“Al centro l’amore” – “At the center is Love”
The General Chapter is a great privilege to encounter, dialogue and know each other as a family. Twenty-three Chapter fathers from four delegations: Italy, India-Germany, Africa and US-Philippine Delegations gathered after six years to elect new Superior General of the Order, to give reports and to make decisions for the future of the Order.
The logo of the 63rdGeneral Chapter expresses the intentions and captures the core of this gathering. At first glance, the logo has the dynamic of action and the action is obviously surrounding the heart, which is the main subject of the logo. The heart represents the heart of the religious and the action portrayed in the logo represents the saving act of God. Through his blissful call to us to follow him, he invites us for the conversion of heart.
As it is stated in the Book of Ezekiel 36:26, it is said that God will give you a new heart, and a new spirit he will put within you. Change and new things happen first from within. When our heart is converted, everything we do is made new. In the journey of religious life, God calls us to a new life, a new vision and a new walk of spirit.
The four stripes initially represent the hand of Jesus, as you see the red dot in the middle which is the wound from being nailed to the cross. His hand hand holds our heart. The heart is wounded but is able to hold and protect, for the Lord showed that he died for us and he will protect our new heart from the evil one. This hand also represents the determined way of our life and that is why there are four stripes, because they represent our four vows. The four vows, wrapped around the heart, portray the deep communion with our God and that our lives are rooted in the heart of Christ. For this reason, they swirl around the heart.
This dynamic action, which is full of life, is vibrant and forms a cross at the top of the heart. Our living of the vows in communion with our Lord will ultimately, at the end of our journey, bring our lives to completion by God’s saving action. Our living of the vows mirrors our unity with the Paschal Mystery which which is rooted in the mystery of the cross and in the Resurrection of the Lord. In this way, all things are made new.
This newness of life is depicted clearly on the logo. The old tree where the white with red markings of the cross is hanging, represent our old life. The banner represents the victory of the resurrection in our life. Consequently, Jesus constantly embraces us with the power of this spirit that leads us to the celebration of the paschal mystery which is the Eucharist that sustains and gives us that new heart. We are one with the Lord.