Spiritual Retreat for the Provincials of America
Spiritual Retreat for the Provincials of America
Medellin ( Colombia ) The retreat for all the provincials of America has just finished. It was preached by Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga and Mother Yvonne Reungoat was also present.
Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga started his reflections by quoting Psalm 23 and the Gospel of John: «This is a group who are seeking the Lord! FMA seekers of God. At the beginning of the Gospel of John there is a question: who are you seeking? This question is being repeated to us: Who are we seeking? Are we seekers of God?»
The theme of the retreat was “ Renewing the charism in the light of the Synod of the Word and that of Aparecida ”. In his rich opening reflection, the cardinal said, among other things: «The Synod asked: how can we become people of the Word of God in order to pass it on? How can one be a person of the Word? First of all one needs silence, which is a necessary condition for listening to the Word of God». Cardinal Maradiaga gave the example of the prophet Elijah who went up onto the mountain and heard the voice of God in the gentle breeze.
Mother Yvonne spoke to the provincials in the afternoon. In her first encounter she spoke of the mission of the provincial and of the journey towards holiness. «Our mission is fundamental and we must assume it as a journey of lived holiness. Holiness is an everyday life plan. Holiness is a gift from God and an apostolic need. In GC XXII we said that holiness is an encounter with a living person that becomes an encounter with those with whom we live. We said that we want to live starting from Him and that we want Him to convert us to love. The path to holiness is not easy, but it is possible. It requires total confidence, abandonment and unconditional faith. We reach this by diverse paths because every stage of the spiritual life has its own needs and characteristics, because of the circumstances of life. This is a time of a call to more robust and deep faith, a faith that never ceases to grow because it is a constantly renewed gift. During the General Chapter we felt a call to love of God that urges us to go further.». The retreat continued in an atmosphere of silence and deep reflection.
The final day, 24 th , the day on which the missions were celebrated, was lived in a missionary spirit, especially during the celebration of the Eucharist.
Mother Yvonne spoke for one last time to the provincials, saying: «The Aparecida document sees consecrated life especially, as witness in pastoral relationships, through its presence in places of poverty, of risk, in frontier areas. It also highlights the shadow areas. The contribution of consecrated life reappears when it speaks of participation in ecumenical organisations and the contribution it brings to the organic formation plan of the diocese through its witness to ‘a radical following of Christ'. Priests and religious are needed who do not loose their awareness of being disciples of communion. We are called to live a strongly mystic experience, rooted in passion for God, that leads us to make space in our lives for others. The mystical and prophetic vocation of consecrated life is especially emphasised by today's sensitivity. Only remaining in the Cenacle can allow one to become recollected, to interiorise in order to bring the Spirit of Jesus to our Sisters, to say that simple, discrete word that is born and written in the heart of the one who listens, in order to create communion and to discover new places of mission».
On the evening of 24th, Mother Yvonne, the Cardinal and all the provincials assisted at the homage offered by the pupils of the St. Maria Mazzarello College, Medellin .