Present in Brazil for 102 years, the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ celebrated its third centennial with a celebration at the National Shrine in Aparecida.
Newsroom (September, 06, 2021 12:14, Gaudium Press) The Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ, also known as Passionists, celebrated its 300 years of foundation through a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Aparecida last Saturday night. This Religious Order has been present in Brazil for 102 years.
The Diocesan Bishop of Cachoeiro do Itapemirim (ES), Dom Luiz Fernando Lisboa, presided a Solemn Holy Mass, concelebrated by the Bishop of Guarapuava (PR), Dom Amílton Manoel da Silva. In his homily, the main celebrant recalled that the Passionists are present in more than 60 countries and on five continents.
The Spirituality of the Cross
Referring to St. Paul of the Cross, founder of the Passionists, the prelate stressed that “it is from him that this charism and this spirituality of the Passion, the spirituality of the Cross, comes. The spirituality of the Cross, of the Passion, teaches us to look at Christ crucified and to perceive in him the greatest work of God for humanity, the greatest proof of love. To lay down his own life for us.”
“We are called to inspire the whole Church to look at the crucified and to go out to meet the crucified of our history, those who suffer, those who go through tribulations, the most vulnerable, those who are called to meet them to present with their witness, the hope that comes from God,” he stressed.
Let us not be afraid of the Cross
Dom Luiz also explained that “to see Jesus means to be the protagonist of life, of faith, of existence; to hear Jesus is to listen and to think that his Word goes to the heart; to speak is to be an announcer and to overcome barriers.
We are all called to announce Jesus, but also to denounce everything that is against the Father, everything that is against his teachings and that this is the most difficult thing for Christians in today’s world. “We Passionists today leave this message for Brazil, do not be afraid of the Cross, have hope, trust in the resurrection,” he concluded. (EPC)
