LAY MSC NEWSLETTER
February 2017
May the Sacred Heart of Jesus
be everywhere loved
INDEX
Page 1 From the Director Fr Jim Littleton MSC
Page 2 Diversity – Bernadette Phillips
Page 3 Build Bridges of Understanding – Pope Francis
Page 4 Shifting Values – Fr John Mulrooney msc Provincial
Page 4-5 Report from Lay & Professed Council – Fred Stubenrauch
Page 6 Parish Leader’s Gathering September 2017
Page 7 Reminders
From the Director
Greetings to you all in this New Year of 2017. I hope to visit most groups during the course of the year. For your reflection on this occasion I include another commentary on Heart Spirituality from Hans Kwakman MSC in Issoudun entitled: “A Passion for Jesus and a Passion for his people.”
Central to the vision of both Pope Francis and Fr. Chevalier is their
Understanding of ‘mission’ or, the word often used by recent Popes,
‘evangelization’. Along with Fr. Chevalier, Pope Francis emphasizes
that all Christians are called to take part in Jesus’ mission in the world.
For both of them, ‘mission’ or ‘evangelization’ has to play a vital role
In the church and in the life of every Christian.
The Pope describes ‘mission’ as “at once a passion for Jesus and a passion
for his people” (Evangelii Gaudium m. 268). In section 8 of this course,
we already spoke about Fr. Chevalier’s great passion for Jesus Christ. In all
his writings, he presented Jesus Christ as the model of our life and mission in
church and society. He invites us to look attentively at Jesus in his public life,
so that we may follow him in his mission. What do we see? ‘We see his Heart
pour itself out on every short of misfortune, on every sort of misery, moral and
physical. All the kindness that Jesus sowed along his path, all the miracles he
worked are so many outpourings of ineffable goodness of his heart”
(Le Sacre Coeur 1900, p. 9). In the same book, Chevalier elaborates the
meaning of this “ineffable goodness” of Jesus by declaring: “Goodness is gratuitous love.”
Quoting Fr. Lacordaire OP, a famous preacher of his day, he states:
“He is good who loves for the sole happiness that he finds in loving”.
Pope Francis sees this as the purest motivation for evangelization. He writes:
“Only the person who feels happiness in seeking the good of others, in desiring
their happiness, can be a missionary. This openness of the heart is a source of joy, since “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). And the Pope
points to the many people who are “missionaries” just by the way they carry out
their daily commitments: “All around us we begin to see nurses with soul, teachers with soul, politicians with soul, people who have chosen deep down to be with others and for others” (Evangelii Gaudium n. 272-273). And, we may add that all around
us we also meet parents and children with soul priests, religious and all kind of workers with soul. These are the people, the Pope says, who live with “a heart attentive to others´ (Evangelii Gaudium n. 282). They are the people who “generously give’ of themselves (Evangelii Gaudium n.274). In chapter 5 of Evangelii Gaudium, the Pope calls them several times “Spirit-filled Evangelizers”.
Meantime the Lay and Professed MSC Council in continuing to respond to the desire of many people to receive more formation in a spirituality of the Heat. Fred Stubenrough has more details about this in another section of this Newsletter.
God’s blessings to all of you. Jim Littleton MSC Pg 1
Diversity
Bernadette Phillips
Clouds in the sky have different shades
They glow in lights, either dim or fade!
Suddenly new ones come and cloak the air,
To renew our visions and make things fair!
Rainbows are born among the light and rain
To soothe the viewer’s eyes and remove all pain!
Life bathes in motion to plant the new seeds,
and waits for creatures with creative deeds!
This goes on and on since the ancient days,
and people just flock, like bright sun rays!
We know, colour or creed works as a dam
to promote any progress, or create a jam!
No one gains through the screeching halt,
cause faith is taken with a grain of salt!
But removal of notions may clear the way,
and build the bridge that will never sway!
So, let us all now blend our ethnic voice,
to kill any prejudice, or colour of choice!
Progress via Diversity; let it be the key –
around the globe, from heaven to sea!!!!
On a personal note I hope the year has started well for you. Just an update on my elderly mother Dot who turns 94 early April. Last year she had a few trips to hospital for treatment of her ulcerated lower leg and other minor issues. Poor circulation is her main problem and the doctors and nurses at POW Hospital did everything possible for her. She returned to her home for Christmas and joined in our family celebration. The plan was to return to hospital for a skin graft but unfortunately due to the condition of her ulcers it will not proceed….It would be a painful procedure with an outcome that may not be beneficial if the graft failed. So mum has accepted her limitations and is otherwise healthy, happy, alert and enjoying good care and company at Kildare at Maroubra Junction. For some months the shopping trips were on hold due to mum’s health & mobility issues but this week the laps of the local shopping centre resumed. It was quite an effort for mum, as well as my sister, who accompanied her. Maree has the patience of a saint and mum has the determination and will to “soldier on”. Mum said she needed a lipstick and a few other important items from the shops!!! Life is for living no matter what age you.
Mum’s girlfriend Doreen will be 102 soon and she, like mum, enjoys good care and has a positive outlook. She is not a shopper preferring a wine and a cheese platter every afternoon at happy hour! For me life is full, with p/t work, babysitting & enjoying grandchildren, a busy social life and being there for mum. I plan to retire later in the year soon after the Provincial changeover.
Best wishes to all for a healthy and happy 2017. B x
Pg 2
Words from Pope Francis Feb 2017
BUILD BRIDGES OF UNDERSTANDING
Pope Francis repeated his appeal for people to build bridges of understanding, not walls as he marked a feast day of a Sudanese immigrant amid a global uproar over the Trump administration's attempts to impose a travel ban on seven mostly Muslim countries.
The pope didn't refer to President Donald Trump in his comments. But at the end of his audience, he noted that Wednesday marked both the church's day of reflection for young victims of human trafficking and coincidentally the feast day of St. Josephine Bakhita.
She was a 19th-century Sudanese slave who, after migrating to Europe, became a nun. Sudan is one of the seven countries on the U.S. travel ban list.
"In the social and civil context as well, I appeal not to create walls but to build bridges," he said. "To not respond to evil with evil. To defeat evil with good, the offence with forgiveness. A Christian would never say 'you will pay for that.' Never.
"That is not a Christian gesture. An offence you overcome with forgiveness. To live in peace with everyone."
Francis made the reference during his weekly Wednesday catechism lesson, dedicated to the general Christian precepts of hope and forgiveness in forging peace.
Francis has frequently invoked the "bridge not walls" appeal in urging countries to welcome migrants, including when he returned from a visit last year to the U.S.-Mexico border. On that occasion, he was asked about Donald Trump's campaign pledge to build a border wall and said anyone who wants to build a wall is "not Christian."
The Vatican has in recent weeks come out strongly and directly to criticize the Trump immigration policy, with a senior official saying the Vatican was indeed concerned and the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, saying the recourse to walls and travel bans was against U.S. economic interests.
In his remarks Wednesday, Francis also appealed for prayers for members of Myanmar's Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority, who face official and social discrimination in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, also known as Burma.
"These are good people, peaceful people," Francis said. "They're not Christians, but they're good, our brothers and sisters. And they have been suffering for years. They've been tortured and killed, simply because they are continuing their traditions, their Muslim faith. Let us pray for them," he said.
Most of the estimated 1 million Rohingya do not have citizenship and are regarded as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, even when their families have lived in Myanmar for generations. Communal violence in 2012 forced many to flee their homes, and more than 100,000 still live in squalid refugee camps.
Pg 3
FR JOHN MULROONEY, PROVINCIAL
SHIFTING VALUES….(extract from Fr John’s recent Provincial Newsletter to all MSC)
I think we will have all noticed a real shift in values particularly in the western world during the last couple of years. There is a growing self- centeredness coupled with a ‘look after #1 first’ attitude. We see leaders touching in on people’s fears, pitting one group against another group; demonising those from other faiths and religions and even talk of “building walls”. One would think we had learnt a lot from the experience of the Berlin wall or the division of Vietnam in 1954 or the walls that have been built in Israel.
In Australia we have seen our overseas aid budget slashed to its bare bones. We are a wealthy country but seem to have lost some of the notion of looking after those less fortunate than ourselves. (Even the recent decision of the Australian Govt to cut the short wave radio reception to hundreds of thousands of people in the Pacific region who rely on it for disaster warnings and all kinds of related information – designed to save a few dollars!)
Of course there are leaders in the world who speak and act out of different values to those above - values of inclusion, justice, fairness, respect, welcome and love.
I hope we are able to take some time in reflection on what is happening in the light of the Gospel we live; in light of the heart of Jesus and all we find dwelling within him and ourselves and in light of the Gospel we preach by our words and lives every day.
Report from the Lay and Professed Council - Fred Stubenrauch
Chapter
Alison McKenzie and I presented to the Province Chapter a report about the gathering of lay people held in June last year.
The report was well received and the Chapter reaffirmed the commitment of professed MSC to the ongoing support and formation for lay people.
A small committee has met to plan what form this support should have and how it may be delivered. The Province has generously offered support for the gathering of this information.
We are planning to develop a survey that will go out to people in the various ministries. The results, we hope, will guide the development of appropriate resources. These may be in the way of on-line publications and/or face-to-face sessions.
Pg 4
Two professionals well experienced in developing surveys will be assisting us. These two people are Janeen Lamb and Helga Neihart.
If you would like to be involved in completing a survey or just in providing your comments then please contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
International Gathering
In July this year the next International gathering of lay MSC will be held in Brazil. There will be people from every MSC province in the world. The theme of the conference is “Our Mission: A spirituality without borders”. We (Alison McKenzie and I) have been asked to present a paper “Fr Chevalier’s Vision: a mission without borders”.
We haven’t finalised just what we will present and any contributions will be welcome!!!!
Nick Harnan
Earlier this month I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a retreat given by Nick Harnan MSC from the Irish Province. I think details of the retreat were sent to everyone last year. Nick worked for many years at Cor Novum in Issoudun. Nick’s presentation was very enlightening . He presented understanding of Spirituality of the Heart from a psychological view point. There were many highlights but one that struck me is that we all need to find a way to put aside our ‘ego’ selves to find our inner heart and allow it to guide our thoughts and actions.
In a recent note I sent to a few people I presented a puzzle. See if you can solve it! The award for most creative so far goes to Paul Compton but I won’t spoil it by giving you his answer.
The puzzle is what does TBOETHOG stand for?
Best wishes and every blessing to all.
Pg 5
Parish Leaders Gathering
St Mary’s Towers, Douglas Park
Friday evening 15th Sept 2017– Sunday afternoon 17th Sept
Gathering time – 6.00 pm Friday
Departure – 1.00pm Sunday
‘ The parish is where the Church lives. Parishes are communities of faith, of action, and of hope. They are where the gospel is proclaimed and celebrated, where believers are formed and sent to renew the earth. Parishes are the home of the Christian community; they are the heart of our Church’
National Conference of Catholic Bishops – USA
You are invited to a weekend of prayer and reflection, with a focus on Heart Spirituality as a way to transform our own lives
and the lives of others.
Contact: Alison McKenzie Fred Stubenrauch
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REMINDER
The annual donation of $10 per address is much appreciated.
Please forward
TO: Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
Fr Jim Littleton msc
PO Box 84 DICKSON ACT 2602
If you have not already done so.
To save expense, receipts are not issued unless requested.
Fr Jim Littleton MSC
National Director, Lay MSC Lay MSC Newsletter
Daramalan College Bernadette Phillips, Editor
PO Box 84 Treand House
DICKSON ACT 2602 PO Box 252
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