January 2024 Issue

Summary

At the Heart of... BENEVOLENCE

3 | A Call to Benevolence  Marie-Paule Sanfaçon, m.i.c.

4 | The Source of M.I.C. History Huguette Chapdelaine, m.i.c.

7 | Venerable Delia Tétreault Agathe Durand, m.i.c.

9 | Family Spirit Maurice Demers

11 | Benevolence: Inspiring Wisdom  Editorial Team

13 | The School of Divine Pedagogy Emmanuel Bélanger

15 | Word of the Day: Benevolence Sylvie Bessette

17 | When the Heart is Set, the Feet Follow Louisa Nicole, m.i.c.

19 | Sowing Joy and Hope with the Help of Animals Pauline Yuen, m.i.c.

21 | An Unexpected Path Marie-Paule Sanfaçon, m.i.c.

23 | With You, O Lord Léonie Therrien, m.i.c.

A Call to Benevolence

Within the Catholic Church, the month of October was an important time of reflection and discernment as the representatives of God’s people gathered in synod. Men and women, seated at the same table, listened to each other. Indeed, the synod is a time of intense sharing under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to respond to the demands of our modern times.

We live in a world in crisis, in search of answers, where wars break out, forcing victims to flee to find refuge in other countries. Natural disasters leave millions homeless. As they become aware of these tragic events, Christians of all nationalities are invited to question themselves. It is a call to step outside ourselves, a call to benevolence.


But what exactly is benevolence?
A few examples may speak louder than a simple definition. Opening the Old Testament, we find an illustration when Abraham’s servant begins to pray to Yahweh in these words (Gn, 24:12): Lord, God of my master Abraham, grant me success today, and show your kindness to my master Abraham.

In St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians (5:22-23), we discover that benevolence is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It can inspire us to behave in a welcoming way towards the people we meet, even though they are strangers. The example of the Good Samaritan helps us to understand its full meaning: he stops by the wounded man, carries him to the inn and even gives money to the innkeeper for his care.

Benevolence is thus defined as an individual’s disposition to aim for the good and happiness of others. As Pope Francis says: The love of God is realized in the love of your neighbor.

Everyday benevolence
In everyday life, we all have countless opportunities to be kind: a teacher to his students; a nurse to her patients; parents to their children. We can all give a minute’s attention to a stranger walking down the street, or give up our seat on the metro to someone who needs it more than we do. These small gestures are acts of kindness that spring from the overflow of the heart, from a profound charity where we welcome others without discrimination.

The Team

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