I. Charism - La Salle.org

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IV. DISCOVERING, LIVING, SHARING THE GIFT OF GOD
ty attitudes, linked to the mission and its continuity: “to beg for
alms… to live on bread”. It is a formula which translates a lived and
experienced reality before being expressed. The objective is to maintain
the reality of this work of God, not to perform ascetic exploits.
It is a radical text, that is to say a “root” text.
Association, together, Society: these words keep referring back to each
other. FOR a precise apostolic project: the gratuitous schools.
Community life associated with an educational plan is the objective of
the consecration of the Brothers to God, in response to a choice and
to the call from God. In fact, it is the contents of the human experience
of the Brother which is consecrated. The vows of the Brothers
correspond to their life experience. The accomplishment of the work
of God, His Glory to be proclaimed, now rests on a Community.
The formula of 1694 also opens up the fields of the ministry: “or
to do anything in the said society at which I shall be employed…”
the possible field of activities is not limited to “keeping schools”
Some of the Brothers are servant Brothers and will not pronounce
the part of the formula which refers to “keeping gratuitous
schools”, while others may have other functions , less directly concerned
with the schools… Are John Baptist de La Salle and the
Brothers also thinking of the case of Brothers who will be employed
in fee-paying boarding schools such as Saint-Yon We are not at
that stage yet. What can be remarked on is the flexible nature of the
formula of vows at the time of our origins. It envisaged right away
the possible situations which would arise, in due course, in the life
of the Institute and of the Brothers.
Wherefore I promise and vow obedience, association, stability…
In this third part of the formula, the links of consecration, the vows
of association, stability and obedience are made more explicit. Each
one of them reinforces an aspect or dimension of Association. The