Invited to live

Yvonne Trubert, Albertine Gentou

Description

The history of Invitation to Life is linked to the story of Yvonne Trubert, founder of this Association, and to the thousands of people, who for more than twenty years, have followed the path of Christ, to find new hope and meaning in their lives. Through an approach based on personal stories and the precepts of love, the reader will discover the singular quality of Invitation to Life, an ecumenical movement now established on five continents, for the sole purpose of renewing human dignity.

Sujets

• Religión

Informations

• Publié par: L'Harmattan
• Date de parution: 01 septembre 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 145
• EAN13: 9782336256214
• Langue: Français

Extrait

Invited to live
On the path of Invitation to Life

Albertine Gentou
INVITED TO LIFE
Written by a Collective Literary direction of Albertine Gentou. English edition edited by Naomi Knight Sub editors: Alison White, Pete Kimberley Published in French under the title Invitis à vivre.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to express our gratitude to Yvonne Trubert for allowing us to quote certain of her themes, to all those who shared their personal stories and allowed us to publish them. Special thanks to the whole team - Maud, Lorène, Marie-Helène, Arnaud, Sara, Rousbeh and Christine, who enthusiastically helped to put this book together. Thanks to all the members of Invitation to Life and also the non-members, who have been with us through the years. Thanks to Pierre, Gerard, Bernard, Alain, Nicolas, Marcel, Philippe, Michel, Philibert, Hervé, François, Jean-Pierre. Thanks to Fabienne, Christine, Marie, Nada, Carole, Louise, Patricia, Bernadette, Catie, Sylvie and Anne... Thanks to all those who have put their trust in us, and for the love and fraternity which enabled this book to be written. Albertine Gentou
Cover photo by A.G productions
© L‘Harmattan, 2007
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9782296037663
EAN : 9782296037663
Forward to English edition
Our journey started when Michael brought a copy of Invites à vivre from France to New Zealand. Alison, a teacher of both French and English, began by translating the Preface from the IVI book. I offered to edit the first transcript into a more flowing format and we agreed to work together.
We regarded a protocol as important for the translation work. Prayer was our essential tool, and we were both aware of being guided through the prayer. It was also important to research all biblical, legal, medical and geographical references for their English equivalents. This was time consuming but very necessary to clarify the transcripts. My background in nursing and pharmaceutical work proved useful here.
Daniela organised IVI members from all around the world to take part in the translation work, which was then sent on for editing. These translations were written with different levels of expertise. Some needed further clarification from Alison and Pete.
I would then edit the chapters into an easy-reading style, before we checked and rechecked against the French edition. The work was very intensive but interesting, and required close co-operation.
I feel deep respect for those IVI members who have generously revealed their lives in these chapters. They are an inspiration to all who read their stories and follow the teachings of Yvonne.
It has been a privilege working with Alison to translate the message of faith, hope and love expressed within these pages.
We are especially indebted to Pete Kimberley for his extensive translation and checking work and to Albertine Gentou for her continuing support.
A special thank you to the team of translators, all IVI members, who made the English edition possible: Alison, Ari, Beth Ann, Catherine, Cécile, Daniela, Danielle, Elisabeth, Eric, Erik, Hania, Helen, Lucy, Maria Isabel, Nada, Pete, Rosemary.
We have received an Invitation to Life.
Naomi Knight, editor
Table of Contents
Title Page INVITED TO LIFE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Copyright Page Forward to English edition PREFACE FOREWORD INTRODUCTION PART ONE: THE WITNESSES
REPRESENTATIVES THE FAITHFUL YOUTH INTERNATIONAL
PART TWO: THE TEACHINGS
SAYINGS SELECTED EXTRACTS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
PREFACE
It is now two thousand years since Christ revolutionised the world with his laws of love:
“You will love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”
“Love your neighbour as yourself”
“Love one another as I have loved you.”
In this oppressed land, gripped for centuries by diverse authorities and now, yoked to the Roman Empire, Christ’s appeal for love sounded strange indeed.
Jesus announced to a people, overwhelmed by despair, that God his Father would soon reign on Earth in a spiritual kingdom of glory and light. With poetic mastery he taught his remarkable parables. Through miraculous cures, exorcisms, and the prayer of love which he taught his apostles, the Our Father , he convinced the ordinary people, the humble, deprived and rejected; all those he felt closest too. For himself Jesus claimed no title except to do the will of his celestial Father. He came “not to abolish the law but to fulfil it,” and none could turn him from his path. Already his followers saw in him the long awaited Messiah, recently announced by John the Baptist.
Such audacity, stamped with the mark of blasphemy, was to lead Jesus to his death, a crude death of common law reserved for the worst criminals, whose fate he would share, hung between two of them on the cross.
Yet his extraordinary message of universalism and freedom would soon break down the ancestral values and age-old traditions. Although not yet visible, a new order was being established. This great change would transform the world, transcend divisions, and question allegiances.
Two thousand years later, what has become of the teachings of Christ? Has our world upheld his precepts of love? Have we changed?
Certainly, the words of Jesus have spread to all continents; they have crossed the seas and inspired populations. The Churches have transmitted this new awareness, this message of hope and life, which has changed the destiny of man. Yet what of the wars and atrocities that have been perpetuated in the name of God? What of the controversies and factions which have profaned Christ’s sacred vision of peace and love?
Our 21 st century, lulled into a flourishing materialism, has not escaped from troubling turbulence. Yet beyond hatred, poverty and futile guilt, the prospect of a better world remains unchanged. The teachings of Christ give us a unique and brilliant source for a new and peaceful universe, based on God’s love, which brings reconciliation, peace, trust, and hope to mankind.
The collective work presented here, under the direction of Albertine Gentou, brings to light the work of Yvonne Trubert. For more than twenty years Yvonne has inspired people from all walks of life to find within themselves a new breath of life, energy and love. Her teachings are a guide for the inner salvation of humanity.
Contrary to many systems of positive thought, the words of Yvonne Trubert have no other objective than to liberate mankind from the multiple chains we have fashioned for ourselves, chains which hamper our daily lives in a thousand ways. Yvonne Trubert’s goal is anchored in a return to the source of the Gospels. She teaches prayer. This prayer leads to a new reality, indeed a new way of living, a new reconciliation among mankind.
No illusory paradise is proposed. Happiness is not attained without an individual struggle against everything that blocks the presence of God; the inner light and beauty which irradiates the life of man. Welcoming, listening and sharing, which are skills we all can learn, are central to this teaching of fulfilment and freedom. Every type of problem in daily life is explained in sayings or extracts from within this work. These teachings reject mediocrity. They push one to comprehend a powerful process in which truth is experienced as a personal evolution.
Those who are guided by the light of faith, and attribute their progress to “Invitation to Life”, speak with passion of this extraordinary message of universal wisdom and inner freedom. For them the arduous path of self-transformation brings the prospect of reuniting with God’s eternal values for mankind. Inspired to reject excess materialism, they work with others to seek a way of life based on a foundation of solidarity and self-renunciation. Yvonne’s teachings present a new dimension, which guides the future direction of their lives. Her wisdom has strengthened their faith and revealed a bridge to God.
From a murky past confined in a complaining world of suffering, not so much physical as spiritual, a bridge towards this vision has been shown. An alternative, lucid and profound vision that opens wide the door to a recovery of the soul. Mankind is treated generously, without hiding the real difficulties from seekers of self- transformation. It is no small thing to surrender oneself entirely to the love of God! True support is needed in the spiritual struggle to answer the call of Christ.
Those who are hungry for God will find nourishment within these pages where in union with Christ and his kingdom, love flows around like a light breeze. Yet, is love something to be afraid of these days? Dare we still speak of love? These pages invite us to live with joy and love in our being.
Marie Mignon-Gardet
FOREWORD
Many of our contemporaries feel concerned about the future when the problems of our planet are reviewed on television: financial scandals, AIDS and cancer, global warming and disasters, pollution and the pains of our civilisation - there is every indication from the news that the situation will not improve. Nowadays, we have two types of people: those who are resigned to circumstances, and those who in their search for solutions, have joined together to work for the greater good of humanity.
Daily life has become a perpetual struggle; parents tremble for their children as drugs and racketeering proliferate in the schools. We see misery everywhere. Many g