Jacques Philippe: "To pray is, above all, to welcome a presence".At 19.30 p.m., the Forum Omnes with Jacques Philippepriest and well-known spiritual author. Born in Metz (France), he is the author of numerous books on the spiritual life, including titles such as "Interior Freedom", "Time for God" and "The Spiritual Paternity of the Priest", among others.
During the Forum organized by OmnesPhilippe has dealt with topics such as the presence or absence of God, prayer, questions that have arisen in the life of every person during the pandemic, such as the meaning of suffering, etc.
The limits of civilization
Father Philippe began his speech by referring to the situation the world has gone through during the pandemic, and how it has affected people, particularly Christians. He affirmed that, for example, "for many people it served to strengthen relationships within the family, within the communities in which those days of the pandemic took place".
Moreover, "the pandemic has shown the limits and fragility of Western civilization, a situation that has led our society to replace the real with the virtual". However, that is not enough. We need the real: "we have realized that this is not enough, that physical encounters are necessary. This also reminds us of the physical and corporal dimension of the spiritual".
The pandemic has shown the limits and fragility of Western civilization, a situation that has led our society to replace the real with the virtual.
Jacques PhilippePriest and spiritual author
Where is God?
"What was God's role in this situation?" asked Father Philippe. God sometimes allows difficult situations in order to trust in Him, to abandon ourselves to Him and trust in His providence. In fact, when faced with difficult situations, Philippe affirmed, the important thing is how we face that situation, and how we take advantage of it to orient ourselves towards the good that God expects of us.
"It is clear that in this context," he continued, "where our fragility is evident, we find a call to lean on the Lord, who is our rock, our strength. In difficult situations God becomes closer to us". During the Easter season we read the Gospel of the disciples of Emmaus. A model that Father Philippe used to show how God acts in times of discouragement. "They are discouraged and Jesus comes and explains the Scriptures to them. He gives them the strength to return to Jerusalem strengthened by the encounter with Christ. This is what we need to do in these difficult times. Christ nourishes us, fills us with strength."
"This time of pandemic, therefore, is an invitation to follow Jesus Christ, to meet him, to speak to him". A time, in this line, also to be very attentive to one another.
The Eucharist, a real encounter with God
On the other hand, Philippe emphasized that for Christians, the Eucharist, which during those days was a sacrament of which many were deprived, is the place par excellence of encounter with God. It is a moment where we can welcome God's presence. In fact, Father Philippe affirmed that "many Christians have been very creative in keeping their Christian life active".
The Eucharist, the real presence of the Lord, is the center of Christian life. "During those days of pandemic we could meet Christ through spiritual communion," said Father Philippe. Moreover, with the Eucharist "there can be an encounter with the Lord also when we read the Scriptures." Returning to the example of the disciples of Emmaus, whose hearts burned when they heard the Lord explain the Scriptures, "today, with so much confusion, we need a word of Truth. A word of love and truth, which we find in the Bible". And there is much grace of the Holy Spirit in the reading of the Word of God. "The Emmaus passage is a beautiful catechesis on the Scriptures." 'Stay with us' they asked him. But Jesus Christ has not only stayed with us in the Eucharist, he has given them more than they had asked for: he has stayed in the Eucharist and in our hearts in grace."
The greatness of the Christian life
At the end of his speech, a pleasant discussion was opened with questions from the audience. Several of the questions had the mystery of evil as a common denominator. Father Philippe affirmed that "the greatness of the Christian life is that from any evil we can obtain good. Opportunity to grow, to be closer to God". The most important question is how to face evil by relying on the Lord, so that good can come from it. If Jesus Christ is risen, good prevails. Obviously, "in a crisis situation, there are people who react positively, reinforcing their faith. But others, on the other hand, can turn away from the faith. In this case, we must always pray for these people and ask Jesus to come to meet them.
The greatness of the Christian life is that from any evil we can obtain a good. It is an opportunity to grow, to be closer to God.
Jacques PhilippePriest and spiritual author
"Faith, prayer, Eucharist, listening to the Word, and fraternal communion. All these means are proposed to us to welcome the presence of God". Thus concluded an interesting Forum with the author who is already a classic of spirituality.
