Inspirations on: forgiveness, healing, growth, contemplation, and contemplative action in service There is no living in love without some sorrow, but by far the greatest sorrow is not to love." - St John of the Cross "What can I do against poverty and injustice?" Go to our International Page . How to Pray? Go to How-to-Pray videos page
Joan Antidea Thouret (in French Jeanne Antide ) was a nun and a saint . She founded the Sisters of Charity congregation .
Joan Antidea was born in 1765 . When she was 22 she joined the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul in Paris but during French Revolution she spent an exile in Swiss and Germany .
In 1797 she returned in France where she founded a school only for poor girls. In 1799 she founded a new congregation: the Sisters of Charity supported by Letizia Ramolino, Napoleon's mother.
In 1819 her institute was approved by Pio VII who gave certain canonic privileges to her convents.
She died in Naples in Regina Coeli monasterium in 1826
Source: Wikipedia on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Joan_Antidea_Thouret : (up)
Italian Sister talks to us about Education as Love
Sr Wandamaria Clerici, an Italian Sister of Charity from Gorgonzola was in Malta for a week in March, running workshops for the Malta Province of the Sisters of charity
She gave a talk to close collaborators of the Sisters of Charity including paid and voluntary workers of the St Jeanne Antide Foundation.
Sr Wanda has carried out in depth studies of the Foundress's charisma and spirituality. She presented an analysis of the spirit which should infuse and inspire educators and other workers. These are workers who, through their work with vulnerable people, educate as an expression of love and compassion. (up)
Who was St Jeanne Antide?
Joan Antidea Thouret (in French Jeanne Antide ) was a nun and a saint . She founded the Sisters of Charity congregation .
Joan Antidea was born in 1765 . When she was 22 she joined the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul in Paris but during French Revolution she spent an exile in Swiss and Germany .
In 1797 she returned in France where she founded a school only for poor girls. In 1799 she founded a new congregation: the Sisters of Charity supported by Letizia Ramolino , Napoleon 's mother.
In 1819 her insitute was approved by Pio VII who gave some canonic privileges to her convents.
She died in Naples in Regina Coeli monasterium in 1826.
Source: Wikipedia athttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Joan_Antidea_Thouret :
The Sisters of Charity of St. Jeanne-Antide Thouret - in Ethiopia
Source: The Ethiopian Catholic Church Directory online http://www.ecs.org.et
OUR ORIGINS: St. Jeanne-Antide THOURET, the 11 th of April 1799, according to the spirituality of St. Vincent de Paul, sows the grain. Besançon, in France , she opens a small school free in a rented room. She distributes soup to the poor within a court. She takes care of the patients at domicile.
She announces the gospel to the children, to the young and to the adults in the parishes of a city marked by the injuries of the Revolution.
In 1810, in Savoy and in Naples she answers the calls. With the time, the mustard seed becomes a big tree.
OUR CHARISM It takes its roots of The Gospel Mt. 25: 40
"Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me."
1. Love God and serve him in the person of poor. 2. Prayer and apostolate are the 2 faces of only one truth to live: The
Charity.
OUR PRESENCE IN THE WORLD
With the audacity of the love, the sowed grain gave roots in 25 countries on 4 continents: Europe, America , Asia and Africa .
Europe: France , Italy , Switzerland , Malta , England , Romania , Albania . America : USA , Paraguay , Argentina , Bolivia , Brazil . Asia: Lebanon , Syria , Laos , Indonesia , Pakistan , India , Thailand . Africa: Egypt , Central Africa, Chad , Sudan , Cameroon , Ethiopia .
Catholic Church
Sisters of Charity of St. Jeanne-Antide P.O.Box 239, Endaselassie Tel : 00.251.4.44.27.95 E-Mail : sjaeth@ ethio net.et
ACTIVITIES:
Main Activities in Ethiopia.
Activities in immediate plan:
Education, Health Service and
Women Promotion
MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATION, 2006
1. Sr Reine Youssef, s.d.c. Professed on 24.08.77; location: Endaselassie
2. Sr. Costanza Colace, s.d.c.: 08.09.71; Enda-selassie
Part of the mission statement of SJAF describes our Foundation in this way: As a Christian community, it aims to reflect the love of God in all that is done, and to see and love Jesus Christ in persons who are in need. For some of us this is part of our own journey into the beauty and mystery of reality and the depths of our selves and their divine centre. Can you see that the world, living beings, people, is a process of a kind of self-discovery of the One? And that you are a part of that process? And if so, can the world ever cease to be an experience of beauty and wonder? Can you hesitate to reduce suffering and bring joy?
Vincent* encouraged his followers to be "contemplatives in action". Jeanne Antide responded. We are part of that reponse, if we want to be. A spiritual path is a way of harmonising oneself with the universal depths and heights, and of being open to discovering - and creating! - what this might mean for oneself and for the world one works in. Experience the One in oneself, in the other person, in the world. And celebrate! -- (*) St Vincent de Paule, spiritual inspiration for St Jeanne Antide
"Embrace the Lord, Martha."
But who would cook —? I feel like a wild rabbit, cornered, about to be caught.
Martha, the Worry, and the Welcome
Do you want to learn how to become liberated from anxieties, anger, fear, and other obstacles, and live more fully the eternal life now?
MINN KLIEM GIOVANNA ANTIDA – nifhmu u nitrawmu fl-ispiritwalità tal-qaddisa
Siltiet maqluba ghall-Malti mill-ktieb Documenti e Lettere , 1974
DWAR IL-JIEN TAS-SOLTU LI JQARRAQ BINA Minn bikri, Giovanna Antida gharfet il-konsegwenzi tal-intricci tal-jien tas-soltu , il-jien li jdahhalna f'xibka mhabbla li tirrendina skjavi u skuntenti. Il-jien li jzommna u jmantnina fuq livell superficjali, il-boghod mill-Mulej u mil-livell profond li qieghed hemm jistenniena biex insiru haga wahda mal-Mulej u ma' ghajrna. Giovanna Antida titkellem bic-car li, sakemm nibqghu nikkuppaw ruhna b'x'jghid haddiehor, niehdu ghalina mix-xejn, infettqu, nimtlew b'rizentimenti, mohhna biex nidhru sbieh, niddandnu, nilhqu pozizzjoni gholja, niddakkru minn haddiehor, infittxu kuntentizza bil-kisba ta' oggetti, allura se nibqghu kkontrollati mill-jien superficjali tas-soltu. Giovanna Antida fehmet sew il-konsegwenzi tal-kilba ghall-kontroll tal-jien tas-soltu u gharfet ukoll li l-uniku mezz kif bniedem jista' jinhall minn din il-morsa u xibka li jinsgilna l-jien huwa billi nintrehew fil-Mulej b'imhabba profonda u umiltà u nhallu lilu biss juzana. Giovanna Antida tghidilna:
“Kemm xkiel niltaqghu mieghu fi qlubna stess! Il-jien tas-soltu jhossu mwegggha f'elf okkazjoni; dak li nixtiequ kwazi dejjem jigi injorat; l-ideat u s-soluzzjonijiet tieghi jigu mwarrba; ir-rabta mad-dinja, mal-qraba, ma' dak kollu li toffri d-dinja; ghall-unuri, ghall-pjaciri, ghall-istima tad-dinja...” (p.20)
“Jekk insibuha difficli li nintelqu fil-Mulej, ghandu mnejn li ghadna marbutin wisq mal-volontà taghna. Meta l-jien tas-soltu jfettillu jirribella ghax xi hadd ikun wahhal fih jew canfru, ghid li int hadt ghalik ghax il-jien tas-soltu ghad ghandu kontroll; ghadu marbut wisq mal-opinjonjijiet, ideat u gudizzji. Meta nixxenqu ghal pozizzjoni ghola minn haddiehor sabiex inhossuna rispettati, ibqa' zgur li l-bniedem il-qadim, dak li mimli frugha u vanità, ghadu ma mietx fina kompletament.” (Circolare del 1808, Besan ç on, p.43)
Kompli aqra dan l-artiklu fid-dokument sħiħ, niżżlu minn hawn.
In the land where people speak in tongues
– being part of the General Chapter of the Sisters of Charity of St Jeanne Antide
Nora Macelli, Friends of St Jeanne Antide - Malta
Imagine being in the same room with a group of persons from 27 countries: perons from Laos, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam ( Asia ); from Cameroun, Ethiopia, Tchad, Central African Republic, Egypt, Lebanon, Sudan and Syria ( Central Africa and the Middle East ); from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, USA ( Latin and North America ); and from Albania, England, France, Italy, Malta, Moldavia, Romania, and Switzerland ( Europe ). And imagine what a logistical nightmare it would be if all were to live together and actively participate in the running of each and every aspect of each day's programme for a whole month. One would expect a measure of chaos, cacophany, and cliquishness, however effective the organisation. But none of this was visible or felt during the 2010 General Chapter of the international congregation of the Sisters of Charity of St Jeanne Antide in Rome this June.
Għalija, Santa Giovanna Antida hija mara formidabbli li seħħilha b’umiltà kbira u mħabba bla qies tintelaq fil-Mulej u tħallih jużaha biex iwettaq ħwejjeġ kbar. Kellha ħafna doni u ħaddnet bosta virtujiet. Għaddiet minn bosta esperjenzi diffiċli li setgħu qatgħulha qalbha. Iżda, ta’ bniedma li mit-tfulija għarfet tintelaq fil-Mulej, ħalliet l-isfidi kbar jixprunawha lejn dak li Alla ried minnha.
Fi tfulita, Giovanna Antida kienet Young Carer; tfajla li refgħet ir-responsabbiltà li tieħu ħsieb t’ommha xipli u marradija. Tgħabbiet bir-risponsabbiltà tax-xogħol tad-dar, xogħol fl-għelieqi u l-kummerċ tal-ġlud ta’ missierha, tisjir, tindif u ħadet ħsieb ukoll ta’ ħutha akbar u iżgħar minnha. Din ir-responsabbiltà bikrija, flimkien mal-fidi f’Alla, għenitha biex timmatura kmieni u tintebaħ li Alla ried jużaha biex tgħin lill-ħaddieħor.
Giovanna Antida kienet mara ta’ integrità morali kbira. Fejn bosta qassisin fi żmienha ċedew għall-pressa tal-persekuzzjoni fiż-żminijiet tar-Rivoluzzjoni Franċiża u ffirmaw dikjarazzjoni fejn ċaħdu l-fidi, hi żammet sħiħ u ma ffirmatx. B’konsegwenza ġiet attakkata mis-suldati u kisrulha kustilja. Kellha taħrab minn pajjiżha u saret refuġjata – itterraq eluf ta’ kilometri minn pajjiż għall-ieħor – il-Ġermanja, l-Awstrija, l-Iżvizzera, mingħajr dokument, mingħajr passaport, bla għeruq, ċittadina ta’ l-ebda pajjiz. Din it-tbatija kbira u realtà ta’ refuġjata kompliet sawritha bħala mara ta’ prinċipju, qawwa, perseveranza, u tama. Bħala refuġjata, ma ndifnitx fid-disprament iżda ħadet l-opportunità biex tikkura, iddewwi, tisqi, trejjaq, tnaddaf il-ġrieħi u ssalva l-ħajja ta’ bosta refuġjati bħalha.
Giovanna Antida iffaċċjat riskju t’abbuż sesswali wkoll: raġel li raha miexja weħida meta kienet refuġjata, ipprova jattakkaha sesswalment iżda nħelset minn persuna li tfaċċat ħin bla waqt fuq il-post. Mara impjegata fid-dar tal-familja meta kienet iċken ippruvat tisforza ruħha fuq Giovanna Antida.
Karatteristika oħra qawwija tagħha kienet li ħadmet bla heda fl-underground resistance fi żmien ir-rivolzzjoni. Hija ħadet ħsieb trejjaq bosta saċerdoti li bħalha ma ċedewx għall-pressa li jiċħdu l-fidi tagħhom; dawn għexu f’għerien u f’boskijiet. Li kieku nqabdet kienet żgur tinqatel mis-suldati. Minkejja l-għassa kbira li kien hemm u l-ispiji kullimkien, Giovanna Antida sostniet fil-ħabi t-tagħlim ta’ tfal fi żmien meta t-tagħlim għall-poplu kien limitat għal skejjel liċenzjati mir-rivolzzjoni.
Giovanna Anitda kellha bosta doni oħra li rrendewha mara ta’ vizjoni qawwija, bi prinċipji li saħansitra llum għadna qed niddibattu u nippromwovu. Per eżempju, Giovanna Antida fehmet u ħaddnet il-prinċipju tad-diversità. Aċċettat kompletament bla ebda kundizzjoni jew ‘imma’ u ħabbet ħabsin, lil dawk b’mard li jittieħed, persuni b’diżabiltà, nisa tat-triq, orfni jiġġerrew mat-toroq tal-ibliet, persuni bi twemmin, ilsien u razza differenti minn tagħha, u nies li qed jgħixu f’faqar assolut. Lil dawn kollha ħabbithom u offritilhom għajnuna ħolistika: ikel, ilbies, saqaf, edukazzjoni, trawwim morali u spiritwali, taħriġ, xogħol u opportunità biex huma wkoll jgħinu lill-ħaddieħor.
Kienet persuna li ġarrbet telfa ta’ għeżież tagħha; oħtha iż-żgħira mietet fi ċkunitha u l-familja kollha ħasset sew it-telfa tagħha. Aktar m’għadda ż-żmien aktar ma ġarrbet telfiet: tilfet lill-ommha meta kellha 16-il sena. Wara li telqet minn darha biex issir soru qatt aktar ma ltaqgħet ma’
missierha li tant kienet tħobb u tirrispetta. Giovanna Antida apprezzat ħafna l-importanza tal-litteriżmu u edukazzjoni aktar wiesa’ u għamlet minn kollox biex tgħallem lilha nnifisha ħalli tkun taf tesprimi ruħha bil-kitba. Iz-zija tagħha, oħt missierha, ikkonvinċiet lil ħuha li Giovanna Antida ma’ kellhiex bżonn titgħallem ħafna skola għaliex bħala tifla ma’ kellhiex bżonn ta’ skola għall-ħajja. Minħabba f’hekk ommha u missierha ħarġuha kmieni mill-iskola u dan kien nuqqas li baqgħet tipprova taħkem snin wara li saret soru. Fil-fatt, il-kitba tagħha hija ta’ xi ħadd li bla ħeffa fil-kitba. Kien probabbli dan l-apprezzament tagħha li wrieha l-valur li tgħallem lill-foqra li qajla kellhom opportunità ta’ tagħlim fi żminijietha. Tul ħajjitha, kif ukoll tul s-snin tal-ħidma tal-ordni li bdiet f’bosta kontinenti u pajjiżi mad-dinja kollha, is-Sorijiet tal-Karità infilsaw il-tagħlim f’kull servizz li bdew. Tant li jekk wieħed jifli sew l-artikli fil-magażin internazzjonali tal-kongregazzjoni – Partout dans le Monde (kullimkien madwar id-dinja) wieħed jintebaħ li l-edukazzjoni tal-foqra hija biss element wieħed fil-firxa tas-servizzi u inizjattivi tas-Sorijiet tal-Karità.
Fuq ħafna livelli, Giovanna Antida kienet innovatriċi għal żmienha. Fejn tidħol l-edukazzjoni, hija żviluppat il-kunċett tal-edukazzjoni ħolistika. F’dak kollu li kienet tagħmel kienet teduka, trawwem l-iżvilupp ta’ valuri u moralità, tikkura u tfejjaq, trejjaq, trawwem fehma tan-nutriment u iġene, tħarreġ u toħloq xogħol li jagħti dinjità lill-persuna u flus għall-familja. Kull fejn marret biex tibda xi servizz ġdid b’risq il-foqra, marret b’moħħ miftuħ u bla preġudizzju. Kważi mitejn sena ilu, Giovanna Antida diġà pprattikat il-prinċipji ta’ Community Work. Dan għamlitu billi ippruvat tifhem sew il-kundizzjonijiet soċjali u ħtiġijiet tan-nies tal-madwar sabiex kull inizjattiva li tibda tkun msejsa fuq ħtiġijiet reali flok fuq dak li hi taħseb li l-foqra għandhom bżonn. Fuq kollox, ma speċjalizzatx f’qasam wieħed imma daħlet b’ruħha u ġisimha għal ħidma f’kull settur, skond il-ħtiġijiet li intebħet bihom – saħħa, saħħa mentali, ġustizzja kriminali, edukazzjoni, xogħol, l-qasam soċjali u spiritwalità. Fil-fatt, is-sorijiet ta’ Santa Giovanna Antida speċjalizzaw f’kull qasam li għalih ġew imsejħa għax kien hemm bżonn – tħarrġu u ħadmu fl-oqsma tan-nursing (ħafna sorijiet f’pajjiżna kienu Nursing Officers), edukazzjoni (għalliema), social workers (fi djar tat-tfal, fil-komunità, fi djar tal-anzjani), servizz f’ħabsijiet, sptarijiet mentali, sptarijiet ġenerali, kliniċi rurali, taħriġ għax-xogħol u bosta oqsma u kuntesti oħra.
Fuq kollox nammira lill-Giovanna Antida għall-umiltà profonda tagħha: minkejja li nħaqret, gidbu kontrieha u ngħatat bis-sieq minn persuni f’pożizzjoni ta’ saħħa u poter, hija ma daritx kontriehom iżda talbet fuq li talbet u, fejn setgħet u fejn kien xieraq, spjegat il-fatti bla emozzjonijiet. Kienet umli imma mhux tapit. Irrispettat lill-awtorità. U rawmet ġenerazzjoni ta’ sorijiet li ħaddnu u kattru l-missjoni li għaliha Giovanna Antida ħassitha msejħa għaliha. Fis-sempliċità imma qawwa spiritwali interjuri tagħha, Giovanna Antida seħħilha tegħleb il-‘jien’ iż-żgħir tagħha u sabet lilha nnifisha sewwasew għax għarfet tagħmel dan. Matul ħajjitha sal-lum, baqgħet xhieda ħajja ta’ kif aħna lkoll għandna u nistgħu niżvujtaw ruħna billi ninfetħu għar-rieda tal-Mulej – it-triq li permezz tagħha biss nistgħu nidqaddsu u nsiru flawt vojt li minnu l-Mulej isaffar il-melodija tiegħu.
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Ara l-Videos tal-EasterSpirit bil-Malti --- EasterSpirit Videos in English --- Video Easterspirit in Italiano
Videos Randan 2010: Ara l-Videos tal-EasterSpiritt 2009 bil-Malti minn EasterSpirit
Sensiela "Transformazzjoni": 5 videos għall-5 Ħdud tar-Randan 2010 - jew għal kwalunkwe żmien ieħor - 3-4 minuti kull wieħed
Bħalma d-dudu sar farfett...
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V1 : It-tentazzjoni mill-jien
Il-jien tas-soltu, jehtieg icedi.anke jekk ma tantx ikollu aptit
V2. Trasformazzjoni tieghi stess?
In-natura kollha lesta sabiex tinheles ...
V3. Kemm fadalli hin?
Ghandek vjagg sabih x'taghmel. Thallihx tard wisq!
V4. Test zghir ghalija?
Tghid, l-iben il-kbir Gesù poggieh fl-istorja bhala test?
V5. Induna, inheles
Uhud mill-gibdiet tal-jien tas-soltu, u kif nista' mmur lilhinn minnhom sabiex noqrob lejn l-Ispirtu
Dawn il-videos u sensiliet oħra tista' tarahom f'kuntest aħjar fis-sitwww.EasterSpirit.com .
Links
To download these video if you use Firefox to surf the internet, use Tools|Add-ons from its menu to find and install a Firefox add-on called "DownloadHelper". If you use Internet Explorer use from its menu the following: Tools |Manage Add-Ons | Find more toolbars and extensions ... type "download" in the search panel, choose "IE Download Helper" (we haven't tried this) , and click on "Add to Internet Explorer" (full further instructions for are at he bottom of this pageor this are here .)
Experimental: try these download links (but they may not work on your computer): V1, V2, V3, V4, V5
Download the script for this Series in PDF Format Choose language: English or Maltese
Download Centering Prayer brochure/leaflet from Contemplative Outreach USA in English, Italian, French or Spanish
Download Centering Prayer brochure/leaflet in Maltese
Note to N. American users : Video V5 is linked to the Gospel reading for 5th Sunday of Lent 2010 according to the Roman Catholic Lectionary rather than the Common Lectionary (the two Lectionaries differ on this Sunday)
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Videos Advent 2009 in English from EasterSpirit
"Glory" Series of 4 Videos linked to the Liturgy of the Word for the 4 Sundays of Advent, starting 29 November . They may alos be enjoyed at any other time. 4-5 Minutes each
A perspective on our role in the world within the Great Experiment
These videos have original captions in English and (machine-) translated captions in any language of your choice Use this icon on the player: Captions for U3,U4 ready soon
U1: Keep Watch!
Anxiety is poison, and I need to detoxify regularly. Keep watch, says Jesus and the Desert Fathers. St Hesychius explains how.
U2: The Great Meaning of Metanoia
How to go from being stuck in a separate small self to a wider, divine self, the glory of the breath of God inside me? Isn't this what Jesus taught and worked towards?
U3: Baptism with Spirit and Fire
How am I to lose my life in order to save it? How to permit the clearance of the obstacles to the clear flow of the Holy Spirit? The thoughts-free practice of contemplatio .
U4: “Blessed be the child that you shall bear”.
There are 4 births of great significance: the creator gives birth to the world, Mary gives birth to Jesus, Jesus gives birth to the Kingdom, and fourthly, each one of us is to give birth to the divine.
Talb kontemplattiv:
Merħba Għall-Ħemda
Introductory Workshop
Wed. 23rd Sept - either 10 am or 6:45 pm (repeated) Nizzel dan l-artiklu
Imkaxkar/kra minn hajja mghaggla?
Qatt ingbidt lejn il-Mulej fis-skiet tal-qalb?
Is-Superjura tas-Sorijiet tal-Karità u l-Kap tal-Fondazzjoni Santa Govanna Antida (SJAF) ghandhom il-pjacir jistednuk ghal laqgha ta' introduzzjoni prattika (Introductory Workshop) dwar is-Centering Prayer, jew it-Talba tal-Kunsens.
Kulhadd maghmul fix-xbiegha u x-xebh t'Alla. Is-Centering Prayer hija prattika kontemplattiva nisranija fejn tinfetah ghall Prezenza ta' Alla fik, minghajr uzu ta' hsibijiet, kliem, emozzjonijiet, jew stampi fil-mohh. Tqarrbek lejn il-Mulej u lejn haddiehor. Taghtik serhan u sliem profond. Tqawwik, u tressqek lejn xejra kontemplattiva fil-hidma nisranija tieghek u fil-hajja ta' kuljum
Laqgha ta' Introduzzjoni dwar is-Centering Prayer
Meta : Nhar l -Erbgha 23 ta' Settembru 2009
Fejn : Centru Antida, 51 Tarxien Road, Tarxien.
X'hin ? Se ssir darbtejn, ripetut. Aghzel A jew B A . Tibda fl-10.00 ta' filghodu u ddum sal-11:30. B. (ripetizzjoni) Tibda fis 6:45 ta' filghaxija u ddum sat-8:15 pm
Ghal Min ? Sorijiet, lajci tas-SJAF, Hbieb ta' SJA, kollegi mill-parrocci tal-madwar, u persuni ohra li qed jikkonsidraw li jibdew jew ikomplu prattika kontemplattiva (talb tal-kwiet.)
Jitqassam fuljett li juri ll-metodu, bil-Malti. Jew nizzlu minn hawn . Ghal lingwi ohrajn, ara l-pagna li tmiss.
Ikun hemm :
1. Videos qosra dwar il-metodu;
2. Hin qasir fejn nippratikawh;
3. Mistoqisjiet u Twegibiet.
Child-Minding . Ikun hemm min jiehu hsieb it-tfal f'kamra ohra, izda fil-kamra tal-laqgha ma jidhlux tfal jew trabi (skuzawna.)
GRUPP : Fil-laqgha jinkitbu wkoll persuni li qed ifittxu lil Alla u jkunu jixtiequ jiehdu sehem fi grupp gdid tas-Centering Prayer li dax-xahar jibda' jiltaqa' darba fil-gimgha fic-Centru Antida kull nhar t'Erbgha fis-6:45 pm. Dan il-grupp jaghmel 20 minuta Centering Prayer u warajh qsim, sharing , profond.
Importanti : Jekk joghgbok tigi, ghidlina malajr! Ibghat email jew cempel lil Miriam Grech (email:
Tel: 21809011; 21808981; 27672367). Jew ibghat SMS fuq 79233366.
Insellmulek.
Superjura Provincjali,
Sorijiet tal-Karità ta' Sta Govanna Antida
u
Il-Kap, Fondazzjoni Santa Govanna Antida
For You alone my soul waits in silence;
My hope is from the Beloved.
Enfolding me with strength and
Steadfast love,
My faith shall remain firm.
In the Silence rests my freedom and
My guidance;
You are the Heart of my heart,
My refuge is in the Silence.
Psalm 62 (part) from Nan Merrill, Psalms for Praying
(Continuum, 1999)
Videos on Centering Prayer on this page:
Fr Thomas Keating instructions Part I & II Contemplative prayer and closeness to God: here
Gesu: “Meta titlob...”
Izda int, meta titlob, idhol fil-kamra tieghek ta' gewwa, aghlaq il-bieb warajk, u itlob lil Missierek li hu fil-mohbi; u Missierek, li jara dak li hu fil-mohbi, iroddlok hu.
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matt 6:6)
“ [ The mind has been described as ] a mighty tree filled with monkeys, all swinging from branch to branch and all in an incessant riot of chatter and movement.
“ Prayer is not a matter of adding to this confusion by trying to shout it down and covering it with another lot of chatter. The task of meditation is to bring all this mobile and distracted mind to stilness, silence and concentration, to bring it, that is, into its proper service. This is the aim given us by the psalmist: ´Be still and know that I am God´ (Ps 46:10)
“ One of the first great lessons in humility is that we come to wisdom and stillness and pass beyond distraction, only through the gift of God. His prayer is his gift to us and all we have to do is to dispose ourselves by becoming silent. Silence is the essential human response to the mystery of God, to the infinity of God.
It is this understanding that has led so many today to the threshold of real prayer. The way of prayer is a way of ever-deeper, ever more generous silence". A tree filled with monkeys (From The Joy of Being - John Main OSB)
Writing about Centering Prayer, Fr Thomas Keating says: The sacred word is the symbol of consenting to God's presence. Eventually the will consents of itself without need of a symbol. The work of the will in prayer is real work, but it is one of receiving. Receiving is one of the most difficult kinds of activity there is. To receive God is the chief work in contemplative prayer.
The method of centering prayer is a way of opening to God at 360 degrees. Surrendering oneself to God is a more developed kind of consent. Transformation is completely God's work. We can't do anything to make it happen. We can only prevent it from happening.
As this prayer becomes habitual, a mysterious undifferentiated and peaceful Presence seems to be established inside of you. Some people say they feel that God is living within them. That tranquil Presence that is always there when they settle down becomes their method of prayer.
Fr Thomas Keating ocso Contemplative Outreach Ltd http://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/OpenHeart/hymn.htm
Fr John Main osb, jitkellem dwar: Il-Hemda
“ [ Hemm min qal li ] il-mohh huwa bhala sigra kbira mimlija xadini, kollha jaqbzu minn fergha ghal fergha u kollha meghdijin b' iccaccrar u caqliq li ma jaqta' qatt.
“Li wiehed jitlob ma jfissirx li wiehed izid ma' din il konfuzjoni billi jghajjat maghha biex iwaqqafha u jghattiha b'taghbija ohra ta' tpacpic. Ix-xoghol tal-meditazzjoni huwa li, lil dan il-mohh caqlieqi u mimli distrazzjonijiet, twasslu sal-waqfien, sal-hemda, u sal-koncentrazzjoni. Jigifieri li twasslu sal-kundizzjoni kif ghandu jkun sabiex jaghti servizz tajjeb. Dan huwa l-ghan li taghna l-awtur tas-Salmi:
Bizzejjed! (Isktu/ieqfu) kunu afu li jien Alla.”
(Be still and know that I am God) Ps 46:10
“Wahda mill-ewwel taghlimiet tal-umiltà hija illi naslu sal-gherf u l-hemda, u nghaddu lilhinn mid-distrazzjonijiet, biss permezz ta' don t'Alla. It-talb tieghu huwa d-don tieghu, u kull ma ghandna naghmlu ahna huwa li illi niddisponu jew inlestu lilna nfusna billi nisktu. Is-silenzju huwa it-twegiba essenzjali tal-bniedem ghall-misteru ta' Alla, ghall-infinità tieghu.”
--- A tree filled with monkeys (From The Joy of Being - John Main OSB)”
Fr Thomas Keating ocso, patri Trappist, jikteb dwar
Is-Centering Prayer jew Talba tal-Kunsens
Il-kelma specjali hija simbolu tal-kunsens li naghtu ghall-prezenza t'Alla. Wara xi zmien, il-volontà taghti l-kunsens wehedha, minghajr bzonn ta' simbolu. Il-hidma li taghmel il-volontà waqt it-talb hija hidma tassew, izda tikkonsisti f'li tircievi, tilqa'. Li tircievi hija hidma mill-aktar tqal li hemm. Li tilqa' lil Alla hija l-hidma ewlenija fit-talb kontemplattiv.
Il-metodu tas-Centering Prayer huwa mod kif tinfetah ghal Alla mid-direzzjonijiet kollha (360 o ). Li ccedi lilek innifsek lil Alla huwa kunsens ...[matur]. It-transformazzjoni hija hidma t'Alla. Ahna ma nistghu naghmlu xejn sabiex dan ingeghluh isehh. Nistghu izda, dan ma nhalluhx isehh.
Hekk kif nabitwaw ruhna ghal dan it-talb, Prezenza misterjuza, Prezenza ta' sliem, Prezenza mhix mifruda donnha tghammar fik. Xi whud jghidu li Alla jkun qed jghix fihom. Dik il-Prezenza hiemda, li tkun dejjem hemm meta jingabru, issir il-mod taghhom ta' kif jitolbu.
watch this video clip in a prayerful mood for the (internal) Pentecost season
Veni, Sancte Spiritus
Taize / Contemplative music featuring Fr. Thomas Keating reading Scripture for Lectio Divina. Taken from the CD "Inner Room". This video (above) is a 10-minute clip from the CD "The Inner Room".The sample video is on the Philippines Secretariat of Contemplative Outreach. The CD is avaialble from .........
This video clip also features Soprano soloist Rebecca Gale together with the Spiritus and Aunyx Choruses. CD produced by Jonathan Blair. the article (below) is from the book The Mystery of Christ, Fr Thomas Keating (c) Contnuum New York, 2008.
Live ordinary life with extraordinary love. - Fr. Thomas Keating, O.C.S.O .
The Ascension
The Mystery of Christ
by Fr. Thomas Keating, O.C.S.O
After speaking with them, the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven and took his seat at God's right hand. The Eleven went forth and preached everywhere. (Mark 16:19-20)
By becoming a human being Christ annihilated the dichotomy between matter and spirit. In the Person of the Divine–human Being, a continuum between the divine and the human has been established. Thus, God's plan is not only to spiritualize the material universe, but to make matter itself divine. This he has already done in the glorified humanity of his Son. The grace bestowed on us by the Ascension of Jesus is the divinization of our humanity. Our individuality is permeated by the Spirit of God through the grace of the Ascension and more specifically through the grace of Pentecost . . .
. . . Not only is it important to know Jesus Christ with the whole of our being; it is also important to know Jesus Christ and historical reality and, more precisely, in his passion, which was the culminating point of his life on earth. The essential note of his passion is the emptying of his divinity. . .
. . . We must know Christ , however, not only in his human nature – his passion and emptying – but also in his divinity. This is the grace of the resurrection. It is the empowerment to live his risen life. It is the grace not to sin. It is the grace to express his risen life in the face of our inner poverty without at the same time ceasing to feel it.
The grace of the Ascension offers a still more incredible union, a more entrancing invitation to unbounded life and love. This is the invitation to enter into the cosmic Christ – into his divine person, the Word of God, who has always been present in the world. . . This is the Christ who disappeared in his Ascension beyond the clouds, not into some geographical location, but into the heart of all creation. In particular, he has penetrated the very depths of our being, our separate self-sense has melted into his divine Person, and now we can act under the direct influence of his Spirit. Thus, even if we drink a cup of soup or walk down the street, it is Christ living and acting in us, transforming the world from within. This transformation appears in the guise of ordinary things – in the guise of our seemingly insignificant daily routine.
The Ascension is Christ's return to the heart of all creation where he dwells now in his glorified humanity. The mystery of his Presence is hidden throughout creation and in every part of it. At some moment of history, which prophecy calls the Last Day, our eyes will be opened and we will see reality as it is, which we know now only by faith. That faith reveals that Christ, dwelling at the center of all creation and of each individual member of it, is transforming it and bringing it back, in union with himself, into the bosom of the Father. Thus, the maximum glory of the Trinity is achieved through the maximum sharing of the divine life with every creature according to its capacity. This is “the mystery hidden for ages in God” (Eph. 3:0)
The grace of the Ascension is the triumphant faith that believes that God's will is being done no matter what happens. It believes that creation is already glorified, though in a hidden manner, as it awaits the full revelation of the children of God.
The grace of the Ascension enables us to perceive the irresistible power of the Spirit transforming everything into Christ despite any and all appearances to the contrary. In the misery of the ghetto, the battlefield, the concentration camp; in the family torn by dissension; in the loneliness of the orphanage, old-age home, or hospital ward – whatever we see that seems to be disintegrating into grosser forms of evil – the light of the Ascension is burning with irresistible power. This is one of the greatest intuitions of faith. This faith finds Christ not only in the beauty of nature, art, human friendship and the service of others, but also in the malice and injustice of people or institutions, and in the inexplicable suffering of the innocent. Even there it finds the same infinite love expressing the hunger of God for humanity, a hunger that he intends to satisfy.
Thus, in Colossians, Paul does not hesitate to cry out with his triumphant faith in the Ascension: “Christ is all in all” – meaning now, not just in the future. At this very moment we too have the grace to see Christ's light shining in our hearts, to feel his absorbing Presence within us, and to perceive in every created thing – even in the most disconcerting – the presence of his light, love and glory.”
Contemplative Practice: where does it fit in?
Fr Thomas Keating talks with philosopher Ken Wilber about the rationale and the research on contemplative practice. Learn what you and the world can simply not afford to ignore. Essential!.
Compassion Fatigue? Try Gratefulness Practice!
Christian Brother David Steidl-Rast
talks with Zen teacher about one danger among persons who serve others - and the perfect antidote , which is a powerful spiritual practice in its own right.
Fr Bede Griffiths on Christian Meditation
The incomparable Benedictine monk Fr Bede Griffiths whose base became his ashram in South India, talks in his gentle manner about Meditation, Christian Meditation, and the basis for tolerance of other religions. Let go and open to the divine mystery.
The Divine Everywhere and In Everything
One of the things that contemplative prayer will affect
is the intuition of the oneness of the human family,
and indeed, the oneness of all creation.
As we move into our own inmost being
…We come into contact with what is the inmost being
of every member of the human race
and indeed the whole of creation.
…This mystery of oneness enables us to develop a refined inward eye,
and invites us to perceive the mystery
of the Divine everywhere and in everything.
…That which is hidden from our senses and intellect
becomes more and more transparent as our consciousness
is being transformed.
Father Thomas Keating
Quoted in Contemplative Outreach's
e-News Bulletin, January 27, 2009
There are those who may be called active people; they have their own motivations and urges for being active. There are morally-inspired active people, among them active Christians; they want to alleviate suffering and reach human potential, and make the world a better place. And then there are contemplatives-in-action; their journey is to sink and rise to the deepest and highest reaches of their being. They invite the divine to be born in them, and their aim is to let the divine act through them for its own mysterious world-transforming process that includes the alleviation of suffering and the reaching of human potential.
What good is it to me if Mary gave birth to the Son of God hundreds of years ago. if I do not give birth to the Son of God in my time and my culture. We are all meant to be Mothers of God , for God is always needing to be born. Meister Eckhart, 13 & 14th Century
Now that Christmas has passed, are we ready to live the New Year with the Presence being born inside us, and through us in the world around us? These extracts, most of which were selected by Terry McBride from Sydney, Australia, may remind us of what (incredibly) we often forget. Enjoy them, and remember…
----
It is such a thrill to find out that every fragment of Christian doctrine
is part of the map of the soul of the Westerner.
Take the doctrine of the Virgin Birth of Christ…
[Christ] cannot be conceived or born in one by any exogamous process,
that is, you cannot go to the outer world for the fertilisation,
which issues forth in the birth of the Christ-consciousness in you.
The Virgin Birth is a unique, endogenous, totally interior process of you –
and it involves no-one else but you,
it is a virgin birth.
Now if you understand that, at whatever level,
this brings new consciousness for you. […]
You are engaging in the Virgin Birth at every act of introversion which you make,
every experience of solitude [e.g. prayer/meditation] that you engage in…
This is an experience inside yourself and it may be experienced only symbolically.
[though the fruit of inner Christ-consciousness is manifest in the way we are and act in the world]. Robert Johnson, Jungian analyst, edited/adapted excerpt from tape, The Symbolic Life .
The Son of God came to invite man to become like himself… The Word of God… dwelt in man and became the Son of man - in order to accustom man to receive God and accustom God to dwell in man, in accordance with the Father's will. St Irenaeus, (130-200AD), Against the Heresies, Book 3:20, 2-3
Every soul who has believed both conceives and generates the Word of God and recognises his works …
According to the flesh one woman is the mother of Christ, but according to faith, Christ is the fruit of all people.
Every soul, indeed, receives the Word of God …
Christ is the image of God, hence any good or religious deed a soul has performed,
magnifies the image of God [within] in whose likeness the soul was made …
and the soul is thereby ennobled. (St Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, 339-397)
Every faithful soul, spouse of the Word of God, mother, daughter and sister of Christ, is understood to be a virgin with her own from of fertility. This is said of the whole Church, more particularly of Mary and individually of the faithful soul by the Wisdom itself of God, the Father's Word. (Blessed Isaac of Stella, Cistercian Abbot, 1100 – 1169)
We have come to know a threefold coming of the Lord: [the first in history , the second in glory , the third in mystery ]. The third coming takes place between the other two. They are clearly manifest but the third is not … it is hidden. In it, only the chosen see him within themselves and their souls are saved. In brief, his first coming was in the flesh and in weakness, this intermediary coming is in the spirit and in power, the last coming will be in glory and majesty. (St Bernard of Clairvaux, 1190 – 1153)
The devout Christian of the future will either be a “mystic”, one who has experienced something, or he will cease to be anything at all. (Karl Rahner, Theological Investigations, volume VII, 1971, p. 15).
If you are to experience this noble [divine] birth, you must depart from all the crowds and go back to the starting point, the core [or the soul] out of which you came. The crowds are the agents of the soul and their activities: memory, understanding, and will, in all their diversifications. You must leave them all: sense perception, imagination and all you discover in self or intend to do.
If the divine birth is to shine with reality and purity, it must come flooding up and out of man from God within him, while all man's own efforts are suspended and all the soul's agents are at God's disposal. (Meister Eckhart, [1260-1328], A Modern Translation, R.B. Blakney Harper & Row, NY 1941, p 118-9)
Come, then, O beautiful soul! Since you know now that your desired Beloved lives hidden within your heart, strive to be really hidden with Him, and you will embrace Him within you and experience Him with loving affection. (St John of the Cross, 1542-1591, in Spiritual Canticle, re stanza 1)
Don't take any notice of the impulse to give up in the middle of prayer time, just be grateful for the desire to pray which is God's gift. Your inmost heart loves to be with God but feelings of sadness and depression weigh you down and give you a sense of constraint.
When you feel like this, try to find a place where you can see the sky and walk up and down a little that won't interfere with your prayer in the least.
We are human and have to handle our frailty carefully so that we do not overburden ourselves. Our hearts are seeking God all the time , and we seek the means that best leads us to Him.
Our soul needs gentle treatment. (St Teresa of Avila, 1515-1582, in letter to Don Teutonio 3/7/1574, tr. Ruth Burrows, in The Wisdom of St Teresa of Avila )
The more unconscious we are of the religious problem in the future, the greater the danger of our putting the divine germ within us to some ridiculous or demoniacal use, puffing ourselves up with it instead of remaining conscious that we are no more than the stable in which the Lord is born …
[For] even the enlightened person remains what he is, and is never more than his own limited ego before the One who dwells in him, whose form has no knowable boundaries, who encompasses him on all sides, fathomless as the abysms of the earth and vast as the sky. (C.G. Jung, Coll. Works, vol 11, page 179-180 and 470)
For it is not that “God” is a myth, but that myth is the revelation of a divine life in the human being. It is not we who invent myth, rather it speaks to us as a Word of God… C.G. Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, chapter XII, “Late Thoughts”, p. 373
Christ is the vine, we are the branches. We labor under the delusion that we are isolated from other people. The consequences are fear, suspicion and conflict---all of which are destroying our world today. Imagine what would happen if people were to drop this fantasy of separateness. What if even just the Christians were to let go of this delusion? What if we were to move beyond our little, separate self to discover our true Self, this shining sun that each of us is? There would be a revolution.
A spirituality is an energizing vision, a driving force. It is, on the one hand, the specific way in which a person is rooted in God; it is, on the other hand, the specific way in which he or she relates to the created world. It is insight as the source of action. It is a vision that generates energy and channels it in a particular direction, thereby enabling a person to transcend himself or herself. For the Christian, it is a way of seeing Christ and being in him that directs the individual's energies in the service of the Kingdom.
All genuine spirituality, both Christian and non-Christian, has a transcendent thrust. A contemporary theologian describes it as "the experience of consciously striving to integrate one's life in terms not of isolation and self-absorption, but in self-transcendence toward the ultimate value one perceives." Almost all theologians agree on the main characteristics of spirituality, included in this definition: progressive, consciously pursued, personal integration, through self-transcendence, within and toward a horizon of ultimate concern. In the Christian context, of course, the driving force, the horizon of ultimate concern is God's love revealed in the person of Jesus.
1. Forgive your parents totally. 2. Forgive everyone who has ever been here, who is here now, including you. 3. Forgive the world. 4. Forgive God. 5. Take a leap of faith by trusting in a Higher Power. 6. Choose peace over conflict. 7. Choose love over fear. 8. Choose to be a love finder rather than a fault finder. 9. Choose to give love rather than seek love. 10. Teach only love. 11. Be a ‘Teacher of Peace'. 12. Cherish your soul. - Jerry Jampolsky
At the root of [our blaming of God can be] failure to understand man's depravity and, in the light of it, to bow before God in true humility. Jesus' response to both of these self-appellations is appropriate. "Everyone that exalts himself shall be abased; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted" (Luke 18:14)
Indeed, Kushner reaches the pinnacle of arrogance when he concludes that in view of our suffering we need "to forgive God for not making a better world…" (p. 147)! Surely it would be more in keeping with the status of mortal man to confess with the Jewish psalmist: "What is man, that thou are mindful of him; and the son of man, that you visitest him?" (Ps. 8:4). David's prayer in Psalm 19 would be even more apropos for the Rabbi: "Who can understand his errors. Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins" (v. 12,13).
"To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~
Susan has been a lawyer and a comedian and is now a Christian minister. You will enjoy Susan's 12-minute video "Laughing your Way to Grace" on laughter as a way to forgiving oneself and so being able to forgive others. Well done, Susan, and thank you!
Here are some other Videos 2 - 4 minutes each, all on forgiveness, from the same site. Click on any video to view it. (Real Player must be installed on your computer.Download free RealPlayer 11 for Windows )
To live a contemplative life, to be spiritual, does not mean that we spend life in some kind of sacred spa designed to save us from having to deal with the down and dirty parts of life. The contemplative life is not spiritual escapism. Contemplation is immersion in the God who created the world for all of us.... And so must we do whatever justice must be done in our time if we claim to be serious about really sinking into the heart of God. A spiritual path that does not lead to a living commitment to the coming of the will of God everywhere for everyone is no path at all. It is, at best, a pious morass, a dead end on the way to God.
Authorship and source unknown. Passed on by Sr Fausta
It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80's arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.
I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.
While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry.
The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health.He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease.As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late.He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.
I was surprised, and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?'
He smiled as he patted my hand and said,
'She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is.'
I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, 'That is the kind of love I want in my life.'
True love is neither physical, nor romantic.
True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.
The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.
'Life isn't about how to survive the storm,
But how to dance in the rain.'
Din hija taħdita li ngħatat lis-Sorijiet tal-Karità ta' Sta Ġovanna Antida minn membru tal-Fondazzjoni Sta Ġovanna Antida, fit-18 tà Ġunju 2008, u lill-Ħbieb tà Sta Ġovanna Antida fil-25 tà Ġunju
_____
A. KONTEMPLATTIVI ?
B. MIN JITLEF ĦAJTU?
C. IL-MERAVILJA
D. LEMĦA BISS ?
E. AGĦMA!
F. DEVOZZJONI
G. INĦARES, INĊEDI
H. TIBŻAX
I. KIF JIBDA' JBEXBEX…
A. KONTEMPLATTIVI ?
Is-sejha kontemplattiva hija sejha ta' l-ispiritu lil kulhadd – sorijiet, patrijiet, qassisin, lajci – ghalkemm f'xi whud forsi din is-sejha gewwinija ma tasalx sal-wicc ghaliex ikun hemm wisq cpar. { Fig 5}
“Ghandkom tkunu kontemplattivi li jinghataw ghall-hidma,” San Vincenz de Paule kien jghid lis-segwaci tieghu. “Qisu mhux hu,” jghid il-Malti meta xi hadd donnu jmur lilhinn mil-limiti tieghu. Dwar il-persuna kontemplattiva ma nistghux nghidu biss ‘Qisa m'hix hi.' – ikollna bzonn nghidu ‘ tassew m'hix hi'! Il-persuna kontemplattiva tkun marret lilhinn mill-“jien” taghha. Interessanti li bl-Gharbi, dak il-jien (bejn wiehed u iehor) jissejjah nafs i-ammari, il-‘jien li jikkmanda'.
Biex tkompli taqra l-artiklu, niżżlu kollu fil-forma tà fajl PDF billi tikklikkja fuq wieħed minn dawn il-links li ġejjin:
Dan l-artiklu dwar videos bil-Malti u l-Ingliż fuq www.easterspirit.com meħud mill-magazin Flimkien, Mejju 2008.
Min, bħal kważi kulħadd, ikun mimli bih innifsu, l-Ispirtu s-Santu kif jagħmel biex isib post fejn jiżbokka fih? Fi kliem Ġesù fil-Vanġelu, u f'imkejjen oħra fil-Bibbja, hemm bosta ħjiel ta' fond jew għoli bla qies, imdawwal, kożmiku, divin. Dan il-post fond u wiesa' jinstab issa u hawn, iżda lilhinn mill-“jien” falz, jew mill-“jien” tas-soltu, jew mill-ego. Fin-natura, u fir-relazzjonijiet tagħna ma' ħaddieħor, wesgħat bħal dan jistennewna. X'ħasra, x'ħela, xi traġedja jekk “nibqgħu mejtin” billi inħallu dawn il-wesgħat mgħottijin għal kollox sakemm immutu!
Minn Ħal Balzan ħarġet biċċa għodda biex tispirana inġeddu nifs tal-ħajja u tal-qawmien. Fil-parroċċa ta' Ħal Balzan, bħala riżultat ta' inizjattiva mill-Kappillan u mill-Kummissjonijiet Djakonija u Liturġija, nħolqu sensiliet ta' videos qosra biex jintwerew qabel il-quddies. Jieħdu spunt mis-siltiet għall-qari ta' l-Iskrittura ta' matul l-Avvent u r-Randan, iżda tajbin għal żminijiet oħra wkoll. Għandhom xejra kontemplattiva.
L-Ispirtu s-Santu, jekk jinagħta permess, dejjem lest iwassal lil kull bniedem lilhinn mir-ritratt tiegħu innifsu u lejn in-nifs ta' Alla fih. Ma' min tiltaqa', fuq it-triq lejn Emmaus? X'inhu dak li jiġbdek lejh, fil vjaġġ lejn il-muntanja qaddisa, lejn il-qawmien mill-mewt? Qed inwasslu dawn il- videos fit-tama li jservu ta' spirazzjoni u bħala mezz għal grazzja bħal din. Użahom għalik innifsek, għall-familja, ħbieb, grupp ta' talb jew ta' diskussjoni, irtiri, jew fil knisja. U wara li tara wieħed minnhom, ħalli żmien għal ftit ħemda…
Arahom fuq l-internet bil-kompjuter fuq www.EasterSpirit.com , mingħajr ebda ħlas jew reġistrazzjoni. Jew tista' tniżżilhom fuq il-kompjuter tiegħek permezz ta' RealPlayer ver 11; u doqqhom meta trid, jew agħmel kopji u qassamhom bla qligħ lil min trid. Jekk ikollok bżonn kwalita' adattata għall-projector, ikteb lill EasterSpirit. Uħud minnhom maħruġin bl-Ingliż ukoll – aqsamhom ma' sħabek f'pajjiżi oħra.
Fuq l-istess websajt hemm materjal dwar dimensjoni kontemplattiva tar-religjon nisranija.
You want to achieve something, and it is achieved, but beyond that, you want acclamation, you want triumph, you want the people who opposed you to be humbled and humiliated, you want the Roman triumph where the captors were driven in front and the spoils displayed - that is triumph! And the teacher said that this spoils the action. The action is no longer pure, it is polluted and corrupted by the desire for triumph. If this is lurking in the heart, then our actions will not be fruitful. They may seem to be effective, but in fact they are contaminated. -- Trevor Leggett - The Old Zen Master*
Your participation: Please send us your own comments on this, or some quote on this idea from the Christian tradition. Contact the webmaster here.
(*) The Old Zen Master: Inspiration for Awakening, Buddhist Publishing Group, Totnes, UK, 2000, p62
Powerpoint Presentation of Sr Wandamaria Clerici. You can download this from here in Italian or Maltese.
RIPARTIRE DALLE LINEE EDUCATIVE
La Superiora Generale, Madre Maria Luisa Colombo, si rivolge a tutte le Suore della Carità italiane, in particolare a quelle impegnate nei diversi ambiti educativi e ai laici che con loro collaborano e ne condividono la missione.
Li Teduka hija espressjoni ħajja ta' l-Imħabba
minn Sr Wandamaria Clerici
Il-Madre Ġenerali tas-Sorijiet tal-Karità ta' Santa Giovanna Antida ta' Thouret qed tħeġġeġ lis-sorijiet kollha, l-aktar dawk impenjati fid-diversi oqsma edukattivi, u wkoll lill-kollaboraturi lajċi li magħhom jaqsmu l-missjoni ta' SGA. Tħeġġiġhom sabiex jixtarru u jitrawmu fl-ispirtu u l-prattika ta' dawn il-linji gwidi ispirati mit- testment imħolli minn Santa Giovanna Antida 'l fuq minn mitejn sena ilu.
Għadhom rilevanti għaliex huma strument li bih is-Sorijiet tal-Karità ta' SGA u l-kollaboraturi j istgħu:
Jixtarru l-għerf ta' l-imgħoddi u jħallu nifs ġdid jispira il-waqt u l-ġejjieni
Jirfinaw l-identità kariżmatika tagħhom
Jissaħħu b'mod konkret fl-arti diffiċli li tħobb waqt lil teduka
Jiġġeddu f'din l-avventura ta' l-edukazzjoni
.
Inkunu fidili lejn il- kariżma permezz ta' l-azzjoni edukattiva fil-forom kollha tag ħha
Nagħtuha l-ħajja billi nilqgħu s-sejħa mqanqla ta’ Papa Giov. Pawlu ll biex “…nipprattikaw il-karità b’mod aktar intens.” (27/3/99)
Fl-impenn edukattiv tagħna, ma neħlux mal-bżonnijiet temporali, imma nimirħu ’l hinn lejn il-ħelsien sħiħ tal-bniedem.
(Nizzel il preżentazzjoni Powerpoint kollha bil-Malti)
Tlett irħieb (monks) iddeċidew jipprattikaw il-meditazzjoni kwieta flimkien. Qagħdu bilqegħda f'tarf għadira kbira w fonda li kien hemm f'dawk l-inħawi, u għalqu għajnejhom sabiex iżommu attenzjoni ikkonċentrata waqt ħemda ġewwinijja. Minnufiħ, l-ewwel raħeb qam bilwieqfa u qal, "Insejt inġib it-tapit." Mexa' pass pass sa l-ilma ta' quddiemu, u - haġa tal-għageb - baqa' miexi fuq l-għadira sa l-għarix tagħħom in-naħħa l-oħra.
Meta dan gie lura, it-tieni raħeb qam bilwieqfa u qal, "Insejt inperreċ il-ħwejjeġ ta' taħt halli jinxfu." Huwa wkoll mexa bil-kalma kollha min-nofs tal-għadira, u ġie lura bl-istess mod.
It-tielet raħeb qaghad iħares lejn l-ewwel tnejn bir-reqqa, għax kien wasal għall-konklużjoni li dan kollu kien test tal-kapaċitajiet tiegħu. "It-tagħlim tagħkom possibbli tant aħjar minn tiegħi? Kull bravura li tagħmlu intom kapaċi nagħmilha jien ukoll," iddikjara b'leħen għoli, u ħaffef ħaffef sa tarf l-ilma sabiex jimxi fuqu. Mall-ewwel baqa' nieżel fil-fond.
Bla ma qata' qalbu, ir-raħeb ixxabbat max-xatt sabiex joħroġ mill-ilma, u reġa' pprova; kull ma rnexxilu kien li jerġa' jgħodos fl-ilma. Din il-praspura kompliet isseħħ għal xi ftit taż-żmien, waqt li t-tnejn l-oħra baqgħu iħarsu.
Wara li għadda ftit ħin ħmielu, l-ewwel raħeb dar lejn it-tieni, w qallu, "Tgħid ngħidulu fejn qegħdin il-ġebel?"
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Il-pizza
What the the monk say to the pizza shop waiter?
"Make me one with everything."
The pizza came. The monk pays the waiter with a 20 Euro note. After waiting for a while, the monk asks, "Hey, what about the change?"
The waiter replies, "Change must come from within."
Born on November 27, 1765 in the Sancey-le-Long in the Doubs department in France, Jeanne Antide Thouret was the fifth child of a family of eight. When she was just 15 years old, her mother died leaving the responsibility of maintaining to Jeanne Antide.
As a young girls she searched for a way that would give meaning to her life and believed that it was important to respond to God's will for her. At 22 she left her home and joined the Daughters of Charity , a congregation at the service of the poor founded by St. Vincent de Paul in Paris.
In 1793, when the French Revolution was at its height, all religious congregations were banned and Jeanne Antide was forced to leave the Daughters of Charity. She returned to her home knowing that she would carry on what she had learned from St. Vincent de Paul. She cared for the sick, the wounded, and the poor - all of which grew numerous during the chaos of the French Revolution. Jeanne Antide also taught the children, helped the priests who were forced to hide, and gathered Christians in prayer.
Because of her desire to commit herself to Christ and to her religious vocation, Jeanne Antide fled France and escaped to Switzerland to join a different religious itinerant community where she cared for the sick. With them she traveled across Switzerland and Germany.
When she decided to return to France she did so on foot, alone, without a passport and through unknown places at the risk of her own life. Jeanne Antide passed through Einsiedeln and reached the villge of Landeron in Switzerland. It was there the representatives from the doceses of Bescanon, also in exile, made a request of her to continue on to France and take in young girls who she should train in the same way she was trained. With these girls Jeanne Antide returned to Besançon, France to teach children and to care for the sick. She accepted this request and in 1799 she opened a school, a dispensary, and a soup kitchen for the poor in Besançon. She had founded a new congregation.
In 1810 Jeanne Antide was called to Naples. There she and a group of sisters faced working in a very hierachial social system where the wealthy never encountered the poor. Jeanne Antide was in charge of the Hospital of the Incurable, the largest hospital in the city. The sisters often visited the poor and sick in their homes.
In 1819, the Pope approved the Rule of Life, a book she used to organize her congregation and the life of the women who had followed her. In fact, the Rule of Life is still used today by the Sisters of Charity of St. Joan Antida .
Jeanne Antide died in Naples in 1826. In 1934, she was canonized by Pope Pius IX.
St. Vincent doesn't offer us a spirituality, a teaching on prayer or the spiritual life. He offers us a Spiritual Way. He shows us how we can meet our God in everyday experiences, in the events, the persons, the circumstances of our life. His Way is the way of the Church, a way of experience, of faith, of practical wisdom.... all embraced in a spirit of love.
A Way of Charity Vincent experienced true Charity - the love that led God to send his Son among us. . . 'to bring the good news to the poor.'
A Way of Mission Vincent responded to God's love and call, and saw himself and his followers as being sent also 'to bring good news to the poor.'
A Way of Prayer in Action For Vincent, Prayer was a way of developing and deepening a personal relationship with God, with Jesus Christ. Vincent experienced God in his life. He had a deep faith and trust in God's providential care for him and for all people, especially the poor. He encouraged his followers to share their faith, their experience of God in prayer and in their life experience.
A Way of Practical Love Vincent encouraged his followers to be contemplatives in action, to respond to God in practical love both of God and one's neighbours, practical love, especially of the poor.
From Reception Centre Newsletter – Issue No. 2 August 2007
“The Sister of Charity is ready to go to the ends of the earth. When God calls and we answer Him, He gives us all that we need.” (Letters and Documents, SJA, Letter 2/28/1813). Witnesses called and sent on mission is the underpinning of the apostolic nature of Church (New Catechism of the Catholic Church, 857) and the life of St. Jeanne Antide. Hers was a story of an apostle par excellence. It had all of the apostolic dimensions that created a life lived for others, spurred on by a love of Jesus Christ in service of the poor and his Church. Her life was the unfolding of the journey of a true messenger of Jesus.
The premise on which the apostolic foundation of the Church is built is a deep personal relationship with Jesus Christ who was sent by the Father for the salvation of the world. In the writings and story of Jeanne Antide her knowledge of Jesus is continually evident. Jesus was the axis around which her life and ministry turned. It is easy to find proof of her love for Jesus and her tireless dedication to serving him through the poor. Jeanne Antide wrote, “To teach the poor to know, love and serve God is to do in part what the Saviour of the world came to do on earth; it is to work to bring about the Kingdom of God. (Letters and Documents, SJA-P.D., p 151).
Like the apostles who followed Jesus, Jeanne Antide lived her vocation in response to the Gospel and the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
The events and actions of her life are a road map of a person guided by the Spirit of God in service of him. Reading her biography one is immediately struck by the searching Jeanne Antide went through. Her willingness to listen to the advice of others, to be sent in service of the poor was evident in the decisions she made as she remained faithful to her quest. Her openness to the situation at hand gave clarity to the ways in which her apostolic life evolved. Even though she was a fiercely independent woman, Jeanne Antide sought guidance in discerning where and to what God was calling her. The most obvious were the many instances in which Church or government authorities called upon her to address the specific needs of the poor. Her willingness to recognize the hand of God in these requests shaped and gave direction to the mission of the original sisters.
There are countless examples of the apostolic life of Jeanne Antide. Four highlights from her life serve as powerful examples. As her life unfolded and her understanding of her call to serve “God Alone”, developed Jeanne Antide left the security of her home in Sancey , France to join the Daughters of Charity. Circumstances of the French Revolution forced her to return home to Sancey for a time. The drive to be faithful to her calling to love and serve Jesus Christ took Switzerland and Germany in the company Father Antoine Receveur and a religious group called the Solitaires. Jeanne Antide confided to her niece, Rosalie that she was seeking God's will of that moment. The desire "to be sent" kept her in Sancey for a year and then set her on the road with Father Receveur. It was in that company that she for a time had pledged her life to the love of Jesus in the sick in the travelling hospital she was in charge of. (Rey-Mermet p. 106)
The ministry of Jeanne Antide and her early followers was often in response to the needs of the poor as Church authorities identified them. The Prefect of Besancon, deeply trouble by the deplorable situation in the prison of Bellevaux sent Jeanne Antide and her sisters with the task of establishing some order there. Through the example and dedication of the sisters, a remarkable transformation took place. Herein lies yet another example of how she has answered the call to bring the gospel message of hope to the poor. It was in that same apostolic spirit that she sustained the call she received throughout her life. Jeanne Antide's longing to go to the ends of the earth if necessary, to offer her life in the service of Jesus Christ, his Church and the poor spurred her on to respond to the call of Madame Letizia, Napoleon Bonaparte's mother to serve the poor in Naples, Italy.
While the community she had founded continued to flourish in France , she like the apostles before her went out to bring the message of Jesus, to teach and to heal the poor in southern Italy . The details of the events in the life of this remarkable woman are recounted in her biographies. Another valuable source for more information are The Letters and Documents that contain her writings, the Memoirs of Pure Truth, Sr. Rosalie's manuscript (biography by her niece and secretary) and other correspondence. These resources shed further light on the events that serve as examples of the apostolic dimension of the life of Jeanne Antide. More than two hundred years later, the Sisters of Charity of St. Jeanne Antide continue to serve in the apostolic spirit of Jeanne Antide. Hers is a story that transcends time and place. It touches our current days through the presence of a band of women who have followed her example and continue to carry on her mission of apostolic service to the poor. The Rule of Life of the Sisters of Charity of St. Jeanne Antide opens with the statement,
“To love Christ Jesus, to love and serve the poor who are His members, to show them the love of the Father, this is the charisma and mission which St. Vincent de Paul and St. Jeanne Antide received from God.” (RoL 1.1.1)
The Sisters of Charity of St. Jeanne Antide Thouret today are present on four continents and in 27 countries throughout the world. They continue to be called and sent by the Church to serve the poor in today's world.
For Further Information
— References can be obtained through the Sisters of Charity of St. Jeanne Antide
RoL—Rule of Life: Constitutions of the Sisters of Charity of St. Joan Antida. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Ed. Washington, D.C., United States Catholic Conference, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1997.
Lubich, Gino, and Piero Lazzarin. Joan Antida Thouret: When God Hears the Voice of the Poor, English Edition. New York , New City Press, 1985.
Rey-Mermet, Théodule. Saint Jeanne-Antide Thouret: ‘We have heard the cry of the poor'. London , New City , Cromwell Press, 1998.
Sisters of Charity of St. Jeanne Antide. Letters and Documents: St. Jeanne-Antides Thouret-Foundress of the Sisters of Charity, 1765-1826 (English Edition), London , Burleigh Press, 1977.
Sisters of Charity of St. Jeanne Antide. A Life of Love: St. Jeanne Antide Thouret-Outlines of a Meeting. Rome , Edizioni Piemme Spa, 1994.
Trochu, Francis. Saint Jeanne Antide Thouret (1765-1826: Foundress of the Sisters of Charity. English translation, John Joyce, S.J. London, Sands & Co. (Publishers) LTD., 1966
Sr. Jennifer is an American Sister of Charity. She has served her province as a Provincial Superior for the last ten years. She finished her mandate last May.
| Picture credits: Dancer pic ed. from Ballet Dancer 01 by Opis Suboru, Commons License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/; Easterspirit logo (c) by EasterSpirit
Captions for U3,U4 ready soon 
Jixtarru l-għerf ta' l-imgħoddi u jħallu nifs ġdid jispira il-waqt u l-ġejjieni
Sr.Jennifer :