A
Agrippino
Guest
“A Spiritual Father " not master but who is beside for your joy" (2 Cor 1:24)
The spiritual life is the life in the Holy Spirit, is the art of recognizing its presence and let it bear fruit in us. This is not an abstract life, but a concrete way of living that determines all existence. It is the way of living life as Jesus lived it: this is the work of the Spirit in us, making us go from unbelief to faith. From this point of view, to avoid any confusion or overlap, it should be noted that the first guide of man’s heart is that of the Spirit. In this unique guide each of us is called to respond by paying attention to his “inexpressible groanings” that invite us to acknowledge the lordship of Jesus and the divine paternity. In this way the work is specified by a guide or a spiritual guide is help, in terms of knowledge of God’s action, discernment of his heart and feelings.
In this sense, the spiritual tradition has always found in the theme of fatherhood an unsurpassed character of each spiritual guide. The true meaning of fatherhood, in fact, beyond the crisis in which we now live this figure, is not to create dependency of the child by the father, or vice versa, but to give life, to communicate the spirit, often with the testimony total of an existence that is not the only teaching. In this way everyone is offered the space needed for it to be himself, in freedom, because feels loved.
St.Paul’s words remind us that accompany doesn’t mean to be masters, but collaborate within a mystery, that of the person’s life together, a life that moves in one direction, which gives its name to the Christian vocation. This sense, then, is not expressed by the response to a moral imperative or a meaning subjectively chosen because it was considered important, valuable, by the individual himself. It is discovered, received, in a personal relationship, the encounter with a face recognized in its importance, with a word that can give meaning to our lives. We think the experience of Paul on the road to Damascus, dazzled by the brightness of the Face of the Risen One, when asked by his voice to ask the question that would give a radical change in his life.
The meeting with this face, and listening to this Word are favored by the relationship with a companion, with an Ananias or Barnabas that would complement the person, inspiring the growth in two fundamental dimensions of existence, evoked from the Face and the Word. Growth in receptivity, as the capacity to welcome into their lives the Presence of Another, who reveals himself and makes room for us, even without imposing anything and demand; development also in the complementary dimension in activity, which engages, compels us to decide, to act, to give direction to our journey.
The presence of the companion, then, is a function of this inner journey of maturation, need to welcome more and more full, more complete adherence to the Presence of the One who alone can give meaning to our life.
Fr .Agrippino
The spiritual life is the life in the Holy Spirit, is the art of recognizing its presence and let it bear fruit in us. This is not an abstract life, but a concrete way of living that determines all existence. It is the way of living life as Jesus lived it: this is the work of the Spirit in us, making us go from unbelief to faith. From this point of view, to avoid any confusion or overlap, it should be noted that the first guide of man’s heart is that of the Spirit. In this unique guide each of us is called to respond by paying attention to his “inexpressible groanings” that invite us to acknowledge the lordship of Jesus and the divine paternity. In this way the work is specified by a guide or a spiritual guide is help, in terms of knowledge of God’s action, discernment of his heart and feelings.
In this sense, the spiritual tradition has always found in the theme of fatherhood an unsurpassed character of each spiritual guide. The true meaning of fatherhood, in fact, beyond the crisis in which we now live this figure, is not to create dependency of the child by the father, or vice versa, but to give life, to communicate the spirit, often with the testimony total of an existence that is not the only teaching. In this way everyone is offered the space needed for it to be himself, in freedom, because feels loved.
St.Paul’s words remind us that accompany doesn’t mean to be masters, but collaborate within a mystery, that of the person’s life together, a life that moves in one direction, which gives its name to the Christian vocation. This sense, then, is not expressed by the response to a moral imperative or a meaning subjectively chosen because it was considered important, valuable, by the individual himself. It is discovered, received, in a personal relationship, the encounter with a face recognized in its importance, with a word that can give meaning to our lives. We think the experience of Paul on the road to Damascus, dazzled by the brightness of the Face of the Risen One, when asked by his voice to ask the question that would give a radical change in his life.
The meeting with this face, and listening to this Word are favored by the relationship with a companion, with an Ananias or Barnabas that would complement the person, inspiring the growth in two fundamental dimensions of existence, evoked from the Face and the Word. Growth in receptivity, as the capacity to welcome into their lives the Presence of Another, who reveals himself and makes room for us, even without imposing anything and demand; development also in the complementary dimension in activity, which engages, compels us to decide, to act, to give direction to our journey.
The presence of the companion, then, is a function of this inner journey of maturation, need to welcome more and more full, more complete adherence to the Presence of the One who alone can give meaning to our life.
Fr .Agrippino