Encouraging life: a call born of reality
In the XIX General Congregation we recognized with lucidity that reality is urging us to understand ourselves in a new way as Daughters of Jesus. We live in a globalized, pluralistic and complex world, crossed by multiple social, cultural and ecclesial challenges. From the profound experience that “God is the Father who cares for all”, we feel the call to live as Daughters of Jesus.we feel the call to live as sisters to all people, especially in a context where fraternity is broken. Under the title “Encouraging Life”, we have discerned six apostolic priorities for this sexennium, as a concrete and hopeful response to this reality.
The Determination tells us:
“Take care of him”(Lk 10:35b)
20. Reality is urging us to understand ourselves in a new way as Daughters of Jesus. We live in an era of rapidly evolving globalization, where social, religious and cultural plurality is ever greater; the challenges we face as Church are ever more complex, urgent and multifaceted. Living from the profound experience that “God is the Father who cares for all” leads us to be and to live as sisters of all people in a world where fraternity is broken.
How are we called today to encourage life, from our way of living and serving, to reflect God's loving care for all in this wounded world?
“Take care of him”: a word that sets us on our way.
The parable of the Good Samaritan continues to resonate strongly as Good News in our wounded world. Faced with a fallen man by the side of the road, someone stops, approaches him, looks at him with compassion and acts. Jesus closes the scene with a clear invitation: “Go and do likewise.” (Lk 10:37). Lent is a propitious time for us to allow ourselves to be challenged by this call: to look at reality, to allow ourselves to be affected and to opt for a way of living that takes care of life where it is most fragile.
What persons, situations or realities does the Lord invite us today to stop, approach and care for with greater depth?
A path woven of Word, life and discernment
In this Lenten project we propose to walk a braided path between:
- the Word of God, through the second reading of each Sunday of Lent.
- the Determination of GC XIX, in its section II Encouraging Life (nn. 20-26),
- the life questions that arise for reflection and prayer.
- an image that evolves symbolically and helps us to walk.
- a simple script of Ignatian prayer with the chosen texts, which will go as a PDF document, linked in the web news item
From Ash Wednesday, Sunday to Sunday of Lent, until Holy Week, we want to allow ourselves to be enlightened by the Word, to confront it with the discerned apostolic priorities and to ask ourselves how to make them a reality today, personally and in community. It is a simple itinerary for the whole Mother Candida Family and anyone who wants to follow it, designed to accompany our prayer and reflection, and to help us to walk with greater awareness, availability and commitment, following the style of St. Candida who, like the Good Samaritan, stops, cares for and encourages life.
We invite you to walk this path with us.
We invite you to live this Lent as a time of grace, allowing yourself to be accompanied by the Word, reflection and prayer, to learn together to care for life and to respond with hope to the mission entrusted to us today.
