Time for rebirth

A pastoral letter on the sacraments “to fuel reflection on this theme and encourage the revision of pastoral practice”. The letter, titled “Re-birth. Living of sacraments”, was proposed by the Belgian bishops. The documents follows through the direction set by the previous documents: “To become adult in faith” (2006), and the guideline “Growing in the faith” (2007), “To meet God in his Word” (2008), and “The beautiful profession of faith – the creed” of 2009. The document, said the responsible of the Service “Proclamation and Celebration” Paul De Clerck, will be officially presented next September 18 in Brussels by the archbishop and primate of Belgium Msgr. André-Joseph Léonard.Returning to the sources. In the introduction, titled “Unsuspected treasures”, the bishops underline the encounter with the Lord as the heart of Christian faith, which does not depend on us”. It is accomplished especially through the “wonderful words and gestures that are the sacraments”, which are “much more vital than one could imagine, and indispensable”. From these “seven signs of divine love” derives “an extraordinary strength which the first Christians were fully aware of”. According to the Belgian prelates, the Church “doesn’t live on her own means” or thanks to the dynamism of her pastoral plans. Rather, “the Church owes her existence to the Spirit, which incessantly renews the faithful in the sacraments”. However, today the latter “raise problems”, whose “practical solutions are hard to find”. Hence the importance “to return to the sources”, to rediscover the “internal logic and beauty of the sacraments” which “spurs faith development”. A sign of the love of God. “Jesus, the face of God”, – the title of the following chapter – “in our present time marked by fragile relations” encourages us to “embrace the love of God, which is stronger than death, through our sins and suffering”. The love of God “breaks the chains of hatred” and spreads “peace and reconciliation”. In the chapter titled “Reborn of water and the Spirit”, the bishops briefly address baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist, calling upon the Christian community to acknowledge that they are “the body of Christ” and “to live in society so as to become a visible and effective sign of the free love of God”. Reconciliation and the anointing of the sick – the latter described as “the sacrament of the weak” – are the major themes of the chapter “Heal me, oh Lord” which equally addresses youth relations, sin and contrition, and the progress of medicine for the elderly, the sick and the disabled. The latter, states the document, “teach us that human value does not depend on individual capacities”. They are to become sacrament and the sign of the Divine solicitude”.To cherish the Gospel. “To erect the Church” is the chapter devoted to marriage and to priestly ministry. The bishops write: “The love of Christ clearly reveals to us the mystery of the union between man and woman. This is why marriage is the true sacrament of Divine love”. As relates to priesthood, the prelates distinguish between “common priesthood”, which, as recalled in the Second Vatican Council, concerns “all baptised people”. For us, as it was “for the first Christians”, it becomes a “reason of pride and gratitude”. Moreover, “priestly ministry” concerns the bishops, priests and deacons, entrusted with “cherishing the living Gospel within the communities”. “It is necessary to always rediscover and take to heart our primary vocation as Christians. It is a question of being touched by the love of God in words and gestures, and live it inside our communities”, state the Conclusions. Only in this way “will God make of us His ‘sacrament’ for the world. Our society experienced deep changes, and many people are in search”. The bishops exhort the faithful to “become their neighbours without arrogance or complexes. A good word can restore their hope. At times they will be touched by our actions, without words. In any case God ensures us His love, of which the ecclesial community is a living sign.” For this reason, “we must neither seek to follow world trends nor force ourselves to remain on the outskirts. The disciples of Jesus are neither conformists nor aggressive”. Only by “submerging” ourselves inside the Gospel will they become “sign of hope” for all. A two-year journey. The letter, explains De Clerck, is meant to initiate a two-year program. This year, the bishops encourage reflectiosn on “the sacraments of Christian initiation: Baptism, Christening and the Eucharist”. The following year will be dedicated to the two sacraments “linked to specific circumstances: moral, evil (reconciliation) and physical situations (anointment of the poor)”, along to marriage and priestly ministry. The presentation of September 18 will be followed by two meetings on October 16 and November 27.