Biblical pastoral itinerary sexennial

Transcription

1 Biblical pastoral itinerary sexennial Dear Sisters, with this Leaflet of Lectio divina for Lent: COMPASSION calls forth EXODUS and CONVERSION, we begin our biblical pastoral itinerary which will engage the whole Congregation, as announced in my letter published in the CTN of December 2011 and in the Orientations for the Programmation of the Sexennial With the three foundational steps outlined by our Founder, familiar to all of us: listening to the Word Truth, in dialogue and confrontation with the Word Way, in prayer and contemplation of the Word Life, in this first triennial ( ), together we shall deepen the compassion of Jesus the Good Shepherd who lays down his life (cf. Objective of the 8GC) and we shall do this from the perspective of Conversion. In every leaflet of the LD, the first part, Truth, will always contain two readings: the first from the OT and the second from the NT. In the second part, Way, we will consider the LD from the perspective of exodus and conversion, so as to be challenged, even communally, by the Word which will be enhanced by patristic commentaries. Finally in the third part Life, using the icon of the Crucified and Risen Jesus Good Shepherd, of the mosaic in the Chapel of the new generalate house, in order to enter more decidedly together in the compassion of Christ Shepherd, DOOR to eternal life. Communities that so wish can also celebrate a communal penitential service, confessing their failings and conclude with a psalm or an appropriate song. In the hope that what has been proposed would be of help in our common journey and can promote conversion at personal, community and pastoral level, we wish each other a heart open to newness of the Spirit, He whom the Father constantly pours in our hearts (cf. Rm 5:5) so that we can serve the Church and humanity of our time with renewed pastoral passion. We wish each other then a fruitful Lenten season for a sincere conversion. Rome, 25 January 2012 Conversion of St Paul Sr Marta Finotelli Superior General

2 The first leaflet of the Lectio Divina Lent 2012 p. 1 The first leaflet of the Lectio Divina 1 Lent 2012 I heard their cry (Ex 3:7) COMPASSION brings about EXODUS and CONVERSION Entrance to the Lectio We open our heart to a prayerful listening of the Word which calls us to CONVERSION. We invoke the mercy of the Trinity: God our Father you have revealed yourself as a God who listens to the cry of the oppressed, you allow your heart to be wounded and personally become involved in the story of the exodus, grant us your womb of compassion, grant us your Spirit that listens to the groan of the world, grant us the heart of your own Son Jesus, pierced by compassion for the lost humanity. We ask you through the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Good Shepherd, and of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Amen. 1 This resource can be used for a personal or communal retreat day; even for more moments of prayer and who wants, it could be utilised with the laity, adapting it according to their needs.

3 The first leaflet of the Lectio Divina Lent 2012 p. 2 LISTENING TO THE WORD ( truth ) A. I have seen the distress of my people and heard their cry A reading from the book of EXODUS (3:1 10) 1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, I will go over and see this strange sight why the bush does not burn up. 4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, Moses! Moses! And Moses said, Here I am. 5 Do not come any closer, God said. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 6 Then he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. 7 The LORD said, I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt. Suggestions for the meditatio The Lord did not only attract the curiosity (attention) of Moses through the burning bush (Ex 3:2 3), but also provided a signal of reciprocity: he led him to understand that he himself is seen. In fact Moses is called by name (twice) and therefore feels well seen, in his uniqueness and is directly engaged in conversation.(ex 3:4 5). Saint Gregory of Nissa comments: «As he spoke, not only with his eyes did he welcome the marvel of the light, but what is most extraordinary of all is that even the hearing was illuminated by the light: in fact the benefit of the light, engaging both of the two senses, blinded the eyes with the splendour of the rays while it illuminated mystically the ear with pure precepts. The voice, which came from the light, commanded Moses not to enter the mountain burdened by the foot wear made of dead skin, but freed of his sandals he could stand and touch the ground that was illuminated by the light.» (La vita di Mosè, a cura di Manlio Simonetti, A. Mondadori Editore, Milano 1984, p. 21). Differently from the idols that have eyes but do not see, and ears and do not hear (Ps 115:5 6), the God of the Bible by his action reveals the sense of the senses: COMPASSION. He is the first one to have an exodus. The verbs in Ex 3:7 are all in first person and underline a strong sense of involvement: I have seen (noticed attentively), I have heard, I know, I have come down. The situation of the oppressed does not leave the God of Israel indifferent, rather it wounds his heart, it moves him to compassion, it provokes him to leave his paradise and come down to earth and from oppression free his people Divine compassion calls forth that unique attitude that we call condescension, a voluntary abasement: a kenotic movement which reaches its depth in the incarnation of the Word. In fact Christ did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness (Phil 2:6 7). Even more: Jesus became, «obedient to death, even death on a cross» (Phil 2:8),he descended even to hell to free us from death and lead us back to God (cf. 1Pt 3:18 19).

4 B. Jesus heard that they had thrown him out... A reading from John 9:35 10:9; on the background of exodus The first leaflet of the Lectio Divina Lent 2012 p. 3 The narrative of Jn 9 presents a dramatic conclusion: the blind now seeing is abused by religious leaders and thrown out (Jn 9:34). But right at this point is the compassion of Jesus manifested, in full harmony with the God of exodus. He hears the cry of the oppressed, gives ear to the groan of the excluded, he who was thrown out because of the truth. The good Shepherd goes to meet the blind who now sees and establishes a personal relationship with him. He challenges him to a new exodus, that of faith (Jn 9:36 37). And declares that he has come to carry out a judgement which reverses the situation: so that those who do not see, see, and those who see, become blind. (Jn 9.39). He said to the Pharisees (and the Pharisee who dwells in us): If you were blind, you would not have any sin; but as you say: we see, your SIN remains» (Jn 9:41). In other words, his compassion calls to conversion. We must make the exodus from darkness (blindness) to light (faith) passing through him, the true door of the sheep, the only door to salvation (Jn 10:1 9): 1«I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the door, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The man who enters by the door is the shepherd of his sheep. 3 The watchman opens the door for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice». 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them. 7 Therefore Jesus said again, I tell you the truth, I am the door for the sheep. 8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.9 I am the door; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. Suggestions for the meditatio The scene of the shepherd who in the morning leads his sheep out of the sheep pen (Jn 10: 3b 4), is a familiar scene in Palestine at the time of Jesus, recalls another leading out that has radically marked the history of Israel: the release from bondage. Christ is the door that gives access to the Father and as such is the way to life (Jn 14:6). Whoever enters through him find salvation and pasture because it leads to the actual sources of life (Rev 7:17). Through him and with his guidance we can effectively move out of the captivity of egoism (personal and collective) and from various forms of slavery, to enter into the land of freedom, the Promised Land. Jesus is the shepherd who is in the position of leading the entire adventure of exodus, implementing both the part of Moses ( leading out from Egypt) and that of Joshua ( leading into the promised land). In fact, after being presented as the door, Jesus says: if one enters through me will be saved; he will come in and go out, and find pasture» (Jn 10:9). St. Augustine comments: He will come in and go out and find pasture. We enter when we quieten ourselves down to think, we go out when we begin to do something. And since by faith Christ dwells in our hearts, to enter through Christ means thinking in the light of faith, leaving or moving out through Christ means acting before others guided by faith (Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, sermon 45). As Yahweh released the people from Egypt by walking ahead of them (Dt 1:30; Ps 68.8), so the Good Shepherd Jesus leads out his sheep by walking ahead of them. He leads his flock by example, with the gift of self. Anyone who believes in Jesus follows the same path of Love: the Shepherd walks ahead and the sheep follow him. John orients the believer towards the final exodus that Jesus accomplishes in his death and resurrection, the supreme expression of divine COMPASSION.

5 The first leaflet of the Lectio Divina Lent 2012 p. 4 IN DIALOGUE AND IN COMPARISON WITH THE WORD ( Way ) Within the history of liberation, Israel experience God as shepherd becomes a paradigm: that is the exodus from Egypt. This experience of exodus is rooted in the COMPASSION of God who HEARS the cry of his people and descends from his heaven: he lowers himself and becomes personally involved in order to lead us out of our slavery. Compassion has its roots in empathetic listening. If God has heard the cry of Israel in Egypt, then Israel (the Church) must learn to listen: Listen Israel... (Dt 6:4); My sheep listen to my voice (Jn 10:26). But how do we listen to God, listen the voice of the Shepherd? The compassionate God speaks to us in many ways: in the Bible and in creation, in the dramatic events of history, the cry (often tacit) of the people we meet. Listening to others and their pain calls us to exodus from ourselves, to open ourselves, to welcome, to move towards encountering the other. The parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10) clearly indicates this exodus movement. The teaching of Jesus overturns the perspective of the law: neighbour is not simply one that is close to ties of kinship, race, culture or religion. Jesus offers an opposite movement which begins with God himself who in Christ became our neighbour and gives us the grace to enable us to be neighbour to our brothers. Then we too can take care of the need of the other (whoever he/she is). The other becomes neighbour when his/her need wounds our hearts, when COMPASSION leads us to take care of him or her. In the measure that we allow ourselves to be wounded by the needs of our brothers and sisters, we will find the courage to open the doors of the heart (and of our homes), we will find the strength to go beyond ourselves, our safety and comfort, in a true dynamic of personal and pastoral CONVERSION. Jesus the good Shepherd goes to meet him who has been thrown out Comparing our life with that of Jesus we can ask ourselves: in our lives, how do welcome those who are thrown out in a thousand different ways? As Pastorelle what is our position when such situations are lived out in our own local communities? Do we allow ourselves to be challenged by the outspoken truth of those who experience the mercy of the Lord (formerly blind who now have sight) and dispose ourselves to conversion? or do we prefer to reaffirm our principles and our religious traditions, without being concerned to change? Are we able to welcome the marginalized, those who for various reasons are thrown out from social and religious environments? Perhaps are we too responsible for marginalising, throwing out? Saint Augustine observes: There are many men who, according to a certain ideal of life, are seen as good and honest, women who are virtuous and blameless; observant of all that the law prescribes: they respect their parents, are not adulterers, they do not kill, they do not steal, they do not to testify falsely against anybody, and seem to observe all other precepts, but are not Christians; they often brag like the Pharisees: Are we blind also? [ ] No one can have a real and sure hope to live eternally, if he/ she does not recognize the life that is Christ, and does not enter through the door of the sheepfold [ ] Let us then enter through the door, which the Lord explained to be himself, we enter to reach the goal which he has presented for us... (Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, sermon 45). In the Alberionian perspective of cor poenitens tenete create a moment for a community celebration of CONFESSION of our faults (stubbornness, self centredness, fears...) expressing our desire for conversion with an appropriate Psalm or Hymn.

6 The first leaflet of the Lectio Divina Lent 2012 p. 5 IN PRAYER AND IN CONTEMPLATION ( life ) Let us pause to gaze contemplatively the mosaic of the Crucified and Risen good Sheperd by Fr Marko Ivan Rupnik for the chapel of the Generalate House of the SJBP (Rome) 2. The heart of the good Shepherd recoils before the miseries of the most needy, the sick, the dying; administers to all the comforts of religion, the medicines of the soul adapted to the various needs and conditions of life or death 3. Let us humbly ask for the grace to experience the exodus from our apathy and indifference in order to enter resolutely into the compassion of Christ shepherd, the DOOR of eternal life. Lord Jesus, teach us to exodus Grant us to move beyond our self interest through the DOOR of your mercy, of your immense COMPASSION. Help us to move from the focus on our pains, injuries, fears to the ability of listening to others, their wounds, their fears... Grant that we may exodus by following You, in the dynamics of a true personal and pastoral CONVERSION. May we pass through the door of your heart pierced by the compassion for humanity. We may pray the fifth part of the Chaplet of Jesus Good Shepherd: O Jesus Good Shepherd grant us your heart To deepen the theme the following can be consulted: La Spiritualità pastorale delle Suore di Gesù Buon Pastore (Roma 1994), specially pp ) - E. Bosetti, Sandali e Bisaccia, Cittadella Editrice, Assisi 2010, specially pp ; (available also in Korean). Generalate House sjbp January The mosaic will be presented as a whole and with its specific parts by an illustrated booklet on the occasion of the solemnity of Jesus Good Shepherd, IV Sunday of Easter.. 3 PrP I, 1947, p. 92.