Editorial – Remembering that God takes care of us?
"I know that God is taking care of me; I've realized it many times in my life, and I have so many memories about it that will never be erased from my mind."
Zélie, CF n°156 of March 12, 1876
When Zélie wrote these words to her daughter Pauline, she had already experienced her share of trials over the years. She was not naive; she was a believer. In the manner of Saint Paul, she could say: "I know in whom I have placed my faith." Th1. Zélie, speaking of memories and recollections, invites us to reflect on our lives to find God's presence within them. To facilitate this reflection, there are special times and places.
The Louis and Zélie Reception House, whose inauguration-blessing, widely reported on the site, has just taken place, under the presidency of Bishop Habert, on July 7, proves to be one of these places… and this in several ways.
Staying in this house means:
- To distance oneself from a daily life that consumes us, like Martha in the Gospel, or Zélie with her Alençon lace which, sometimes, "makes a slave".
- Giving ourselves time to let ourselves be immersed in the lives of elders in the faith who have "They have succeeded in life" by giving time to God and to others.
- Reconsider the place that prayer occupies in our lives.
Each person can usefully complete this list with one or another point of decentering oneself that helps to remember how God is present in our life.
This is undoubtedly, during this holiday time, a good way to prepare for a return to work that will start more easily on a good footing than if we were to lose this memory of God's blessings.
So, depending on everyone's schedule, have a good holiday... and a good start to the new school year.
Guy Fournier, deacon, administrator of the Louis and Zélie sanctuary of Alençon
August 2019
