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The
Holy Spirit is alive and well!
The same Spirit
that inspired Blessed William Joseph Chaminade, Venerable Ade le de Batz de Trenquellion and Venerable Marie-Therese
Charlotte de Lamourous was working hard at the Synod on The Word of God in
the Life and Mission of the Church that ran from October 5 through 26, 2008
at the Vatican.
It is now up to Pope Benedict XVI to accept the Propositions put forth by
the Synod's delegates that included 180 bishops, 24 members of the Roman
Curia, 10 heads of religious orders, and 32 clerics appointed by the pope.
Judging by the Synod's Propositions, the work we have undertaken as
Marianists has been affirmed. The complete list of propositions can be
found at http://ncrcafe.org/node/2228 but
here are some excerpts:
Proposition 17: Ministry of the Word and
women
- The synod fathers recognize and encourage the
service of the laity in the transmission of the faith.
Proposition 21: Word of God and small
communities
- The synod recommends the formation of small
ecclesial communities where the Word of God is heard, studied and
prayed over . . . [S]mall communities meet regularly around the Word
of God, in order to share it among themselves, and they draw strength
from it.
- The service of the laity who guide these
communities must be esteemed and promoted, because they render a
missionary service to which all the baptized are called.
Proposition 22: Word of God and prayerful
reading
- Care should be taken so that the prayerful
reading of the Scriptures, above all in community, end in a commitment
to charity.
Proposition 34: Biblical animation and
youth
- The younger generations should be welcomed, heard
and accompanied with love by the Christian community . . .
Proposition 38: The missionary duty of
all the baptized
- Laity are called to rediscover the responsibility
to exercise their prophetic duty, which derives directly from their
baptism, of testifying to the Gospel in their daily life; at home, at
work, and wherever they find themselves.
- It's necessary, moreover, to open itineraries of
Christian formation in which "through listening to the Word,
celebration of the Eucharist and fraternal love lived in
community" an ever more adult faith can be developed.
Proposition 39: The Word of God and
commitment in the world
- The Word of God, . . . sustains the
identification of the "signs of the times" present in
history; it impels believers to commit themselves on behalf of those
who suffer and who are victims of injustices. The struggle for justice
and transformation is constitutive of evangelization.
Proposition 55: Mary, Mater Dei and Mater
fidei
- The synod, which intends above all to renew the
faith of the church in the Word of God, looks to Mary, the Virgin
Mother of the Incarnate Word, who with her "yes" to the Word
of the Covenant and its mission, perfectly fulfills the divine
vocation of humanity.
The Synod has confirmed our Marianist "Yes" as a "Yes"
to the entire Church from the Holy Spirit.
peace and love,
aj
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