Dear friends,
In 1927, in the last pages of Le Milieu divin, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin addressed Christians, reminding them of the tremendous hope that Christmas represents. In 2020, we suggest you read it again and again (T. IV, pp. 197-201] :
“Historically, expectation has never ceased to guide, like a torch, the progress of our Faith. The Israelites were perpetual “expectants”; – and the first Christians too. For Christmas, which should have, it seems, reversed our gaze and focused it on the Past, has only pushed it further forward. For a moment, the Messiah appeared among us, only to let himself be seen and touched, only to lose himself once again, more luminous and ineffable, in the depths of the future. He came. But now we must wait for him again and again, – no longer a small select group only, but all men – more than ever. The Lord Jesus will come quickly only if we wait for him a lot. It is an accumulation of desires that must bring about the Parousia.
Christians, charged after Israel with keeping the flame of desire alive on Earth, only twenty centuries after the Ascension, what have we done with the expectation?
[…] in reality, if we want to be sincere, we will be forced to admit that
we do not expect anything more.
It is necessary, at all costs, to rekindle the flame. We must at all costs renew in ourselves the desire and the hope of the Great Advent.
[…] Let us look around us at the Earth. […] Where does this disorder in the Society come from, this restless agitation, these waves which swell, these currents which circulate and join, these disturbing, formidable and new pushes ? Humanity is obviously going through a growth crisis.
[No, we must not hesitate, as followers of Christ, to capture this strength that needs us and is necessary for us.
[The greater Man will be, the more united Humanity will be, conscious and master of its strength, – the more beautiful Creation will be, the more perfect will be the worship, the more Christ will find, for mystical extensions, a Body worthy of resurrection. [To desire the Parousia, we have only to let the very heart of the Earth beat within us, by Christianizing it.
[…] Try everything for Christ ! Hope for Christ ! “
We wish you all a wonderful Christmas.
Chantal Amouroux and Richard Pazdej (Metz Reading Group)
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OUR NEW OFFICE
On December 15, the Board of Directors of our Association voted unanimously its new Bureau : President : Philippe Durandin – Vice-Presidents : Marie Bayon de la Tour and Eric de Colomby – Secretary General : Maryvonne Massé – Treasurer : Jean-Charles Cointot.
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AGENDA AROUND TEILHARD
– PARIS / Collège des Bernardins – Saturday, January 16, 2021 – 9:30 / 16:00
Face-to-face conference organized by the Association of Christian Scientists :
Artificial Intelligence and Human Responsibility – Algorithms and Trust
. With Claire Mathieu, Dr Jacques Lucas, Marius Dorobantu, Dr Anne-Laure Boch and Etienne de Rocquigny – Program and registration details, click here.
– PARIS / ICP – Tuesday, January 26, 2021 – 9:00/18:00
Video conference organized by the Institute of Theology : Human and civic responsibility according to Emmanuel MOUNIER – Free registration required by following this link
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Link to the webinar of December 5, 2020
Towards Teilhard’s noosphere : Ruptures and opportunities
. Speakers : Catherine Wihtol de Wenden, Chantal Delsol and François Euvé s j.
Click here
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