Associations et Movements

Renewal in the Spirit: The Testimonies of the National Convocation

Prefect Farrell in his message: “Jesus has bent over you with great love…do the same with those in need"
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Anna, 45, wife of Salvatore and mother of Emanuele and Dora, gave one of the testimonies that launched the 41st National Convocation of the Renewal in the Spirit, in Pesaro, which ended a few days ago.

In front of the 9,000 participants in the Adriatic Arena, Anna talked about the serious health problem of her eldest daughter: “At the time of the diagnosis—she recalled—I thought of making ‘pacts’ with the Lord so that He would heal my daughter. At the same time, I was very angry with God, and my heart was closed. In 2012, through the parish, I began to desire a personal meeting with Jesus and, at the same moment, I met some friends of the RnS and decided to become part of this reality.” So, Anna went to meet the community Madonna del Cenacolo in Naples, where from the first day she felt “welcomed and loved.” Then, in November 2017, came the ‘prayer of effusion’, which helped her to see Dora as “a precious gift from God,” God as a “good Samaritan" who “supported this family in suffering by transforming it into joy” and led it “to the inn of the RnS to give it brotherhood.”

Among the other testimonies given at the event in Pesaro, there was that of Giusy, 25 years old and member of the Magnificat group in Aversa. After a period of mourning and the discovery of “the love of God,” her path took on a different light, becoming pure “grace that represents a source of joy to bear witness to every day.” Finally, Giulietta, jurist, wife of Bashar, a Syrien, took the floor: “After seven years of terrible living in midst of the war in Syria, we learned that forgiveness and love are the only solutions for living together in peace. Our cross is very heavy, but we also know that Jesus is the Lord, and that he is always ready to listen to us.”

Now, precisely on the occasion of the Convocation of the Renewal in the Holy Spirit, Prefect Kevin Farrell sent a message to the members of the movement, wishing them “abundant spiritual fruits,” “along with a prayer and a blessing.” Highlighting the need to “let themselves be moved by compassion,” following the model of the Good Samaritan, Cardinal Farrell took up the teaching contained in the Apostolic Exhortation “Gaudete and Exsultate”: “We need to think of ourselves as an army of the forgiven. All of us have been looked upon with divine compassion.” Inviting the RNS to be close to the needy and share the suffering of others, he added: “Never forget the encounter with Christ that you all had on that dusty road where you found yourselves one day, without receiving help from anyone. Jesus did not just pass by; he stooped over you with great love. It is this love, first welcomed and then grafted into you by the Holy Spirit, that urges you now—he concluded—to ‘do likewise’ with those in need.”

05 May 2018