The word of the Founder

On the 8th December 2002, the statutes of the Community were recognized by the Pontifical Council for Laity. This recognition does not come to crown some merits, but to welcome life, indeed a very young, weak and fragile life.

In this word of the Church, I can hear the resounding voice of the Apostle confirming us in our call: “ Consider, brothers, how you were called ; not many of you are wise by human standards, not many influential, not many from noble families. No, God chose those who by human standards are fool to shame the wise ; he chose those who by human standards are weak to shame the strong, those who by human standards are common and contemptible- indeed those who count for nothing- to reduce to nothing all those that do count for something, so that no human being might feel boastful before God.” (1 Co 1, 26-29).

This is why we can rejoice. God is a family and he wants to integrate to his divine family all the human family, beginning by the Virgin Mary, by the Holy family of Nazareth. We can say that the Church was secretly born in the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It is truly her who led two protestant families to find shelter in her, to recognize in her the mystery of adoption and intimacy, it is her who introduced the Church to us as a family where we would always feel at home, in her home, in God’s home. How great is the Church when she recognizes herself in the poverty and frailness of her members…

I wish that in our Community, this recognition will be perceived as an encouragement to live its beautiful name of Beatitudes. “ Look at the birds of the sky !...” Yes, what we have believed in the ardor of our first love, we have to find it again and live it even more intensely in the radical way of the Sermon on the Mount : in a complete surrender to the Providence of God, in an insane love for our enemies, in non-violence full of meekness and humility, in the culture of poverty which is the culture of the civilization of love.

Our desire has always been to serve the Church while remaining at the last place; this recognition confirms for me this choice that no one will take away from us. I rely on all the members of our family to fully use the grace granted to us at the service of local churches, in the ministries entrusted to us, in service, formation, evangelization, while loving our bishops and priests as Christ himself does love his Church, until the final gift of our lives.

Ephraim