Tivoli - on Hope for Today

Yesterday evening I spent about a half hour planning (and drinking coffee) with Mother Carmelina Mosca (mother general) and Sr Graziella Benghini (counselor for lay associations)… and as we worked through the themes of the various talks, I commented that I had prepared a lot of material but that, after the first talk, I would probably revamp things.

"What is the theme of these days of ongoing-formation," they asked me. I was a bit stumped, because the theme had been given to me by Jesús Manuel Garcia as "Hope". This was not doubt a result of his thinking of the second encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi (issued 30 November). So my response to the sisters was simple "Hope".

"Yes," said Sr Carmelina, "but we need a title. Tell us again the themes of the talks."

Hmmm - I was a bit confused, so I just threw out the themes again: The Promise (la Promessa), the Covenant (L’Aleanza), Hope (la Speranza) all in the Salesian style (in chiave salesiana).

Hearing this, Sr Graziella formulated a title: La Promessa È La Speranza Che Si Realizza — The Promise Is Hope Fulfilled. Okay, that sounds good to me.

This morning, then, I gave an overview during a little homily during Morning Prayer, and after breakfast, I gave the first talk: Promise and Hope: Reflections from the Hebrew Scriptures. After the talk, we had a few minutes for discussion, and the comments of the sisters gave me an idea of how to proceed. In the afternoon (16.30), I offered the second conference on Hope in the New Testament. I got my ideas from Monica Hellwig’s article in Nuovo Dizionario di Spiritualità — the 2003 Italian edition of Michael Downey’s publication.

Two hours were not enough really to cover four columns in that article; but it made for a simple introduction. The sisters supplied the rest in a lively question and answer period after both talks. And… they related many things from this scriptural approach to the words of their own founder, Bishop Giuseppe Cognata. So… day 2 has gone very serenely and happily.

Tivoli - Old Town

Early in November, Jesús Manuel Garcia asked me to facilitate three-days of ongoing formation for the Oblate Salesian Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Tivoli.

Okay, okay - let me say that he did not ask me. Good Spaniard from Madrid that he is, he told me that I would be doing this. It was not an invitation, nor was it an order. It was more like information about my activities that I must accept just as I must accept the fact that yesterday it poured rain and today there was a sun that split the stones on the ground.

Of course, I laughed at this and told him that I had other plans for Christmas… but again on 30 Novemer he informed me that the Sisters were ready for me to come to facilitate the three-days of ongoing formation, and that I would be speaking to them on the theme of Hope. Hope, of course, is the theme of Pope Benedict XVI’s second encyclical, which was published on that very day of 30 November.

Yes, it was all set. He told the Sisters that I would be coming; he told the Sisters that I was very qualified to speak about Hope from a Salesian point of view; he told me that I was going to like it.

Well … if this approach sounds outrageous, then you have an insight, not only into the personality and administrative approach of Jesús Manuel Garcia, but also into how Isabel and Ferdinand were able to drive out the Moors; how Cortés was able to conquer México; how Generalísimo Francisco Franco was able to overcome the Communists; how president José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero today is able to rewrite the laws of Spain inspite of the protests of the opposition parties. In the case of doing the ongoing formation days for the Oblate Salesians, I realized that opposition would be useless, and so “I agreed”. More about all that later… this is only a blog.

In any case, a sister came to pick me up at 15.50 this afternoon – well, I was told it would be a sister, but there were three sisters. We made the trip to Tivoli; I met the mother general, Mother Carmelina Mosca, and together with suor Graziella we planned the time-table. Jesús had said three-days: it turns out to be four days…

The Oblate Salesians of the Sacred Heart belong to the Salesian Family. Their founder, Bishop Giuseppe Cognata, was a Salesian who had worked in southern Italy and in Rome before becoming Bishop of Bova. I have know of their existence since I was 12 years old, but this is the first time I have actually met any sisters of this Congregation.

In any case, everything began with Eucharist this evening at 17.30, over which I presided and preached (feast of St John the Evangelist). Following the Mass, I met quite a number of the sisters who are participating in these four days: young and old. The youngest sister here is from Bolivia and in her early 20s; the oldest is called Sister Pia, and she is 92. We chatted until supper at 19.30…

But I have some conferences to look over for tomorrow and I’ll continue this blogging after I have delivered those.