Unifas VII Unifas VII Unifas VII

Communications Communications Communications

August 2014, U COM - N. 4
VII International Congress of
the Servite Family U
Collevalenza, Italy
4-11 August 2014
cosmo@curiaosm.org
www.servidimaria.net
A Sower went out to sow:
The Servants of Mary and
the New Evangelization
THE SOWER WENT OUT TO SOW
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VII International UNIFAS Congress
(Collevalenza, 4-11 August 2014)

MESSAGE TO THE SERVITE FAMILY
We, members of the Servite Family, coming from the five continents and gathered in Congress at the Shrine of
Collevalenza, Italy, 4-11 August 2014, have reflected together on the theme The sower went out to sow The Serv-
ants of Mary and the New Evangelization.

The Gospel, seed in our soil
As sons and daughters of the Seven First Fathers, we too have discovered Christ to be the pearl of great price (cf.
Mt 13, 45-46; LO 17, 19), the cause of our joy, and we prefer nothing to his love (cf. Rm 8, 35-39). Meek and humble,
free and obedient, we welcome his word as the seed in our soil; day after day, we meditate upon it (lectio divina)
and, allowing ourselves to be challenged and shaped by it, we commit ourselves to put it into practice, so that the
seed of the Gospel might germinate in us and bear fruit in abundance (cf. Mt 13, 8; Jn 12, 24; 10, 10).

Sowers of the Gospel
Disciples of Christ, we take to heart the mandate received from the Master Sower: Go into the whole world and
proclaim the gospel to every creature (Mk 16, 15). We commit ourselves with the grace of God to carry out this
mandate in various ways, in the diverse circumstances of life and according to the gifts/charisms of each and thus to
sow the seed of the Gospel in every place and time. Accordingly, we desire:
at home and in the educational and social fields
in the context of family, to become a domestic Church, inspired by the Holy Family of Nazareth and the life of the
first Christians (cf. Acts 2, 42-47; 4, 32-35), to bear witness to the Gospel and to announce Christ (cf. Acts 5, 42;
20, 20) in word and deed;
to open the door of our homes to neighbors and acquaintances every time we break the Bread of the Word (lectio
divina);
to open the door to the Son of Man, who presents himself in the guise of a pilgrim (cf. Mt 25, 35), and in particular
to the young, who are searching for God;
in educational and social contexts, to not only instruct, but to educate students and transmit gospel values to
them, helping each to know, accept and love themselves and to develop their personal gifts, to find their proper
place in society and make sense of their personal existence in creation;
in the local Church
to listen to other individuals who are searching to make sense of their personal existence, attentive to all, the great
and the small, always ready to respond to whoever asks of us the reason for our hope (cf. 1 Pt 3, 15);
to share the joy of the Gospel, the joy of being Christian, even in popular missions and on particular occasions
(the celebration of anniversaries, pastoral preparation for a beatification, ...);
to review, in a parish setting, the method of catechesis for announcing the kerygma who is a person, Christ; to
help every one of his disciples enter into a Christian community, to receive the Mother of Jesus as their own
mother and to assume the role of a missionary;
in communities of insertion, on the periphery: to live with the people in simplicity, walking with them, discovering
Christ already present in them;
in places of evangelization ad gentes: to learn the language, ways and customs of the people, to welcome gospel
values that are already present, to defend human dignity and promote social justice;
in the world
to stand in compassion with Mary near Christ who is still being crucified (cf. Jn 19, 25-27) in those who suffer in
body and spirit, so as to bring comfort and redemptive cooperation;
to collaborate in the work of Gods creative action and, through our witness, to make his Kingdom visible;
in places where the intercession of the Virgin is felt in a special way: to welcome every visitor in their search for
beauty and the sacred, listening to them and providing accompaniment, so that each may find some response
and discover the Other who lives within;
to make ourselves itinerants, available to go wherever our service is needed.

Prayer
Aware that the harvest is abundant, but laborers are few (Mt 9, 37), we ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers
into his harvest; into the vineyard of Senario, new brothers and sisters, workers for peace and harmony, cantors of
Gods glory, messengers of the Gospel.