful
synthesis of a truly
Christian life.
A Christian vocation
is a gift to be
offered, especially in
difficult times, but
overflowing
with
signs of goodness, of
hope, just as in our
times.
Mission,
therefore, wherever
it tales place, is
above all a service to
Christ
and
His
Church for the glory of God.
The Association offers the instruments to
bring about this gift-service so that we may
re-read our lives before God and render Him
thanks for our spiritual belonging to the
Canossian Institute.
May Saint Magdalene of Canossa and our
holy Patrons always help us.
Marisa Gini
Secular Missionaries of St. Magdalene of
Canossa
NO.23/2012
SPIRITUAL EXERCISES
LAY CANOSSIANS
18TH-22ND JULY 2013 MOCCONE
This year, we shared our experience of the Spiritual Exercises with the Lay Canossians of South
Italy. After much planning and trying to foresee all the stages of this long journey, at last the plane took
off from Bologna in the direction of Lamezia Terme and on board there were three Lay Canossians and a
Canossian Sister. The dream was becoming a reality!
Thus we reached Moccone, a village on the hills of Sila, with our suitcase full with the desire of meeting
people and sharing our faith and passion for the Canossian charism.
The warm welcome of the Canossian Sisters and friends from the South opened our hearts; the fervent
and wise words of Fr. Antonio Papa guided the re-reading of our life.
“This experience touched the depths of my being, gave light to my thoughts and became a source
of deepening of my faith, widened my horizons and gave me hope in a style of faith no longer unconscious
but aware and abandoned in God.
These were three days of challenge and evaluation, a true key of reading my life of faith in a trustful
surrender to my GOD who speaks to the heart even through unexpected and, sometimes disturbing, calls
just as He did with our Fathers in the faith.
I can say that in this land of mine, full of stones, God had cleared a small corner where He sowed a small
seed; now He asks me to take care of it, witnessing with the simple life of every day the immense GIFT of a
FAITH that is open to the initiative of a GOD WHO REVEALS HIMSELF.
The atmosphere of these days was characterized by a numerous participation of Lay Canossians coming
from the different parts of Italy; it was lived in joy, sharing and fraternity. Together we found hope
through the reflections of Fr. Antonio who conveyed to us a style of faith that is trust in the real presence
of God who guides every step of our journey in life. For this wonderful experience, from the depths of my
heart, I say THANK YOU!”
These days of sharing confirm for us the importance of starting the journey in order to meet
together: to see a face is much more than listening to a word, a spoken word is much more than a digital
message. Meeting together dispels fear and prejudice and re-launches the trust that the threads of
communion, which unite us, are deeper than many misunderstandings and bureaucratic relationships.
The Canossian charism, in its lay expression, is alive in all the regions of our beautiful Italy. The courage of
initiatives, like that which we experience, lights up the fire of charity which must characterize us so that we
may serve the brothers and sisters entrusted to us.
Our return by train allowed us to experience the fatigue of a journey that our friends from the South must
often undertake in order to meet us. When will we meet again?
( Ada, Lidia, Ketty, Sr. Daniela )
Our dear Mother, St. Magdalene, recommended very much the practice of the Spiritual Exercises
for the Tertiaries.
It is important for everyone who lives his/her spirituality to set apart, in his/her diary, a time dedicated to
prayer, reflection, personal evaluation, and also a time of sharing one’s experience with others that
Page 21 of 24
NO.23/2012
strengthens the bond with those who share the Canossian charism. From 17th to 22nd July the Spiritual
Exercises were held in Moccone. The theme was: The difficulty of faith. We were many coming from
Mantua, Rome, Foggia, Fasano, Reggio Calabria, Rogliano and more than one group from Sicily. Some
Sisters and two Canossian Fathers were with us. One can presume how special it was to live such an
experience simply because of the richness and variety of the participants.
Fr. Antonio Papa was the guide of these days with his simple and calm style. By referring to
numerous stories grounded on his personal experiences, he made his reflections interesting and involving.
We journeyed through the faith of Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Anna, the apostles and the first Christians.
Their journey was a difficult one in which it was never totally clear what God planned for their lives. They
believed against every adversity in what was invisible; often they experienced defeat or fatigue or the
incapacity to understand, but they never lost their compass.
Then certain extracts from the writings of Magdalene reminded us of how many trials, how much
total darkness, accompanied our Saint before she became such!
Her presence in our faith is a source of encouragement in facing the impotence of our limits and external
difficulties, being coordinates along our journey that she left us as a precious inheritance.
Our reflection could not but end with the faith of Mary which was so strong that she could receive
from her Crucified Son that GREATEST LOVE so as to give it to us, the Church.
The final proposal, as a conclusion to the experience, was that of winding back the film of all the events of
our lives into a thread of faith so that our life story is a dynamic story of love.
In an atmosphere of recollection and prayer, the faith experience of each one intertwined together and,
through sharing and mutual listening, we wrote the story of each one as a unique great story made of faith
that is sought after, suffered and hoped for.
I brought home with me the memory of smiles and tears on the faces of dear friends and in my
heart I will always carry the image of that broken bread among the stones and the flowers which were
brought to the Altar that represented our difficulty in believing.
I thank everyone with love, Maria Pia.
Page 22 of 24
NO.23/2012
TIME FOR FORMATION
YEAR OF FAITH
On 2nd October 2013 – the 25th Anniversary of the St. Magdalene’s Canonization – we propose a
typically Canossian gesture to highlight the Year of Faith, as a special moment for our Association.
We invite all the local groups throughout the world to prepare a simple celebration to take place
before 24th November, the concluding date of the Year of Faith. The International Coordinating
Team will meet on 22nd September and will send you a simple suggestion.
BOOK OF PRAYER ALC
We remind you – as mentioned in the Circular Letter n.13/May 2012 – to send your contributions
for this book of prayer, as asked by many of you.
CHARISMATIC FORMATION
In communion with the Lay Canossian Family, it has been decided to establish,
on a formation basis, an annual charismatic month. September is the month
dedicated to this aspect , in which will include formation that will focus on
the life of Magdalene. This year we thought we'd point out some qualities
of Magdalene’s faith taken from the lecture done by Father Gianluigi
Andolfo, held in Verona, Italy, on the Day of Vocations 2013, paralleling
the points highlighted by Father Gianluigi to the recent encyclical of
Pope Francis “Lumen Fidei”.
XVI GENERAL CHAPTER OF THE CANOSSIAN SISTERS
From 24th April to 24th May, the General Chapter of the Canossian Sisters will take place in Rome.
We are all invited to support this important event with the following prayer:
Page 23 of 24
NO.23/2012
PRAYER FOR THE GENERAL CHAPTER OF THE
DAUGHTERS OF CHARITY,
SERVANTS OF THE POOR
24TH APRIL - 24TH MAY 2014
Mary, Mother of Charity at the foot of the Cross,
Model of faith and humble love,
we turn to You with confidence.
We ask You to intercede
constant docility to the Spirit
and dynamic fidelity to the charism of love
for our Canossian Sisters.
May they rediscover more deeply their identity
as Daughters of Charity, Servants of the Poor,
and know how to witness it to their brothers and sisters,
as an expression of the “Greatest Love”.
We also ask you to make them ready
to accept with gratitude
the challenges of a renewed Canossian life.
Mary, Mother of Love at the foot of the Cross,
pray for us.
Amen.
Page 24 of 24

OUR LADY OF SORROWS

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