S E S S I O N 26A New Springtime of the Human

Spirit

What an incredible year! I look back and cannot believe what we have covered. More than anything else, we have been guided by the

thought of Pope John Paul II.

The Beauty of the Spousal Union

• “Man becomes the image of God not so much in the moment of solitude as in the moment of communion” (Pope John Paul II, General Audience, November 14, 1979).

• “One flesh! How can we not see the power of this expression … What the spouses achieve is not only a joining of bodies, but a true union of their persons. A union which is so deep that it in some way makes them a reflection of the ‘We’ of the three divine Persons in history” (Pope John Paul II, October 15, 2000).

The Reality of an Epic Battle• “The world is facing “the greatest historical

confrontation humanity has gone through … the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, or the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel” (Karol Cardinal Wojtyla, 1976.)

• “The family is placed at the heart of the great struggle between good and evil, between life and death, between love and all that is opposed to love” (Pope John Paul II, Letter to Families, #23).

The Home as Ecclesia Domestica

• “The Christian family constitutes a specific revelation and realization of ecclesial communion, and for this reason it can and should be called a domestic church” (Pope John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, #21).

• “Spouses are therefore the permanent reminder to the Church of what happened on the Cross; they are witnesses to the salvation in which the sacrament makes them sharers. Of this salvation event marriage, like every sacrament, is a memorial, actuation and prophecy” (Pope John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, #13.)

Hope for the Future• “The future of the world and of the Church pass by way

of the family” (Pope John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, #75).

• “Now is the time for hope … We must not be afraid of the future. We must not be afraid of man … Each and every human person has been created in the ‘image and likeness’ of the One who is the origin of all that is … with the help of God’s grace, we can build in the next century and the next millennium a civilization worthy of the human person … And in doing so, we shall see that the tears of this century have prepared the ground for a new springtime of the human spirit” (Pope John Paul II, United Nations, October 5, 1995).

After such an incredible year, you have earned the right to celebrate!!!

The Miraculous Medal

The critical question becomes, “where do we go from here?” Not surprisingly, Pope John Paul II

shows us the way!

Builders of a Civilization of Love“The aspiration that humanity nurtures, amid countless injustices and sufferings, is the hope of a new civilization marked by freedom and peace. But for such an undertaking, a new generation of builders is needed … You are the men and women of tomorrow. The future is in your hearts and in your hands. God is entrusting to you the task, at once difficult and uplifting, of working with him in the building of the civilization of love.”

Pope John Paul II

Evening Vigil with Young People, #4

World Youth Day, Toronto, 2002

Downsview Park, Saturday 27, 200

Apostles to the Family“It is especially necessary to recognize the unique place that … belongs to the mission of married couples and Christian families, by virtue of the grace received in the sacrament. This mission must be placed at the service of the building up of the Church, the establishing of the Kingdom of God in history. This is demanded as an act of docile obedience to Christ the Lord. For it is He who, by virtue of the fact that marriage of baptized persons has been raised to a sacrament, confers upon Christian married couples a special mission as apostle, sending them as workers into His vineyard, and, in a very special way, into this field of the family.”

Pope John Paul II

Familiaris Consortio, #71

To become an apostle of a new springtime is a daunting task! Fortunately, Pope John Paul II has

showed us the way!

The End of Pope John Paul II’s Pilgrimage“Kneeling here, before the grotto of Massabielle, I feel deeply that I have reached the goal of my pilgrimage. This cave, where Mary appeared, is the heart of Lourdes. It reminds us of the cave of Mount Horeb where Elijah met the Lord, who spoke to him in ‘a still, small voice’ (1 Kings 19:12) … When the Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette in the grotto of Massabielle, she began a dialogue between Heaven and earth … Mary asked that people should come here in procession … for more than a century the Christian people have faithfully responded to that maternal summons … This year the Pope joins you in this act of devotion and love for the Most Holy Virgin, the glorious woman of the Book of Revelation, crowned with twelve stars (cf. Rev 12:1) … Dear brothers and sisters! From this grotto of Massabielle the Blessed Virgin speaks to us too, the Christians of the third millennium. Let us listen to her.”

Pope John Paul II

Pilgrimage to Lourdes, August 14-15, 2004

• Day 1: Fri – Leave Houston• Day 2: Sat – Arrive Paris: Notre

Dame/Sainte Chapelle• Day 3: Sun – Miraculous Medal/St.

Denis/Sacred Coeur/Jean Paul Sartre (Paris)

• Day 4: Mon – Chartres Cathedral (Paris)• Day 5: Tue – Mont Saint Michel• Day 6: Wed – Normandy Beaches• Day 7: Thu – Travel to Lourdes (or Lisieux)• Day 8: Fri – Lourdes• Day 9: Sat – Lourdes• Day 10: Sun – Return to Houston

A Pilgrimage to Our Lady

• The opportunity to make a 12 day “virtual pilgrimage” from home.

• Ideally suited for January 31 – February 11 or November 27 – December 8.

• Book and DVD provided as an aid.• Goal: Consecrate yourself to Our Lady

as an apostle to the family for the new springtime.

A Pilgrimage at Home

As an apostle, you are sent with a specific message.

The Mission of Apostle“‘Go and make disciples of all the nations.’ With these words, Jesus is speaking to each one of us saying: ‘… now you must go, now you must pass on this experience to others’ … Jesus did not say: ‘Go, if you would like to, if you have the time’, but he said: “Go and make disciples of all nations.’ Sharing the experience of faith, bearing witness to the faith, proclaiming the Gospel: this is a command that the Lord entrusts to the whole Church, and that includes you … Some people might think: ‘I have no particular preparation, how can I go and proclaim the Gospel?’ … God says the same thing to you as he said to Jeremiah: ‘Be not afraid … for I am with you to deliver you’ (Jeremiah 1:7-8).”

Pope Francis

World Youth Day, Rio de Janeiro

July 28, 2013

Four Professionally Produced Series

1 The Question of Marriage

2 The Spiritual Question of Man

3 The Image of God

4 Behold the Man

5 Woman and the Mystery of Love

6 Two in One Flesh

7 Return to Paradise

The Great Mystery of Marriage

1 A Light to the Nations

2 The Mystery of the Temple

3 Love until the End

4 The Mystical Body of Christ

5 The Mystery of the Home

6 A Woman Clothed with the Sun

7 Water Flowing from the Temple

A Light to the Nations

1 The End of Love

2 The Descent into Self

3 Pornography: Naked and Unashamed? 4 Can a Woman have Sex like a Man? 5 Modern Fig Leaves

6 A Culture of Death

7 The Promise of Springtime

The End of Love

1 Honor your Wedding Vows

2 Use Money for the Formation of Persons 3 Give God some of your Time

4 Set your Mind on the Things Above 5 Find God in Yourself

6 Find God in other People

7 Make it Easy to be Good …

The Choice Wine

• Make it available to your children and grandchildren.

• Marriage preparation for couples.• Youth (college and upper high school

students).• Parishes.

A Gift to the Next Generation

As you set out on your journey. There is someone you need to take with you – St. Joseph. Although

hidden, he has remained ever at our side.

Another Spring in Southern France

• June 7, 1660.• Gaspard Ricard, aged 22, gets lost while

tending his sheep near Cotignac, France.• Dying of thirst, he lays his head down on

a rock.• “I am Joseph. Lift the rock and you will

drink.”• Eight men would not be enough to move

the rock.• St. Joseph repeats the message.• The rock is easily moved and a spring of

water begins to flow.

St. Joseph, mystery hidden from the wise and learned, but revealed to little ones.

Take me to Nazareth and train me in your ways.

Reveal to me the hidden face of Christ present in my children.

Unveil for me the love of the Holy Spirit present in my spouse.

Teach me to manifest for them the Father who is rich in mercy.

Help me to remove all evil from my home, so that within my home we may find union with God and experience his love, peace and joy.

Amen.

A Prayer to St. Joseph

Small Group Discussion

Next YearThe Revelation of the Father

Starter Questions1. What specific steps are you going to take in your life

and in your home to become the foundation for a new springtime for the Church and greater society?

2. How are you going to help spread the program to other men and parishes?