Provincial
Letter 11
December 14, 2004
Feast of Juan de la Cruz
The International
Congress on Consecrated Life
My Dear Brothers,
Greetings and blessings of this
Advent season to each of you and your communities. As Emeritus President
of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men of the United States,
it was my privilege to attend the International Congress on the Consecrated
Life held in Rome, Italy, November 22-27, 2004.
There were 847 participants from around the world. Seven Marianists
were participants or staff for the event: José Maria Arnaiz,
(Secretary to the Union of Superiors General) was on the Congress
Organizing Team and Timothy Phillips was instrumental in the Secretariat
for the Congress. Participants included David Fleming, Joseph Mwaura
(Kenya), Ignacio Zabala (Madrid; President of the Spanish Conference
of Religious), Jacques Pénicaut (Congo), and myself.
There were days of presentations, days of discussion in international
groups and continental groups, and two days of synthesis at the end.
I have included in this letter the final summary of the Congress
to give you some idea of topics and concerns that were brought forward.
The theme of the Congress, Passion for Christ, Passion for Humanity
was represented in two icons throughout the presentations and syntheses:
the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well in Shechem and the Samaritan
man on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Of particular note for
your reading of the synthesis is a listing of seven contemporary
virtues that consecrated life is called to embody in today’s world.
It was fascinating to this American participant that two themes that
kept emerging across continental groups in their reports were: a
call for increasing the importance and role of women in our Church
and the rapidly declining availability of Eucharist to religious
communities and local churches.
The synthesis that follows was translated from Spanish and will provide
some serious and reflective thinking and prayer for you and your
communities during Advent. The “working paper” for the Congress,
as well as the individual presentations are all available from my
office, if you would like to plumb the Congress’s work in greater
depth.
Affectionately yours,
Stephen Glodek, S.M.
Provincial
CONGRESS ON CONSECRATED LIFE
PASSION FOR CHRIST, PASSION FOR HUMANITY
“What the Spirit says today to Consecrated Life”
Convictions and Perspectives
There was a great multitude . . .
from every nation, from all tribes
and peoples and races and languages . . .
the Lamb will lead them to springs of life-giving water.
(Rev. 7:9, 17)
The Congress on Consecrated Life, celebrated in Rome from the 23rd
to the 27th of November, 2004 — the last week of the liturgical year
— and organized by the two Unions of Superiors General of women and
men, was an unprecedented event. Participants included 847 religious
from all parts of the world:
-
95 from Africa
-
250 from
America
-
92 from Asia
-
16 from
Oceania
-
and 394
from Europe.
The majorities were Superiors General but also represented were presidents
of most of the national conferences of religious from every part of
the world, theologians, directors of reviews and publications on religious
life and young religious. Bishops and several members of the Congregation
for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life
and of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples also participated.
“Passion for Christ, Passion for Humanity” was the theme of the Congress,
born of contemplation of two icons: that of the Samaritan woman at
Jacob’s well at Shechem, and that of the Samaritan man – the Good Samaritan
– on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. With this final synthesis,
we offer consecrated life the essence of the reflection and discernment
that has absorbed us during these days. The perspective we have chosen
for this final declaration is to do “what the Spirit inspires us to
do today in consecrated life.” We have been moved to do this by the
Word of God, proclaimed and celebrated during these days: the Book
of Revelation and the eschatological discourse of Jesus has placed
us face to face with the gravity of the present moment and the dawning
of a passionate hope for the future.
The Congress gave priority to the experiential aspect of consecrated
life in its diverse socio-cultural and ecclesial contexts. It used
a process that involved everyone in discernment. A preparatory paper
distributed in advance set forth observations concerning trends in
consecrated life worldwide. This generated a fruitful sharing and dialogue.
During the Congress points made in the paper served to stimulate reactions
and discussion in groups whose conclusions were shared in plenary sessions.
This sharing made apparent what the Spirit is bringing into being in
consecrated life in the pluralistic world in which we live. The challenges
of the signs of our times and places became tangible as we interacted.
The need to insert ourselves into the reality of our time, into the
life and mission of the people of God, with “a new ‘creativity’ in
charity” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 50) became evident to us.
I. THIRST AND WATER, WOUNDS AND HEALING: Our Context
I know where you are living . . .
I know your affliction and your poverty.
(Rev 2:13, 9)
1. In the light of the two icons
The two icons, of the Good Samaritan and the Samaritan Woman, are
like a mirror in which we see reflected our situation of woundedness
and thirst, our situation of need for healing and for living water.
a) In humanity
We are part of humanity in our:
In the mirror of the two icons we see our
own face:
-
of ecclesiastical institutions (the priest, the levite, the Temple)
far from the poor and from the sorrows of humanity;
-
of a
spouse prostituted by alliances of convenience (our idolatries).
We are in a transition time, marked by
-
great advances in science and technology, still incapable of resolving
the great problems of humanity;
-
powerful
means of communication that sometimes “colonize the spirit”;
-
globalization
that makes us interdependent at the same time as it undermines
particular identities;
-
kairos
moments in which we are surprised and realize that the God who
speaks is the Lord of history;
-
a thirst
for and crisis of meaning that holds out to us a thousand proposals
and promises
We examine and understand this time with the Gospel
criterion these
two icons offer, challenging us to interpret through
-
the thirst
for meaning;
-
the sorrow
of humanity;
-
passion
for Jesus Christ, mediator of our Covenant with God;
-
compassion
called forth by the sorrows and needs of humanity.
This Gospel criterion leads us to discover the ambiguities, the limitations,
the fragility, and the influences of evil in our world and in ourselves.
At the same time, the Gospel criterion helps us see that passion and
compassion are movements of the Spirit that give meaning to our mission,
that animate our spirituality, and that impart quality to our community
life.
b) In the Church
We seek our place in the Church, the People of God, home and school
of communion (NMI, 43).
-
It is not easy to re-situate
ourselves within the Church as men and women, as brothers, sisters,
and ordained.
-
We thirst
for a new level of “mutual relations,” with our pastors, with
other groups and movements in the Church, animated by equality,
sisterhood and brotherhood, and a greater
mutual trust and openness
to one another.
We affirm that we are a gift for the whole Church (Vita
Consecrata, 1):
-
we give thanks to God for this, and we desire to move forward in a
spirit of renewal and generosity;
-
we recognize
that our different charisms and ecclesial ministries are a great
gift for us;
-
we see
that in the mutual sharing of gifts the Body of Christ will recover
its vigor. (1 Cor. 12: 12-31)
We understand that “consecrated life” must reach out beyond the boundaries
of our institutes, of our Catholic faith, of our Christian faith. For
this reason, we:
-
support ecumenism and dialogue between consecrated life and other religions;
-
support
solidarity with other groups who struggle for human dignity,
peace, justice, and ecology;
-
join
with those lay sisters and brothers who share our charisms, in
such a way that we identify ourselves
not as an Order or Congregation, but as Family, sharing life and mission.
2. “To be born anew”
For some time now something new has been coming into being among us
beyond other realities of death (obsolete traditions and styles, dying
institutions). The agony of what is dying and trust in what is being
born affects us.
Although we do not yet see clearly what the Spirit is bringing to
birth in consecrated life, still we identify as sprouts of newness:
-
the desire to be born anew—fulfilling the implications of the Incarnation
(NMI, 52) and entreating the Spirit for the grace of re-founding;
-
the fascination
exerted over consecrated life today by the person of Jesus who
showed forth the fullness of the beauty and love of God from
the cross (VC, 24), and by his
Gospel;
-
the centrality
of lectio divina in which we proclaim, meditate on, share, and
pray in obedience to
the Word of God;
-
the fundamental
importance of our mission realized in accord with our particular
and shared charisms,
a mission that excites our imagination and impels us to undertake bold
and prophetic new initiatives; to go
beyond our frontiers to
proclaim Jesus Christ through inculturation, inter-religious
and inter-confessional
dialogue; to express our option
for the lowly and excluded
ones in society; to explore new means of communication: a mission and an
option for
the poor (poverty).
-
the search
for communion and community, based on deep and inclusive relationships;
the progressive
extension of community living to the parish, diocese, and city, to
society and to humanity (celibacy and
communion);
-
the need
for a new spirituality that integrates the spiritual and the
corporal, the feminine
and the masculine, the personal and the communal, the natural and the
cultural, the
temporal
and the eschatological,
and is with us
in all our living and doing;
-
the transition
from a consecrated life that separates us from the world to a
consecrated life that is incarnate
and a witness to transcendence.
II. IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE SAMARITAN WOMAN AND THE GOOD SAMARITAN:
Following and learning
If you knew the gift of God (Jn 4:10)
I am standing at the door knocking (Rev 3:20)
The desire to respond to the signs of the times and places where
we serve led us to describe consecrated
life as a “passion”—for Christ and for humanity. This spiritual
state is more a point of departure
than a mere passing sentiment. It is, above
all, a pathway to growing passion.
Jesus tells us “I am the Way” (Jn 14:6):
-
He loved us and gave himself for us. His passion precedes our passion.
His passionate love for his Abba translated into passion for humanity.
-
Moved
by divine compassion, he took on our thirst, our wounds; he loved
us without distinction, even to being our Good Samaritan and
our Spouse who holds out to us the cup of the new Covenant: his
blood poured forth,
his body immolated.
-
From the Cross, Jesus “draws all people to himself” (Jn 12:32) and
we have experienced this attraction.
Along this way of following the Master,
- we are always drawn more strongly;
- we are formed more and
more in Jesus’ image and likeness;
- we are introduced little
by little, like the Samaritan woman, to the
mystery of Jesus’ mission;
- we learn, like the Good
Samaritan, to transform our passion into deeds
of compassion;
- our ambiguities and infidelities
with respect to power, possession,
and sexuality are redeemed; and
- the Spirit counsels us
interiorly and strengthens us for the struggle
(Rev 2, 3)
In the school
of following,
- the Samaritan Woman and
the Good Samaritan become for us a mystagogy
of contemplation and of commitment to contemplative mercy;
- in the two, we harmonize
contemplation and action: the Samaritan Woman
encounters Jesus and goes to proclaim him; the Good Samaritan discovers the
face of God in that of his neighbor
who suffers and reaches out to help him.
III. “DO LIKEWISE AND YOU SHALL LIVE”: Toward a new praxis
1. Seven contemporary virtues
The following of Jesus we intend to realize through consecrated life
in our time calls forth in us certain attitudes to which we have given
the symbolic title of “seven contemporary virtues.” We have drawn them
from the rich group reports, conscious that we may have omitted some.
They enable us — as the Pope has suggested – to quench thirst, to heal
wounds, to be the healing balm on open wounds, to respond to the longings
of our brothers and sisters for joy, for love, for liberty, and for
peace. (John Paul II, Message to the Congress, n. 3) With these, we
assume the new face of consecrated life as the “sacrament and parable
of the Reign of God.”
-
Depth: Gospel discernment
and authenticity
-
Hospitality
and gratitude
-
Non-violence and meekness
-
Liberty
of spirit
-
Boldness
and creativity
-
Tolerance
and dialogue
-
Simplicity: valuing the resources of the poor and despised
2. Convictions: For deciding to go forward
The themes of the study groups dealt with 15 areas which might be
considered a “monitoring system” of the signs of vitality and obstacles
that consecrated life experiences today. From the syntheses presented
to the Assembly and given to the participants emerge convictions and
lines of action. Let us begin with the convictions:
1. A structural transformation of our
life and our works is needed. There is a need for simpler structures
and more open and accepting
communities in order to globalize a “compassionate" solidarity
and a network of justice at the service of a culture of peace, so that
the poor may be listened to.
2. Dialog with cultures is an important
part of the mission of consecrated life. There are many signs of
vitality of consecrated
life in the world,
through which it continues to have
meaning: the growth of multicultural, international congregations;
during initial formation the accent is
put on the culture of origin; the
Congress itself is a sign of openness and sharing. Obstacles
to inculturation exist, among which are the
difficulty of expressing the affective
element in the worship and in the various expressions of
faith.
3. The poor, cultures and religions are the object of a triple dialog
that consecrated life has to conduct. In many contexts Christianity
is perceived as extraneous, as an imported religion. The very fragility
of our faith, our wounds, the spirit of domination are obstacles to
the dialog; as also is the fundamentalism diffused in so many cultural
and religious areas. Dialog has to become a choice, a lifestyle. Our
communities have to be places of reconciliation and pardon.
4. Art and beauty are icons for all cultures; artists help the communities
of consecrated life fight against a consumerist mentality, create beautiful
spaces for prayer, find new symbols to tell new stories to the hearts
of the men and the women who listen. This communication of beauty will
give birth to joy and life in the midst of violence and death.
5. We need to change our mentality towards communication and to know
how to take a risk, both within the Church, where we are often divided
or criticized or too clerical, and outside the Church, in our relations
with the world and the media. We have to prepare men and women religious
experts in this field, to encourage those who work in it to collaborate
with each other to provide resources and to work in close contact with
competent lay persons. It is necessary to interact with the mass media
in a creative way, ready to respond and not to run away from it. We
have to have the courage to show ourselves as we really are, with our
values and our weaknesses, and to speak a language that people of today
can understand.
6. We must dare to launch some projects in our lives to give primacy
to the Word of God; to review, from the viewpoint of the poor, our
lifestyle and our works, and to learn how to live provisionally; to
promote the presence of the consecrated life in world forums and in
the decision-making organizations such as the United Nations, where
the future of humanity is decided; to be present where life is most
threatened.
7. Consecrated celibacy brings one into a deeper relationship with
Christ and helps to share the love of others. Celibacy for us is a
free choice, it is our call, it is for us a healthy and balanced way
of living our sexuality. Today we feel more at home with our bodies,
with our feelings, and with our emotions. We believe, as the old Nicodemus
did, that we were born again. The choice of our chastity is mostly
resplendent when we make visible that ours is a journey toward the
Reign of God.
8. We have to make the Bible our life’s companion and to embody it
in our ministry. To reach authentic community discernment it is necessary
to base our journey in the Word, giving it more space in our daily
life; lectio divina has to become the element of transformation of
our style of life.
9. Speaking about the thirst for God we noticed that we touched a
fascinating topic. Our experience of God is that of an incarnate God.
To make this experience dynamic it is necessary to modify our interior
structures and begin again from an intimate and radical love for Christ.
It is necessary to have a human, personalized formation, a critical
style of thought, a formation for dialog, all of which leads to a personal
change in looking at the world and life in a spirit of faith. We need
as well to learn how to share the experience of faith.
10. On-going formation means above all an active and intelligent disposition
of a spiritual person to learn from life throughout all of life. On-going
formation involves different levels: the individual, the institution
etc., ordinary and extraordinary experiences. On-going formation must
be organized around a model of integration, and have as its point of
reference the paschal experience of the Easter Triduum – life, death,
resurrection. Formation directors and communities are needed that are
able to accompany persons in moments of crisis.
11. We are witnesses of increasing pluralism, which is an irreversible
process. It is necessary that our structures be built on solid values
which prepare us to live the mission. Updating and adaptation of structures
must be seen as a continuous process of change. We have to promote
a spirituality of communion to intensify the efforts of intercongregational
collaboration. We need to ask for changes in Canon Law, in order to
arrive at real equality in Institutes with clerical and non-clerical
members.
12. Young people, in particular, thirst for community life as an expression
of mission and as a place for sharing faith and relationships. Some
religious today live in community as if they were in a hotel. Our present
structures of government reflect times when there were many more members
living in community. They are not suitable for today’s situation. Every
institute has to keep developing means of on-going formation so that
community life is more human and meaningful. The community has to be
open and hospitable.
13. Laypersons help us discover that our charisms are gifts for all
Christians, for the Church and for the world. In spite of our difficulties
and the aging of our members, the Spirit makes us productive. It is
necessary to develop the ecclesiology of communion and the theological
foundation of relationships between religious and laypersons in order
to intensify common formation, religious and lay; to favor a shared
mission and bond with the local church; and to have flexible structures
to share experiences among congregations.
14. The unity of our congregations comes without doubt from a common
vision, but it is sustained by a network of relationships that create
unity and break down barriers. There is still a great deal of road
to travel so that women may really assume their role in society and
in the Church. To lead a group to a shared decision is a difficult
art: superiors need to be witnesses to enthusiasm if they want to sustain
the passion of the members. If love and creativity cooperate, our journey
will be stimulating.
15. Consecrated life gives catholicity and openness to universality
to the local church; we contribute to opening the horizons of the Church.
Twenty-five years after the proclamation of Mutuae relationes, we must
continue the dialog at all levels in the Church; work harder to harmonize
the activities and plans of the Congregation and those of the Diocese;
it is important to be trained for dialog with laypersons, men and women
religious, and diocesan clergy; consecrated life has to be an experience
of communion. This implies a strong call to community life.
3. Lines of action
During the Congress we reflected at length on the situation of consecrated
life in different parts of the world. The working groups identified
action steps to confront contemporary challenges. We refer you to the
reports which were presented. The richness and detail of the various
proposals may be found in these reports.
This gathering of men and women religious from all parts of the world,
from different cultures with different languages, to dialogue, debate
and plan together concerning the present and future of our life and
mission, is an unprecedented event. For this reason, the perspectives
offered here and actions proposed have an extraordinary value.
We hope that this Congress, not only its discernment but also its
methodology, may give us a fresh point of common departure in the beautiful
adventure of following Jesus in our times.
IV. WHERE THE SPIRIT LEADS
Let everyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who wishes take the gift of life-giving water.
(Rev 22:17)
At the conclusion of the Congress we can proclaim that the Spirit
has comforted us and opened up new horizons to us. Though the Spirit
is as invisible as the wind and we know not where the wind comes from
or where it goes (Jn 3: 8), we have listened to the murmur of the Spirit’s
voice in the signs of our times and places and have sought to discern
its meaning with a shared and prayerful faith.
Like Mary and Joseph, her spouse, we have understood that to follow
Jesus we must live open to God and near to the needs of our neighbor,
always ready to respond to the God of surprises whose ways and thoughts
are not ours.
(Isa 55:8-9)
The celebration of the Congress has ended but its implications and
demands continue. They begin now. The responsibility is ours — UISG,
USG, national conferences of religious, communities and consecrated
persons — to translate the Congress implications into attitudes, initiatives,
decisions and projects. The way of understanding and living religious
life that bore fruit so abundantly in the past is yielding to another
way more in accord with what the Spirit asks of us. “We have a glorious
history to remember and to recount, but also a great history still
to be accomplished! Let us look to the future, where the Spirit is
sending us in order to do even greater things!” (VC, 110)
Perhaps more than ever before in history we are experiencing our poverty
and limitations. In the midst of these the voice of the Lord resounds:
fear not, I am with you! This certitude renews our hope and trust in
the goodness and fidelity of the “God of hope who fills us with all
joy and peace in believing, so that we may abound in hope by the power
of the Holy Spirit.” (Rom 15:13) God is our hope, and “hope does not
disappoint” (Rom 5:5).
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