Author Archives: Fraternidad Iesus Caritas

Dear brothers,

it is no time to make speeches or even giving great ideas: Advent speech for itself. Jesus is near, the announced by the prophets and the expected by a desperate people. Advent is the word given by the prophets to the people, the voice of John the Baptist, the message of the life of men and women that, in many parts of the world, gave or are giving their life for Jesus. Today also is the voice of those who work for a world in balance and harmony.

We always hear the voice of the bearer of good news, of the changes that make this world the place sacred to all: the Earth, with all human beings, with their rights and freedoms. The voice that convey us the poor awaiting a solution to their problems, since the exiles by war – immigrants to the strength-, to the men and women who are in the refugee camps, hospitals, nursing homes, houses host… the people that found with problems psychic, the people that goes to us in seeks of consolation: listen your voice.

Listen to the voice from the Word, the commitment of God to the world. Them texts of each one of them Sundays of advent are a call to deepen in the wish of the Lord, that that ignites light candles in our heart.

Listen to the brothers and sisters of the family of Charles de FOUCAULD in the world these days celebrating the centenary. A joy, other good news for the Church and for those who, without considering Church, coexist with us, they share our table, our street or our friendship: brother Charles is master of friendship and neighborliness -poor missionary among the poor-. The Centenary of its Easter on December 1 it’s time to give thanks to the Lord by this search and restless man of his Will. The seed that fell on land and germinated and gave fruit, and a fruit that remains and gives more seeds, is pure life. Each one of us, as fraternity priestly, have that sow not slogans religious, but our life of brothers among brothers, among the people to whom we serve or are called to be with them. The universality of his testimony challenges us to leave our prefabricated schema and return to Nazareth: always return to the Gospel as a way of life, thought and love. The death of Charles de FOUCAULD was the manifestation of their love to Jesus until the end, without want it, without making plans on your end; was simply a die for God and in the way of a search that never stopped until that time, sent to the last, as atypical missionary.

For the family Charles de FOUCAULD celebrate the centenary during this 2016 is to remind the triumph of Jesus over death and share the joy of his resurrection. We feel immersed in his Easter, within this Advent where we hear also your voice, in any language and diversity of languages -that of prayer, of hope, of peace, of humility…- It reminds us that we are small. Their friendship and identification with Jesus is a call to strengthen in us that identity (adoration, desert, listen to and share in the review of life, working for and with them more poor, his life in Nazareth, be brother…)

After the Jubilee Year of Mercy, pope Franciscus encourages us to follow building a strong world against the evil that do harm to the heart of the human being in his Apostolic Letter Misericordia et misera, spreading peace, recalling his title for Jesus we are forgiven of our “adultery”, and infidelity to be brother of all, sowers of peace and joy, transmitters of forgiveness and God’s love. That we were wrong and that we are sinners – not much more or much less than the adulterous woman in John 8, 1-11-, obviously, if we listen to our hearts and we do a good examination of conscience. But it is not sin, infidelity or “adultery” what we need to debug to be freed from guilt: it is more important not to throw stones, not to judge, and devote all the energy to build the Kingdom and, as a fraternity and group of brothers, put our efforts in the light of the Gospel and take advantage of the synergy of trust them ones in them others to do something good, that help to them others.

Recalling our commitment as a team international fraternity, as we wrote in the Letter of Kansas City, I remember all the importance of making the QUESTIONNAIRE of Bangalore, sent to all responsible and permanently exposed in our website iesuscaritas.org Is the task of each fraternity prepare the World Assembly in January 2019, with contributions from life, to have a good basis of work, realistic, without theories, which speak of our identity, of our mission as a diocesan priests, to whom the testimony of the life of Charles de FOUCAULD has given a sense and a light as a gift of God, as a demonstration of love of the generous and sensitive heart of Jesus that beats in every Eucharist which we celebrate, that beats at the heart of the families, of the sicks, of the elderly, of the poor, the oppressed. We want to hear the heartbeat of every brother, each fraternity in Bangalore.

I would like to invite, again, to the collaboration with our website iesuscaritas.org It is the means of communication of all fraternities. Send me your news, articles and joys… It is also important to communicate events to the AGENDA (retreats, meetings, Nazareth Month, interreligious or family experiences…) Thank you.

In this Advent 2016, ending the Jubilee Year of Mercy and the Centenary of the Easter of brother Charles, Jesus bless us and fill us with the heart of joy, peace and hope.

So I wish you with a big fraternal and trusted hug.

Aurelio SANZ BAEZA, brother responsible

Perín, Cartagena, Murcia, Spain, 27 November 2016,
first Sunday of Advent

PDF: advent-letter-2016-brother-responsible-eng