Oct 14, 2011

Family news - 2011 october 14th

A word from the Superior general
Father Etchecopar wrote...
The aim of Betharramite Charism and its Spirituality
Bangkok - Madrid: 14.000 Km for a special meeting
5 minutes withRoberto Beretta
In memoriam: Br. Henri Cha
The Extraordinary Life of the Sister Marie (9)

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A word of the Superior general

THE CHARISM OF THE BETHARRAMITE FAMILY

From the beginning of the Rule of Life it is obvious that the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus has its source in an experience of the Holy Spirit, a mystical experience. As Vatican II states, consecrated life, as an ecclesiastical reality, does not belong to its hierarchical dimension, but to its life of holiness (LG 43); that is precisely what the word charism means: a gift from God, the gift of the Holy Spirit to his spouse the Church. St Michael was fully aware that he had been chosen by the Holy Spirit to receive such a gift, as witnessed also by Fr Etchecopar. The charism of Betharram is the original form by which, both religious and laity in the footsteps of our father Saint Michael, are invited by the Spirit to live according to the Gospel. The source and secret of this gift and congregation lie in the contemplation of the generous response of the Heart of Jesus, the Incarnate Word offering himself with these words Here I am, Father! Here we can see a double orientation.
- Towards the Father whom he wants to glorify and whom he wants to obey through love in total fidelity to his will for the salvation of mankind.
- Towards mankind whom he wishes to serve through love in a total commitment so that all may have life (Jn 10,10).
The Betharramite vocation, through the life of the religious, consists in reproducing and displaying the generous response of the Heart of Jesus, the Incarnate Word, turned towards his Father and mankind. He is to be made present and visible in todays world in the adoration and obedience which he renders to his Father, his missionary dynamism and his service to mankind saying with him Father, here I am!
Love is the only excuse chosen by the Heart of Christ and which is widely present in this chapter: the reason for his obedience and service.
How you have loved me, my God! For loves sake rather than for any other reason! The secret spring to be discovered is love. It is a dynamic love, a generous reaction to be found in the Heart of Jesus where the Father and Son love each other with an eternal love. It is there that Jesus loved St Michael, that he loves the Betharramites as well as all mankind. Fr Etchecopar had a very good way of describing what the Heart of Jesus was to represent for each one of us: This pierced heart says where we come from, to whom we owe everything and on what foundation we ought to lean to rise ever higher.
This originality of the life of Jesus according to the Gospel to be lived today finds its expression in the four dimensions of our life as consecrated souls,
Spirituality: it is less a question of devotions rather than a way of life, a life led in the Holy Spirit, a way of life founded on an experience of faith by which we know that we are loved by God in the person of Jesus even though we are aware of not deserving it because we are sinners. This experience of an undeserved love gives a new orientation to our lives.
Consecration: this is the result of the new orientation which we have given our lives because by faith we have experienced Gods love; to him who gave his life for us, to whom we are linked by our Baptism, we give the best of ourselves by the three vows of chastity, poverty and obedience which make us participants of the life style which he himself chose (R of L).
Fraternity: Christian love mobilises our entire existence and is evident in our human relations. We were not created simply to live alone, but to get us out of ourselves and give ourselves to others, accepting their gift of self that we might be better. Thats what community life is all about, fraternity according to the Gospel; this is why instead of being sources of division our differences become the source of our unity since we are all united in the Heart of Jesus, our reason for being and acting. It is Evangelical fraternity lived according to the Word of God: As the Father has loved me, I also love you. Remain in my love (John 15,9). This fraternity is built on humility, kindness, obedience and the charity typical of our relations since they are the very virtues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Mission: It is the original feature of the Betharramite mission. Their mission consists in prolonging the offering of the Heart of Jesus, the Word Incarnate, to his Father to do his will for the salvation of souls: reveal to the men and women of today the gentleness and mercy of the loving face of God the Father (R of L). It is not a question of four different lives but the four dimensions of a unique existence of individuals mutually united. Spirituality is the foundation of consecration, fraternity and mission. Consecration is spiritual, brotherly and missionary. Fraternity is the life style of the spiritual life, consecration and mission. The mission is never more successful than when the spiritual, fraternal and missionary life is that of the adult. At the centre of these four dimensions, our lives are unified because they are founded on the generous movement of the Heart of Jesus, the Incarnate Word. This unification of our lives through the love of God shown in his Son, leaves us happy and contented.
Our special mission consists in sharing this joy with others. It can only ever be a question of happiness which, coming from the Heart of the Father, fills the Heart of Jesus and through him, fills the heart of St Michael and all the Betharramites, both religious and laity, so as to visit the hearts of the men and women whom we meet on our way.

Gaspar Fernandez,SCJ

Father Auguste Etchecopar wrote...

To the religious of the residence of Bayonne, November 1876

Let us often call to mind the message addressed to the Congregation by the Holy Father: The dedication of its members doesnt surprise me; the opposite would have surprised me; are they not priests of the Sacred Heart? And the Heart of Jesus is the source of all dedication and love.
Now this dedication is the constant and perfect sacrifice of our interior, of our opinions, our affections and our will so as to model them on the Divine Heart crying out to us: Discite a me quia mitis sum et humilis corde et invenietis requiem animabus vestris. (Learn of me for I am meek and humble of heart and you will find rest for your souls - Mt. 11,28-29).

Testimony

THE AIM OF BETHARRAMITE CHARISM AND ITS SPIRITUALITY

Here is an extract from the reflections of Mario Grugnola, a lay Associate, entitled The Betharram Fathers and the charism of Betharram (an Associates notes).
We are grateful to him for his contribution and even for his collaboration in translating the NEF. We would like to encourage him to continue his reflection, in the hope that other Betharramite Associates will follow his example.

St Michael Garicoits lived his sanctity by contemplating and imitating the Incarnate Word. As he turned towards the Father saying Here I am! our saint was placing himself in the footsteps of the Eccio Venio of our Saviour.
The virtues of charity, humility, gentleness, obedience and devotion are the same ones as he saw incarnate in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Charity means love: Here I am, without delay without reserve and through love are the words of St Michael expressing Gods love, a frequent theme of his meditations and conversations. God even loves the one who doesnt love him, because God cannot but love. At the moment of his incarnation Jesus humbled himself. He was God made man but humbled himself before God: Emptied of self, reduced to nothing, taking no pleasure in his divine nature, renouncing the privileges linked to his divinity, he becomes servant, and worse still victim (Cf Fr Gaspar Jesus humble and obedient Family News, September 2011).
Jesus is obedient. On the Mountain of Olives he prays on his knees, saying to his Father: Not my will but thine.
The Sacred Heart proved his love to his Father by obeying him in all things. St Michael Garicoits says: He consecrated the first act of his freedom to doing the will of the Father and he became obedient even to death on the Cross. All this can be resumed in one word: Here I am!. Obedience to God is the result of the love we have for him.
Devotion is what best recalls the Here I am of St Michael: We are always ready to rush off where ever obedience calls us with a desire for action, with zeal but more especially with love. Should love be lacking in our Here I am devotion becomes an empty exercise. We shall never do enough for God. He has so loved the world that he gave his own Son. A thought like this should inspire us with an unending generosity for his glory and service.
Circumstances often allow us to say Here I am! Yet for some unknown reason we can never say it in our relations with our family and our neighbours, in meetings, in our daily life or at work.
St Michaels Here I am, the Betharramite Here I am should not be imagined for us as announcing our availability. Even before all that, it signals our personal Here I come asking that Jesus should take us by the hand and help us to understand what is involved and to act in consequence. Prayer will do the rest.

Mario Grugnola, lay associate from Garbagnate Milanese

BANGKOK - MADRID: 14.000 Km FOR A SPECIAL MEETING

On August 17-21, Fr Andrew Athit Niyomtham, along with Fr Peter Phairot, led a delegation of young Thai people to the World Youth Day held in Madrid.
Apart from a reflection on the main theme of the WYD, Fr Athit shares the enthusiasm of the new ambassadors of joy.

It was the first time I participated to such a great gathering as the World youth day. I will never forget such an experience in my life. Millions of young people from all over the world came to this event. It really awakened my awareness: do I have a faith as strong as the faith of these youth. I was really impressed!
I would like to share about the theme of world youth day that impressed me. It is the sentence Firm in your faith. These words were in the song of world youth day, in Spanish Fermes en la fe, which we sung very often. This world youth day for me really deepened my spiritual dimension regarding my faith. I could see millions of young people expressing their faith in various ways, such as singing, dancing and meditating. It makes me look back to my personal faith in Christ and challenges me to build up such faith in my religious life. In order to be firm and strong in faith, I need to find Jesus in my life and in others life. When I have seen him I can say as the apostles said to Jesus I know that You are the Christ, the Son of God who have given your life for me. I want to follow you faithfully and to be led by your word.
Finally there are three objects of our faith. The first one is the faith in Christ. The second one is the faith in the Pope, who is the representative of Christ in this world. The last one is our own tradition of faith. So if we hold on these firmly and courageously, I believe that we will not lose our Christian faith. I would like to end my sharing with the words that I heard and I try to report them correctly, that is Ésta es la juventud del Papa. When I came to know the meaning of it, that is: we are the youth of the Pope, I realized that when we relate to the Pope, we relate to Christ as well, when we listen to the Popes teaching, we listen to the teaching of Christ.
Thank you for everyone who has supported me to go and to have such an experience of faith. Thank you very much.

Br. Andrew Athit Niyomtham, SCJ

5 minutes with...

Roberto Beretta

We asked a few questions to Mr Roberto Beretta, journalist of the Italian daily paper Avvenire, who lives with his family in Lissone, in the Sacred Heart Parish (Milan Diocese), run by the Bétharram Fathers.
He was brought up in the same Parish and he did part of his education in our institutions. For quite a few years he has been a very active member of the betharramite lay associates in Italy and he has been the editor of Presenza Betharramita the magazine of the Italian Vicariate.

Nef: What aspect of St Michaels spirituality which you have appreciated during your years of formation continues to keep you in contact with the Betharramites?
- I spent nine years in Betharramite schools and I think that what pleases me most is the family spirit which could be felt there. No formalities, lots of freedom, great ease to move from study to hand work or sports, easy relationship with the authorities. Thats perhaps what St Michael meant when he talks about a Flying Camp. I dont know!
What interests me particularly today about the Betharramites, besides the affection which I have for them, is precisely this flexibility and perhaps even the reduced size of the Congregation, which can be freer than other Church Institutions by launching avant-garde experiments for Pastoral activities or spirituality. It is a fact that the problem of dwindling vocations affects them like the other Religious Institutes but I believe that with a little courage for new projects they would be successful.

As a journalist and writer you are known to be outspoken when you attack the wounds of the Church, especially clericalism. Can you explain in what direction your speeches are aimed?
- There are many reasons for my anticlerical attacks on the Church. Here are two: the first one is the result of my own personal experience: in my 50 years experience as a Catholic, half of which have been as a journalist in the mass media of the Church I have been witness of a few aspects which didnt please me at all so I think it is my duty to denounce them so that things will change for the better. The second comes from the fact that in the Italian Church we have never been accustomed to having an official opinion, that is, never discussing our problems freely, no more than talking about our faults and failings so as to rouse different opinions, while at the same time maintaining a just measure. The priest or bishop are never contested, even when they make wrong choices. The result is that in the sacristies and churches there is a lot of gossip, but nobody has the courage to say what he really thinks, particularly in the presence of superiors. If a Catholic journalist doesnt do it who is going to do it? Do we have to wait for the secular press and then say afterwards that it is an attack against the Church?

For the last seven years you have been director of the magazine of the Italian Vicariate Presenza Betharramita: How can such a valuable instrument help in promoting the knowledge and mutual respect among Betharramite religious and laity in Italy?
- Dont say its seven years already. I hadnt realised! I am very grateful to the Betharramites for the trust they have put in me by giving me total freedom of action especially when I write my articles attacking clericalism!
I have great faith in such a tool which, besides all the news on the life of the Betharramite family, passes on the affection, the warmth and the closeness which exists in the exchange of ideas at the heart of the Betharramite family and which dont always find means of expression. Furthermore, I have found out that in the history and experience of Betharram in the past as in the present there are real treasures which come as a surprise even for a lay person. These facts are worth a knowing even though few know them; consequently there is place for a professional with eyes to see and prepared to recognize wherein lies real news; this I say with total sincerity.

Since the 4th national festival of Betharramite laity which was held at Lissone, what initiatives can you see in order to revive their presence in Italy?
- Betharramite laity in Italy are something of a mystery even though for the past ten years there have been many experiences and activities and a certain progress has been made. For example in a lot of the parishes under the control of the Betharramites there are little groups of people who believe in this reality, who are excited about it and who are instrumental in spreading the knowledge of Betharramite laity for the benefit of other lay persons. It sometimes happens that it extends to a religious community.
It is a paradox, but we agree in recognizing that there are two sectors where the laity are very active in working with the Italian Betharramites; here I am talking about the Family Home for HIV patients at Monteporzio-Catone and about the volunteers working in Central African Republic. This is not yet fully known, because we are thinking of dedicating our next meeting with the Betharramite laity to these questions. Meanwhile, we also want to organise some weekends on the spirituality of St Michael and training sessions for the laity married couples and families.

On the strength of your professional experience, what is the message which you would like to send to Betharramite laity worldwide?
- None other than the message contained in the title of the recent festival at Lissone: I am worthwhile, I am good for something. Often we Catholic laity, through false modesty but also through laziness, are wont to give up our commitments in the Church, making the excuse that we are not well prepared, lack time and in any case things are best done by the priest! This isnt true. Through their Baptism the laity have the same dignity as the clerics and they should find I was going to say demand their rightful place in the Christian community. It is sometimes necessary to do this. A place which is more important and valuable than the one which is generally reserved for them.

In memoriam

BROTHER HENRIQUE (Henri) CHA

Aspin 12 november 1920 - Montevideo 15 september 2011.

Le Bon Dieu a rappelé à lui Nicolas !

I met Brother Henri for the first time on 1st April 1977 on my arrival at Montevideo from Buenos Aires. Slight, as tall as myself, serious and silent such was the man. I dont remember that during that first meal in Uruguay he spoke a single word. For all these years I have been living with him. Every day at the Immaculate Conception College, he was in charge of the secretariat. He was a real expert. He was constantly looking for overtime where he piled up figures, names and brief appreciations. He would take refuge behind an old typewriter. I think that as time went by his typewriter became his best mate!
A discrete man but with a great heart he experienced three great loves:
The first for the past pupils; he kept them in memory, recalling who they were when they appeared in photograph albums; he could even remember the slightest details about them and their lives without ever leaving the College. For me this was something of a mystery!
Next there were the games of football played in the school yard. He never missed a single one even though he was working in the school office. He followed them with great interest but didnt get worked up especially when his team was losing or was playing abroad! Since he was in charge of Interprovincial affairs of the Betharramites, he kept an eye on the teams.
Finally the one which was nearest to his heart, namely the poor. He welcomed them at the community door. He didnt want this to be seen but how were we not to notice the light on the table? He always had something to offer.
He also loved nature. In the town centre his little world consisted simply of a few window boxes in flower and the pigeons which he fed with the stale bread of the day before. And when, with advancing years he had difficulty getting to the yard, the pigeons would be waiting for him.
He was of the old school. As regular as clockwork, very patient, he would wait for us, unflinching, for community prayers. It was to his great credit that he never criticised anyone. He loved our Congregation and would read every magazine about it which he came across. During his final years when he was condemned to his bedroom he loved to listen to his visitors telling him about the changes which were on the way; first of all the project for regionalisation, and then the realisation of the project. I remember the day when I said to him Would you like to speak to Fr Gaspar and see him on the computer? He could hardly believe his eyes. And when he did see him, he was so overcome with emotion he could say nothing, just simply greet Fr Gaspar. This is how our brother departed, without a word, faithful as he had lived, short of words but rich in names.

Giancarlo Monzani, SCJ

9. THE BEATIFICATION OF SISTER MARIE

The Pontifical Mass on 13th November 1983 was celebrated by Pope John Paul II in St Peters Basilica, Rome, with the Patriarch Beltritti, the Cardinal Archbishop of Turin, Mgr Ballestrero, the Melchite Maximos V Hakim, the Superior General of the Carmelites, V.R.F. de Baranda, and the Superior General of Betharram, V.R.F. Pierre Grech. What a joy it was for all present to see the very humble Sister Marie raised to the altars in the famous splendour of Bernini!
Between the Kyrie and the Gloria and at the solemn request of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, that the name of the Servant of God, Sister Marie de Jesus Crucifie Baouardy should be inscribed among the list of the Blessed, the Pope replied On the advice of the Sacred Congregation for the Cause of Saints, We declare with our Apostolic Authority that the Venerable Servant of God Marie de Jesus Crucifie may henceforth be called Blessed and that her feast day may be celebrated each year on 26th August, date of her birth into Heaven.
Then, happy at the thought that the glorification of Sr Marie should take place during the extraordinary jubilee of the Redemption, John Paul II pronounced a homily of which here are a few extracts: Sister Marie de Jesus Crucifie progressed towards Jesus, by shouldering his yoke, learning from the Lord that he is meek and humble of heart and there in finding comfort for her soul. This was all the result of love. Holiness depends on love and is its perfect fruit. Sister Maries love for Christ was as strong as death; the most painful of trials didnt destroy it; on the contrary they purified and strengthened it. As for Sister, she gave everything for this love.
The whole life of this young Arab girl was showered with extraordinary mystical gifts, was in the light of the Holy Spirit, and was the conscious and irrevocable response to the call to holiness. The whole of her life was the fruit of the supreme wisdom of the Gospel with which it pleases God to enrich the poor and lowly so as to confound the powerful. She had the gift of total lucidity, of a great natural intelligence and the poetic imagination proper to her people. Marie didnt have the chance of studying, but that didnt prevent her, thanks to her great virtue, from acquiring the superior knowledge which ended with the death of Jesus on the Cross, the knowledge of the Mystery of the Trinity which is so important for Christian spirituality of the East, in which this young Arab girl would have been raised.
Sister Marie de Jesus Crucifie belongs to the East. She is their ambassador in a sense. She is a gift given to the universal Church by those who in their struggles are shedding their blood. Particularly to-day they are turning to her fraternal intercession in the hope that, thanks to the prayers of the Servant of God, peace and harmony will finally be restored in that part of the world where the Word became flesh and who is our peace. (John 1,14)
We are being urged by to-days threats to make love and fraternity the foundations for all social and international relationships, in a spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness. We must be inspired by the life style of which Blessed Marie de Jesus Crucifie is an example, not only for her country but for the whole world. May this new life style obtain for us a peace founded not on terrorism but on mutual trust.

Pierre Médebielle,SCJ
Jérusalem (1983, pp. 201-239)

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