On the afternoon of May 26th, Sunday of the Holy Trinity, a meeting took place at the Neocatechumenal Center of the Urbanization “La Pizarra” (El Escorial) with Cardinal José Cobo, Archbishop of Madrid, with the International Responsible Team of the Neocatechumenal Way, currently formed by Kiko Argüello – co-initiator of this ecclesial reality together with the Servant of God Carmen Hernández- Mario Pezzi and Ascensión Romero, accompanied by about 700 brothers and sisters from the communities of the Diocese of Madrid – representing the 222 existing communities in 44 parishes – including about 100 children – their children – and about 70 priests, among whom were Mons. José Luis del Palacio, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Callao; Bishop Gabriel Benedicto, Episcopal Vicar of Vicariate VI; and Fr. Eduardo Zapata, Rector of the Redemptoris Mater Our Lady of the Almudena.
The meeting took place during a wonderful spring afternoon, in the midst of a festive atmosphere of communion, in which Kiko and D. José Cobo took turns to speak, in the midst of which the Gospel of the day was proclaimed (Mt 28:16-20). Kiko began his speech by expressing to Cardinal Cobo the joy and honor he felt for his visit, recalling briefly the beginnings of the Neocatechumenal Way and how the support of the then recently appointed Archbishop of Madrid, Don Casimiro Morcillo, was fundamental. He then presented to Cardinal José Cobo ‘…with a few brushstrokes…‘ – as he likes to say because he is a painter – the stages and concrete dynamics at parish level of this charism, ending his address with these words:
‘Faced with the loneliness of contemporary man, the Neocatechumenal Way has responded to this sociological phenomenon with another of greater entity: the emergence of the Christian community as the Holy Family of Nazareth; small Christian communities that live in humility, simplicity and praise, that are in the world the visible body of the Risen Christ where the words of the Lord “Love one another as I have loved you” become real. By this love they will know that you are my disciples”. The whole neocatechumenate will be a discovery of Baptism, going down the steps of the baptismal pool until gradually reaching the waters of baptism… We proclaim Jesus Christ as the one who has come to break the siege of death, which really imprisons all men. Man cannot love. Why? Because he has not conquered death. God has sent Jesus Christ to destroy death, with his resurrection’.
Cardinal Cobo thanked the assembly for their presence and noted:
There is something that the Church has had from the beginning. The Church has said that in order to know where Jesus is and to be able to tell others, it is necessary to go through a process. And to make an itinerary and to make a path so that, with the testimonies of one and others, with the wisdom of the Church, we will know where Jesus is… That is what our diocese of Madrid needs’.
To these words, the Cardinal added three ‘grateful requests’ – he called them – to the Way: to make known to the diocese its long experience in the renewal of baptism; to transmit to the diocese the strong experience of community life of the treasured faith and to continue working together with the other ecclesial realities. As the first ‘official’ meeting of Bishop Cobo with members of this charism, the afternoon was a real feast in which sheep and shepherd enjoyed together the love of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, seeing fulfilled the words of Psalm 148 ‘…the young, the maidens also, the old together with the children…’ precisely when the Archbishopric of Madrid and the Neocatechumenal Way are celebrating their 60th anniversary.
