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The Teutonic Province held a spirituality week as part of its C.PP.S. bicentennial celebration. It took place September 28-October 2 at the Kolleg St. Josef in Salzburg. The theme was “The Spirituality of the Precious Blood: Source and Expression of Mercy,” examining how the Jubilee Year of Mercy intersects with Precious Blood spirituality. Each evening a public lecture was held. Robert Schreiter, C.PP.S., of the Cincinnati Province, opened with “Mercy as a Sign of the Times in Church and Society” on Monday evening. Tuesday evening, Professor Hannah-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz, from the Benedict XVI School of Theology near Vienna, spoke on the extent of God’s mercy in light of guilt and forgiveness. Wednesday evening had a public conversation on Laudato si as option for creation and option for the poor, with Robert Schreiter and Clemens Sedmak, professor at King’s College London. Thursday Professor Sedmak spoke again, this time on mercy as a sign of a happy life in contemporary Europe.
During the day, some forty-five participants took part in workshops on various themes and in bible study groups around the theme of mercy. Barry Fischer, C.PP.S., spoke on mercy in the work of St. Gaspar. Sister Johanna Rubin, A.S.C., took up the same theme in the work of St. Maria De Mattias, and Sr. Andreas Weissbacher, C.P.S. did as well in the work of Abbot Franz Pfanner. Andreas Hasenburger, C.PP.S., spoke on how mercy finds expression in the apostolates of the Teutonic Province.
Robert Schreiter gave a concluding reflection, summarizing some of the major themes that had arisen during the spirituality week. He noted that Pope Francis’ call to mercy could be made concrete by greater senses of generosity, trustworthiness, and empathy. These should be characteristics of a C.PP.S. ministry of mercy. C.PP.S. houses should become “doors of mercy,” that is, points where people experience the mercy and unbounded love of God. The two big challenges for mercy today in Europe that serve as signs of our times are care for creation and the refugee crisis (thousands of refugees from Syria and the Middle East were flowing through Salzburg every day during the spirituality week). These need special attention in light of our spirituality.
The three symbols of C.PP.S. spirituality—covenant, cross, and cup—were revisited during the week, in light of the theme of mercy. The covenant remains a symbol calling us to solidarity with those on the margins. It takes on special important with the care of creation. The cross is the place where we encounter the suffering of the world. Special attention was given to forgiveness in light of the Jubilee Year of mercy. The cup is a symbol of many dimensions in our spirituality, and the theme of mercy only amplifies some of those meanings. The cup of suffering and the cup of blessing become opportunities to show mercy to others and to give thanks for God’s abundant mercy.
A fourth symbol of our spirituality was also suggested by the spirituality week: the Lamb of the Book of Revelation. This Lamb—standing now though having been slain (Rev 5:6)—holds together all the paradoxes and contradictions that mark our time. It speaks of God’s faithfulness even in what seems for us overwhelming or hopeless situations. The Lamb brought about salvation by his blood for the 144,000 afflicted and remains for us the source and expression of the action of God’s mercy in our world today.
And a final thought: Professor Sedmak reflected on the “precious” in the name of our Congregation. “Precious” takes on new meaning as we look to the fragility of our environment and the tenuous situation of the hundreds of thousands of refugees flowing into Europe. It was a call to reflect on where are the “precious” sites of God’s mercy in each of our parts of the world today.
Article by Rev. Robert Schreiter, C.PP.S.
Photos provided by the Teutonic Province
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