This month dedicated to the Holy Virgin sees also the celebration of WUCWO day on 13th, the day of the apparition of Our Lady in Fatima. And this year is the centenary of the Apparition. This is a further encouragement to carry on our WUCWO commitment at all levels; we need to be responsible to work for the promotion of women and each of us is to be involved in such task.

As Pope Francis encouraged our consecrated brothers and sisters in his extraordinary visit in Egypt, our goal “demands believing, witnessing to the truth, sowing and cultivating without waiting for the harvest. In fact, we reap the fruits of so many others, whether consecrated or not, who have generously worked in the Lord’s vineyard.”

In the same speech, Pope Francis indicated some temptations to be avoided:

1. The temptation to let ourselves be led, rather than to lead. 

 2. The temptation to complain constantly.

3. The temptation to gossip and envy. 

4. The temptation to compare ourselves to others. 

5. The temptation to become like Pharaohs.

6. The temptation to individualism.

7. The temptation to keep walking without direction or destination. 

We can apply those temptations to ourselves in our daily commitment in WUCWO and, in order to overcome such limitations, every day we need to ask the Virgin Mary to help us follow her example of discrete presence and complete service to the plan of salvation of our Lord.

As WUCWO women, we “are called in a special way to make the Church present and operative in those places and circumstances where only through them (women and men) can it become the salt of the earth. Thus every layman, in virtue of the very gifts bestowed upon him, is at the same time a witness and a living instrument of the mission of the Church itself "according to the measure of Christ's bestowal".”(Lumen Gentium 33) Especially in these times we are living through the 3rd World War in pieces we are called to pray and work for peace and reconciliation. We are aware there may be difficulties and sometimes opposition to what we want to fulfill but this is a sort of litmus paper to see if we are following the human success or we are contributing to the building of the Kingdom of God.

“Like the engine of a train, may you be the driving force leading all towards their destination. May you be sowers of hope, builders of bridges and agents of dialogue and harmony.” (Pope Francis, ibidem)

Further readings

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2017/april/documents/papa-francesco_20170429_egitto-clero.html

Social Teaching of the Church n° 490 – 497; 534 – 537.

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html

Prayer

See the text prepared for WUCWO day.