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3.
At the roots of our common treasure: the centrality of Jesus Christ as "stairway" between heaven and earth, in the life of John Baptist Scalabrini
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The secret of John Baptist Scalabrini's life and work is his all-embracing love for Jesus Christ. Through the Eucharistic presence, Scalabrini is in constant contemplation of the Son God, become Man to reveal the Father's love and to reconcile to Him the human family. In Jesus, crucified and risen, John B. Scalabrini sees the reconciliation of all conflicts and differences. His heart is in unison with the heart of Christ, obedient in all things to the Father and to His plan for the human family. As a living part of the Church, which is the body of Christ and a continuation of the Incarnation, Scalabrini gives himself totally to serve the world in accordance with the Father's plan.
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4.
Journeying in Christ toward full communion with the Trinity
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The ultimate encounter in Christ, the universal man, between God and humanity moves us to go as pilgrim Church among the men and women of today's multicultural societies, announcing to them the mystery of the communion in the Holy Trinity, whose dialogue as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, embodies for us the model of all relationships. On this journey, we are asked by the Church to offer our specific witness of welcoming, of itinerancy and of communion in diversity. The Eucharist is our nourishment at every step, our inner source of transformation, and the anticipation of God's future. |
• Welcoming: our sharing in the Father's loving project
Abraham by the terebinth of Mamre (Gn 18,1-10), The Good Samaritan (Lk 10,30-37), "strangers and aliens no longer" (Eph 2,19), Hospitality (1 Pt 4,8-10), The Canaanite woman (Mk 7,24-30)
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By spreading appreciation for the migrant, we contribute to God's plan to make of the earth a place of brotherhood, of sharing and gratuitousness, thus anticipating the banquet of the Kingdom, where no one is excluded and all are called by name by the Father.
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• Itinerancy: revealing in our lives the Son's Paschal Mystery
"Go forth from your land" (Gn 12,1), Exodus (Ex 13, 18.20-22), The Alien (Lv 19,33-34), "Walk humbly…" (Mi 6,8), Incarnation (Jn 1,11-14), Flight into Egypt (Mt 2, 13-14), Jesus the stranger (Mt 25,31-46), Emmaus (Lk 24,13-35), Kenosis (Phil 2,6-11).
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Mary, Mother of our journey and of hope, invites us to engage in an ongoing pilgrimage towards the other - the brother or sister in our community, the migrant, anyone we encounter in our journey - to bring him/her the gift of her Son, himself migrant and missionary of the Father, who has died and is risen for all. This inner disposition leads us to sacrifice our lives freely through the paschal exodus experience, the result of the Spirit's gift.
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• Communion in diversity: welcoming the Spirit's new creation
Babel (Gn 11,1-9), Gathering of the Nations (Is 66,18b-20a), Pentecost (Acts 2,1-12), One body with many members (Rom 12,4-5), The early Christian community (Acts 15,6-21), Jerusalem, open city (Rev 7,9;21,25).
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We feel powerless and lacking in our ability to challenge those seeking to eliminate differences and impose uniformity; but we turn to the Pentecost's creator Spirit. We feel tempted to give up. The Spirit, however, is inviting us to continuously move from communion to diversity and from diversity to communion.
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