Barcelona (Spain), 02/10/2023, Sr. Conchi García and Sr. Ana Isabel Pérez.- On February 7, in the community of Bellafila - "Projecte Maria, Reina de la Pau" of Barcelona, took place the presentation of the book "Curar (y cambiar) la Vida Consagrada", written by our Sister Gemma Morató i Sendra and published by Editorial del Perpetuo Socorro.
"Curar (y cambiar) la vida consagrada. Una apuesta por la 'dimensión amorosa' de la vida fraterna en comunidad". Editorial Perpetuo Socorro, Madrid 2022.The Delegate for Consecrated Life of the Archbishopric of Barcelona Joanjo Moré Ramiro, SDB, and Fr. Francisco Javier Caballero Ávila, C.Ss.R, the Provincial of the Redemptorists and director of Editorial Perpetuo Socorro were present.
The book aims to be a commitment to the "loving dimension" of fraternal life in community, and so begins by presenting a diagnosis of the world and the personal call to be prophets. It takes a biblical and historical look at community life and its dimensions and how it is necessary to reconfigure fraternal life in community on the basis of love. In order to do this, he illuminates with some contributions for change, insisting on the need to innovate, to be credible witnesses of the love of Jesus, through life in community, synodality and leadership, discomfort and happiness, communication and conflict. Also through prayer life, formation, places of mission and the service of authority. In short, a life in fraternal community, based on loving, healing, and caring.
Fr. Joanjo Moré began by introducing Sr. Gemma Morató, her academic career and her current job at the Instituto Superior de Ciencias Religiosas Don Bosco and at the Ramon Llull University. She shared the importance of a consecrated life incarnated in the present day of our history and open to the different realities, cultures and idiosyncrasies that we encounter on the path to which we are called. Fr. Francisco Javier Caballero highlighted several aspects of Sr. Gemma's book and affirmed that "when it comes to writing, one can see that it radiates affection for consecrated life".
He emphasized that it is a book which does not try to demonstrate what she knows, which it is clear that she knows, but she is not demonstrating anything. It is a quiet, calm reflection... it is a biography reconciled with her religious consecration and with what she lives.
It is not only a time of crisis, and this time of minority is the one that gives us the opportunity not to be so preoccupied with our own image, strength or ego, but to discover ourselves humble and servants before the people of God.
What is the meaning of our presence today? In a world in which great works can no longer be sustained, the present time tells us that our presence must be able to show that we can live together in fraternity, that we can announce something and that something is the announcement of the Kingdom, and that the announcement of God overcomes all difficulties and differences.
Another of the book's virtues, Father Caballero emphasized, is that when it speaks of love, it does so without falling into cheesiness, it does so in a centred and balanced way. Religious life needs to heal itself and to do so from and in love.
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