II Edition September
1999
Heart to heart
"The
Civilization of Love"
EDITORIAL Mother Adela Galindo,
Foundress, SCTJM
© Only for
personal use
Dear Brothers
and Sisters:
From the time of Paul VI to our present day, by
means of His Holiness John Paul II, the Holy
Spirit has been telling the Church: “The hour
has come to construct the civilization of love.”
What important but greatly unheeded words!
This entire century that will soon come to an
end and modernity itself have been characterized
by a notable decay in faith and, consequently,
in morals. The collapse of these structures that
sustained our culture has brought grave
consequences to the lives of the individual, the
family, society, nations and the Church. This
brings to mind a prophetic word that the Lord
gave during the closing Eucharistic celebration
of the Charismatic Renewal’s International
Conference in 1975: Difficult and dark times
will come upon the world; structures that have
been in place will be no more. I believe that it
is now a fact that the religious, social, moral,
and even civil structures that have always
sustained humanity have crumbled due to the
manifest action of the devil and of evil
spirits, as well as the absurd aspiration of man
who believes he can maintain love, order,
justice, peace, fraternity and restraint without
having God in the center of his life.
We have seen unveiled before our eyes what Pope
John Paul II has called the “civilization of
death,” which consists in the devaluation of the
gift of life. This devaluation manifests itself
in many forms: abortion, suicide, euthanasia,
wars, nuclear bombs, injustice that results in
poverty, family violence, child abuse,
martyrdom, etc. It seems as if our Lord’s words
in Matthew 24:18 were describing the sorrowful
realities of our times: “and because of the
increase of evildoing, the love of many will
grow cold.”
In the face of the culture of death, the Holy
Father calls us to work arduously to construct
the culture of life. This new culture will be
the fruit of new hearts, of new families, of new
nations and of a Church that is renewed in love
and in truth. At this moment, we the People of
God have a great responsibility: allow ourselves
to be transformed from the heart, purified from
all selfishness, from personal interests, from a
disordered self-preoccupation, so as to be able
to open our hearts wide to the Redeemer and to
His saving love. If we open ourselves to the
love of God and we are willing to give it to
others, this love will necessarily be like seeds
that are planted in a field, which, with the
showers of God’s grace, will germinate in many
hearts and flower among the fields of the world.
Love is most powerfully fruitful!
The spirit of selfishness that has entered into
our culture has also penetrated very subtly into
our mentalities and into our decisions. This is
why a deep purification of our minds is required
in order for us to be builders of a new
civilization in which love, peace, joy,
fraternity, service and justice reign. The
culture of death is overthrown only by means of
hearts totally open to life; this openness to
life first begins with an openness to a life of
grace and continues with an openness to human
life. The culture of violence is overcome only
with peaceful, meek and sacrificial hearts. The
culture of rebellion is overthrown only with
obedient and docile hearts. The culture of
hatred, indifference, scorn and competition is
overcome only by hearts that are willing to give
everything, even one’s own life for the Gospel
of love, forgiveness and unconditional service.
If we are faithful to the Holy Spirit who
desires to transform and purify us, after this
century of lights and great shadows, a new
springtime awaits us, as John Paul II has told
us – a new springtime, in which the sun of the
love of Christ shines, in which we can breathe
in the freshness of brotherhood, in which we can
contemplate the beautiful flowers of joy,
humility, simplicity and service, in which the
love of God moves hearts to love without limits
and conditions. This will be the civilization of
love. This will be the civilization which you
and I ought to be willing to build up with our
prayers, our openness to sacrifice, our concrete
actions and our commitment to evangelization.
The new civilization begins within each one of
us, in each heart that makes the decision to
love, even unto the ultimate consequences.
In the Love of the Pierced Hearts,
Mother Adela, Foundress SCTJM
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