Next Thursday, first of the month (October 6), the entire congregation is called to unite in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament to pray together for vocations to priestly and consecrated life.
I send you three short excerpts from Pope Benedict XVI referred to the importance to nurture and share our faith:
"We live in a time characterized by relativism which permeates all life environments. Sometimes, this relativism becomes combative, directed against those who claim to know where to find the truth or the meaning of life.
Notice how this relativism exerts an increasing influence on human relationships. This is manifested in the inconsistency and discontinuity of many people and excessive individualism. Some people seem able to give up anything at all or sacrifice for others (...)
We see that in our rich Western world there are many deficiencies. Many lack the experience of the goodness of God. They don't find a point of contact with the church institutions and traditional structures. (...)
Let me address this point on the specific situation in Germany. The Church is organized optimally. But behind the structures, do we find strength of faith in a living God? We must honestly say that there is a gap between the structures and the Spirit. The real crisis of the Church in the Western world is a crisis of faith. If we do not reach a renewal of faith, any structural reform will be ineffective.
Let's go back to these people who lack the experience of the goodness of God. They need places where they can talk about their inner longing. We are called to seek new ways of evangelization, ways that might be small communities where people live the gift of friendship developing a better understanding of who they are and who they are called to be. In this small communities people can talk easily about their experiences of faith in their jobs and in their families or acquaintances. Thus they are able to witness a rapprochement of the Church to society. To them it is clear that all have need of this food of love, friendship concrete with others and with God. But it's still important to know the relationship of the Eucharist vital, because without Christ we can do nothing (cf. Jn15, 5).
From the Pope's speech to the Committee of German Catholics, September 24, 2011.
Source: Fr. Jesus Diaz Alonso, S.F.
General Superior of the Sons of the Holy Family
(Original in Spanish)
I send you three short excerpts from Pope Benedict XVI referred to the importance to nurture and share our faith:
"We live in a time characterized by relativism which permeates all life environments. Sometimes, this relativism becomes combative, directed against those who claim to know where to find the truth or the meaning of life.
Notice how this relativism exerts an increasing influence on human relationships. This is manifested in the inconsistency and discontinuity of many people and excessive individualism. Some people seem able to give up anything at all or sacrifice for others (...)
We see that in our rich Western world there are many deficiencies. Many lack the experience of the goodness of God. They don't find a point of contact with the church institutions and traditional structures. (...)
Let me address this point on the specific situation in Germany. The Church is organized optimally. But behind the structures, do we find strength of faith in a living God? We must honestly say that there is a gap between the structures and the Spirit. The real crisis of the Church in the Western world is a crisis of faith. If we do not reach a renewal of faith, any structural reform will be ineffective.
Let's go back to these people who lack the experience of the goodness of God. They need places where they can talk about their inner longing. We are called to seek new ways of evangelization, ways that might be small communities where people live the gift of friendship developing a better understanding of who they are and who they are called to be. In this small communities people can talk easily about their experiences of faith in their jobs and in their families or acquaintances. Thus they are able to witness a rapprochement of the Church to society. To them it is clear that all have need of this food of love, friendship concrete with others and with God. But it's still important to know the relationship of the Eucharist vital, because without Christ we can do nothing (cf. Jn15, 5).
From the Pope's speech to the Committee of German Catholics, September 24, 2011.
Source: Fr. Jesus Diaz Alonso, S.F.
General Superior of the Sons of the Holy Family
(Original in Spanish)
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