14 giugno 2020 eng _Messaggio della Consigliera per le Missioni

1. Medellín, 14 June 2020.
Dearest Sisters,
From Colombia my sisterly
greetings and best wishes for every good!
As you can see, I am still in Mary Help of
Christians Province (CMA).
Unfortunately, the Covid-19
pandemic has forced us into a
prolonged quarantine! In spite of
this, we try to reach the sisters of the
Province to weave a sisterly dialogue
with everyone to keep hope alive so
that no one will feel alone. During
this time of my stay in Medellin, I
was able to meet in an online
encounter, even the Sector
collaborators who are in Rome. Utilizing virtual reality, I was also able to accompany the New-
Missionaries for group encounters and for the personal talk. It is wonderful that I was able to continue to
reach you each month through the message of the 14th
. I am really happy!
On the other hand, we see that Covid-19 is extending its roots in every part of the world, as
many nations are hard hit and it is said that the peak of contagion has not yet been reached. We live
these events with our eyes fixed on what the Lord wants to tell us so as to be able to truly generate life
and hope in the heart of contemporaneity.
Thinking of the time we are living and of the month of June dedicated to the Sacred Heart of
Jesus, I would like to propose Letter n. 68 that Mother Mazzarello wrote from Nizza Monferrato on 10
April 1881 to the Sisters of Carmen de Patagones, Argentina. From the date, you can see that it is one of
the last letters of Mother Mazzarello to the missionaries. It is very short! It is the response to a letter she
received and contains a brief exchange of news, together with essential counsels and recommendations.
If we take up again the Letters of Mother Mazzarello, we become aware that she often expresses
her recommendation by referring to the word ‘heart’. We can say that Mother Mazzarello speaks with
her heart to the heart of her daughters, above all those who in a geographical sense are distant, far,
that is, the missionaries!
In addition, the letters of Mother Mazzarello allow us to perceive how immense and real was her
devotion to the ‘Heart of Jesus’. I share with you some of her expressions addressed to the missionaries.
You can underline others yourselves when you re-read her letters.
“…when you want to come to visit me, don’t go to Mornese anymore, but come here to Nizza. Poor
daughters! We are too far away to do this! It is better for us to go into the Heart of Jesus and we can
tell each other everything there. I assure you that every morning I speak to you in this adorable
Heart…”. (L 27)
“How I would love to go and visit you! Although we are far apart, we can be close to one another every
day in the Heart of Jesus, and we can pray for one another there…”. (L 42)
“…pray for me always. Enter often into the Heart of Jesus. I will go there also, so we can meet often
and tell each other many things…I leave you in the Heart of Jesus and I pray that He may bless you,
make you totally His, and keep you always united and cheerful.”(L 17)

2. “Trust in Jesus, put all your worries in His Heart, leave it to Him. He will put everything right. Be
always cheerful, always of good heart.” (L 25)
“Then be always cheerful and when you have worries, put them all into the Heart of Jesus.” (L 47)
“Courage. When you are tired and troubled go and place all your worries in the Heart of Jesus, and
there you will find solace and comfort.” (L 65)
“I leave you in the Heart of Jesus.” (L 41)
It seems to me that this is truly a favorable time, not only to enter into the Heart of Jesus, but to
remain in it, telling Him about everything that this afflicted humanity is living because of the pandemic,
is suffering due to the economic crisis, the lack of work, of health, of peace… that needs to rediscover
serenity, to heal their wounds, to allow themselves to be met by the Mercy of God.
Mother Mazzarello as well, at the start of Letter 68, reveals her personal discomfort regarding
her health, “I was very pleased to hear from you. I delayed answering in the hope of recovering from
my illness to be able to write in my own hand, as you wanted me to do. But seeing that I will be weak
for a long time to come, I will make use of someone else’s hand. You will be satisfied with that, won’t
you?”
Right after, she speaks again of health and of sickness. She refers to the situation of Sr.
Catherine Fina who is also sick. Mother Mazzarello reminds that it is necessary to be resigned to God’s
will and to suffer with patience and resignation. Her words indicate a glimmer of hope, “I believe that
she will recover soon, you are too few to let one go to Heaven. Then, too, she has not yet done enough
work, so she will have to get better. She must become a great saint and win many souls for the Lord.”
Toward the end, Mother Mazzarello asks the sisters of Carmen de Patagones to pray, “especially
for the sick, among whom are Mother Bursar, Sr. Caterina Massa, and Sr. Tersilla.” She recommends
everyone to have humility and charity, “If you practice these virtues, the Lord will bless you and your
work, so that you will be able to do great good.” And she concludes saying, “I leave you in the Most
Sacred Heart of Jesus, where I will always be, your most affectionate Mother.”
Dearest Sisters,
On this occasion, I wish to send a special greeting to the sisters who, in this special 2020 live in
Carmen de Patagones. You know that this year the Institute marks the 140th
anniversary of the arrival of
the FMA in this city, that is, the 140th
of the entrance of the FMA into Patagonia, that land Don
Bosco dreamed of and loved. I imagine that, due to the pandemic, the sisters who live there have had to
celebrate the anniversary in a very different way from what they had planned. The important thing is
that with their life and mission, they continue to praise God for the presence and fruitfulness of the
Salesian charism in Patagonia. I assure you of my closeness and prayer and my wish for you is that you
may live with the same intensity of the first missionaries, the gift of your vocation and consecration.
I thank all of you, dearest sisters, for the good lived and for what you do and will still do in favor
of missionary vocations. HAPPY FEAST OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS! This June 19 we
will meet there, in His Heart, and there we will say many things! There we will learn to do what He tells
us in the reality in which we meet each other.
A huge embrace in sisterly communion and in reciprocal prayer.
Councilor for the Missions