The Lay Mission of Reconciliation

Details: Written by By Fr. Silvano Marisa, M.S.

Fr. Silvano Marisa, M.S., Vicar General,
La Salette Missionaries and participant
in the La Salette Lay Encounter

This is a homily given at the closing Mass of the First International La Salette Lay Encounter, held in La Salette, France, from September 1-10, 2011.

Dear pilgrims, La Salette associates and other friends, all of you are welcome here at the Shrine of La Salette! We gather in this place dedicated to the Virgin Mary, to celebrate the Eucharist at the place visited by Our Lady on September 19, 1846. From all over the world we have gathered here to recognize how the message of the Virgin in tears has affected and continues to affect our personal lives, and that of our families, as well as our work and efforts. We were called to be messengers of the gospel in this world today which, as Pope Paul VI said, is in need of more credible witnesses than teachers.

The Basis of La Salette Spirituality

Reconciliation, dialogue and listening to the Word of God and each other, to forgiveness and hospitality, to the fight against social and economic injustice, is the basis of La Salette spirituality that draws its prophetic energy from the very mystery of the apparition.

Here at La Salette, Our Lady tells us that God needs us, that the Church needs us, that our world needs us. And we, by our presence, want to proclaim loudly that we are willing to place our lives at the service of the cause of the kingdom of God with all our brothers and sisters around the world.

You are not alone because the La Salette Missionaries, whose congregation was founded just a few years after the apparition, on February 2, 1852, with the first religious profession of the early Fathers of La Salette, walk with you today and share the same concerns and expectations that deal with the challenges of witness and proclamation of the Gospel in today's world.

By living the spirituality and charism that result from the apparition, you participate fully in the life and ministry of the Congregation of the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette. You are likewise a member of the great spiritual La Salette family which, ultimately doing its best, seeks through all of you to reveal a new face of the Church and, at the same time, also a new way of acting and living in the Church.

The Identity of a La Salette Associate

Some of the members of the La Salette Lay Encounter at dinner

Be proud, therefore, to be sent as Lay La Salettes, sent by the Beautiful Lady to proclaim the Gospel and bear witness in our society, which is deeply thirsting for for the Infinite and Absolute, for the love of God the Father who is full of tenderness and rich in mercy.

What identifies you as a La Salette Lay Associate? We spoke a great deal during this First International Lay Encounter in which all participated with enthusiasm and profited on behalf of so many other fellow associates scattered around the entire world.

Summarily we can say that the Lay La Salette Associate must have close ties to the La Salette Missionaries or the Sisters of La Salette, to a religious woman or man, or to a La Salette community, feeding on his or her her spirituality of reconciliation stemming from the apparition. Furthermore one must strive to live out the challenges of ones baptism in the Church and in ones own community. These are essential commitments, but which could be very effective in our mission every day. It is up to us to live them and put them into practice.

A Mission of Witness and Reconciliation

Flags of the countries of the attendees
of the Lay Encounter surround the statue
of the Weeping Mother

When we say Gospel, we speak of renewal, not only because the spirit gives life and life is in itself a continuous movement but also because the Word of God is yeast which heat causes the dough rise, enlivening the search for new ways of approaching the message of salvation to all people and in all places. Lay Christians are called by God to give themselves, wherever possible, to the sanctification of the world by witnessing to the beauty of being Christian and living as Christians. Living in the "secular world" means to be fully and consciously in this world of ours – this is the specific vocation of any lay Christian.

In September of 2011, in his message sent to the Asian Catholic Laity Congress convening in Seoul, South Korea, Pope Benedict XVI identified key areas of special emphasis in evangelizing today, to witness to the evangelical truth: marriage and family life, defense of life from conception until natural death, care of the poor and marginalized, the forgiveness of enemies, the practice of justice and solidarity in all the different work environments.

And he also invited every single Catholic to follow the example of St. Paul to bring to others truth, joy and beauty that give meaning and direct their whole lives, taking care, of course, not to be discouraged in confronting the problems that normally accompany their presence and mission in the world and in the Church today.

“Do not be afraid” – the Beautiful Lady still tells us today to be credible witnesses of the Good News of her Son and tell the world that God is a Father who loves his children with an infinite love, especially those who have fallen away from him. He is always ready to meet us, embrace us, forgive us and then invite us to share a moment of rest, of joy at the table of his Word and of the Eucharist.

May the Virgin of La Salette protect each of you as well as your families and friends and bless all your efforts along your mission journey. She needs all of us!