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Ave Maria
Milan: January 1, 2004
Ave Maria
Milan: January 1, 2003
Year of The Rosary
NATIONAL AND REGIONAL DIRECTORS OF THE M.M.P. :
Dear Brothers,
To all, I offer
my affectionate wishes of peace, of trust and of comfort in these painful times
of the great trial that have arrived for the Church and for all humanity.
For this reason,
our Holy Father John Paul II has proclaimed 2003 as the
Year of the Rosary.
“At the start
of a millennium which began with the terrifying attacks of 11 September 2001, a
millennium which witnesses every day in numerous parts of the world fresh scenes
of bloodshed and violence, to rediscover the Rosary means to immerse oneself in
contemplation of the mystery of Christ who ‘is our peace’ ”…
(Rosarium Virginis Mariae- R.V.M., 6)
“The grave
challenges confronting the world at the start of this new Millennium lead us to
think that only an intervention from on high, capable of guiding the hearts of
those living in situations of conflict and those governing the destinies of
nations, can give reason to hope for a brighter future. The Rosary is by its
nature a prayer for peace…” (R.V.M.,
40)
“The Church
has always attributed particular efficacy to this prayer, entrusting to the
Rosary, to its choral recitation and to its constant practice, the most
difficult problems. At times when Christianity itself seemed under threat,
its deliverance was attributed to the power of this prayer, and Our Lady of
the Rosary was acclaimed as the one whose intercession brought
salvation.”
(R.V.M., 39)
“I desire that
during the course of this year the Rosary should be especially emphasized and
promoted in the various Christian communities. I therefore proclaim the year
from October 2002 to October 2003 the Year of the Rosary.”
(R.V.M., 3)
This urgent
invitation from the Pope must be welcomed, in a most particular way, by the
priests and faithful of the Marian Movement of Priests.
+ + +
In the year 2002,
I was able to participate in regional cenacles in Brazil, Bolivia, Italy,
France, Slovenia, Austria, Germany and Portugal. With 56 flights, I visited 77
cities and presided over 107 cenacles, in which 35 bishops, 1,700 priests and
550,000 faithful participated.
In Collevalenza
[Italy], at the Spiritual Exercises [Retreat] held in the form of a continuous
cenacle, 15 archbishops and bishops, and about 300 priests from the five
continents took part.
During the past
year, the Marian Movement of Priests has been particularly tried, because of
great moral or physical sufferings that have stricken many of its members. For
this reason, I have been very close to you, bearing with you the weight of the
Cross, and thus seconding the action of Our Lady who is purifying this work of
hers so that, during the days of the great trial, it [the M.M.P.] may become the
extraordinary sign of her presence and her maternal comfort.
I entrust to
the Will of the Lord and to the design of the Immaculate Heart of Mary the
fulfillment of the schedule of cenacles which I have prepared for this year.
1. THE
SPIRITUAL EXERCISES
In
Collevalenza, from June 29 – July 5, at the Shrine of
Merciful Love, there will take place the Spiritual Exercises [Retreat] for the
bishops and priests of the Marian Movement of Priests from Europe, America,
Africa, Asia and Oceania.
I inform you of
the following:
a)
There will be room
for all in the same house. Few laypersons will be allowed to attend, and only
those who have a responsibility in the M.M.P.
b)
I invite the
priests to bring with them
their surplus Mass intentions to be offered as
fraternal assistance to those who find themselves in financial difficulty.
c)
As always, address
all inquiries and reservation requests to:
P. Florio Quercia S.J.
Via Guerrazzi, 14
40.125 BOLOGNA
Tel & Fax: (39) - 051- 23.34.89
Email: da12496@iperbole.bologna.it
Priests
from the United States may contact:
St.
Francis, ME 04774-0008
Tel. (207) 398-3375
2.
REGIONAL CENACLES
ABROAD:
Feeling the
weight of fatigue, of my age and of my precarious health condition greatly
increase, I entrust myself totally into the arms of the heavenly Mother for the
completion of the schedule that I have prepared for abroad.
From January 15
to April 3, I will go to Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay and Paraguay;
and on June 28 to Slovenia. If circumstances allow, from September to
December I have the intention of going to Canada, the United States, Mexico
and El Salvador.
3. REGIONAL CENACLES
IN ITALY:
Rome-April 23;
Pompei-April 25; Lecce-April 29;
S. Gabriele-May
2; Collevalenza-May 6; Florence-May 8; Caravaggio-May
13; Turin-May 15; Genoa-May 20; Bologna-May 22; S.
Vito-May 27; Padua-May 29; Loreto-June 12.
4.
YEAR OF THE ROSARY:
YEAR OF THE CENACLE
In this year of
the Rosary, I invite all of you to spread everywhere the Cenacles of the Marian
Movement of Priests, because in these the Holy Rosary is always recited, the Act
of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is renewed, and there is felt
the comfort of her maternal protection in the time of the great trial.
“…the time has come for all to hasten into the safe refuge of my
Immaculate Heart. Do not lose courage. Be strong in trust and confidence.
(…)
The further you enter into the time of the great trial, the more
will you experience, in an extraordinary way, my motherly presence close to you,
to help, defend, protect and console you, and to prepare for you new days of
serenity and peace.”
(486uv, Jan. 1, 1993)
Therefore, this
year of the Rosary must be, for the Marian Movement of Priests, the Year of
the Cenacle.
5.
THE TIME OF THE
CENACLE
“And so I renew again today my invitation to multiply the
cenacles of prayer, which I have asked for, with such motherly insistence.”
(496d,
May 30, 1993)
“The period of
the purification and the great tribulation in which you are living must be for
you the time of the cenacle. (573j)
This is, for
the Church and for all humanity, the time of the Cenacle.
(573d)
— It is
the time of the cenacle for the Church, invited by me to enter into the
cenacle of my Immaculate Heart. (…) (573e)
— It is
the time of the cenacle for this poor humanity, so possessed by the
spirits of evil, impelled along the road of pleasure and pride, of sin and
impurity, of egoism and unhappiness. Humanity must now enter into the cenacle
of my Immaculate Heart: here, as Mother, I will teach it to pray and to repent;
I will lead it to penance and conversion, to a change of heart and of life.
…For this
reason, I am asking today that the Church and humanity enter into the cenacle
which your heavenly Mother has prepared for you.”
(573hi – May 22, 1996)
6.
THE PRAYER OF THE
CENACLE
During this year,
I invite all of you to meditate on the apostolic letter of our Holy Father Pope
John Paul II, “Rosarium Virginis Mariae.” For the Marian Movement of
Priests, it must be a cause of joy and comfort because therein are emphasized
aspects that are clearly indicated in our book, “To the Priests, Our Lady's
Beloved Sons.”
a)
The Rosary Is
Requested by Our Lady
“The prayer of
my predilection is the holy rosary.
For this
reason, in my many apparitions I always ask that it be recited. I unite myself
with those who say it; I request it from all with solicitude and maternal
preoccupation.”
(275cd; October 7, 1983)
“Well-known
are the occasions in the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries on which the
Mother of Christ made her presence felt and her voice heard, in order to exhort
the People of God to this form of contemplative prayer. I would mention in
particular, on account of their great influence on the lives of Christians and
the authoritative recognition they have received from the Church, the
apparitions of Lourdes and of Fatima; these shrines continue to be visited by
great numbers of pilgrims seeking comfort and hope.”
(R.V.M., 7)
b)
The Rosary Is a
Simple and Profound Prayer
“Simple yet
profound, it [the rosary] still remains, at the dawn of this third millennium, a
prayer of great significance, destined to bring forth a harvest of holiness.”
(…)
“The Rosary is
my favorite prayer. A marvelous prayer! Marvelous in its simplicity and its
depth.” (R.V.M., 1,2)
“Why is the
holy rosary so efficacious?
Because it is
a simple prayer, a humble one, and it forms you spiritually in littleness, in
meekness, in simplicity of heart.
Today Satan is
successfully conquering everything with the spirit of pride and of rebellion
against God, and he is terrified by those who follow your heavenly Mother along
the road of littleness and humility. While this prayer is despised by the great
and the proud, it is recited with so much love and so much joy by my little
ones, by the poor, by children, by the humble, the suffering, by the many, many
faithful souls who have welcomed my invitation.
Satan’s pride
will again be conquered by the humility of little ones, and the Red Dragon will
find himself decisively humiliated and defeated when I bind him not by a great
chain but by a very frail cord: the holy rosary.”
(275e-h; Oct. 7, 1983)
c)
The Rosary Is a
Christological Prayer
“To recite the
Rosary is nothing other than to contemplate with Mary the face of Christ.”
(R.V.M., 3)
“The Virgin
Mary is the unrivalled model of Christian contemplation (cf. Apostolic Letter
“Rosarium Virginis Mariae”, n. 10). From Jesus' conception until his
resurrection and ascension into heaven, the Mother kept the gaze of her
Immaculate Heart on her divine Son: a wonderful, penetrating, sorrowful and
radiant insight (cf. ibid.). It is this Marian look full of faith and love, that
the individual Christian and the ecclesial community make their own when they
recite the Rosary.” (John Paul II,
Angelus, Oct. 27, 2002, #2)
“By
contemplating its mysteries, you are led to understand the plan of Jesus, as
spelled out in all of his life, from the Incarnation to the consummation of his
glorious Pasch, and thus you penetrate ever more profoundly into the mystery of
the redemption.
And you begin
to understand this mystery of love through your heavenly Mother; moving through
the passageway of her Heart, you gain possession of the immense treasure of the
divine and burning charity of the Heart of Christ.”
(275n,o; Oct. 7, 1983)
7. THE FRUIT
OF THE CENACLE
The fruit of
the cenacle is the second Pentecost.
“Within
this new and spiritual cenacle, I will prepare [humanity] to receive the gift of
the second Pentecost, which will renew the face of the earth.”
(573i, May 22, 1996)
“In these
cenacles, the Holy Spirit will come down to lead you to the second Pentecost…
Then the Holy
Spirit will come down as a comfort upon the mourning of your days, in
which the great trial has already come.
Amidst the
mourning of a humanity without God, there will
come down the comfort of the Holy Spirit, who will lead the whole world
to the perfect glorification of the Heavenly Father, bringing about a new
marriage of love between a renewed humanity and its Lord who has created,
redeemed and saved it.
Amidst the
mourning of a divided, darkened and wounded
Church, there will be felt the comfort of the Holy Spirit, who will
clothe it with fortitude and wisdom, with grace and holiness, and with love and
light, in such a way that it may give its full witness to Jesus, living in it
until the end of the world.
Amidst the
mourning of souls, made slaves of Satan,
immersed in the shadow of sin and death, there will alight the comfort of
the Holy Spirit, who will give the light of the presence of God, the life of
divine grace, and the fire of love, so that in them the Most Holy and Divine
Trinity will be able to take up its permanent dwelling.
Amidst the
mourning of the great trial, there will come
down the comfort of the divine presence of the Spirit of the Lord, who
will lead you to live — with confidence, courage, hope, serenity and love —
through the events, which are awaiting you.
(…)
And so today,
I invite you to unite your prayer to mine, so that the Spirit of the Lord may
come down upon you, with all his gifts.
Come, O Holy Spirit.
Come, and change the face of the earth.
Come,
quickly.
Come, in these
last times.
Come, now that
the great trial has arrived.
Come, and
bring us your second Pentecost, so that our eyes may see your greatest miracle,
that of the new heavens and new
earth.”
(496 h-p, May 30, 1993)
8.
COME LORD JESUS
Then the Holy
Spirit will give its perfect witness to Jesus who will return in glory and will
make all things new. With Mary, let us go with joy towards Christ. To Jesus
Christ who comes, throw open wide the doors of our heart, of our life and of our
homes. Let us live the anxious yet magnificent hour of this second Advent.
With the strength of our witness, let us proclaim to all that which St. Peter
announced before the Sanhedrin: “For of all the names
in the world given to men, this is the only one [Jesus Christ] by which
we can be saved.” (cf. Acts 4:12)
He alone is our
Savior; He alone is our Redeemer. Because he is the only-begotten Son of the
Father, [who was] conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the
ever Virgin Mother, who died on the Cross for our Redemption, and is risen,
because He is God. Jesus Christ is the First and the Last, the Beginning
and the End, the Alpha and the Omega, the luminous Morning Star, who leads us to
live the new day, illumined by the contemplation of his Face.
“To look upon
the face of Christ, to recognize its mystery amid the daily events and the
sufferings of his human life, and then to grasp the divine splendor definitively
revealed in the Risen Lord, seated in glory at the right hand of the Father:
this is the task of every follower of Christ and therefore the task of each one
of us. In contemplating Christ's face we become open to receiving the mystery of
Trinitarian life, experiencing ever anew the love of the Father and delighting
in the joy of the Holy Spirit. Saint Paul's words can then be applied to us:
‘Beholding the glory of the Lord, we are being changed into his likeness, from
one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit’
” (2Cor 3:18).
(R.V.M.,
9)
“It [the
Rosary] blends easily into the spiritual journey of the Christian life, which,
after two thousand years, has lost none of the freshness of its beginnings and
feels drawn by the Spirit of God to ‘set out into the deep’ (duc in altum!) in
order once more to proclaim, and even cry out, before
the world that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, ‘the way, and the truth and the
life’ (Jn 14:6), ‘the goal of human history and the point on which the desires
of history and civilization turn.’ ”
(R.V.M., 1)
“I look to all
of you, brothers and sisters of every state of life, to you, Christian families,
to you, the sick and elderly, and to you, young people: confidently take up
the Rosary once again. Rediscover the Rosary in the light of Scripture,
in harmony with the Liturgy, and in the context of your daily lives.”
(R.V.M., 43)
Joseph Cardinal
Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, writes:
“The essence of the Liturgy is summarized in the
prayer given to us by St. Paul and the Didache: ‘Maranatha – Come, O Lord.’ In
the Liturgy, the Parousia is already fulfilled, but this comes to pass by
directing us toward the Lord who is coming, and precisely by teaching us to
invoke COME LORD JESUS! It [the Liturgy] leads us to perceive, even
today, his response and to experience its truth: YES, I AM COMING SOON!
(Rev. 22, 17-20).
(from Il Timone, n. 22, p. 40)
I entrust to
you, who are the directors, the task of sending
this letter to the members of the Marian Movement of Priests,
so that it may bring to all my affectionate greeting along with my priestly
blessing.
In the
Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Your little brother,
Don
Stefano Gobbi
