Thank you for traveling through Francis Libernmann's life with us. Tomorrow is his Feast Day and we look forward to celebrating the inspiring life and work of our second founder!
Day 9: FULLNESS IN LIFE
In the twilight of his life, Libermann understood that his life had been a mission received in his encounter with Jesus of the Gospels. He took it on withall his being, he felt himself pierced by the piercing dagger of contact with the true God, and, like Jeremiah, he surrendered to his seductions. He experienced God’s love in all its depths and passed on this experience in a wonderful spiritual way to his companions.
Libermann felt God’s closeness, his tenderness, his presence in the strongest and most overwhelming way: in suffering. The last words of this great man reflect this life of loving encounter with God:
“Charity above all ... charity above all ... Charity in Jesus Christ ... charity through Jesus Christ ... charity in the name of Jesus Christ; fervor... charity ... union in Jesus Christ ... the spirit of sacrifice” (N.D. XIII, 659 and 660, cf. SRL 38).
Charitable action based on love of God is the most sublime of human actions.
Libermann experienced the profound inner freedom that faith in God can bring. The freedom of the sons of God in the manner of Paul of Tarsus. Not a faith bound by cultures, traditions, norms, social identities... On the contrary, faith is the expression of an encounter with a God who leads us to go beyond our human limits and encounter our deepest essence: to be children of God in love. A love free of all the motivations that can come from our limitations.
Throughout the history of the Congregation, there have been countless people who have lived their missionary life seduced by this God of love. Some have stood out: Jacques Laval, Daniel Brottier... and many others have given their lives in total abandonment for the love of God and the mission in anonymity. The history of our Congregation is the fruit of lives lived to the full, lives made up of the Gospel, charity and sacrifice in the manner of Libermann.
From the beginnings of this missionary family to the present day, it has been a rich story of generosity, dedication and selflessness, born of faith and lived out in total commitment to the cause of Jesus of Nazareth. Today, he is calling us to follow in his footsteps, supported by the life examples of our ancestors in the Congregation. They are lights on our path that enlighten us and give us the landmarks to guide our destiny.
Confident of the presence of God’s Spirit in our lives and in our missionary action, we continue to travel to the ends of the earth, proclaiming God’s presence and love to humanity with our simple and humble way of doing things.
The Congregation of the Holy Spirit is an expression of the Gospel in the past and present of the Church. Happy to be part of this enterprise of God.
These reflections follow the 2024 Francis Libermann Novena prepared by Br. Mariano Espinoza of the Paraguay Group of the Spiritans.