Be attentive to the revelations of the Spirit
A “Mini-Assembly”: This is the title that someone – jokingly – gave to the meeting that began today, Wednesday September 12, at the Mariapolis Center of Castelgandolfo. It is usually during this period that the representatives of the Movement from all the 22 geographical areas come to Italy to meet with the General Council present in the international Center of the Focolare Movement. The novelty this year is that, for the first time, the delegates of the Movement are accompanied by some members of their zone council.
On the whole around 350 people of the various branches and vocations are arriving: youth, religious men and women, married persons, priests, leaders of local communities, focolarini. In order to encourage a real communion among the participants it was decided to have two meetings: from September 12 to 23 for all those coming from Asia, Latin America, North America and Oceania. From October 3 to 14 it will be the turn of Africa, the Middle East and Europe. In between these two there will be a week reserved only for the Delegates in a zone.
The programme – prepared several months before by an international commission – will be pretty much the same for the two meetings: in the first week there will be the deepening of the theme that will guide the Movement during 2018/19: «The Holy Spirit, soul of the Church». Faced with the dramatic situation that the Catholic Church is experiencing today, this theme is surprisingly very timely. Ample time will also be given to local events. A special topic will be that of ecumenism.
During the second week some priority objectives of the Movement will be tackled: the “new sowing”, the young generations and the incarnation of the Charism of Unity above all through the mass movements. A morning will be dedicated to deepening “Pathways for a United World”, launched at the Genfest in Manila.
The afternoons during both meetings will be dedicated to group meetings by geographical areas with the President and the Co-president and the different centers of the Aspects, branches and dialogues.
The spiritual “Tone” for this meeting was given by Emmaus at the last meeting of the General Council, last September 4. She referred to a passage from Scripture wherein the apostle Paul said that only the Spirit knows the “secrets of God” (1Cor 2, 11). The last secret that God revealed to Chiara and to all of us – Emmaus explained – is Jesus Forsaken. She commented: “This year in which we remember the Holy Spirit, in a special way, must also be the year of a greater love for Jesus Forsaken, of a greater faithfulness to Jesus Forsaken, so that He may also make us discover the secrets of God. If last year with Mary we waited for surprises, and they were not lacking, this year we will await the ‘revelations’ of that which is the secret of God, which he has already revealed to us , what is contained in this secret”.
Joachim Schwind
Photos © C. Mendes – CSC Audiovisivi
