"Look once and a thousand times to the Virgin
Mary. May she intercede with her Son
that he might inspire the appropriate gesture and word that will allow you to
make Catechesis a Good News for everyone, always keeping in mind that “the
Church grows, not by proselytism but by attraction.”
"Be aware of the difficulties. We are in a very odd moment of our history,
including the history of our country.
The recent National Catechists Congress held in Morón was very realistic
in pointing out the difficulties in handing on the Faith in these times of so
many cultural changes. Perhaps on more
than one occasion weariness may defeat you, uncertainty may confuse you and
even lead you to think that the faith cannot be presented today, and that we
should be content just to transmit values....
"For this very reason, our Pope Benedict XVI invites
us to enter together through the door of faith.
To renew our faith and in the faith of the Church to follow, doing what
she knows how to do in the midst of lights and shadows. This is a task that does not originate in a
strategy of conservation, but rather is rooted in a command of our Lord that
gives us our identity, relevance, and meaning.
Mission springs from a certainty of faith. From that certainty which, in the form of
kerygma, the Church has been handing on to human beings over the course of two
thousand years.
"A certainty of faith that coexists with the thousand
questions of a pilgrim. A certainty of
faith that is not ideology, exaggerated moralism, existential security... but
the living and irreplaceable encounter with a person, with an event, with the
living presence of Jesus of Nazareth.
"Therefore I urge you: live this ministry with
passion, with enthusiasm.
"The word enthusiasm (ενθουσιασμóς) has its roots in
the Greek “en-theos”, that is to say: “that bears a god within.” This term means that, when we allow ourselves
to be led by enthusiasm, a divine inspiration enters into us and makes use of
our person to manifest itself.
Enthusiasm is the experience of a “God active within me” so as to be
guided by his power and wisdom. It also
implies the uplifting of the mind to something that inspires interest, joy, and
admiration, provoked by a strong interior motivation. It is expressed as passion, fervor, boldness,
and determination. It is opposed to
discouragement, disinterest, apathy, coldness, and disappointment.
"The “God active within” us is the gift that Jesus
gave us on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit:
“I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city, until
you are clothed with power from on high” (Lk 24:49). In this way what was announced by the prophets
is fulfilled: “A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within
you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart
of flesh. And I will put my spirit
within you” (Ezek 36:26-27). (Argentine
Episcopal Conference, Pastor Guidelines for 2012-2015)
"We know that the enthusiasm, the fervor to which the
Lord calls us cannot be the result of a movement of our will or a simple change
of mind. It is a grace ... an interior
renewal, a profound transformation that is founded and relies on a Presence,
who one day will call us to follow him and who today, once again, becomes for
us a way, so as to transform our fears into ardor, our sadness into joy, our
confinement into new visitations....
"While thanking you from my heart for all that you do
as a catechist, for your time and your dedication, I ask the Lord to give you
an open mind, so as to recreate dialogue and encounter among those whom God
entrusts to you, and a believing heart so as to follow, exclaiming that He is
alive and loves us as no one else does.
I have a picture of Mary Help of Christians that says, “You who
believed, help me!” May she help us to
follow by being faithful to the Lord’s call....
"Do not stop praying for me that I may be a good
catechist. May Jesus bless you and may
the Blessed Virgin take care of you."
Affectionately,
Affectionately,
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J.
Buenos Aires, August 21, 2012
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