Document: The lay advisor in the VMY

[This presentation was given during the First International Gathering of the Advisors for the Vincentian Marian Youth Association (Paris, July 15-20, 2014)]

JESUS CHRIST, THE MODEL FOR THE ADVISOR

Introduction

The free response to God’s call, regardless of one’s own state in life, results in a conversion to the person of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of the Father. That is the purpose of every formation process that the various ecclesial movements provide and naturally it is also the purpose of the formation and the accompaniment that is provided by the Vincentian Marian Youth Association [1]. Therefore, that is also the most important service of the advisor, without which it would be like building a house on sand (Matthew 7:26).

The advisor in the VMY has to know how to accompany the young men and women as they experience this personal encounter with Jesus Christ. Without such an experience they are not Christian since being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction (Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, #1). The advisor must also know how to accompany these young men and women on their journey through life so that they are able to opt for Christ as the center of their life and the reason for their faith as well as to accept the invitation to follow him. To follow Jesus is to feel as though one is desired by Jesus … as a result of that experience one, in turn, desires Jesus and wants to develop a more personal and affective relationship with Jesus, a relationship that includes a desire to identify oneself with Jesus’ life. Following Jesus also implies, embracing as one’s own, Jesus’ desire with regard to the Father’s plan for humankind.

It would be very arrogant to say that this document includes all the elements that the advisor must be aware of and includes all that is implied in being a lay advisor of the VMY. Rather this document attempts to approach this subject by highlighting some elements in the process of accompaniment, elements that we discover in the process that Jesus himself engaged in as he accompanied others. With these reflections we propose as our objective to aid the advisor in seeing Jesus Christ as the model for accompanying the young people on their journey through life. We realize that we are further developing material that was presented in the document, Role and Functions of Advisors in the VMY. We have no hesitation in affirming the very clear manner in which that document presented the material which allows us, in turn, to provide better service to the members of the Association. There one will find some key elements such as:

• What we understand today by the term “advisor”.
• Who can be an advisor to the VMY.
• Special training style of advisors to the VMY.
• Profile of a VMY advisor.
• Mission of the VMY advisor.
• Specific functions of the VMY advisor.
• Some practical aspects

From this perspective we propose to reflect on the model that Jesus presents us in the gospels. There are many texts in the New Testament that can guide our reflection as lay advisors of the VMY. A clear example of the manner in which an encounter with Jesus of Nazareth can impact the life of a person is seen in the words and the actions of the Samaritan woman (John 4:4-42). That text reveals some key elements to us: an openness to the words of the Teacher who gradually reveals his person and Jesus’ respect of the freedom of this woman to either accept or reject that word. The Samaritan woman is converted and becomes an authentic follower of Christ and proclaims the Good News of the kingdom. Her experience led her to forget herself and she goes forth to encounter others and to share with them her joy and the wonderful gift that flows from her heart … living water that is poured forth as a result of her encounter with Christ, living water that she now wants to share with others.

As we can see from the narration of the above referenced text regarding the Samaritan woman, the richness of the gospel is inexhaustible. We have opted for the text concerning the disciples traveling along the road to Emmaus as the background for this document (Luke 24:13-35). That passage serves as a model for the process of accompaniment and the transformation that occurs when one encounters the Risen Lord.

The starting point is biblical because we want to situate our reflection on the role of the lay advisor in the VMY in the context of Jesus Christ who is our model as he accompanies the disciples on the road to Emmaus.

We also propose the image of “the road”. The ministry of the advisor is grounded in Jesus Christ, the servant (cf., Matthew 20:28) … in Jesus who walks beside us in the same way that he walked beside the disciples on the road to Emmaus. In this passage we highlight seven specific attitudes that Jesus Christ revealed as he walked with the disciples … attitudes that give us insight and that enable us to understand our role as advisors:

• To know how to accompany others on the road;
• To know how to dialogue;
• To know how to discern in light of the Word;
• To know how to create community;
• To know how to celebrate;
• To know how to disappear;
• To know how to nourish.

The discussion of each one of these aspects concludes with a question that is intended to stimulate dialogue and reflection among the advisors. We do not pretend to offer a list of requisites or some profile of the person who desires to engage in this service as an advisor … the document, The Role and the Tasks of Advisors in the VMY, provides that information. We know that every advisor has much wealth to share as a result of their ecclesial commitment and their experience in the VMY. Therefore, it is right that this wealth and richness should help the young men and women to live their identity in the midst of great diversity.

The second part of this document will deal with the role of the laity in the Church and in the world and we will examine the Council Documents and Apostolic Exhortation, Christifideles Laici. We will simply touch upon this theme which you know is both very profound and vast.

That ecclesial reflection will be followed by a section that discusses the apostolic mission of the Vincentian laity and we then conclude the document with some practical matters concerning the appointment and the formation of the lay advisor of the VMY.

To know how to accompany others on the road

Now that very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him (Luke 24:13-16).

The “road” as a metaphor for the life of the human person is classical in almost every form of literature. The human person is one who is on the road. At times the road will be rocky making it difficult to travel. At other times the road will be level, making the journey easier. Still other times the road will lead uphill and more effort will be required in order to travel forward while at other times the road will go downhill and then one will have to regulate one’s step. There are many roads and crossroads and on those roads we will meet many other travelers and pilgrims. Some are alone and others have paused, resting in order to journey onward. At times some people are looking back with a certain nostalgia with regard to the path that they have just traveled. On the road we might encounter some companions who will travel the road with us for a certain distance. We dialogue with those individuals and share our life with them. On other occasions we will leave behind those who are accompanying us because not everyone will walk at the same pace … but we are all on the road. In fact it is impossible to move through life without traveling along the road. We may want to take detours but even then we are opening new paths and new roads. It is impossible to travel through life without walking along the road … we are always on the road.

When we travel beside another person the road becomes more attractive. We talk together about the things that we see. We are able to share our experiences and our vision. When we become tired and weary in our journey, a companion makes the next step bearable. Traveling with a companion beside us provides us with the opportunity to broaden our vision. I am able to share with another person what I see and that person can share with me what he/she sees. At the same time, sharing our different visions enriches the both of us. Together we can discover and explore new paths and roads on which to travel.

The lay advisors of the VMY are people who know how to accompany others on the road. They are not guides who have traveled the whole road, that is, they are not like some local inhabitant who knows all the paths and the secret places and therefore are able to point out and indicate where one should go. The advisors have traveled many roads and have also acquired much experience but they do not know the road that they will have to travel as they accompany another. Because of their experience, because they have refined their vision and are able to interpret danger signs … such persons are able to be good traveling companions. They are able to walk beside others and help others to discover and travel along their own path.

Obviously Jesus is the model traveling companion. In the text that describes the disciples’ journey on the road to Emmaus, Jesus takes the initiative and approaches the travelers who are burdened with their sorrows and who carry with them their concerns and disappointments. They are making their way. Specifically, they have lived through an experience that has left them with more questions than answers and perhaps they are returning to their previous form of life. Both are somewhat blinded by pain and disillusionment and sadness … by the dream that was shattered by recent events. They share their discouragement. It is in this context that Jesus approaches them as another person traveling the road and he continues to travel with them. He does not tell them that they are mistaken nor does he impose on them some direction in which they should travel. He also does not impose on them his own thoughts about the path that they have chosen. He simply walks with them and becomes a traveling companion to them.

According to a popular Hindu saying: the road is the goal; the journey is the destination. This can, however, raise the question: Is the road really the goal. Is it not the means to arrive at a goal, just as a highways leads to a city? Obviously, travelling is not the same as arriving. When we travel we are in motion; when we arrive we are at rest. The road we take, on each step of our journey and for each breath of our lives, is itself—truly and profoundly in that fleeting moment, —the goal and end of our action, the attainment of our purpose and the fulfillment of our existence. The journey is the destination because each step taken brings a person to a point in life which is precisely where he or she can and must arrive. The journey is the destination . . . for the moment, but that “moment” is the only one that people have at the instant of arrival, and thus the action is whole and entire in that instant [2].

Lay advisors in the VMY are persons who know how to accompany others on the road and they enjoy and rejoice in that reality as a goal. They help others to look at the road with new eyes and therefore the road is not something that should be traveled along rapidly but rather one must become an observer and must be convinced that one is enriched by the road because it is there that God is revealed.

Following the example of Jesus, the lay advisors of the VMY know how to approach young men and women and know how to walk with them and do not simply pass them by and then continue to travel alone. The advisors place themselves on a level that is equal to those they are accompanying in order to listen to them. They take seriously the concerns and joys, the anguish and fears of others. The advisors are another Christ who know how to accompany the young people on their journey and the young people see that the advisors are present to them and walking with them and they find that reality to be very comforting. To accompany another on the road is to travel together with another.

Advisors take the first step toward the young person, they become involved with them and accompany them: The Church … is a community of missionary disciples who take the first step, who are involved and supportive … who know that the Lord has taken the initiative, he has loved us first (1 John 4:10), and therefore we can move forward, boldly take the initiative, go out to others, seek those who have fallen away, stand at the crossroads and welcome the outcast (Evangelii Gaudium, #24).

Pause for reflection:

• As we reflect on the manner to accompany young persons, what is the “newness” that Jesus places before us?

To know how to dialogue

He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?" They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?" And he replied to them, "What sort of things?" They said to him, "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see" (Luke 24:17-24).

Jesus invites the disciples to tell their story and he listens to them. He asks them questions in order to enter into a dialogue with them. Jesus is not thinking about how he is going to respond to them but is simply listening to them and allows them to talk about their concerns, about the things that sadden them and gladden them.

The road is a place for conversation and dialogue; it is a place where impressions and feelings and ideas can be exchanged.

Jesus takes the initiative because he wants to know their story. He is concerned about them because he sees their sad expression and he wants to know what is happening. He does not interrupt the dialogue that they are engaged in but walks with them and listens to their story. He then participates in their conversation through questions and attempts to draw out of them their concern. He wants to know their feelings and their desires.

Lay advisors know how to utilize Jesus’ teaching methods. They are not concerned about giving answers but they are very interested in listening to the questions of the young men and women. It is not good that someone would begin to teach what one considers as necessary before listening to that which arises from the depths of the heart of another. Advisors know how to be attentive to the questions and inquiries of others, to their concerns and joys. Only after listening will they offer a consoling word or a word that helps someone to understand their present situation, helps someone interpret what is occurring. Answers must always depend on questions.

It is interesting that in the account of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, one of them has a name, Cleopas. Jesus enters into dialogue with people who have a name, a place of origin, etc. They are not simply names that appear on some list but they are people with whom Jesus shares his life and whom he welcomes as traveling companions.

Knowing how to dialogue means not only becoming involved in the journey of the young men and women but also means knowing how to become involved in their conversations and their stories. Like Jesus, the advisors of the VMY show great respect for the life of the young people whom they accompany. They know how to express their concern and how to create a dynamism as they journey together. They know how to listen to the concerns of another without becoming overwhelmed by those concerns. They know how to connect with people when they talk and they know how to be quiet in order to understand another.

Like Jesus, the lay advisors seek to approach and draw closer to others. They become involved in the life of young men and women so that they might accompany them in a more effective manner. They accompany those persons in every situation, no matter how difficult or how prolonged.

Pause for reflection

• What is the methodology that Jesus uses in order to come to know the interior movement of a person?

To know how to discern in light of the Word

And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures (Luke 24:25-27).

Very quickly the biblical text becomes disconcerting. It is strange that Jesus, after listening at length to the story of the two disciples, after hearing them speak about their hopes and dreams, their sadness and disillusionment, walked silently with the two travelers. But then Jesus understood what was disturbing them and the time came for him to speak and to enlighten the painful situation of the disciples.

Reflecting on Jesus in this account of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, lay advisors in the VMY can help young men and women to view with “new eyes” the different situations in which they are involved. There are times when one cannot distinguish the trees from the forest. The same difficulty arises with human beings when they are unable to recognize the path that they have just traveled. At the same time they are often unable to recognize that God has been active throughout their life. Like Jesus, the advisors, after becoming aware of and understanding the situation of the young men and women, have an opportunity to help the young members of the association “to see differently”, to see in way that is healing.

Jesus reproached the disciples when he told them: how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! At moments like that the advisors have a great opportunity to evangelize those who “are slow of heart to believe”. When Mary visited her cousin, Elizabeth, she was greeted with the words, blessed are you who believe (Luke 1:45). Mary did not say “yes” because she fully understood the mystery that God had revealed to her, rather Mary was able to say “yes” because of her attitude of faith. In the few places in Luke’s gospel where Mary appears as the mother of the Savior, her outstanding feature is her faith. Mary is a woman who guarded everything in her heart and then reflected upon and prayed about those matters. She accepted the plan and the events that God had prepared for her, but she did not do this easily. It was her faith in God, her faith in the One who gave her life that enabled her to accept all those realities.

Mary teaches us the primacy of listening to the Word in the life of the disciple and missionary. The Magnificat is entirely woven from threads of Holy Scripture, threads drawn from the Word of God. Here we see how completely at home Mary is with the Word of God, with ease she moves in and out of it. She speaks and thinks with the Word of God; the Word of God becomes her word, and her word issues from the Word of God. Here we see how her thoughts are attuned to the thoughts of God, how her will is one with the will of God (Aparecida, #271).

Advisors are people of faith who know how to reflect on their life in light of the Word and in light of God’s presence in their life. Because of this they know how to accompany young men and women and are able to assist them in developing their faith. At times this will be achieved by calling their attention to this matter in the same way that Jesus did: how foolish you are! how slow of heart… Their words need not be sugar-coated but their words should awaken those whom they are accompanying from their dreamy world. Advisors know how to use the appropriate words in order provoke a new healing reaction.

Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures. Jesus knew how to place his point of view before the disciples and so also advisors should never hide or cover over the joy of the Lord’s message because the joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus (Evangelii Gaudium, #1).

Goodness always tends to spread. Every authentic experience of truth and goodness seeks by its very nature to grow within us, and any person who has experienced a profound liberation becomes more sensitive to the needs of others. As it expands, goodness takes root and develops. If we wish to lead a dignified and fulfilling life, we have to reach out to others and seek their good. In this sense, several sayings of Saint Paul will not surprise us: “The love of Christ urges us on” (2 Corinthians 5:14); “Woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:16) (Evangelii Gaudium, #9). Lay advisors are men and women who have encountered God and who accept God as their liberator and Savior. They know that their life can be reflected upon and interpreted in light of the Word and this fact makes them able to accompany other young men and women on their journey.

Knowing how to engage in a process of discernment in light of the word is to open paths that show everyone how to journey through life so that they are faithful to God’s plan. Such a process means that people are able to analyze history from a perspective of hope and mercy and therefore able to present another way of understanding history, another perspective that overcomes fear and anguish and discouragement. Finally, it implies knowing how to transcend the present situation and view life in a hopeful and optimistic manner.

When advisors are able to encourage young men and women to view their life in light of the Word of God and when they allow their own life to be enlightened by the gospel, they will begin to see the hearts of the young people enflamed … they will be more enthusiastic and they will dream anew and their sadness will slowly become joy as they hear the Good News proclaimed in their midst.

To be ignorant of the Scriptures is to be ignorant of Christ and to fail to proclaim him (Aparecida, #247). When speaking about the Word of God, Pope Benedict XVI stated: An indispensable pre-condition is a profound knowledge of the word of God. To achieve this, we must train people to read and meditate on the word of God: this must become their staple diet, so that, through their own experience, the faithful will see that the words of Jesus are spirit and life (cf. John 6:63). Otherwise, how could they proclaim a message whose content and spirit they do not know thoroughly? We must build our missionary commitment and the whole of our lives on the rock of the word of God [3].

Pause to reflect

• How does Jesus help the disciples to interpret and re-read the events of their life?

To know how to create community

As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them (Luke 24:28-29).

As they traveled along the road, the disciples opened their heart to that fellow traveler who, in the beginning, was a stranger. His silent yet respectful presence, his probing questions and his enlightening words enabled the disciples to place their trust in “this stranger” and, as night approached, they invited Jesus to remain with them. They wanted to continue that mutual sharing of life. It is interesting to note the process that was developed, namely, while in the beginning the disciples were sad and discouraged, they soon discovered that their hope had been restored.

It is even more interesting to observe Jesus’ wisdom and the manner in which he was able to enter into the life of the disciples. Jesus’ silence, his accompaniment and his words … all of these had an effect on the disciples. They no long viewed him as a stranger, but now he was a friend and a brother. The disciples invited this new friend to remain with them and their words took the tone of an urgent appeal. Their words were a prayer addressed to the One who was able to enlighten their hearts that had become overwhelmed with sadness.

Jesus is a model for the lay advisors. They will not be able to be a traveling companion if they do not know how to create community, if they do not know how to win the trust and the hearts of the young men and women, if they are unable to make that feeling arise that will cause the young men and women to invite these advisors to remain with them and share their more profound experiences and feelings. If we were able to take this route, it would be so good, so soothing, so liberating and hope-filled! To go out of ourselves and to join others is healthy for us (Evangelii Gaudium, #87).

Knowing how to create community implies being in close contact with other people and living with the attitude of the Good Samaritan; it is to experience ourselves as brothers and sisters to one another who share the same condition; it is to take others seriously. Finally, it means that we understand that the Gospel tells us constantly to run the risk of a face-to-face encounter with others, with their physical presence which challenges us, with their pain and their pleas, with their joy which infects us in our close and continuous interaction … the Son of God, by becoming flesh, summoned us to the revolution of tenderness (Evangelii Gaudium, #88). Therefore, advisors, strengthened by the gospel which animates their own life, experience in every encounter the young person as their brother/sister and they also feel as though they themselves are brother/sister to those whom they are accompanying. This creates an attitude of mutual trust and mutual support. The advisors do not feel as though they are strangers as they accompany the group, indeed, the advisors become a necessary point of reference.

There are visits that are not only pleasing but also desirable. In other words, there are people whom we are very pleased to welcome into our homes. When those people, our visitors, leave and return to their own homes, we experience a certain loss and we want them to return very soon so that we can once again be in their presence. In the biblical passage that we have been reflecting on we are told that Jesus went in to stay with them. To visit people and to enter their home is to want to see those persons and to talk with them … to want to know about their life and to want to share one’s life with them.

Advisors, like Jesus, are people who are invited by the young person to enter their house, to become part of their life. They are welcomed and invited to sit down and enter into dialogue. The advisors are invited to enter and to remain there because, through their presence, there is always the possibility for further development of the faith of the young men and women. The first members of the Christian community gathered together in homes in order to profess and celebrate their faith. The house, the life of the young men and women, is a sacred place and therefore the advisors should remove their shoes as they enter that “holy land” (cf., Exodus 3:5). Given the temptation, very common in contemporary culture, of being churchless Christians and the tendency for new individualistic spiritual searches, we declare that faith in Jesus Christ reached us through ecclesial communion and that it “gives us a family, the universal family of God in the Catholic Church … this means that a constitutive dimension of the Christian event is belonging to a concrete communion in which we can be part of an ongoing experience of discipleship and communion with the successors of apostles and the successor of Peter (Aparecida, #156).

Pause for reflection

• To create community is to create deeper relationships among the young men and women … in what ways does Jesus create a sense of trust between himself and those whom he accompanies?

To know how to celebrate

While he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him (Luke 24:30-31.

It is not just any bread that Jesus shared with the two disciples … rather it was a bread that was taken, blessed, broken and shared … bread for the life of those who accepted Jesus into their life.

Like Jesus, the lay advisors of the VMY are able to encourage the young men and women to transform themselves into bread for others. Jesus becomes an offering for the life of the young men and women and for all those who are hungry for the life that comes from God. Therefore, the young people should be encouraged to become that bread that is broken and shared on behalf of those who suffer and who want our understanding and assistance.

When they come together to celebrate, it is much more than coming together to eat and to eat is more than some biological activity. To celebrate and to eat is an act of sharing all that we are and all that we have.

Knowing how to celebrate should lead us to break and to share bread in order to satisfy the hunger for food and the hunger for God. Celebration is what gives meaning to the table as a place of encounter. In the celebration and the encounter we discover God present in our midst and we also discover the other as brother and sister.

Knowing how to celebrate is totally opposed to every form of isolation: The great danger in today’s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades (Evangelii Gaudium, #2). Therefore the advisors are people who celebrate life by giving their life in order to generate life in others. They know how to encourage young people to focus their eyes on Jesus who celebrates his life by sharing it with others, especially those who are most poor and vulnerable.

Advisors know that to celebrate is to break the body of the Lord for others and this, in turn, is a commitment to break and to share one’s life, talents, time, and possessions. This shatters the many different forms of loneliness and isolation and selfishness and substitutes sharing because whatever you do for one of these least brothers or sisters of mine, you do for me (Matthew 25:40). This is proper to Vincentian spirituality because that spirituality is born from a lively and profound experience of the person of Jesus Christ. The basic experience from which our spirituality has originated is without a doubt the transforming experience that was lived by Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac as they encountered Jesus Christ.

To celebrate from the perspective of Vincentian spirituality is to announce Jesus Christ to the poor, to tell them that the kingdom of heaven is at hand and that is is for persons who are poor (CCD:XII:71) [4].

Pause for reflection

• What is the style of celebration that Jesus proposes?

To know how to disappear

He vanished from their sight (Luke 23:31).

In light of the process that we have reflected on, there comes the time when this unknown pilgrim, recognized in the celebration as the Lord … this Teacher, the one who accompanied the disciples, disappeared. He did not disappear with the intention of never appearing in their midst again, but rather established a new form of presence. The risen Lord did not depart but remained with them and interacted with them, but in a different way.

As a traveling companion Jesus had come to know that which was in the depths of the disciples’ heart; he accompanied them and listened to them and helped them to attain a broader and more merciful understanding of their own situation … they were now able to become true disciples and missionaries, witnesses of all that they had seen and heard. Their faith was renewed and their hope was enlivened. They had discovered the presence of the living Lord in history and in their own life. They could now walk in the presence of the Lord. They had achieved a certain maturity in their journey of faith and so now it was time for them to become zealous witnesses of the experience of the Risen Lord who will accompany others in the same way that they had been accompanied, will accompany others in their weariness, their sadness and their disillusionment.

Advisors accompany the young men and women during some specific period of their life. They cannot always be beside those young people. It is important that they know when to let go of the reins so that those young men and women can walk by themselves and fulfill God’s plan for them.

The advisors have, at one time, been the disciples who were accompanied by the Lord and they experienced the wisdom of the Teacher who disappeared but became present in another way. The Master prepared these men and women to accompany others and so they have become formators of many other young men and women who, in time, will become traveling companions to others.

Knowing how to disappear implies allowing the seed that one has planted to grow. It does not mean going away but rather a different form of presence. It means knowing how to leave footprint and how to create a solid foundation. Like Jesus, it is good for the advisors to disappear from the life of the young men and women (cf., John 16:7) because one can never exhaust the truth and no one should ever move ahead of the truth. We should never cease to hold the young men and women in our gaze, but at the same time it is necessary to believe in them as persons and to trust them.

Pause for reflection

• At what point in the journey does Jesus disappear? Why?

To know how to nourish

Then they said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning (within us) while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?" So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, "The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!" Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:32-35).

The encounter with Jesus is a gift. It was not the initiative of the disciples who did nothing to provoke such an encounter. Rather, Jesus took the initiative in this regard. He helped them deal with their confusion and disbelief. No one was waiting for the Risen Lord. Rather Jesus becomes present in their life thus surpassing all their expectations. This is a grace from God [5]. The encounter with the Risen Lord transformed the life of the disciples, not only those walking along the road to Emmaus, but also those who were traveling in some other direction, those who had ceased to journey forward, and those who were overwhelmed with sadness and discouragement.

The Emmaus account describes in a wonderful way the transformation that was produced in the disciples when they accepted the Risen Lord. They had walked with a certain sadness, but when they listened to the words of the one who accompanied them, their hearts were enflamed. Their eyes had been downcast because of Jesus’ death but when they experienced him alive, they discovered that their hopes were in no way exaggerated. They had separated themselves from the other disciples but now they wanted to return to Jerusalem to tell the disciples about all the things that had occurred on the road [6].

The disciples realized that when they distanced themselves from the fire, they felt cold. Therefore, when they encountered the Risen Lord their hearts were enflamed and they decided to return and join the other disciples so that they could continue to strengthen the power of God’s love in their life and the in the life of others. The encounter with Jesus provoked a response from the disciples/missionaries. As disciples they wanted to sit at the feet of the Master in order to listen to him and in order to allow the Teacher to enlighten their life with the Word of God. They knew that when they listened to the word their life was given direction and meaning. They had experienced that while they were on the road. They knew that they were able to see life and events more clearly. Therefore, they returned to Jerusalem in order to meet with the community of the disciples, those who were hungry and thirsty for the word of God.

If everything begins with an encounter with the person of Jesus, then a fundamental question arises and the response nourishes the life of the disciples (and the life of the advisor): Master, where are you staying? (John 1:38). Where can we find an appropriate manner to begin an authentic process of discipleship and mission? Where are the places, the persons, the gifts that tell us of you, put us in communion with you, and enable us to be your disciples and missionaries? (Aparecida, #245). Where can the disciple be nourished?

Pope Benedict XVI states: The Church is our home! This is our home! In the Catholic Church we find all that is good, all that gives grounds for security and consolation! Anyone who accepts Christ, "the way, the truth and the life" in his totality, is assured of peace and happiness, in this life and in the next! [7]

The Latin American Bishops listed the sources that will nourish the life of Jesus’ disciples:

• Lectio divina or the practice of prayerful reading of Sacred Scripture.
• To know the Scriptures is to know Jesus Christ.
• Participation in the sacred liturgy, and especially the Eucharist.
• Participation in the other sacraments.
• Personal and community prayer (this is how one is able to cultivate a relationship with God.
• The community (cf., Matthew 18:20).
• In the poor, the afflicted and suffering (cf., Matthew 25:37-40). (Aparecida, #249ff.).

When the disciples are nourished, they in turn nourish their encounter with the Risen Lord and everything is transformed: their life, their activities, their perspective. Everything recovers a new meaning: Whenever we make the effort to return to the source and to recover the original freshness of the Gospel, new avenues arise, new paths of creativity open up, with different forms of expression, more eloquent signs and words with new meaning for today’s world (Evangelii Gaudium, #11).

There is no true encounter with the person of Jesus Christ that does not at the same time lead one to become a witness of Jesus Christ and a witness of the transforming power of that encounter. The disciples had experienced all of that and without any further thought, they returned to Jerusalem in order to share their joy with those who had remained behind and who were filled with sadness. They could not keep their joy to themselves but felt a need to communicate and share their joy. The encounter filled them with a joy that had to be proclaimed. All the accounts of the various encounters with the Risen Lord state the same thing: there was an urgency to proclaim the joyful news that Jesus is alive and in the midst of the people. The disciple, founded in this way upon the rock of God’s word, feels driven to bring the Good News of salvation to his brothers and sisters. Discipleship and mission are like the two sides of a single coin: when the disciple is in love with Christ, he cannot stop proclaiming to the world that only in him do we find salvation. In effect, the disciple knows that without Christ there is no light, no hope, no love, no future [8].

Pause for reflection

• How does Jesus nourish the life and the mission of the disciples? What does he inspire them to do?

Second Part

The road, as we have seen, represents, in a figurative manner, human life. The life of every person is a pilgrimage, a journey that begins at the time of birth and concludes at death. Meanwhile, in the daily journey through life, people will encounter God who approaches them, accompanies them and becomes their friend. God, who became incarnated in Jesus Christ, is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

Each and every member of the church and each and every member of the VMY have begun this journey, have traveled through “the desert” and have experienced “paradise”, have ministered with joy and have been able to overcome moments of sadness and anxiety and tension. They try, however, to never lose sight of the fact that the road that they have traveled is not one that they themselves have created but rather is a road that was planned with God, a road that, as we have seen in the account of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, was laid out by God.

In the first part of this document we have reflected on Jesus as the model advisor. In this second part we move from a biblical reflection to a doctrinal reflection. We intend to highlight some of the ecclesial documents and point out some of the essential elements of the vocation and the mission of the laity.

In the final sections we present a brief reflection on the mission of the lay Vincentian and some practical matters that are intended to assist the lay advisor of the VMY.

The Second Vatican Council

The Second Vatican Council recognizes the fact that the laity are central to the activity of the Church in the world … they are active and responsible subjects of the ecclesial community. Their condition as lay persons is rooted in the sacraments, especially Baptism and it is precisely this sacramental reality that makes the laity ontologically equal to all other Christians and does this without lessening the importance of the diversity of charisms and ministries that are found in the Church.

The Council defines the laity as all the faithful except those in holy orders and those in the state of religious life specially approved by the Church. These faithful are by baptism made one body with Christ and are constituted among the People of God; they are in their own way made sharers in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly functions of Christ; and they carry out for their own part the mission of the whole Christian people in the Church and in the world (Lumen Gentium, #31).

A transcendental element that helps us to understand more fully the specific mission of the laity and that was recovered by the Council is the vision of the Church as the People of God which in turns strengthens the Church’s identity. This is often expressed with the phrase Church – communion which gives the People of God a role as protagonist and thus provides ecclesial ministry with an essential manner of acting.

Lumen Gentium helps us to become aware of the fact that the laity are called in a special way to make the Church present and operative in those places and circumstances where only through them can it become the salt of the earth (Lumen Gentium, #33). It is in this sense that the vocation of the laity finds its meaning since they are called by God to contribute to the sanctification of world, as from within like the leaven (Lumen Gentium, #31). This activity of being a leaven and the path to holiness is lived out from the perspective of ecclesial communion and accomplished through active and responsible participation in the mission.

The Apostle Peter exhorted the ecclesial community to strengthen their sense of belonging to the church, the People of God: you are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises" of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were "no people" but now you are God's people (1 Peter 2:9-10).

The Council recovered this profound understanding of the People of God, a reality that means that all the baptized are involved in the common mission that was begun by Christ. Therefore the laity can also be called in various ways to a more direct form of cooperation in the apostolate of the Hierarchy (Lumen Gentium, #33). It is through this collaboration with the hierarchy and with all the ecclesial ministers that the laity can and must perform a work of great value for the evangelization of the world (Lument Gentium, #35). The laity are protagonists in the process of evangelization (cf., Apostolicam Acuositatem, #18; Ad Gentes, #11) and their participation in the apostolate and in the internal life of the Church is in accord with the right of every Christian and is not some hierarchical concession (cf., Apostolicam Acuositatem, #3)

Since there are diverse ministries in the Church (cf., Lumen Gentium, #3), the laity participate in the life of the Church in a co-responsible and complementary manner with the hierarchy and with men and women religious (cf., Lumen Gentium, #30, 37; Apostolicam Acuositatem, #25; Presbyterorum Ordinis, #9; Gaudium et Spes, #9). They do this in order to build up the kingdom of God and to instill the temporal order with Christian principles (cf., Lumen Gentium, #35; Apostolicam Acuositatem, #5).

All the laity need to feel involved and valued in order to accomplish the evangelizing mission of the Church. In this way the laity become witnesses to the world with regard to Jesus’ life and resurrection and they, in turn, are a sign of the presence of the living God. The laity are called, individually or collectively as members of some association such as the VMY, to offer to the world the values and the perspective and the manner of thinking and acting of Jesus of Nazareth. In a word, Christians must be to the world what the soul is to the body (Lumen Gentium, #38).

Christifideles Laici

With the parable of the Lord’s vineyard as a background, the Apostolic Exhortation begins by stating that the laity belong to the People of God and are represented in the parable by the vineyard workers while the vineyard itself represents the world that needs to be transformed in accord with God’s plan … and that is the place where the laity develop the vocation to which they have been called: lay people are personally called by the Lord from whom they receive a mission on behalf of the church and the world (Christifideles Laici, #2).

This vocation is lived out in an ecclesial environment: Only from inside the Church’s mystery of communion is the identity of the lay faithful made known and their fundamental dignity revealed. Only within the context of this dignity can their vocation and mission in the Church and in the world be defined (Christifideles Laici, #8). It is this understanding that reinforced the idea that the lay faithful, together with the clergy and women and men religious, make up the one People of God and the Body of Christ (Christifideles Laici, #28) and are called to work together in communion in the vineyard.

There are two key ideas that cannot be separated: God’s call and the sense of belonging to the Church, to the People of God. The full belonging of the lay faithful to the Church and to its mystery and the unique character of their vocation has a special objective, namely, to seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and ordering them according to God’s plan (Christifideles Laici, #9).

Viewing the world as the vineyard, the exhortation encourages the faithful to go further and to view the reality of the world in all its dimensions (ecclesial, political, economical and cultural), with all its problems and values, with all its unrest and hopes because it is there that they are called to live out their vocation and mission … it is not permissible for anyone to remain idle (Christifideles Laici, #3). This is the place where the seed must be planted, but it is necessary to know and to understand and to analyze that reality. This is the place where people must make a decision to live or not live their Christian commitment. At the same time the laity are not only vineyard workers but they are also part of the vine (Christifideles Laici, #8). Because of that fact the document places great importance on the integral formation of the lay faithful: the fundamental objective of the formation of the lay faithful is an ever-clearer discovery of one’s vocation and the ever-greater willingness to live it so as to fulfill one’s mission (Christifideles Laici, #58).

Such formation seeks to develop an ever more intimate relationship with Jesus and an offering of oneself to others as people struggle together for the creation of a more just and charitable world. The situation today points to an ever-increasing urgency for a doctrinal formation, not simply by helping people attain a better understanding of faith’s dynamism but also by enabling them “to give a reason for their hoping” in view of the world and its grave and complex problems. It is indispensable that they have a more exact knowledge of the church’s social doctrine and at the same time they should be encouraged to continue to develop human values (Christifideles Laici, #60).

The participation of the laity in the life of the church can take the form of an apostolate that is exercised by an individual (Christifideles Laici, #28, paragraph 4-5) or through participating in lay associations (Christifideles Laici, #29, paragraph 2) which is their right (Christifideles Laici, #29, paragraph 7, 8). They must never lose sight of the fact that they have been called to participate in the common mission of the church in a responsible manner and in communion with the whole people of God. The bonds that unite the members of the New People among themselves --- and first of all with Christ --- are not those of “flesh and blood”, but those of the spirit, more precisely those of the Holy Spirit, whom all the baptized have received (cf., Joel 3:1; Christifideles Laici, #19).

The Apostolic Exhortation urges people to recognize their vocation to holiness not only as an obligation but as an essential and inseparable element of the new life of Baptism and an element that determines their dignity (Christifideles Laici, #17). The laity can never remain in isolation from the community but must live in a continual interaction with others, with a lively sense of fellowship, rejoicing in an equal dignity and common commitment to bring to fruition the immense treasure that they have inherited. God calls all people to offer their being and all that they have because it is this diversity that enriches the oneness of the Church (Christifideles Laici, #20).

Mission of the Vincentian Laity

For every Christian it is through the practice of the discernment of the Spirit that men and women begin to understand and accept the meaning of baptism and its implications for daily life. Discernment, then, is a tool that illuminates the presence of the Spirit of Jesus Christ in our life and in our history … and in light of that reality we seek to discover and act in accord with the will of God.

The Vincentian charism came into existence as Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac reflected on their own baptism. It was as a result of such reflection that they discovered and accepted a mission of service to Christ through ministry on behalf of the poor. It was that profound experience with the person of Jesus Christ that enabled them to radiate the joy of that encounter and the joy of having discovered Christ in the poor and the marginalized members of society. From that time until the present, men and women from many different countries have made that charism present in the midst of a great cultural diversity.

As Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac became aware of their call to fulfill their baptismal commitment and as they began to fulfill the mission to which they were called, they expressed a profound faith in the transformational power of the laity in the Church and in the world.

For three centuries the Church has benefited from the many contributions of countless men and women who have taken their baptism seriously and as a result, committed themselves to the proclamation of the Good News of the kingdom to the poor. Those same individuals, from the perspective of the poor, have made the kingdom present through their lives of humility, simplicity and charity.

This charism is concretized in the here and now and in every era. If we look at the present situation we can say that we live in a time of epochal change and not simply in an epoch of change. Today one of society’s primary problems is a lack of leadership that is able to generate credibility and also able to inspire people to live those values that promote freedom and the search for the truth, a leadership that not only inspires people to live according to reason but also inspires them to promote that which enables people to live with dignity … thus the integrity of the person becomes most important.

The Document of Aparecida states that in this era of globalization every aspect of people’s lives is influenced by this reality: Culture, economics, politics, the sciences, education, sports, the arts, and of course religion as well. As pastors of the Church we are concerned about how these phenomenon affect the life of our peoples and the religious and ethical sense of our brothers and sisters who untiringly seek the face of God … without a clear perception of the mystery of God, the loving paternal design of a worthy life for all human beings is obscured (Aparecida, #35).

Christians and, more specifically, lay Vincentians, live in the midst of a world that is shaken by diverse currents of thought. At the same time they are submitted to ideas that on a daily basis emerge from very diverse sources and are often contradictory and in opposition to the gospel message. In view of such a situation it is not always easy to become aware of the presence of God in the many different realities of the world and in one’s own life … it is not always easy to accept this presence of God that gives meaning to the being and the activity of the human person. Vincentian spirituality is developed in the midst of the world and seeks to transform the world not from the perspective of some social or political ideology but from the perspective of the principles of Christian faith.

Pope Frances states: Lay people are, put simply, the vast majority of the People of God. The minority – ordained ministers – are at their service. There has been a growing awareness of the identity and mission of the laity in the Church. We can count on many lay persons, although still not nearly enough, who have a deeply-rooted sense of community and great fidelity to the tasks of charity, catechesis and the celebration of the faith. At the same time, a clear awareness of this responsibility of the laity, grounded in their baptism and confirmation, does not appear in the same way in all places. In some cases, it is because lay persons have not been given the formation needed to take on important responsibilities. In others, it is because in their particular Churches room has not been made for them to speak and to act, due to an excessive clericalism which keeps them away from decision-making. Even if many are now involved in the lay ministries, this involvement is not reflected in a greater penetration of Christian values in the social, political and economic sectors. It often remains tied to tasks within the Church, without a real commitment to applying the Gospel to the transformation of society (Evangelii Gaudium, 102).

Thus the Church and the VMY has the challenge of helping more men and women to become aware of their baptismal commitment, to identify themselves with the gospel of Jesus Christ and to take responsibility for giving Christian witness in the midst of the world. In other words the Church has a responsibility to accompany the laity so that the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ might give meaning to their life and their mission. The Pope states: In virtue of their baptism, all the members of the People of God have become missionary disciples (cf., Matthew 28:19). All the baptized, whatever their position in the Church or their level of instruction in the faith, are agents of evangelization, and it would be insufficient to envisage a plan of evangelization to be carried out by professionals while the rest of the faithful would simply be passive recipients. The new evangelization calls for personal involvement on the part of each of the baptized (Evangelii Gaudium, #120).

It is clear that the situation of the world and the church requires the collaboration of all the members of the VMY. In those places where there has been a strong Christian presence, we have had a Church of the multitudes and for the multitudes, in other words, an anonymous Church and a church with no commitment. The faith of Christian Initiation is very weak and the majority of Christians have no sense of belonging to the Church. The witness and the leadership of Christians in the social arena is elementary at best. An authentic Christianity has not been developed either in the midst of society with all of its conflicts and problems or in the midst of a culture where there appears to be a lack of Christian values. There seems to be a rupture between faith and life.

The present post-modern era requires new responses from all those who have been baptized. The lay advisors, in response to their baptismal commitment, are invited to be salt of the earth and light of the world … a leaven in the various areas of society: cultural, social, financial, political, labor. With their option for the poor they are to fill the world in which they live with the gospel spirit as they offer their spiritual and material service to others.

The faith of young men and women, their Christian and Vincentian identity … all of these dimensions of young people are lived out in their daily life, that is, in their family and school environment, with their friends and in their work (for those who both study and work or who are already involved in the labor force). It is a challenge for the young men and women of the VMY to give this witness of faith in the various areas of their life. It can be all too easy for young people to unknowingly accept the capitalist culture and thus become caught up in the web of individualism and unbridled consumerism.

People of faith, both men and women, must be contemplatives. As contemplatives they must be able to look at the world and make the pain and suffering of their brothers and sisters a prayer of contemplation.

The Lay Advisor in the VMY

Traditionally the role of advisor was fulfilled by the Missionaries of the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity, nevertheless this responsibility can be exercised by any adult Christian who has been called by God to serve in this ministry of accompaniment. Such persons will participate in the faith formation of young men and women, will have themselves participated in this association and will be members of some branch of the Vincentian Family and capable of serving in this role.

In the document, Role and Functions of Advisors in the VMY, this possibility is referenced and it is stated: [they] have authorisation from the person in authority in the place where the group is established, and follow the procedures laid down in the International and National Statutes [9].

Formation is a key element that the National Councils must provide when dealing with lay advisors and this should be expressed in detail in the documents that deal with transition in the VMY as well as those documents that outline the formation process of the members.

In order to carry out their mission with pastoral responsibility, lay people need a solid doctrinal, pastoral, and spiritual formation and proper support to give witness to Christ and to the values of the Kingdom in the realm of social, economic, political and cultural life (Aparecida, #212).

The formation of lay advisors implies a training that leads them to a true experience of God … an experience that grounds them and gives unity to their life. Such formation should create an openness in them that allows them to recognize and experience God’s love and to believe that this love will not change or come to an end. They should be able to savor the free, personal and enduring love of God. This formation should teach these men and women how to allow themselves to be loved by God and thus to accept God’s love which in turn should lead them to embrace their mission as advisors and the option to serve young men and women (a specific and clear mission that God has entrusted to them).

The ultimate objective of formation is to show people the beauty of a life of faith and to help people develop their faith by providing them with a sound foundation. From the time that people begin to serve as advisors, the Word of God, the Eucharist, the sacramental life, prayer and concern for the poor should occupy a central position in their life.

It would be helpful if the lay advisors, during the time of their formation, develop a personal plan for life and also have a spiritual director who can help them integrate the various dimension of their life and guide their steps as they continue to walk along the path of conversion that enables them to be the Lord’s disciples and missionaries.

The lay advisors’ experience of accompaniment and formation will in turn allow them to help the young men and women of the VMY to discover Jesus Christ, to discover Jesus’ message and mission. At the same time, the young members of the Association can be offered the opportunity to have a personal encounter with the living and risen Christ. In this way they will experience the reality that where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20). The goal is that each young man and woman will opt to believe, to live, to proclaim, and to celebrate Jesus Christ who is living and present in the community of believers.

Therefore, the National Councils, and more directly, the National Advisors, should develop formation programs for lay advisors … programs that take into consideration dialogue, prayer, organization, unification of criteria and evaluation.

The appointment of the lay advisor

After dialogue among themselves and with those individuals whom they believe can serve as advisors, the members of the local center will present the National Council of the VMY with the names of three possible candidates and they will also submit a report with regard to the overall development of said group of the VMY.

In the case of a lay advisor for the Diocese, then it is the diocesan coordinator who will present the three names and this will be done after having listened to the opinions and the ideas of the local coordinators.

The National Council, after a process of discernment and dialogue among themselves and with the interested parties, will appoint the new lay advisor. The National Council must then confirm this appointment with the stipulated authorities.

Lay advisors should be appointed for a specific period of time and we believe that it is best to appoint advisors for a term of three years, with the possibility of being re-appointed for another three years. If an individual does not carry out the functions of the advisor or becomes a scandal to the Church or society, then the appointment should be withdrawn.

Functions of the lay advisor

• To maintain constant communication with the National Council of the VMY and exchange information about the progress of the Association.
• To maintain constant communication with the coordinators of the groups and the respective counselors.
• In collaboration with the national advisors to promote and to give priority to an integral formation process at every level of formation
• In collaboration with the coordinators and the various councils to look for new and creative ways to integrate new members into the group.
• To seek for ways to integrate the distinct groups into the larger Vincentian Family, that is, to look for those moments when young men and women can work together with other members of the Family and do so on behalf of the less fortunate members of society.
• To integrate diocesan and parish pastoral plans into the various formation programs.
• To look for those places and/or specific services that will allow the young men and women to live out their Christian commitment in a Vincentian manner, that is, in an organized manner and with a perspective of systemic change.
• To encourage the personal accompaniment of the young men and women and to do this in a way that will help them develop a personal plan for life and thus help them to discover their vocation that will in turn lead them to make a concrete option that will involve them in some Vincentian service.
• To maintain the process of on-going formation that will enable the members to deepen their spirituality. Time should also be set aside for reflection on the various documents of the Church and for dialogue about themes that are related to the reality of the young men and women.

Conclusion

Aware of the fact that this theme has by no means been exhausted, yet by way of conclusion we can say that, first of all, as the lay advisors of the VMY begin their service they need time to become aware of, to reflect upon and to internalize their own experience of encountering and walking with Jesus. Secondly, in light of their ecclesial commitment and as they continue to follow Jesus Christ, they also need to reflect on the mission which the VMY has entrusted to them.

The advisors need to know the present needs of the young men and women who present themselves to the various local groups and in justice they must give serious consideration to all the different processes, that is, formation processes and the process of self-development. Accompanying the young men and women in the VMY implies a gradual, on-going, reciprocal process, the purpose of which will allow the young people to make the gospel values a part of their life and thus live their Vincentian identity at this precise moment in history. This process of transformation requires a long, painful and difficult journey because it implies internal transformation.

Many young people today have had negative experiences and are deeply wounded. Nevertheless, they have a profound desire to know and to respond to the Lord’s call and it is this that gives importance to the offer of integral accompaniment. This accompaniment will support individuals as they develop and mature and follow Jesus joyfully.

Personal experience with the person of Jesus Christ is not something theoretical and abstract [10]. It is an event that changes peoples’ life and grounds them and makes them feel loved. The depth of that experience is not rooted in knowledge but in love (cf., Matthew 25). Advisors can see the fruit of their accompaniment when the young men and women translate their experience of God’s love into acts of love on behalf of their brothers and sisters, especially those who are poor, marginalized and excluded.

When God gives people a mission, God also gives them the grace to accomplish that mission. People should love their mission as lay volunteers not because it is easy or gratifying but because it is the mission that God has given to them.

Mary, Virgin and Mother, you who, moved by the Holy Spirit, welcomed the word of life in the depths of your humble faith: as you gave yourself completely to the Eternal One, help us to say our own “yes” to the urgent call, as pressing as ever, to proclaim the good news of Jesus.

Filled with Christ’s presence, you brought joy to John the Baptist, making him exult in the womb of his mother. Brimming over with joy, you sang of the great things done by God. Standing at the foot of the cross with unyielding faith, you received the joyful comfort of the resurrection, and joined the disciples in awaiting the Spirit so that the evangelizing Church might be born.

Obtain for us now a new ardor born of the resurrection, that we may bring to all the Gospel of life which triumphs over death. Give us a holy courage to seek new paths, that the gift of unfading beauty may reach every man and woman.

Virgin of listening and contemplation, Mother of love, Bride of the eternal wedding feast, pray for the Church, whose pure icon you are, that she may never be closed in on herself or lose her passion for establishing God’s kingdom.

Star of the new evangelization, help us to bear radiant witness to communion, service, ardent and generous faith, justice and love of the poor, that the joy of the Gospel may reach to the ends of the earth, illuminating even the fringes of our world. Mother of the living Gospel, wellspring of happiness for God’s little ones, pray for us.

Amen. Alleluia! (Evangelii Gaudium, #288).

Footnotes

[1]Hereafter we will use the initials VMY when referring to the Vincentian Marian Youth Association.

[2] Carlos G. Valles, Al andar se hace camino: el arte de vivir el presente, Editorial Sal Terrae, 1991, p. 248.

[3] Benedict XVI, Inaugural Discourse at the V General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean, May 13, 2007, #3; http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2007/may/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20070513_conference-aparecida_en.html

[4] VINCENT DE PAUL, Correspondence, Conferences, Documents, translators: Helen Marie Law, DC (Vol. 1), Marie Poole, DC (Vol. 1-13b), James King, CM (Vol. 1-2), Francis Germovnik, CM (Vol. 1-8, 13a-13b [Latin]), Esther Cavanagh, DC (Vol. 2), Ann Mary Dougherty, DC (Vol. 12); Evelyne Franc, DC (Vol. 13a-13b), Thomas Davitt, CM (Vol. 13a-13b [Latin]), Glennon E. Figge, CM (Vol. 13a-13b [Latin]), John G. Nugent, CM (Vol. 13a-13b [Latin]), Andrew Spellman, CM (Vol. 13a-13b [Latin]); edited: Jacqueline Kilar, DC (Vol. 1-2), Marie Poole, DC (Vol. 2-13b), Julia Denton, DC [editor-in-chief] (Vol. 3-10, 13a-13b), Paule Freeburg, DC (Vol. 3), Mirian Hamway, DC (Vol. 3), Elinor Hartman, DC (Vol. 4-10, 13a-13b), Ellen Van Zandt, DC (Vol. 9-13b), Ann Mary Dougherty (Vol. 11-12); annotated: John W. Carven, CM (Vol. 1-13b); New City Press, Brooklyn and Hyde Park, 1985-2009.

[5] José Antonio Pagola, Jesús, aproximación historica, Editorial PPC, 2013, p. 574.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Benedict XVI, Discourse at the conclusion of praying the rosary at the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecido, May 12, 2007, http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2007/may/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20070512_rosario-brazil_en.html

[8] Benedict XVI, Inaugural Discourse at the V General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean, May 13, 2007, #3; http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2007/may/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20070513_conference-aparecida_en.html

[9] Role and Functions of Advisors in the VMY, p.6.

[10] Cf., www.svicentemartir-abando.org.

Translated: Charles T. Plock, CM

[[ category:Vincentian Marian Youth]]