Lent 2016 - Superior General's Letter Vincentian Family

8/20/2019 Lent 2016 - Superior General's Letter Vincentian Family

1/40

LENT 2016

SUPERIOR GENERAL G. GREGORY GAY, C.M.


2/40

LENT 2016

A STORYphoto: Wilfredo Rodriguez via Wikimedia Commons

LENT:

A TIME FORFASTING


3/40

During my visit to

Venezuela…people spokeabout the country’s

social andeconomic crisisand its impact on

everyday life.

People line up to buy toilet paper

and baby diapers in downtown

Caracas.REUTERS/Jorge Silva


4/40

People have to

wait in long lines to buy basicitems like bread,

milk, rice, beans,soap, toothpaste,

paper products,medicine…People line up to buy food at a

supermarket in San Cristobal,

Venezuela.REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins


5/40

Waiting for hours,

however, providesno guarantee…(if they run out of

bread, you have to wait until thefollowingweek…)

public domain: Wikipedia

Shoppers waiting in line at a

government-run Mercal store.


6/40

People have to

wait in long linesat bus stations, toobtain travel

visas, and again they have to wait

in even longerlines at airports.

Associated Press


7/40

At the same time,however, peoplehave spoken aboutpositive effects of

this crisis, pointingout the fact that thebonds of solidarity

have beenstrengthened.

photos: YouTube/Samuel Manrique Díaz


8/40

One of our confreresstated that thepresent situation hasled them to adopt asimpler lifestyle andhas brought thecommunity closer to

the reality of thepoor.

photo: YouTube/Samuel Manrique Díaz


9/40

This situation can be viewed as a movementfrom the cross to the

resurrection (from the crisis, to

solidarity with thosewho are poor).

photo: YouTube/Samuel Manrique Díaz


10/40

A JESUS STORYphoto: freebibleimages.org

http://freebibleimages.org/http://freebibleimages.org/


11/40

Jesus mingledamong the peoplewho formed thelong lines ofoutcasts, waitingand hoping toparticipate asactive members

of society.

photo: freebibleimages.org



12/40


13/40

Jesus extendedunconditional forgiveness to sinners, seventy timesseven (Matthew 18:22)and exhorted his followers

to be as compassionate toward their brothers andsisters as God was

compassionate toward them (Luke 6:36).




14/40

As a result of the Incarnation, Jesus today can be foundin all those long lines that are found in countless cities throughout the world, long lines of men and womenwho cry out every hour of every day, demanding to be

included as equal members of society.

Christ of the Breadlines (detail) by Fritz Eichenberg


15/40

And the Word became fleshand made his dwellingamong us (John 1:14).

God, all loving, all merciful,all compassionate, never

abandoned humankind.

In times past, God spoke inpartial and various ways to

our ancestors through theprophets; in these last days,he spoke to us through ason (Hebrews 1:1-2).




16/40

A NEW STORY


17/40

Yes, Lent is a time for fasting,but during this Year of Mercyour fasting must take on anew form… personal andcommunity conversion…our fasting should mean that

we can never be accused ofpassivity, indulgence orculpable complicityregarding the intolerable

situations of injustice and thepolitical regimes whichprolong them (EvangeliiGaudium, #194).photo: Daughters of Charity IPS


18/40

Our fasting must penetrate

our very being, must painus to the very depths so that we can hear andunderstand anew the criesof our brothers and sisters. Then, as we listen to thosecries, “let us run to serve

them as if we were running to a fire.” (St. VincentCCD:XI:25)


19/40

But let us remember that aswe establish relationshipswith those on theperipheries, we have tosympathize with them inorder to suffer with them …

we have to … make them[our hearts] sensitive to thesufferings and the miseriesof our neighbor, and ask God

to give us the true spirit ofmercy, which is thecharacteristic spirit of God(St. Vincent CCD XI:308).photo: Vincentian Lay Missionaries USA


20/40

May our fast during thisLenten season give us,members of the VincentianFamily, a new heart, a heartof flesh, a heart that

enables us to establishever stronger bonds withour lords and masters, with the countless men and

women who are forgottenand abandoned throughout the world.

photo: Vincentian Lay Missionaries USA


21/40

May our Lenten fast reflect

that same movement thatour brothers and sisters inVenezuela experience, amovement from the cross(our own situation ofcrisis) to the resurrection(solidarity and greater

identification with thesituation of those who arepoor).

photo: Vincentian Family in Venezuela, cmglobal.org

http://cmglobal.org/http://cmglobal.org/


22/40

A STORY

LENT:

A TIME FORPRAYER


23/40

Last month, on theFeast of the Epiphany,I traveled to NotreDame de Prime-Combe, a shrine thatis administered by the confreres from

the Province of Toulouse and by awell-prepared laypastoral team.

photo: Google Maps street view

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.8519599,4.0796637,3a,48.1y,45.32h,85.47t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s0p8ZP_NzUTPA657UXubQmw!2e0!6s//geo1.ggpht.com/cbk?panoid=0p8ZP_NzUTPA657UXubQmw&output=thumbnail&cb_client=maps_sv.tactile.gps&thumb=2&w=203&h=100&yaw=52.5&pitch=-7!7i13312!8i6656https://www.google.com/maps/@43.8519599,4.0796637,3a,48.1y,45.32h,85.47t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s0p8ZP_NzUTPA657UXubQmw!2e0!6s//geo1.ggpht.com/cbk?panoid=0p8ZP_NzUTPA657UXubQmw&output=thumbnail&cb_client=maps_sv.tactile.gps&thumb=2&w=203&h=100&yaw=52.5&pitch=-7!7i13312!8i6656


24/40

At one time as manyas 50,000 people

would gather together to celebrate the feast. Today, perhaps 300people come to

commemorate theFeast of Our Lady, buteach Sunday,whenever possible, aconfrere celebrates

the Eucharist there.

photo: catholique-calvisson-sommieres.org

http://catholique-calvisson-sommieres.org/http://catholique-calvisson-sommieres.org/


25/40

I was deeply impressedby the simple faith of the some 50 membersof the congregation who

had gathered there tocelebrate the Eucharist. They were, all of them,60 years of age or older

(no young people werepresent).


26/40

Sharing life with thiscommunity of faith is a

group of Benedictinemonks who, since the1990s, have lived in oneof the buildings on the

grounds of our property. This group of monks,however, is a very specialcommunity. Each memberlives with some handicap.

photo: nimes.catholique.fr

http://nimes.catholique.fr/partenaire/congregation/v_co_pr.php?ID=2http://nimes.catholique.fr/partenaire/congregation/v_co_pr.php?ID=2


27/40

Yet, these men lead their lives in a joyfuland simple mannerand provide thesurroundingcommunity with apowerful example of

the manner in whichwork and prayer canbe interwoven withone another.

photo: Google Maps street view

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.8526392,4.0793575,3a,35.3y,81.09h,96.55t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s4mWiUOkokqXhuWKaKHoAwQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656https://www.google.com/maps/@43.8526392,4.0793575,3a,35.3y,81.09h,96.55t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s4mWiUOkokqXhuWKaKHoAwQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656


28/40

A JESUS STORYphoto: freebibleimages.org



29/40

Jesus often withdrew from the crowds and from hisdisciples in order to spend

some time in prayer. He toldhis followers: pray for thosewho persecute you (Matthew

5:44) and he himself prayed that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and Iin you (John 17:21). We are

all familiar with the accountof Jesus’ anguished prayerin the Garden of Gethsemane(Mark 14:32-42).photo: freebibleimages.org



30/40

At the same time Jesusextolled the humble prayer of

the tax collector: O God, bemerciful to me a sinner, andstated that it was the taxcollector who went home

justified because those whohumble themselves will beexalted (Luke 18:9-14). Jesusalso praised the generous

offering of the poor widowwho went up to Jerusalem topray (Mark 12:43-44).


B f h d d hi ld



31/40

Before he departed this world, Jesus left his followers thelegacy of a prayer that

combines two great desirescentered on God, with threecries of petition centered on theurgent basic needs of humanity.

Jesus tells the Father the twodesires of his heart: hallowed be your name and your kingdomcome. That is followed by the three cries of petition: give usbread, forgive our debts, and donot bring us to the time of trial.*

*José Antonio Pagola, Jesus: An Historical

Approximation, translated: Margaret Wilde,

Convivium Press, Miami, 2014, p. 313-316.photo: freebibleimages.org



32/40

As a result of theIncarnation, Godunderstands our needs,understands that we

are broken andwounded, and in theperson of Jesus all

those realities areraised up to the Father!

The Last Supper by Fritz Eichenberg


33/40

A NEW STORY


34/40

Yes, Lent is a time for prayer,and our prayer…must also takeon a new form during this Year

of Mercy, one that leads topersonal and communityconversion. Without prolongedmoments of adoration, of

prayerful encounter with theword, of sincere conversationwith the Lord, our work easilybecomes meaningless; we lose

energy as a result of wearinessand difficulties, and our fervordies out.

Our Lady of Prime-Combe


35/40

Our prayer and fastinggive meaning to our

ministry/ service andour ministry/ servicegives meaning to our

prayer and fasting.

photo: pixabay.org

http://pixabay.org/http://pixabay.org/


36/40

My hope is that during

these 40 days of Lentwe might take time notonly to listen to the

cries of the poor, notonly to serve andminister on behalf of

the poor, but to praywith the poor.

photo: YouTube: SVDP Atlanta, Home Visit


37/40

…are not all of us like themembers of the Benedictine

community at Notre Dame dePrime-Combe, that is, are wenot in some way broken andin need of healing, in need of

the prayers of others? Therefore, like the monks, our“handicaps” should notprevent us from contributing

to the building up of ourcommunity, the association, the Congregation.

photo: nimes.catholique.fr

http://nimes.catholique.fr/partenaire/congregation/v_co_pr.php?ID=2http://nimes.catholique.fr/partenaire/congregation/v_co_pr.php?ID=2


38/40

Finally, what would it be like to askpeople, as Pope Francis continually

does, please pray for me ?

What would it be like to invite thepoor into our homes to share with

them a time of prayer?

I would encourage you to do thisand then during the Easter Seasonwe could share with one anotherour experience of sharing prayer in

such a manner with our lords andmasters .

photo: Society of St. Vincent de Paul,

Council of Los Angeles


39/40

Your brother in Saint Vincent,

G. Gregory Gay, C.M.

Superior General

May our prayer and fastingenable us to die with Christduring this Lenten Seasonof 2016 so that we mightrise with Christ on Easter

Sunday and sing our songof Alleluia.


40/40

presented by

Documents

Lent 2016 - Superior General's Letter Vincentian Family