The poet Patrick Cavanagh said: “We only learn what we already know.” This month as we prepare to move out of Winter and into Spring, we also move towards important feasts, that are important for members of the Vincentian family, the Feast of the Assumption of Mary (August 15), and of St Vincent de Paul (September 27).
In the preface for the Feast of the Assumption, we read:
For today the Virgin Mother of God was assumed into heaven, as the beginning and image of your Church’s coming to perfection and a sign of sure hope and comfort to your pilgrim people.
One familiar Gospel story of the Risen Jesus appearing to his followers is that given to us by Luke 24:13-35, the story of the two disciples who have left Jerusalem and are walking to a village named Emmaus. They are very depressed, saddened by what they have witnessed in Jerusalem over the past few days. They had high hopes for Jesus and for themselves. But now these hopes are gone. A very sad pair they must have seemed to be to anyone who met them.
But the one who met them was Jesus himself, walking along with them, although they did not recognise him. Perhaps they were too caught up in their own thoughts and feelings that they failed to see just who was now with them.
But what does happen for them? Jesus asks them to talk with him, to share with him what they are discussing. He even invites them to say more than talk about events; he draws them to share their feelings with him, to see how all these events have affected them. He helps them to reflect upon all that has happened and then he talks to them about these events and how they are spoken and written about in the Scriptures. He really asks them to look at what has happened in the light of his story.
And what happens to them when they do this? They not only come to a new understanding of all these events; they are also drawn towards his person, wanting him to stay with them. Once he has gone and they have recognised him, then they begin to realise what has happened to them. They are so changed that they head back to Jerusalem, to tell their story, to tell others of their experience of the Risen Jesus.
This should be our story also. This can be our story also. The Risen Jesus walks with us. He is there with us in so many ways, in the Scriptures, in the Church and its liturgies, in the world around us, in others, in us, in me. He is there with me, in my prayer, in my life. As these two disciples heading for Emmaus knew many facts about Jesus, they were offered something far greater; they were offered an experience of Jesus, that deeply affected them;
Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road.
These days of Holy Week and Easter provide us with this question:
Do we have mere knowledge about the Risen Christ and his journey through Calvary to the Resurrection? Or do we have knowledge of him, an experience of him?
Each day we might search for him but fail to recognise him. Perhaps it is as we talk to him in prayer about what we have experienced, that we will find that he is with us. Perhaps it is as we reflect upon and share with him what we have experienced, how we have felt about what has happened to and for us, that we will find his presence, his love, his consolation, his support and the strength of his Spirit with us. Perhaps we will recognise him when he walks beside us in the person of those others in need, whom we may meet each day. Perhaps we will find he was with us, as we look back over our experience, reflecting on it with him. He will help us to find him present in those in need, with whom we might walk with, the stranger who comes unannounced into our lives.
To be filled with Easter joy, to have ’hearts burning within us’ is the gift the Risen Christ offers us when we can place our story alongside his story. His presence, his word, his compassion, his Spirit, will stir our hearts, when they are open to meet and receive him. Easter day was the day …
on which the Lord appeared to people who had begun to lose hope and opened their eyes to what the Scriptures had foretold…May the Risen Lord breathe on our minds and open our eyes that we may know him in the breaking of bred and follow him in His Risen Life.
Beginning of this year, the Association of the Miraculous Medal around the world has a new appointed Subdirector. Fr. Rolando ‘Choy’ Limjoco from the Province of the Philippines replaced Rev. Carl Pieber, CM after nine years of dedicated service. The announcement was made by Rev. Fr Tomas Mavric, C.M. Director of AMM International in a letter published in famvin.org website. A copy of the letter can be read below.
As a result of Fr. Choy taking the Subdirector role, Fr Amit Anantharaj of the PNG Province took over the AMM Asia Region Coordinator role from Fr. Choy. This was announced on the 28th of February in a special zoom meeting attended by some of the AMM Asia Regional representatives. It was agreed during the meeting that there will be an Asia Regional meeting to be held every 2 months on the 2nd Wednesday of the month.
The last zoom meeting held on 8th of March 2023 was attended by AMM representatives from the Provinces of Thailand, Indonesia and PNG. Each of the regional association presented their apostolate, missions, and devotions which highlights the following:
Monthly mass, prayer of the rosary, and devotions to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
Yearly 9-day Novena to Our Lady
Visitation of the sick, spending time with them to pray and be hopeful.
Distribution of medals and leaflets of the Miriaculous Medal
Spreading the devotion to our Lady of the Miraculous Medal to various parishes and even to non-Christian populace.
Fr Marcin, Superior of the PNG mission, gave a talk on International Woman’s Day and the importance of women, especially of Our Lady. Before the meeting concluded, Fr Amit asked for suggestions on how the AMM Asia Region can improve the communication and sharing between the various regional associations and with the International AMM Association. A Facebook Messenger group chat has been created as a platform for online communication and sharing of ideas and updates amongst members of the AMM Asia Region. Suggestion of a newsletter/bulletin with article contributions from the different regions to be collated and prepared by Kevin, the secretary of Fr Choy was also raised.
From AMM Australia, we would like to congratulate Fr Rolando ‘Choy’ Limjoco, our new AMM International Subdirector and Fr Amit Anantharaj, our new AMM Asia Region Coordinator. May Our Lady continue to guide you and give you strength and wisdom to be successful in your new role and lead our organization in propagating the devotion to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
