My very dear Team Members,
The experience of being able to share with so many couples and priests within the Movement means that my gratitude to God and to the Church has been converted into continuous praise and recognition of the Lord’s action in the hearts and spirits of His people.
The path to holiness that we are called to, in the midst of daily life and ordinary activity, leads us to look at what the present moment offers and, by allowing the Word to enlighten us, we can offer some fruits from our discernment and our actions as believers.
For me, being able to participate in a meeting of the ERI becomes a heaven-sent occasion to recognise the signs of God’s mercy throughout the world. Sharing a few days with the couples, who animate and run the Movement, who liaise between the different zones, who coordinate teams for reflection, study and the production of literature, who welcome and who disseminate the abundant material that is produced within the Teams, in short, who are fraternally attentive to the work of each one, leads me to thank God continually for the gift of being part of the Movement. This belonging makes me more and more of a person-in-the-world.
Knowing the joys and sorrows, the hardships and pains, the accomplishments, the commitments, the difficulties and the testimonies of so many people in so many and varied places, can only lead me to keep my commitment alive.
At this specific moment in our contemporary history, we cannot isolate ourselves from the pain of so many suffering brothers and sisters: on the one hand, the victims of violence and injustice born out of men’s ambition; on the other hand, the victims of natural disasters (floods, hurricanes, catastrophes, fires …); in addition, various situations of difficulty or conflict in which people find themselves, those who yearn for a word of consolation or a gesture of solidarity. All over the planet, our fellow human beings long for mercy and compassion.
Being part of the Teams of Our Lady should lead us to commit ourselves seriously to the needs and necessities that awaken our solidarity. It is necessary that each of us, as baptised people and as members of the Movement, feel the commitment that faith ignites and encourages, and that the Lord requires and asks of us.
We cannot be happy with a spiritual path that just brings us closer to those closest to us. Instead, it is necessary that we truly GO OUT fearlessly to serve and to feel solidarity with the various different kinds of suffering that accompany our brothers and sisters on earth. Each of us must feel what it implies and means to be a disciple of Jesus.
Therefore, let us ask the Lord to always awaken and maintain our sensitivity to pain and our enduring and effective solidarity with those in need.
P. Ricardo Londoño Domínguez,
Conseiller Spirituel de l’ERI
→ Lire le Courrier de l’ERI
Par Thérèse & Antoine LECLERC
