Life Ascending International
Golden Jubilee of Belgium VMI.
The Golden Jubilee of the movement in Belgium (Life Ascending/VMI ) took the theme for the main day of celebration “A source of confidence for our society” in the magnificent Abbey of the Bonne Esperance in VILLEREILLE-LES- BRAYEUX.
Although a year ago now, the words of the Belgium bishop are worth sharing.
The timing of the event proved how soon the movement spread to neighbouring countries after its inception in France in 1962.
After hearing Mass, celebrated by Mgr Jean-Luc Hudsyn, the bishop of Brabant Wallon, representing all the Belgian bishops, a picnic gave all those interested, the opportunity to sample the well-known beer produced by the Abbey while watching a performance by Paolo Doss – clown, poet, word-juggler and sower of hope.
Mgr HUDSYN, in his sermon, explained how “As we get older we recognize, and sometimes we feel fear, that our lives are slowing down – and perhaps sometimes we are tempted to refuse to accept it, we want to remain visibly involved and busy with activities to maintain the impression that we still count! But let us not ignore opportunities fortaking time to look inside ourselves and pay more attention to the things which are of more general importance.
Contacts between the generations afford a wealth of opportunities for the growth of faith.
Grandparents can be excellent Gospel messengers. In simple ways. Not by moralizing, certainly not by criticizing. But by living their faith, sharing the joy which our faith affords us, by suggesting and inviting acts of faith. One cannot transfer one’s faith to another but one can communicate elements of it …..
“We serve Christ when we realise the need to communicate our faith but we also serve society and human need, we serve the process of living as a community. But how much more can we serve society if we take part – each according to our own gifts, our own experience – in associations, in social or political groups, by doing voluntary work and giving some of our time to the needs of others less fortunate than ourselves.”