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| 'Watch for Wisdom ... you will find her sitting at your gates.' (Wis 6 15) |
Welcome to Lectio
Fr. Gerard Bogan
Welcome to the second issue of Lectio. Earlier in this Year of Faith we produced the first Lectio in response to Pope Benedict's invitation to renew our Christian commitment. With it we hope to offer some reading material to help people to be encouraged in their practice of the Faith. The word '!ectio' (pronounced lektsio, or lexio) is just a Latin word for 'reading'.
Pope Benedict opened the Year of Faith with his letter Porta Fidei (Door of Faith). We started Lectio. When the magazine was at the printers Pope Benedict sat down after walking strenuously, for his age, in the shoes of Peter. Pope Francis was elected. Soon after his election he wrote a letter to the Church entitled Lumen Fidei (Light of Faith). He continued the thinking of Pope Benedict. In fact, it is interesting to note the way in which both men have pointed to the great gift to the Church which was the Second Vatican Council.
The Year of Faith was inaugurated on the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. This is itself a clear indication that Vatican II was a Council on faith, in as much as it asked us to restore the primacy of God in Christ to the centre of our lives, both as a Church and as individuals. The Church never takes faith for granted, but knows that this gift of God needs to be nourished and reinforced so that it can continue to guide her pilgrim way.'
In this second issue of the magazine I am very pleased to be able to include an article by Dam Donald McGlynn, Abbot Emeritus of Nunraw Abbey, on the Cistercian monks who were martyred only a few years ago. Indeed, the gratitude I feel towards Dam Donald can only be outdone by a sense of humility in being able to share the same pages with the memory of such courageous men who gave their lives for the Gospel, in the Atlas mountains.
Writing on paper may be useful; however, what is far more important is what we write with our lives.
Pope Francis, Lumen Fidei, http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/ francesco/ encyclicals/ documents/ papa
It is seventeen years since the seven Cistercian monks were killed in
the Atlas Mountains in the conflict of terror.
Through the windows, Br. Michel watching the night fires of the rebels in the
hills, would hear the army helicopters hovering over the monastery and the
village. The assassination of the seven monks on May 21, 1996 shocked France and the world media.
The information was particularly detailed, enabling the compiling of the
reports and the production of the book.
Now, responding to Lectio
magazine, the memory of the Seven Martyrs stirs deep again. The very voices of
Fr. Christian de Chergé, Br. Luc Dochier, Fr. Christophe Lebreton, Br.
Paul Favre-Miville, Br. Michel Fleury, Fr. Bruno Lemarchand, and Fr.
Célestin Ringeard, speak to us all. The Year of Faith is a fitting time to read
from the accounts, and whatever page is chosen comes alive.
Christian was born (1937) in Algeria during the time that his
father was in the French Army. In his earliest years, his mother gave him the
awareness of Islamic prayer and a love for the land of Algeria Algeria . One evening when walking with
a young Algerian rural policeman, they were attacked by some nationalists. The
young Algerian interposed his body to protect Christian, but two days later his
body was found with his throat cut. Christian never forgot this incident.
Christian obviously had an amazing vocation of love for Algeria .
Isolated in Islamic territory, the monastery of Our Lady of Atlas at Tibhirine was
Christian’s first choice. After his monastic formation he studied the Arabic
language and culture before he settled into the unique role in
Islamic-Christian dialogue that came to distinguish his monastery. He actively
supported and shared in the Ribât association of dialogue and friendship
between the two faith communities.
Christian became Prior, 1984, and from knowledge and wisdom (his priest
friend described him as having an ‘elegant presence’) he was able to speak to
the regular community conferences in the mounting emergence of terrorism: he
thought the situation out deeply with the monks, with each pondering their own dedication.
From his own heart, before the hijack and ultimate death, he had
written his ‘Testament’. It was his testimonial of faith, his lines encapsulating
the theology and spirituality and passion of love of the land and the people of
Algeria . "If it should happen one day," Fr.
Christian wrote, "and it could be today. . . ."
It all means a great deal to me from having had acquaintance with
Christian during several OCSO Annual General Meetings. In particular we shared
the group discussion on the subject of Vocations. He was asked to address the
Assembly on the life of monastic dedication.
The identities of the seven martyrs were very aptly described in the
French paper La Crois, with these descriptions; Christian, “Transparent”; Luc,
“Toubit”; Christophe, “Passionate”, Paul, “Self possessed”; Michel, “Without
guile”, Bruno, “Gentle and just”; Celestin, “Vibrant”. Each of the brief personal biographical notes
there given could become the full ‘Story of the Soul’ of each of the seven.
To follow just one out of the seven, Br. Michel, “without guile”, reacted
remarkably when taken hostage, taking his monastic cowl with him. It was found
on the road to Médéa. With his extremely
self-effacing character he was perhaps the most unexpected person to respond to
the appeal for Algeria .
In the shade of the terrorism, he wrote on a postcard to his family:
"Through our
windows there is only smoke and fire in the hills and mountains. Until when? To
depart?... If something happens to us, I wish to be in solidarity with the
people here.”
The TESTAMENT of Prior Christian is the articulated ‘word’ of faith of
the Cistercian community. The world’s wider ‘audience’ shares in their lives
through the messages and the digital media. One such message is given below, and
a perceptive and faith enriching review by a family of the film “Of Gods and
Men” ...
“Message to our Christian Friends” from The Young Muslims' Collective of France
We have learned with dismay of the abduction
of seven Trappist monks in Algeria ,
near Médéa. This unworthy, inhuman act cannot be claimed in the name of Islam
or in the name of God. We, young Muslims, wish to express to you our
brotherhood in these so difficult moments. We firmly condemn the abduction of
these men who make a work of solidarity and brotherhood in great humility.
Know, dear friends, that we are by your side. For several decades the
Islamic-Christian dialogue has been developing, and this event will not destroy
the profound desire to respect each other's differences, to listen to each
other's points of divergence, and to meditate on the point on which we
converge; over and above tolerance, it is divine love and coming closer to God
that guide our progress in order to tie and retie our bonds as men of faith….
The film, “Of Gods and Men”, which the monks at Nunraw Abbey saw as an
experience of faith in witness with the Monks of Tibhirine, was ‘reviewed’ by a
family
We have just returned from seeing the film ‘Of
Gods and Men’. What a movie.
It is very sensitive to the very simplistic
way of life of these monks in their Cistercian monastery , very spiritual,
prayerful and at parts very emotional, especially after the community had
decided to remain in the monastery. True to the story, during the community
meal, one of the monks opened bottles of wine and played a recording from Swan Lake
Dom Donald McGlynn, ocso A
Heritage Too Big For Us
Volume I, The Atlas Martyrs A Heritage Too Big For Us, online
(illustrated), with section one of Vol II, The Martyrdom of Charity by Dom
Christian. Volume II is available at Nunraw Abbey http://nunraw.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/atlas-martyrs-vol-1.html
On
Saturday, 30 November 2013, 16:55, William Wardle
<williamwardle2bp@btinternet.com> wrote:
Dear Father Donald,
I spotted this on the OCSO website, which gave me a cause
for joy....
Cause of the
Martyrs of Algeria - Tibhirine
Friday, 29 November 2013
On October 7th Archbishop
Bader of Algiers, with the agreement of the Abbot General and his Council,
appointed Father Thomas
Georgeon, monk of La Trappe and present Secretary of the Abbot General, as
postulator of the cause of
Archbishop Claverie and his 18 companions (among them our 7 brothers
of Tibhirine). The appointment was approved by the Congregation for the Causes
of Saints on October 11, 2013.
May their cause be
blessed in our lifetime!
 |
| Atlas Martyrs - OCSO |
With my love in Our Lord,
William
Web results. Definition of On October 7th Archbishop Bader of Algiers, with the agreement of the Abbot General and his Council,
appointed Father Thomas Georgeon, monk of La Trappe and present Secretary of
the Abbot General, as postulator of the cause of Archbishop Claverie and his 18
companions (among them our 7 brothers of Tibhirine). The appointment was
approved by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on October 11, 2013. by
TheFreeDictionary.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dom-Christian-de-Chergé/18391...
On October 7th Archbishop
Bader of Algiers, with the agreement of the Abbot
General and his Council, appointed Father Thomas Georgeon, monk of La
Trappe and present Secretary of the Abbot General, as postulator of the cause of
Archbishop Claverie and his 18 companions (among them our 7 brothers of
Tibhirine).
General and his Council, appointed Father Thomas Georgeon, monk of La
Trappe and present Secretary of the Abbot General, as postulator of the cause of
Archbishop Claverie and his 18 companions (among them our 7 brothers of
Tibhirine).
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