Constitutional text - Chapter Tree - Our Community life

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CONSTITUTIONAL TEXT - CHAPTER THREE

OUR COMMUNITY LIFE

CAP ITULAR NOR MS - 22 - 32

October 1980

Once again you are being presented with a lengthy Dossier.

As explained before, the Dossier is structured to meetthe

needs of everyone in the community. Part One is for those

with limited time and interest;Part Two for those with

great~r interest.

Our former Rule did not have a section devoted specifically

to "Community Life". The presumption was that conrrrrunity

life is effectively present if the members follow the

legislation for different classes in the community, precedence,

marks of respect due to members and outsiders,

exercises, meals and recreation, and comrnon observances.

Our present Constitutions, instead, treat first theideal

and purpose of community life and then some of the means

to aahieve this. Members aaaustomed to the former Rule

find the present one too general and at times complainthat

there are no alear demands put on us.

The aomrnentary here is long preaisely beaause it is an attempt

to spell out the exigenaies that lie behind our

ideals of aonrrrrunity life. We are being now aalled to "areate"

aomrnunity life and no longer presume it wiU exist

sinrply beaause we are following aommon observanaes. All

the elements of aommunity life - the faith-sharing; the

interpersonal dimension; the "aommon good "; the atmosphere;

eta. - are part of the task to whiah we are aalled

and have aommitted ourselves.

Community aan only give its members what the members themselves

give to the aonrrrrunity. These pages try to indicate

what the aommunity gives to the Churah, the members andalso

what the members are to give to the aommunity.

Fr. Barrette, M.S.

- 2 -

•

..

This first section presents the texts we are proposing for Chapter

three - Our Comm.mity Life - and the corresponding Capitular

Norms. Brief explanations are given for the changes - fuller

explanations and background on the texts will be found in the

following section which contains on essay on community and

an "exegesis" of the text •

- 3 -

•

C O N S T I T U T I o N A L T E X T T H R E E

o R I G I N A L T E X T

''Tua t they may all be one. • . so that the world may believe .•• "

(Jn. 17:21).

In response to the call of God, and to realize the prayer of Christ,

we have cho$en to live as brothers within our Congregation.

It is especially by the brotherly love uniting all its rnembers that

our Congregation will be a sign of God's presence among us and of

the power of the Gospel to bring together, in a community of brotherhood,

men of every language, race and nation.

In this spirit of love, each member is responsible for the vitality

of the cornmunity in which he lives. His personal development will

take place as he actively participates in a corrnnon effort by all members

to create an atmosphere of truth, confidence and cordiality.

Our same love of Christ inspires a spirit of solidarity in our apostolic

t asks. For this reason, we are called to work in conjunction

wi th one another, uni ting our efforts for the building up of the

Church.

Loving one another in a spirit of real brotherhood, bearing with

each other's faults when the occasion arises, we shall make every

effort to assist one another, even in the small details which goto

make up cornmunity living; we shall surround our sick and infirm brothers

with special concern and faithfully recorrnnend to the Lord our

departed.

Each of us strives to lead an intense life of personal prayer and

union with the Lord. At the same time, in order to strengthen the

bonds of brotherhood which unite us, it is necessary that we come

together to pray. Corrnnunity prayer, especially the Liturgy, expresses

solidarity. It is the source from which we draw the faith and

love we need to accomplish our mission.

For the same reason, we shall talee advantage of the opportunities

for togetherness offered by corrmunity meals, recreation in cornmon

and other practices which express human friendship in our respective

countries. These are occasions for making our spirit of brotherhood

a concrete reality.

Finally, if our comnrunities are to bea living sign of Christ's love

for all men, they rust always be open, extending a warm welcorne to

priests, religious and layrnen and especially our relatives. Our hospitality

will thus be a sign of our joy and of our desire to be "all

things to all men" (1 Cor. 9:22).

- 4-

•

O U R C O M M U N I T Y L I F E

P R O P O S E D N E W T E X T

•

In response to God's call, and to fulfill the prayer of Christ "that

they rnay all be one •.• so that the world rnay believe .•. ", we have

chosen to be of one mind and one heart in the same religious family

and to work together in a conunon effort for the realisation of Reconciliation.

Un.ited through baptism, the profession of the evangelical counsels,

the veneration of Mary, Reconciler of Sinners, and the mission of

the Congregation, it is as a corrnm.mity that we witness to God's

presence anong us and of the power of the Gospel to bring together

in a community of brotherhood, men of every language, race and nation.

In a real spirit of love, each member is responsible for the vitality

of the corrnm.mity in which he lives. His persona! development will

take place as he actively participates in a conunon effort by all members

to create an atmosphere of truth, confidence and cordiality.

Our same love for Christ and commitment to the same mission inspires

a spirit of solidarity in our apostolics tasks. For this reason, we

are called to unite our efforts for the building up of the Church.


each other's faults when the occasion arises, we shall rnake every

effort to assist one another, even in the small details which goto

rnake up community living; we shall surround our sick and infirm

brothers with special concern and faithfully recommend to the Lord

our departed.

Conscious of the rnutual influcnce of the personal and community faith

life, we will often come together to pray: connnunity prayer, especially

the Liturgy, will be for us the source from which we draw the

faith and love we need to accomplish our mission, and the expression

of our solidarity.

In order to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood which unite us, we

shall take advantage of the opportunities for being t ogether offered

by community meals, recreation in common and other practices which

express human friendshi p in our respective countries. These are occasions

for rnaking our spirit of brotherhood a concrete reality.

Finally. if our corrnm.mities are to be a living sign of Christ's love

for all men, t hey IlRlSt always be open, extending a warm welcome to

priests, religious and laymen and especially our relatives. Our

hospitality will thus be a sign of our joy and of our desire to be

"all things to all men" (1 Cor. 9:22).

- ~ -

Our Community Life

SUMMARY Al'-ID BRIEF EXPLANATION

OF PROPOSED CHANGES

In response to God's call, and to fulfill the prayer of Christ

"that they rnay all beone . .. so that the world may believe ...",

we ha.ve chosen to be of one mind and one heart in the same religious

family and to work together in a common effort for the realisation

of Reconciliation.

•

Rather than begin the chapter with a quotation, we decided ...

to incorporate the quote within the paragraph and thereby

rema.in more within the style of the other chapters.

TI1e original text, "we have chosen to live as brothers

within our Congregation" i s too concise and does not describe

well enough what this fraternal brotherhood involves.

Our Christian life in itself calls usto live as brothers,

our religious consecration is our free choice to be corrunitted

to the same ideals and goals which are proposed by the

Missionaries of La Salette. We therefore strive to live a

W1ion of mind and heart on our fundamental values. We also

corrunit ourselves, through our consecration, to channel our

apostolic efforts within the Congregation's mission of Reconciliation

in union with the other members of the Congregation.

Share values, ideals and goals as well as a

shared mission is what constitutes the foundation of our

community life. And as we ha.ve freely chosen to live the

evangelica.I counsels, so we ha.ve freely chosen to be part

of a corrnnunity.

United through baptism, the profession of the evangelica.I counsels,

the veneration of :Mary, Reconciler of Sinners, and the mission of

the Congregation, it is as a comnrunity that we witness to God's

presence among us and of the power of the Gospel to bring together

in a community of brotherhood, men of every language, race and

nation.

Once aga.in, brotherly love is what unites a.11 Christians

and is hardly particular to religious community. We are

united through progressive levels of shared corrunitments -

baptism, the vows, and particularly as La Salettes - veneration

to Mary Reconciler of Sinners and the mission of the

Congregation. These are the foundations of the La Salette

community as such and the groundings for our specific expression

of brotherly love.

- 6 -

In a real spirit of love, each mernber is responsible for the vitality

of the connnunity in which he lives. His personal developrnent

will take place as he actively participates in a common effort by

all rnembers to create an atmosphere of truth, confidence and cordiality.

.

There is only a minor change of the first words: "In this

spirit of love" referring to the "brotherly love" in the

original previous paragraph is replaced with "In a real

spirit of love" since the suggested rewording of the previous

paragraph no longer contains the words "brotherly

love". Basically the paragraph remains the sarne.

Our sarne love for Christ and cornrnitrnent to the sarne mission inspires

a spirit of solidarity in our apostolic tasks. For this reason, we

are called to unite our efforts for the building up of the 01urch.

We are adding "connnitment to the same rnission" because our

spirit of solidarity is more specific than the spirit of

solidarity that should exist arnong all Christians because

of their love for Christ. Our apostolic solidarity comes

because we have committed ourselves to serve the needs of

the Church in a particular spirit and within an evergrowing,

but nevertheless determined, nùssion.


each other's faults when the occasion arises, we shall make every

effort to assist one another, even in the small details which go

to rnake up connnunity living; we shall surround our sick and infirm

brothers with special concern and faithfully reconnnend to the Lord

our departed.

Rernains unchanged.

Conscious of the mutual influence of the personal and connnunity

faith life, we will often come together to pray: connnunity prayer,

especially the Liturgy, will be for us the source from which we

draw the faith and love we need to accomplish our mission, and the

expression of our solidarity.

TI1is paragraph has been restructured in an atternpt to get a

clearer focus on the role of connnunity prayer. Tue first

sentence of the original has been placed in the new Capitular

Norm 6 dealing with the obligations of our spiritual life.

Wanting to emphasize the mutual influence of personal prayer,

we begin this paragraph by pointing this out. If individuals

in a connnunity have no personal prayer life, then it is extremely

doubtful that the community prayer life will be very

vital. On the other hand, living as corrnnunities, if we do

- 7 -

not e:xperience our faith and prayer life in a community

way, then the faith community ceases to exist, and our

own persona! prayer life is often diminished or weakened.

As persona! prayer is meant to vitalize cornrnunity prayer,

so too corrununity prayer is meant to fortify and often carry

us in our persona! prayer life.

We therefore want our Constitutions to hold us responsible

to come together often as a cornrnunity to pray. We have also

changed the arder of the following sentences because we

believe that more than being an e:xpression of our solidarity,

our conununity prayer life is first of all the source of the

love and faith that helps us live effectively a solidarity

in mission and also in life style.

In order to s trengthen the bonds of brotherhood which w1i te us, we

shall take advantage of the opportunities for being together offered

by community meals, recreation in common and other practices

which e:x-press human friendship in our respective countries. These

are occasions for rnaking our spirit of brotherhood a concrete

reality.

The changes are minimal, primarily dictated by the change

of wording in the previous paragraph. In English we have

changed the term "togetherness" to simply "being together"

because "togetherness" was a trendy tenn popular in the 60s

but seldom used at present.

Finally, if our corrmnmities are to be a living sign of Christ's

love for all men, they Jm.1St always be open, extending a warm welcome

to priests, religious and laymen and especially our relatives. Our

hospitality will thus be a sign of our joy and of our desire to be

"all things to all men. "

Remains unchanged.

- 8 -

CAP ITULAR NORMS: Once again we have changed the order of some

of the nwnbers of the Capitular Norms on Community Life in an

effort to give a more logiaal progression: from the more general

structuring of corrmunity life to the more partiaular attitudes

of the individuals;from attention given to our siak, our deaeased,

our benefaators and finally those who have left the Congregation.

22. Under the leadership of a superior or director, the community

forrns a single body and is responsible for the conduct of its

religious life and apostolic activity. Accordingly, the members

of the corrnrrunity:

a) will do whatever is possible to create a spirit of fraternal

openness and dialogue, especially through regular meetings

where each is invited to express his point of view aJ1d to

share his experiences. In these rneetings the communi ty will

also study questions important to the comrnunity, clarify its

objectives and evaluate projects already undertaken.

b) will come together daily for prayer and each month will devote

a day to deepening together their spiritual life and

Salettine vocation.

This new Norm is a combination of C.N.84, a and c, and C.N.

24. It is an atternpt to immediately focus on a number of

irnportant elements in the constitution of comrnunity life

and its activities. First of all, it is a community with

someone responsible for the ministry of leadership. There

is a mutual responsibility and also an accountability for

the vitality of its religious and apostolic life and for the

atmosphere and spirit in which this is lived and allowed to

develop. A spirit of "fraternal openness and dial~gue"is

not created sirnply by wishing it, but needs concrete situations

in which to develop and be nurtured. Regular community

meetings are central to the life and spirit of the

conununity. If there is no faith sharing, no comrnunal discerning,

no concrete call to one another to examine our

shared e:xperience and efforts, then "community" soon becomes

a fiction and deteriorates rapidly into groups of men

living side by side. These meetings should forma regular

pattern in the life of the community, and each should view

them as a serious obligation, particularly in this day and

age when corrrrnitments, and activities are so diversified.

The comnrunity should also hold itself obliged to a daily

rnoment of shared prayer and also try to build into the

rhythm of its activities one day a month of co1IIlTIU11.al reflection

and prayer.

- 9 -

23. The local rules of life, established by the community,

deternùne the times of community prayer, corrrrnunity meetings

and the rhythm of work and leisure that will contribute

to the mental and physical health of each member. These

rules of life will be submitted to the Provincial Superior

and his Council for approval. In order to insure a certain

equality, the length of vacations will be determined by

Pro:vi11cial Statutes.

This norm combines elements from C.N. 84b, 24 and 25. In

the Norms as we have them now there was some confusion in

speaking of the Rule of Life in a number of places. Here

we have taken the Rule of Life and given it a specific

place and also have clearly indicated some of the things

it should include, adding in this number those things

concerning recreation and vacations.

24. Realizing that unity among brothers, which allows fora

diversity of expression and a plurality of involvements,

is a sign of the love asked of us by Christ and expected

of us by men, each member will strive to avoid anything

that would be a counter-witness to this unity so that the

conm1unity might live the Reconciliation which it wants to

bring to the world.

Basically it is the former C.N. 20, with the exception of

the addition of the phrase "which allows fora diversity

of expression and a plurality of involvements." The

addition was made in the hope of responding to the objection

of some that the idea of unity may be misinterpreted

as meaning total conformity. Our unity is

founded on our commitment to the same fundamental values,

goals and orientations. But within that unity there is

great room for diversity. When there is clarity and

security concerning the essentials, then there is usually

a great acceptance of diversity and pluriformity and

a recognition that the differences are actually part of

the richness of corrnnunity life.

25. While remaining firm on the essentials of our commitment,

each member will act towards his brothers with understanding

and respect for their personal convictions. Should a

conflict arise, those involved will try to settle it themselves

with true charity.

Formerly C.N. 21 with a few additions. We have added the

introductory phrase "While remaining firm on the essentials

of our commitment" because it should be clear that

understanding and respect for the personal opinions and

-10 -

convictions of others in the comrnunity cannot extend to

the point where people do not agree on what we have committed

ourselves to as our basic "non-negotiable" values

and this is simply understood or respected. If there is

disaccord on our fundamental values, then individuals

have to ultimately be faced with the fact that perhaps

they should reconsider some of their fundamental options

because a community cannot strive together for the same

fundamental goals and ideals if there are rnembers who do

not accept or agree with these goals. For example, it

would be difficult to understand how a connnunity could

far a lengthy period of time tolerate an individual

who does not believe the corrununity should pray together,

or that our vows have a meaning, or that we are called

to beat the service of the local Church, etc.

We have omitted the final phrase "before having recourse

to superiors" because its inclusion seerned to indicate

that such an action is expected in a connnunity. The

superior should not be put into that kind of "parenting"

or "referee" role and hopefully the cormm.mity would have

a support system that would allow individuals to resolve

personal conflicts charitably and especially within the

light of our faith connnitments, dedication to one another

as brothers.

26. All should realize that autrentic personal fulfillment is

found in service to one's cormT1W1ity and its work rather

than in personal preferences.

Formerly No.22 unchanged.

27. There is no order of precedence in the corrununities except

that of superiors or their substitutes in the performance

of their duties. Christian charity inspires the marks of

respect we show one another and the honor we give to our

guests.


28. The cornmunities should give wholehearted attention to

religious who are ill, disabled, or aged and bring them

their material, moral and spiritual assistance.


29. Wben a member dies, the news of his death is at once made

lmown to the whole Province and to the Secretary General

who, in turn, comrnunicates it to the entire Congregation.

Fonnerly No. 28 tmchanged.

30. Tue Chapter of each Province determines the suffrages which

will be applied for each of their deceased. Tue General

Council does likewise for the suffrages which are its responsiblity,

especially those concerning the Sovereign Pontiff

and the members of the General Administration.

Formerly No. 29 unchanged.

•

31. TI1e Provincial and local regulations determine the prayers

and other acts of gratitude due to the benefactors of the

corrnnunities.

Fonnerly No. 26 unchanged.

32. Tue corrnnunity bonds of friendship extend also to former members

and to all who are or havebeen assa::iated with our life

and work.

Formerly No. 30 unchanged.

- 12 -

·This essay is to provide o fromework

for the examinotion of the text.

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This section presents o poragraph by

pa ragroph, phrase by phrase, explanation

of the text.

- 13 -

"COMMUNITY! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

"Corrrrnunity, cornmunity, corrnnunity ''' I

just don't understand what these guys

are talking about or what they want."

"The situation is just too big. We are

too rnany different people doingdifferent

things. It's irnpossible to really have

a connnuni ty. ''

1

'The cornmuni ty is my 'home' where I am

accepted and loved as I am - where Ican

grow as a person."

"I joined the Congregation because I want

to live corrnnunity. Otherwise I would have

j oined the Diocese. 11

"We are too few to expect that we can have

any kind of corrnnunity life."

-14 -

•'I need the cornrnuni ty to carry me

and give me support when I arn discouraged

or lose sight of the Lord."

"I live and work alone, but it 's a great

comfort tome to know that the 'cornmunity'

is there although I rnay havecontact

wi th i t only once or twice a year."

''My happiest days have been when we were

living together, a fairly large group,

and really shared a prayer-life together,

a ministry-life together, andeven

a play-life together. That tome was

corrrrnuni ty. ' 1

"Let's face it, if we were all really doing

our jobs and meeting the needs of the

people, we wouldn't have time to be worrying

about 'corranuni ty' . ''

•'Everyone • s doing his own thing - has his

own circle of lay friends - has his own

1

budget' - We don' t have corrnm.mi ty anyrnore

but rather 'religious hospices' where we

live side by side and engage in 1 religious

works'. 11

"Some people give me the irnpression that

they will only be happy and say we are

living corrnnunity if we sit around holding

hands!' 1

Each of us could add many more remarks to this litany, but what

emerges is the fact that many people will talk about cornmunity -

negatively and positively - but all too often people are not talking

about the same reality at all. People's understanding of cornrnunity,

which in fact shapes their expectation of corrrrnunity, vary a great

deal. It is this difference that is often at the root of much of

the frustration and at tirnes futile efforts being made to renewcommunity

life in our Congregation.

The following few pages offer some general notions concerning cornmunity:

I- why this big concern for corrnnunity today?

II- what is essential before any corranunity can exist?

III- what is the purpose, goal and end of a religiouscomnunity?

- 15 -

IV- what are some of the rneans to achieve this?

V- what are some "models" of religious cornmunities?

This should establish the context within which our own Constitutions

and Norrns on Corrnnunity Life can be more easily understoodand

our own reflections can be better directed and clarified.

..

--- I ---

The desire and concern for "corrnmmity" that has ernerged so strongly

in the last few decades is not something particular to the Church

orto religious life. It is the result of the convergence of sociological,

technological, cultural, philosophical, psychological

and theological insights and forces. The following ideas, certainly

in very simplified form, rnay help in understanding this. It would

be good if each reader added his own insight in trying to recreate

the atmosphere that has given rise to the renewed interest in corn

ITllility.

1. Technical advances, urbanization, and industrialization have

created greater mobility, uprootedness and irnpersonalism,

giving the persona sense of alienation, isolation, helplessness

and ineffectiveness vis à vis the machinery of

power, of production, of social control

but technical advances have also allowed the world to becorne

more conscious of itself as a "global village", stirring

a greater sense of co-responsibility, making people aware

of the need for all people to unite and cooperate in the

struggle for peace, for justice, and perhaps even for

survival. There is the desire and movernent to create

"the European corrnmmity", "the African colTllTll..l11ity" and even

the "world corrununity."

MJst directly influenced by these forces are the "corrnnunities"

that are the interest of the sociologists and the

anthropologists:

- 16 -

-cornmunity based on emotional attachment or even locale,

such as the family, the home, the neighborhood

- the '' gameinschaf t."

-comrnunity based on the specific objectives chosen by

t he members - connnunities as service organizations,

such as an academic faculty, workers' union, political

associations - the "gesellschaft."

Although "locale" is dismissed by many as of little importance

in our mobile society of today where people's social

world seldom corresponds to their spatial world, there has

nevertheless been great interest in recent years in the

"neighborhood" and in all types of "neighborhood organizations."

In the work and production world, and even in the

agricultural world, there is a movement towards cooperatives,

greater collaboration, a stress on teamwork. In front of

seemingly overwhelming social forces and needs, the individual

man stands quite helpless and sees a possible solution

only in working together - in becoming comrrunities.

2. Existentialism, personalism, humanistic psychology have tried to

combat the contemporary experience of isolation, alienation

and impersonalism by emphasizing the person over society,

promoting the primacy of personal fulfillment, insisting on

the need for independent and responsible action if the person

wants to be truly human and not end up a mere "cog in

the wheel'' of society. All of this may appear to be a movement

toward subjectivism and individualism. At first glance

this is true

but these schools of thought have also emphasized that the human

person is a "being-in-the-world-with-others." Individualism

is an unrealistic way of conceptualizing personal existence

because persons do not possess any fullness by themselves

alone - to be human is to be relational, to be interdependent.

The individual alone "exists" but the individual truly "lives"

when in communion with others. There emerged, therefore, the

emphasis on "encounter" - "dialogue" - "mutuality" - "interpersonal

relationships" - "brotherhood." Manto be truly man

needs comnnmity.

This is the area of communi ty that psychologists are most concemed

with - community for personal growth as a full human

being capable of freedom and therefore of loving. The comnunity

here is not centered on service or work outside of

itself, but rather on the quality of the interpersonal

- 17 -

relationships that exist within the cornmunity group. These

are people who gather together in community to survive,not

in the sense of existence, butto survive in terms of living

life with as much "human quality" as possible. Here thecommunity

can be the couple, the family, an encounter group, or

various therapeutic groups such as houses of affinnation,

Alcoholics Anonymous, etc.

3. Theological and ecclesial insights, greatly influenced by biblical

and liturgical scholarship, have shifted the emphasis

from personal sanctification and salvation to a consciousness

of each individual as part of the "People of God" -

a "people" called and saved by God - a "people" called to

worship as a co1TDTiunity - a "people" who must effectively

witness to the resurrected Lord by being a loving corrrrnunity,

as was powerfully demonstrated by the primitive Church.

•

When the dominant conception of Christian life was "saving

one's soul," the social dimension of personal and Christian

progress were often given a place of minor importance. Tue

emphasis was on the vertical - the "God and me" perspective.

Cornmunity, therefore, which stresses the horizontal dimension,

was not given particular stress. But the emphasis has

shifted. Rather than speaking of "saving one's soul" the

Church now speaks of the universal "call to holiness" and

that this "holiness" consists in the "perfection of charity."

This char ity, as is stressed over and over again in the

Council docl.Ilnents, is love of God and of man. Love cannot

exist in isolation, but demands,as well as creates cornmunity.

A Christian in i solation is an anomaly. M.Jch more so,

therefore, a religious. Even the most solitary contemplative

will speak of carrying the whole world in his or her

heart. To be Christian is to be called to corrrrnunity. The

whole Body of Christ lives rnost effectively in and through

corrnmmity.

Our world that is broken and fragrnented in so many ways -

filled with people alienated from themselves and frorn one

another - more than ever needs the reconciling power of God

made present in Jesus. An individual can bring this power -

but how much more powerful and effective is the reconciliation

present and extended through a cornmunity united in

faith and love.

Our world that prornotes every mistaken "truth" and surrogate

salvation imaginable more than ever needs the light of Jesus

who is the truth, the way and the life. An individual can

- 18 -

make that light shine - but how ITRlCh more brilliant is the

light radiating frorn a corrrrnunity bound together in faith,

truth and love.

Our world that is unceasingly crying out in hunger, pain,and

desperation more than ever needs the healing and strengthening

hands of Jesus to reach out and respond. An individual can

reach out and help - but how much stronger and far-reaching

are the multiple hands of a conmunity extended in loving

service.

As our consciousness of the world has expanded, so too has

our awareness of the need to respond to this world not simply

as individuals, but rather in the rnanner that God hirnself

has intended usto respond - as a cornmunity.

This is the community that is the concem of the theologian -

the comrnunity as a group sharing a faith in Jesus and living

out this faith in loving service to others, thus revealing

the continued presence of God's love in Jesus through the

Spirit. This is the community which is the Church - the

parish - religious corrnnunities - communities that are

created by such experiences as a Cursillo and afterwards

the people co"ntinue coming together to deepen .the experience

- communities centered on the Charisrnatic experience

- corrrrnunties created for apostolic needs - communities such

as the youths gathering in Taizé - cormmmities that are

ernerging from ecurnenical efforts - etc •.•

As stated at the beginning of this brief explanation, it is not possible

to speak of community in all of the senses of the term, so a

simplified presentation has to suffice. But the above should at

least give some idea of the complexity of the terrn and also help us

to realize that comrrunity is being sought on many levels in our day

and age. This is nota fad nor a passing fancy, but rather the result

of the continuing development and deepening of mankind's awareness

of what authentic,human, Christian and religious living is really

all about.

- 19 -

--- II ---

What draws individuals to want to fonn a community?

What creates a corrnnunity and unites its rnernbers?

What keeps a corrmunity together and rnakes it grow?

What rnakes a conmmity dynarnic and vital for its

rnernbers?

What contributes to a comrnunity's effectiveness

in serving and in bearing witness?

Fora religious community the answer is fundarnentally the Holy

Spirit. It is He who calls, creates, vitalizes, ernpowers and rnaint

ains a community grounded on faith in Jesus and bounded by the

brotherly love that this faith gives. But "grace builds on nature"

and the "nature" of a coillJlUJlity is constituted in part by its

shared goals and purposes (its ends) and the agreed-upon rneans for

achieving these ends. If there is no clarity or agreernent about

these, then it is difficult even for the Holy Spirit to create a

community out of a group of people.

Over the centuries of its existence, religious coJlllTlllnity life has

manifested specific goals and purposes. As communities developed

and evolved, particular rneans (structures, lifestyles, etc.) were

recognized as more adapted for the realization of the goals and

purposes. When one goal or purpose was given a priority aver the

others, there consequently resulted a change in emphasis concerning

the means used and this in turn has given rise to different ''rnodels"

of community living. (It should be observed that different ages

ru1d different needs have solicitated changes in priorities for

religious community life. But no rnatter which goal is established

as the priority, the_other goals of religious comrrnmity life CaJlnot

be totally absent without the coJlllTR.lility ceasing to be in fact "religious.")

To create and sustain an effective religious corrnnunity life it is

essential that the rnernbers be clear about and agree upon

their goals

the priority given these goals

the rneans chosen to achieve these goals.

- 20 -

Only clarity and agreement can lead to strong corrnnitrnents in the

COllll1K)Il effort and permit a focussing of energy that can create comrrn.mity.

There is nothing 100re frustrating, and ultimate destructive

of any effort to create and live corrnnunity, than to have a group of

people living together over a long period of time with unclear

goals. The result is usually a perpetual conflict, itself oftenunspoken,

of different e:xpectations. With time a malaise sets inand

the mere "togetherness" gradually and painfully disintegrates or

settles into a pattern Qf superf icial "comraderie" bolstered and

sustained by the amenities provided by living together. But this

is hardly religious corrnnunity life.

It is very important, therefore,

-to be clear about ourselves as "corrnnunities"

-to recognize the "non-negotiable" goals and purposes of all

religious corrnnunities

-to understand how these can be put in different priorities

-to value the time-tested means for achieving these

goals

-to realize that the means will receive different emphasis

according to the priority of goal

-to be aware of the "model" of connTIUnity that we

are living in.

To help us do this the following pages will treat in broad strokes

the three areas: goals and purposes

means

models of community.

III ---

The purposes, goals, ends of religious community life can be designated

by three major categories:

1. Religious Corrnnunity is to bear witness to

God's love and presence.

2. Religious ConIDlUility is a means for personal

spiritual growth.

3. Religious Corrnnunity is a rneans fora more

effective apostolate.

Since we are dealing with a Christian religious community, faith

in Jesus and the resulting Christian love is the necessary foundation

far all three goals and purposes. Take the "f" of faith out

- 21 -

of "religious life" and you end up with "religious lie"! It

should also be evident that these goals are the same as that of

the Church community itself. This is natural since religious

corrnm.mities are meant to be "mini-churches", bearing witness in a

more intense way to all that the church has been called to make

present in the world.

1. Religious Comrrunity is to bear witness to God's love and

presence.

A) By reflecting the life of the Trinity itself.

Tue Church, and religious connnunities i n particular,

should be an eloquent procl amation to the world of the

basic Christian rnystery - that of the Trinity's life and

love. "That they may beone as you Father in me and I

in you .• •• 11

Each per son in comrnuni ty must be and do

what God hirnself through Christ and in the Spirit ìs and

does - namely, gather, unite, establish communion by

communication, give and receive, all for the ultimate

goal of engendering love. The Trinity is perfect oneness,

perfect relationship, and yet also perfect distinction.

Corranunity l ife is meant to manifest oneness,

relationship, and at the same time, respect for the

distinctiveness of each individuai. Comrrunity as

grounded in the life of the Trinity is rneant to point

to the Trinity. (This vision of cornmunity as Trinitarian

is basic to the theology underlying the Better

World 1vbvernent.)

B) By being an image of the "Pilgrirn Church."

Tue Easter message would have been nothing but powerless

words and would have failed to transforrn the world if

that rnessage had not been accornpanied by the dramatic

dernonstration of unity, reconciliation and fraternity

that was displayed in the coJTlllll.l1lity life of the primitive

Church as described in the Acts of the Apostles.

"See how they love one another." Tue primitive Christian

community vividly presented the brotherly unity

and community arnong men that is possible only in and

through Christ and the Spirit. This communion of men

with God and with each other in God is the great gift

the Father gave the world in Jesus and it is the rnission

of the Church not only to proclairn this gift, but

also to make it actively present and visible.

Religious communities share in this rnission in aspecial

way. Tue witness of religious comrrunity life

should help reduce unbelief and open the world to the

- 22 -

proclamation of reconciliation that is present and

actual through faith in Jesus. Religious corrnnunities

should be "microcosms" of the "macrocosm" that is the

Church itself - the reconciling presence of God.

C) B bein a wi tness to the ''heavenl Jerusalem''.

Te religious community is an"eschatological sign." It

proclaims that "God is all in all" and truly "the one

thing necessary." The religious communi ty in i ts vowed

life and comrnunion of fraternal love eliminates differences

and puts in evidence the transcendental nature

of God himself. Shot through with the predominance of

spiritual values it should serve as an epiphany of the

beatific colTIITR.lJlity calli ng men not "out" of this worlà,

but rather "through and beyond" this world.

2. Religious Community is a means for personal spiritual growth.

A community grounded on faith in Christ and built on love

of Christ and one another is meant te support and encourage

a member in living a faith life by helping the member meet

the Lord in a full personal relationship. The corrnrunity is

an environment that should promote continual persona.I conversion

and transformation. Its structur es and activities

are directed towards fostering and nurturing one's spiritual

life; its necessary interaction and relationships have the

power to strip away disordered self-love. Tue community is

a fratemity calling the member to love, supporting him in

love. It is the situation where one is called to live out

love in all its qualities as described by Paul in First

Corinthians, 13. It is the situation where one is called

to share a faith-vision, and in that sharing bolster and

lead one another deeper into the experience of that faithreality.

Today some will speak of cornmunity life as a "support system"

for their own "personal growth and fulfillment", but

theylimitthis principally to their psychological and ernotional

growth. Religious community life must provide this

for its members. If we admit that "Holiness is Wholeness",

then it becomes evident that the more fully human a

person becomes, the greater the possibility of being deeply

and totally a Christian>and by consequence, the greater the

possibility of being an authentic religious. But a religiou~

co1TIIJlU1lity _will -ceis~ be~g ~religie>u~••: i~ it concerns_ i!_self

_only_with_the "h.':llnan_ <l-ey~lopme!lt" of its members_ and does

- 23 -

not strive to move through this hurnan development to

touch the deepest part of man - his capacity to relate

to the divine and incarnate as fully as possible in his

or her uniqueness the divine life that is within each of

us. "God's glory is man fully alive" - true, but man fully

alive in all his dimensions.

3. Religious CoITDTR.lllity is a means fora more effective apostolate.

The corrummity exists to provide a framework in which the

energies,talents, charisms and training of the various

members are organized so that the person can most effectively

serve the Church by proclaiming and making the Gospel

present in the manner that the corrummity has accepted as

its contribution to the Church's life. The co!TDTIUI1itystructures

are there to help the individual become a better instrument

of service and to also provide him with the resources

to address the needs in the world and the Church as

an individual or as a co!TDTIUI1ity.

These goals and purposes of religious community life include all

the possible dimensions required fora full hurnan/Christian life.

The religious corrummity calls a person

TO BE and BECOME - demanding a certain "self-centeredness"

by asking the person to grow and develop his

or her unique gifts and personality.

TO LOVE - demanding an "other-centeredness" in the call

to serve one another in the community and in

the broader world and Church corrnnunity.

TO ADORE - demanding an "Other-centeredness" in the

call to worship and witness to the divine through

the living of the vows and a shared faith life.

The goals and purposes can be put in a different arder of priority,

but all of them ITil..lSt be present in some way in a religious co!TDTIUI1ity

if that COillJJll]1ity is to rema.in authentically "religious". To

stress the "personal development" area exclusively may turna community

into a "spiritual sanatarium"; to stress the apostolate-as-work

area exclusively may turna co!TDTIUI1ity into a type of employment

agency. Striving to maintain a balance of the' three goals that is

fitting to the nature of the community is the only way of insuring

that the corrnnunity will not betray its call to be a "religious community.

''

- 24 -

--- IV ---

Since religious corrrrnunity life is an organic unity and nota mechanical

one, it has grown, adapted and over the years adoptedcertain

structures and means that have been best suited to instill,

promote, deepen, energize and maintain the values and achieve the

goals that belong to such a life.

In recent years the emphasis has shifted from viewing a corrnnunity

as an organization to seeing it more as a Spirit and person-centered

unity. Consequently the means have become less structural, less

juridical, and tend to be more spiritual and interpersonal. Some

of these means are still inchoate and demand time fora proper evaluation.

Yet if we look closely at some of these supposedly "new

means" we will find that they correspond to some found in the primitive

Christian coTI1Ill.11lity. Many are simply being "rediscovered"

and have a valid basis in Scripture, rather than in sociological,

cultura! patterns. ·

The following list is a mixture of the classica! and the new means.

Once again, the importance given one means or another will depend

on the goal or purpose that the connnunity has established or recognized

as its priority. TI1e sequence of the following has no significance

in itself.

Means that are generally considered necessary for religious conununity

life are:

- a sharing of life and goods - common life.

This is a natural result of the vows when they are lived in

coITIIIl.ll1ity. In the past,common life was considered as essential

and demanded by the Church: a corrnnon superior and

law, living under the same roof, eating together, praying

together, recreating together - usually the whole social

life was with the members of the Institute. In time, especially

for apostolic communities, the Church insisted on

the first two elements, the common superior and law, but

were less demanding of the others. Common life is identified

today more with the genuine fratemal bond that exists

between members, a bond manifested by mutua! regard and

loving concem for one another. "Living together", "cohabitation",

"locale", highly favor the achievement of this

aspect of cormm.mity life, but it is not always possible,

nor,in some casesbecause of apostolic dernand.s, àesiràble.

Nevertheless it is interesting to observe conununitìes trying

to create some "locale" or "common life bond" in terms

- 25 -

of grouping people into districts, etc .. Tue whole question

of large and small cornmunities would also enter here.

A religious corronunity must be more than an aggragate of individuals

living side by side or near each other, but who

do not in fact form an interacting unity of faith and love,

sharing material and spiritual goods. To create an authentic

religious corrnnunity the mernbers must surrender thernselves

to values and goals that are shared with others.

- a corrnnon project or rule.

This is to insure that there is a sh.ared vision , shared

goals. The corronon project should spell these out and also

indicate the means that have been chosen to attain them.

This perrnits the individual to corronit hirnself to something

clear and to also be held accountable.

- livin within defined structures of overnrnent - under a

moderator

Man needs structures to live together in justice and love.

It is only realistic that some form or process govem the

interaction of the individuals and organize the life and

work. With the recent emphasis on subsidiarity and coresponsibility

there has been a tremendous amount of change

going on in this area of corrnnunity life. New processes for

arriving at decisions are ernerging giving great importance

to discernrnent and consensus. Democratic processes are

strongly influencing governrnent in religious life. This

is generally considered as healthy, provided the exigencies

of vowed obedience are not ignored, because ultimately the

comrrunity is served and ministered to by one who has the

responsibility of making the final decision and also calling

others to conform to this decision.

Goveming structures and processes must always try to

achieve a balance between respect for the uniqueness

and freedom of each person and challenge to the responsibility

that each member has for the identity, life,

love and service of the corronunity. It is also important

to bear in mind that structures must not be allowed to

solidify and instead of serving life begin to dominate

it. Tue st1uctures ITRJst have built into them the mechanism

for evaluation, change and adaptation.

- times of corronon prayer - the Eucharist together.

Unless this occurs regularly and frequently enough it is

difficult to see how the essential faith element willremain

- 26 -

at the center of the cormnunity' s life. Without the spiritual

a cormnunity easily degenerates into a social service

agency or an association for bachelors and spinsters, more

or less dedicateci to Church work.

Members of religious comrnunities, particularly the young,

are much less willing today to "take for granted" that certain

structures or exercises "naturally" produce their intended

results. "Ex opere operato" is not very high on

their list of values. They expect, and have every right to

expect, that the life of the corrnnunity, especially its spiritual

life, will have an observable effect on the members

and the group. They expect that the spiritual exercises

will truly nurture and deepen the faith life and experience

of the Lord and produce the gifts of the Spirit as described

in Galatians 5. When the results are not evident, the first

questi on they often ask is, "Can we change the means and see

if we can't make them more effective?"

This has led to a search for more "experiential" and "effective"

forms of community spiritual exercises:

spontaneous and shared prayer

shared reflections on the Scriptures

communal examination of personal and cormnunity life

in the light of faith

cormnunal penitential services

moments of shared silence or meditation.

TI1ese will often co-exist with the more traditional forms of

prayer in cormnon - TI1e Liturgy of the Hours, rosary, litanies,

etc.

Tue Eucharist, which is meant to be the greatest source and

expression of unity, has not escaped these efforts to create

a more "lived experience" of the realities contained in the

liturgy:

- intimate comrrfùnion with Jesus and one another

- life challenged, nurtured and confirmed by the

Word of God

divine forgiveness and reconciliation present in

the sacrifice of the Lord

- mutual forgiveness and peace

- awesome encounter with the transcendent as well as

the immanent God

- celebration and thanksgiving for all of life

- consciousness of the whole world carried in intercession.

- 27 -

At times the atternpts to make the Eucharist and other

prayer moments more authentic have led to new fonns, at

other times it has led to the rediscovery of more primitive

fonns.

It must be admitted, however, that there has also been a

sad plunge and lunge for novelty just for the sake of making

the experience "different", falsely believing that being

different will guarantee a more authentic experience.

The result has often been a busy-ness, confusion, casualness,

and at times lack of reverence.- All this has not led

to a more genuine experience but rather has created new

barriers.

These exaggerations and failures however should not be used

to cavalierly dismiss the search for new fonns. Mostoften

the search is a.n honest desire to transform the cornmunity

prayer life into an authentic experience of being nourished,

strengthened, challenged and built up by the Lord

and the Spirit who are in our midst waiting to be discovered

in and through one another. It is a sad commentary

on a religious cornmunity when its members have to

seek and find their principal spiritual sustenance outside

the comrnunity itself.

Religious comrnunity life must include faith-sharing, a.nd

the times of community prayer a.nd Eucharist are the privileged

moments for this.

- regular communitr meetings.

Community meetings are one of the best forums in which to

discover how much openness, honesty, trust, sincerity,

dialogue, sharing a.nd deep corrnnitment to one another actually

exists in the cornmunity.

There are different types of corrnnunity -meetings. Some address

themselves to the spiritual and interpersonal life

of the cormrn..m.ity; others to the "business" of the comrrunity

itself; and others, especially in communities that share a

corrnnon apostolate, address the work they are doing, similar

to a staff meeting.

At meetings examining the spiritual and interpersonal life

of the cornmunity, efforts should be made to:

- periodically re-examine, clarify, set into priorities

and reaffirm the cornmunity's"non-negotiable" values

and goals

- 28 -

- share with one another on the level of one's basic

choices in life and how events, individuals and the

cornmunity affect these commitments (Revision of Life

process)

- discern the action of the Spirit in the community and

its members

- discover the needs of the individuals and e:;,.,._l)lore how

others and the comnunity as a whole can rneet these

needs

- provide an atrnosphere and sufficient time for rnembers

to share what is most concerning thern at the mornent

- encourage, support and affirm one another by recognizing

positive qualities and accomplishrnents and

expressing gratitude to one another

- and when the ties of love and trust are strong enough,

call one another to accountability for one's contribution

to the life of the cornmunity - loving confrontation.

A meeting can also be centerd on the "business" of living

in comrnunity:

- schedules

- finances

- house regulations

- division of labor for domestic tasks

- programs or activities in common

A meeting can be directed towards a shared apostolate. This

should be done as much as possible in a spirit and atmosphere

of discen11nent, since we are dealing with ministerial

tasks. The members:

- evaluate the work being done and the rnethods used

- examine the concrete needs in their area

- help the members discover their gifts and talents and

aid them in discovering how they can best contribute

these to the work

- previde opportunities for the developrnent of the professional

skills

Problems often arise because the purpose of the meeting is

not clear and therefore people come to the meeting with different

expectations. Community meetings have becorne

- 29 -

distasteful to some people because they have never experienced

meetings that have been well prepared and effectively

directed. Beneficial meetings don't just "happen", they

are the result of a number of factors.

On the strictly human level a good meeting requires leadership

that is sensitive and gifted with interpersonal skills

in order to establish an atmosphere of openness, trust and

dialogue; the good will of the members of the meeting; a

focus to the meeting; and often, time and patience. When

speaking of meetings that aim at the spiritual needs _ of the

rnembers, these factors are the "nature" upon which_grace

will build.

•

Good spiritual leadership will require a deep faith in the

presence of the Spiritata meeting; the creating of a

prayerful atmosphere; members attentive to the Spirit in

themselves and in one another; Gospel values as constant

reference points; and once again, time and patience.

- time to celebrate and be leisurely present to one another.

Healthy corrnm.mity life demands time for festivity, for

spontaneity to break through the "seriousness" with which

we often enough surround our lives. We too easily become

so "intense and busy about saving the world" that we forget

it is in God's hands and that we have also been called to

recognize his gifts and rejoice in them. We need time to

sing, laugh, and play together. On the human level it often

creates an atmosphere and spirit that energizes and gives

perspective. On the spiritual level it contributes to the

capacity to be present to the Lord in "useless" time - for

no other reason than to simply be with him.

Other means that could be mentioned are: hospitality; some sign by

which the group is recognized as a religious corrnm.mity; provisions

for the sick, the suffering and the elderly.

To build a religious conrrnunity is a task that demands an awareness

of what is involved, a certain energy and willingness to engage in

the project, and a capacity to be lovingly patient, but persistent

with the process. All the best intentions in the world and the most

sublime ideals about conmunity will not, in fact, create and sustain

corronunity. Only a clear idea of the means necessary, a shared commitment

to use these means, and an authentic collaboration with the

Spirit in this work will result in the birth, growth and life of a

religious colTlJll.lllity.

- 30 -

--- V ---

Having looked at the goals and purposes of religious corrnnw1ity

life and indicateci the means most adapted to achieve them, it will

be worthwhile to examine how the interaction of priority of goal

and means creates different "models" of community.

It was stateci in fussier II:

Many difficulties have arisen and continue to arise

because members fail to recognize what kind of

Institute we are. Some would want to put the exigencies

of a monastic, religious institute on everyone;

others would want to do away with the exigencies

of religious life and live solely in response to

apostolic needs. (p. 43)

This is equally true of people's expectations and demands of community

life and one of the major reasons why it is important to

recognize the differences that exist in the various models.

What type of community do we have a "right" to expect? i\~1at kind

of community are we called to create? M1at kind of corrummity are

we accountable for? Understanding the different models may help

to clear the air a bit and to come closer to an answer.

Taking our cue from the goals and aims of religious community life

as described in part III, community life can be divided into three

basic oodels: Tue Witness Model / 'The Person-Centered Model / The

Apostolic-Service Model.

I - The Witness Model

the community is seen as an end in itself

the community is constituted by the fellowship of a group

of individuals living a deep love relationship with

God expressed primarily through its prayer life

this fellowship is a prophetic proclamation of the power

of God to create communion

everything is evaluated in terms of this communion

- the community itself is the primary apostolate

other ministries are evaluated in terms of enhancing or

diminishing the_communion

at times individuals may go out to project the witness,

but generally the witnessing is clone by bringing

people in to share the life of the community

- 31 -

- community prayer is highly valued, often fonning the

main witnessing activity

- relationships are generally within the corronunity itself

- decisions are made with the life of the corronunity as the

prime criterion

~ great amount of collegiality and consensus because the

decisions touch the lives of each member and

he or she should therefore be as involved aspossible

- locale is very irnportant, the coTlUTl.lility must be identifiably

together, especially gathered around a place ofworship

- this model gives much emphasis to the vertical, transcendental

values of religious corronunity life.

II - The Person-Centered, Mutual Support Model

- the corronunity exists far the sake of the member's personal

and spiritual growth

everything is evaluated in tenns of the interaction of the

members and their development as persons andreligious

- a variety of apostolates is tolerated because these reflect

and promote the diversity of gifts present in the

individual members

- a strong emphasis on fellowship within the community, but

outside relationships are not discouraged, providing

the individual does not find primary support, nourishment

and growth outside the corronunity

- conunon prayer is highly valued, but more in the sense of an

authentic faith-sharing that creates the environment

far continual conversion and transfonnation

- corronunity meetings concentrate a great deal on interpersonal

reactions - they are times for evident mutual support

(TI1ese are not "therapeutic corronunities" - the group

is presumably constituted of healthy adults.)

- decisions are made with the individual's growth and realization

of his or her potential as the primary criterion

- locale is not as irnportant as the interaction between the

members

- 32 -

- change is normal in a growth-process model, therefore

structures are flexible, including rnuch evaluation

and experirnentation

III - The Apostolic-Service Model

- the corrununity exists to meet the needs of the larger

society and the Church, rather than the mernbers

themselves

- active apostolate is of prirnary importance, especially

a shared apostolate

- relationships with rnembers outside the community are

accepted, provided they do not interfere with the

life of service

- coJTOTIUJlity prayer is a regular, but perhaps less frequent,

part of the cornrnunity's life

- decisions are always made in view of prornoting more effective

service

there may be a strong centralization of governrnent to

perrnit better organization and distribution of personnel

in response to the needs and the mission

- locale is not irnportant, nor is there much value placed

on personal interaction

- going out is expected, in fact, a mernber who is at home a

great deal would be looked upon as not ministering

to the needs and thus not living this model of

COJTOTIUJlity

- this model is prirnarily concerned with the "horizontal"

Model I is clearly observable in monastic and contemplative cornmunities;

in some conventual comrnunities such as the Benedictines;

in some new coJTOTIUJlities such as Taizé.

Model II is evident in formation comrnunities; in apostolic cornmunities

where members are engaged in diverse apostolates; in

inter-CoJTOTIUJlity groups.

Model III is found in apostolic connnunities sharing the same apostolate

such as shrine, retreat house, apostolic center com

JTRlllities; school connnunities; parish communities; mission

area coilll1lUJlities.

- 33 -

Obviously these models are not rnutually exclusive. There is

usually a mixture in most commmities. For example, Model II also

witnesses by rnaking vividly present to the Christian colTDTillllity

an example of the supportive and nourishing power of fraternallove.

Model III witnesses to the outgoing dynarnisrn of consecrated love.

The distinctions are based on a question of emphasis •

.Another way of understanding cornmunity is according to its underlying

"operational" principle. Realizing that the tenns are already

freighted with built-in response, it is nevertheless useful

to label these "operational rnodes" as "The Institutional Mode" and

the "Charisrnatic Mode".

The Institutional Mode

This is based on the belief that the power of the Holy Spirit

is present and operative primarily in and through ecclesially

established institutions and structures.

Organization is highly valued. Goals and procedures clearly

defined. Stable and long-range forms of ministry are established.

Change is slow.

Mernbers are defined in terms of their role in the hierarchy

of the organization. (At times the organizational model is

replaced by a farnily model, with officers cornpared to parent

figures.)

The aim is a smooth running comrnunity that can work, pray and

play together in peace and harrnony to accomplish the work of

the Kingdom.

The Charisrnatic Mode

This is based on t he belief that the power of the Holy Spirit

is alive and at work primarily within the individual members

thernselves and the conmmity as a whole.

Discernment is a rnajor activity - seeking to recognize the

call of the Spirit within the members, the coITill1Ul1ity itself,

and in the events and needs of the Church and world and trying

to understand how to best respond to this call.

Goals and procedures are more fluid (except the goal of being

attentive to the Spirit and the procedures that facilitate

that!). Evaluation and experimentation are more irnportant

than stability. Change is norma.l.

People are considered as equals - all sharing is the presence

of the Spiri t. They are defined more in terrns of the service

they provide than in terrns of the position they hold.

- 34 -

Here the airn is also to accomplish the work of the Kingdom,

but with greater spontaneity and diversity - with a more

"provisional" spirit.

A survey of religious corrnnunities will show that for each of the

three models described earlier, there are corrnnunities that operate

in the institutional mode and others operate in the charisrnatic

mode. Each mode has its benefits and its drawbacks. Tue Institutional

mode can easily mistake conformity for corrrrmmion; theCharismatic

mode can easily mistake confusion for freedom in the Spirit.

Some will claim the charismatic approach conforms more to the primitive

Church corronunity; but the witness of history also proves the

effectiveness of the institutional approach. Tue solution is to

try to maintain a healthy and respectful blend of the two.

In conclusion, it must be noted that the Congregation as a whole is

not cornmitted to one model or the other. A look at our lived situation

reveals a diversity of corrnnunity expressions. This is perfectly

nonnal and actually desirable because of the different situations

that exist: fonnation / missions / parishes / spiritual

centers/ large houses / etc. It is unrealistic to expect thesame

kind of cornmunity life to exist within this variety. BITT~ andthis

is what is most irnportant, it is necessary that every s1tuation

have a cornmunity life if we want to honestly continue to consider

ourselves members of an apostolic, religious c~mnunity. Tue following

examination of our Constitutional Text and Capitular Nonns on

Cornmunity Life should help us understand what this can and should

mean for us.

--+------------PULSE - TAKING------------

1. I think this whole emphasis on community today is

2. When I say corrII11uni ty, I mean ......... .

3. As far as I 'm concemed, the ma.in purpose of a religious community

is •.••••••••

4. I have experienced this very strongly when ..••• (within the

congregation) ....• (outside the congregation) .•...

5. The most effective means for creating colTil1lunity that I have

observed and experienced are········:·

6. I believe community is impossible without ...•...• (don't

limit your response to one answer.)

- 35 -

Material that was espeaially helpful in this essay.

Article on "Comunita": J.M.R. Tillard: "Aspetto

teologico"

R. Hostie: "Aspetto psicologico"

S. Burgalassi: "Aspetto sociologico"

Dizionario Degli Instituti di Perfezione, Vol. II

Edizioni Paoline, 1975.

Dortel-Claudot, Michel, S.J. Que Mettre Dans Les

Nouvelles Constitutions: Cours donnds au centre

Sevres - March 1977.

FutreU, John CarroU, S.J. "To Be Together ..• In

Spite of Everything", Review for Religious, May,

1973, pp. 514-21.

Glendon, Barbara, OSU, "Models of Community ", Review

for Religious, March, 1979, pp. 206-16.

Heijke, John. An Ecwnenical Light on the Renewal

of Religious Community Life: TaizJ. Duquesne

University Press, l967.

Schleck, Charles., C.S.C., "Community Life:Problematic

and Some Reflections'j Review for Religious,

July, 1970, pp. 532-49, September,

1970, pp. 711-733.

- 36 -

I

~THAT TI-IEY MAY ALL BE 0NE ••• SO T!-IAT THE W0RLD M.1\Y BELIEVE •• .•7

(Jn. 17:21).

IN RESP0NSE T0 THE CALL 0F GOD, A\JD T0 REALIZE THE PRAYER 0F

CHRIST, WE HAVE CHOSEN T0 LIVE AS BR0THERS WITHIN 0UR C0NGRE

GATI0N.

I We propose the following text: )

IN RESP0NSE T0 GOD'S CALL, AND T0 FULFILL THE PRAYER 0F CHRIST

LIGIOUS FAMILY M'D T0 W0RK T0GETI-lER IN A C01'1f\ON EFF0RT F0R TI-lE

LREALIZATION 0F RECONCILIATION .

This paragraph touches upon two central aspects of the r eligious

apostolic life: the witness value as described on pages 22-23

of the essay, and the service role as described on page 24 .

"THAT THEY MAY ALL BE 0NE ••• SO THAT THE W0RLD MA..Y BELIEVE • • ~•,

WE HAVE CHOSEN T0 BE 0F 0NE MIND AND 0NE HEART IN THE SAME RE

The original text begins with the quotation from St. John. Incorporating

the text within the paragraph itself is more in keeping

with the style of the other chapters.

The original phrase "we have chosen to live as brothers wi thin our

Congregation" is too concise and does not describe well enough what

this brotherhood involves. Our Christian life itself calls usto

live as "brothers", to imitate the primitive Christian co:mmunity

which was of "one heart and one mind" (Acts 4:32) and was called

to be "united in spirit and ideals" (Philippians 2:2) . Our religious

corrnnunity life is to be built on that basic brotherhood.

But just as religious life itself is a specific way of living out

the basic Christian call, so too religious community is a specific

way of living out the basic Christian community.

We come together to live out the vows in a particular way, to celebrate

the same history, to strive to live out the values of our

Rule. In this way we create a religious family - the Missionaries

of Our Lady of La Salette - a "conmnmi ty of being" which in i tself

is to be a witness to Reconciliation.

- 37 -

_J

We have joined our efforts to better fulfill a mission that has

been given - a mission woven into our history and continually

evolving into new shapes and forces. By this corrnnon response we

create an apostolic connnunity - the Missionaries of Our Lady of

La Salette - a "cormrunity of action" working to make more present

in our work the gift of Reconciliation.

In response to God's call • . . .

Two essential components in a religious vocation are: God's call

and our free response. This text, as well as paragraph two ofthe

Chapter on the vows, keeps before our eyes the fact that we are

dealing with a "vocation" from God and not simply a personal and

purely hwnan choice.

God's call is echoed throughout Scripture. In Isaiah we read, "I

have called you by name, you are mine." (Is. 43 :1) The Evangelists

record the call to the disciples, a call that has come down through

the centuries and certainly stirred in our own hearts atone point

in our lives: "Come, follow me." (Mt. 4:18-22, Mk. 1:16-20,

Jn. 1:35-43). "It was not you who chose me, it was I who chose

you .••" (Jn. 15:16) The call to love one another is especially

recurrent in St. John's writings. (Jn. 15) It is this call that

creates commu.nion, a commu.nion of service to one another, as St.

Paul reminds us: ''My brothers, remember you have been called to

live in freedom ••• out of love, place yourselves atone another's

service." (Gal. 5:13) Love, unity, service - alla call and gift

from God. ''M:ike every effort to preserve the unity which has the

Spirit as its origin and peace as its binding force. TI1ere is but

one body and one Spirit, just as there is but one hope given all

of you by your call." (Eph. 4:3-4)

Jean Vanier in his book Commu.nity and Growth describes very beautifully

this basic mystery that lies at the heart of any Christian

community.

Commitment in a comrrn.mity is not primarily something

active, like joining a politica! party or trade union.

Those need militants who give their time and energy and

are ready to fight. A commu.nity is something quite different.

It is the recognition by its members that they

have been called by God to live together, love eachother,

pray and work together in response to the cry of thepoor.

And that comes first at the level of being rather than of

doing. Active commitment in a corrmunity is more or less

preceded by a recognition that you are always 'at home',

that you are part of its body, that you have entered into

- 38 -

a covenant with the others and with God ... to enter

into a covenant is to discover that there are bonds

between us and our God ••• (London, Darton, 1980, pp. 37,42)

The beauty and power of this can only be perceived and appropriated

by a heàrt that l ooks out upon the world and is open to life in

faith. -

to fulfiU the prayer of Christ 11 that

they may all beone ... so that the

wor ld may be lieve ... 11

To held our understanding of this phrase it would be useful to reread

pp. 22-23 of the essay which deal with the witness value of a

religious coJIIJTR.lnity.

Presence - unity - love: key words in the mission of Reconciliation

brought to the world by Christ.

" .... that they may beone, as we are one •... " (Jn. 17:22)

" •••• Jesus would die •.. to gather into one all the dispersed

children of God." (Jn. 11:51-2)

" .... to bring all things in the heavens and on earth into

one under Christ's headship." (Eph. 1:10)

" ••.. it pleased God to rnake absolute fullness reside in

him and by means of him to reconcile everything in his

person, both on earth and in the heavens .. . " (Col. 1: 19-20)

This unity is to be a testimony calling forth belief, belief in God's

love for us:

"I have given them the glory you gave me that they may

beone, as we are one. I living in them, you living in

me, that their unity may be complete. So shall theworld

know that you sent me, and that you loved them as you

loved me." (Jn. 17:22-23)

This is the unity that the first Christian corrnnunity manifested so

effectively.

"TI1ose who believed shared all things in conunon ... the

conununity of believers were of one heart and one mind ..• "

(Acts 2:44, 4:32)

Father Tillard is insistant on this theological basis of any authentic

Christian conununity when he writes about religious life. His

- 39 -

words prov1CLe such an excellent sununary of the faith foundation,

that he is "orth quoting at length:

It is the risen Jesus who carried in himself the brotherhood

of people, their connnunion with the Father and with

one another. Tue Holy Spirit, given to us by .Jesus, has

precisely this mission - to make present throughout humanity

this mystery of connnunion whose only real source

is the Lord Jesus. When, through baptism, we enter into

salvation, it is into this comnunity and brotherhood

made present in Jesus that we enter: we are made "adopted

sons" of the Father when we become "members of the Church",

''brothers of the saints''. •.. and this is based on the

free gift of God - the Spirit ••• and the principle gift

of the Spirit is love ••. in fact, the internal cohesion

and unity of the corrnrunity of believers is made firm in

this love that comes from the Spirit. (J.M.R. -Tillard,

O.P., "Les Grandes Lois de la Rénovation ...." p. 153,

"Cornunita: Aspetto teologico", p. 1368.)

Unity - love - corrmunion - connnunity: key words in the mission of

Reconciliation as it is continued in the life of the Church. This

is well expressed in the underlying theology of the Better World

Movernent.

Tue Church is the mystery of connnunion of men who believe

God is love; hope in the love of God; come together to

celebrate the love of God in joyful celebration; share

with one another the love of God, and so manifesting to

the world t hat God is love . . •. there is connnunion with

the Trinity through grace, with Christ's body in the Eucharist,

with the mernbers of His body by service: all

these are one corrnnunion. When lived with constancy, it

forrns connnunity. (Dimensions to Dialogue, pp. 13,10)

Co~JTIUnity life, therefore, is an evangelical witness, an existential

proclamation and manifestation that Jesus has come from the Father

and His presence in tJ1e Spirit gives the power to end humanity' s

dividedness and to bring about reconciliation. It i s the unity of

the Christian community that calls the world to the love possible

in Christ through the Spirit - a love that is stronger than the sin

of our divisiveness and the tendency to remain aloof from one another.

All Christians are called to express this unity - connnunion

- comrrnmity. But the Church looks to religious to bear a special

witness to this reality.

An earlier draft of this text: "Calling to mind that brotherly unity

shows that Christ has come ••• " was a reflection of Perfectae Caritatis,

15, that says, "the unity of the brethren is a symbol of--

- 40 -

the coming of Christ." Our proposed text includes this, but broadens

it more in order to be more explicit about our "being" and our

"doing" diJnensions and this related to our basic call to be apostles

of Reconciliation.

we have chosen to be of one mind and

one heart in the same reZigious famiZy

Some members have objected to the use of "religious family",

arguing that it does violence to the commonly accepted definitions

of family as seen from a sociological point of view. This is true,

but "family" is not restricted simply to the sociological perspective.

Within Christianity the "family of blood" is reconstituted

into a family based on faith and doing the will of the Father.

Who are my mother and my brothers ... these are my

mother and my brothers. Whoever does the will of

God is brother and sister and mother tome (Mk.3:33-35).

Ecclesiae Sanctae, 25,

religious family:

uses the tenn family in relationship to a

In institutes dedicated to apostolic activities community

life should be encouraged by all possible means,

and in ways suitable to the vocation of each institute.

It is of the greatest importance that the members should

establish a fraternal life in common as a family united

in Christ.

The ties in this religious family can be stronger, even, than those

of a blood family, because these ties have been freely chosen. This

"family united in Christ", as stated earlier, is best observed in

the early Church described in Acts 2:42-47 and 4:32. It is this

example that Perfectae Caritatis, 15, holds up to us:

Common life, in prayer and the sharing of the same spirit,

should be constant, after the example of the early Church,

in which the company of believers were of one heart and

soul.

Parts III and IV of the essay explores at length the value, goals

and mission that constitute a same religious family. Each of these

"general" ends and means are specified by an Institute' s history and

self-expression in its rule. We become uniteci, truly "one mind and

one heart", through our commitment to the same values, goals and

mission.

- 41 -

The words "we ha.ve chosen" touch upon a rnajor consideration far the

unity of a corrnmmity. The unity, if it is going to be enduring and

vital, cornes frorn a perrnanent spiritual attitude of each rnernber to

readily share his or her life with others and to move together towards

the sarne spiritual goal and rnission. This is freely chosen,

not imposed on us. It is one thing to be clear about the goals and

rnission of a congregation - and another to freely commit oneself to

them. Tue choice - the commitrnent - is a surrender to a conmunity's.

life and rnission. This is very different frorn simply joining a team

or a work group. Tue choice here, in response to being called, puts

us into a relationship with others that will radiate into every part

of our lives, a connnitrnent through which the totality of existence

is shar ed - truly "one heart, one rnind". This is rnuch more in the

nature of a "covenant" than a "contract". Tue resulting relationship

is shot through with our hurnan frailty, but this coexists with

a certain firmness and irrevocability. And only in this way can an

authentic religious corrnm.mity - farnily - be created.

and to work together in a common effort

for the realisation ofReconciliation

Our "being" and our "doing" should be focussed on our primary rnission

- to strive for Reconciliation. Reconciliation is not sinlply a

work that we have to do "out there" - our apostolate - but Reconciliation

is the reality we are called to live ourselves. Our apostolate

is directed to reconciliation, but the living out of our community

life is the realization of that reconciliation arnongst ourselves so

that it can witness to God's gift.

This was pointed out in a corrnnent made at the Special General

Chapter:

'D1e unity will be strengthened if the doctrine of

Reconciliation is seen not sirnply as a work objective,

but as a way of life which urges usto seek

unity in all domains and between all groups in the

Institute itself.

We"work together" not only in our apostolate, but we also "work together"

in the task of building communities that will provide effective

encounter points with the Reconciliating power and love of Jesus

and the Spirit.

(Pulse-Taking joined to the one at the end of

Paragraph II)

- 42 -

II

~ IS ESPECIALLY BY THE BROTHFRLY LOVE UNITING ALL ITS MBvIBERS TIÌAT I

OUR CONGREGATION WILL BE A SIGN OF GOD'S PRESENCE AM)NG US AND OF

THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL TO BRING TOGETHER, IN A COMMUNITY OF BRO

THERHJOD , MEN OF EVERY LANGUAGE, RACE AND NATI ON.

We propose the foilowing text: I

UNITED THROUGH RAPTISM, THE PROFESSION OF THE EVANGELICAL COUNSELS,

THE VENERATION OF MARY, RECONCILER OF SINNERS, ANO THE MISSION OF

THE CONGREGATION, IT IS AS A COM'-1UNITY THAT WE WITNESS TO GOD 'S

PRESENCE AMJNG US AND OF THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL TO BRING TOGETHER

IN A COMvtUNITY OF BROTHERHCX)D, MEN OF EVERY LANGUAGE, RACE AND

~TION.

_j

Brotherly love is what unites all Christians - in a parish corronunity

1 - or any other comrnunity. It is hardly particularly to a religious

corronunity. Brotherly love unites us also, but brotherly love expressed

in and through progressive levels ofspecific shared corrnnitrnents:

baptisrn; the vows; particularly as La Salette~ veneration

of Mary, Reconciler of sinners 1 and the rnission of the Congregation.

These are the foundations of the La Salette corrrnunity as

such and the grounding far our specific expression of brotherlylove.

Tue proposed text is a mixture of an earlier draf t of the text and

the present text. We believe it rnakes more explicit the various

elernents that bind us together and create our corronunity that is to

be a witness.

- 43 -

United through baptism

Baptisrn gives the basic unity to all Christians.

Tue body is one and has many rnernbers, but all the rnernbers,

many though t hey are, are one body; and so it is with

Christ. It was in one Spirit that all of us, whether

Jew or Greek, slave or free, were baptized into one body.

All of us have been given to drink of the one Spirit.

(1 Cor. 12:12-3)

An earlier draft of the text made this bond in baptism very explicit:

Together we share one baptism and follow the sarne Christ,

whose spirit is the bond that unites us as Christians and

members of t he same religious famil y.

The role of bapt ism within our religious consecration is treated i n

Dossier II, p. 55 and Dossier III, pp. 20-1.

united through .. . . the profession of

the evangelical counsels

There was an earlier draft that was devoted to the cornrnunity aspect

of the vows and expressed what is intended in this brief phrase:

Our personal decision to live in cornrnunity rnakes us especially

sensitive to the fraternal dirnensions of our religious vows .

Thus, as celibates, we promise to be cornpletely available in

love to our brothers. As followers of the poor Christ, we

ask the Father to ernpty us of any will to dominate or possess

people or things, and to fill us instead with the spirit of

free and total self-giving. And like Christ who was obedient

unto death, we wholeheartedly accept the service of obedience

so that we may become more united in the freedom of the Children

of God .

A great and powerful Wlity can be created when the three great

drives in life are surrendered to others in a cornrnunity. Tue commitment

to love the others in community is a choice to love not only

those to whom we are humanly drawn, but rather to love those whom

we are convinced the Father has given usto love in and throughthis

communi ty. Because God has gi ven them to us in a special way 1

we

cornrnit ourselves to a special love for them - a priority through a

covenant made with the corrmunity. Poverty is often called the "vow

of sharing" - a corrununion is born of this sharing that proclairns

- 44 -

that the brotherhood is sufficient to satisfy our desire to possess.

Our obedience is a free choice to willingly share the decisions of

our lives with the coITllTD.lnity. We are convinced that the plan of

God is present and transmitted in and through the coITllTD.lnity, and

one of our confreres who has the responsibility of being the"servant

of communion'' - the superior. Our vows are a covenant between

God and ourselves - and between ourselves and our coITllTD.lDity. Such

a covenant creates unity.

united through ... the veneration of

Mary, Reconciler of Sinners

Unity comes in sharing the same heritage, history and tradition. Our

Congregation was born in response to Mary's call to make her Message

at La Salette known. Throughout its development, the Congregation

has been identified and sustained by this association with Mary. In

the midst of different apostolates, in different countries, within

different life-styles, our members have been able to recognize one

another in this attachment to our roots.

As one father commented at the Special General Chapter:

Devotion to Our Lady of La Salette must be given a big place

amongst the sources of our religious life. She is the one

who gives us our particular and specific community bond.

The desire expressed in these recent years to have our Rule reflect

more explicitly our relationship with La Salette is evidence that

people are sensitive to the fact that this is int~nately tied to

the charism of our Congregation. It is therefore important that it

play a role not only in our apostolate, but in our understanding of

what ties us together in coITllTD.lDity.

united through ... the mission of

the Congregation

Members of a community share a deep unity when they are conscious

of being committed to serving the same "mission". The "mission" of

the Congregation involves the witnessing of its life style and especially

the apostolate confided to its care. The "mission" in terms

of apostolate takes on many forms, but it is irnportant that the various

apostolates be understood within a shared vision of a mission.

Otherwise we may sirnply become an "association" of people dedicated

to the apostolate, but hardly an "apostolic coITllTD.lDity". The"apostolate"

is the subject of the following chapter of our Constitutions

- 45 -

and will be eÀ.'"Plained in detail in the next Dossier.

Concentration on the "mission" dimension of a commmity is very

valuable because it insures that it will be "outward-looking" and

"other-centered". Just as an individual who is always self-absorbed

tends to slowly strangle himself in his own egotistical "me", so too

a corrnnunity can extinguish its dynamism by being wrapped up in an

egoistic "we".

it is as a corrorrunity that we witness to

God's presence among us and of the power

of the Gospel to bring together in a community

of brotherhood men of every language,

race and nation.

Our baptism, vows, veneration of Mary, and the mission of the Congregation

all bring us together - but we have chosen to be not merely

together, but to be a "corrnnunity", a connnunion, KOINONIA, born

in and of fraternal love, the gift of the risen Lord through the

Spirit.

The preceding corrnnentary on the first paragraph and the pages in the

essay on the witness value of corrnnunity life are sufficient explanation

of the fact that "as a connnunity we witness to God's presence

among us". But what of "the power of the Gospel to bring together ... "?

There is too often a seeming lack of 1 'evangelical power" in our midst.

Why?

It is true that our vowed lives proclaim that the gospel values are

central in our lives. Yet it must be admitted that the communal

living of these vows seem to have lost effective farce as witnessing

to others and also effective force in terms of support for ourselves.

An important part of the reason for this can be found in what David

Knight has to say about COI111Til.ll1ity. For him a religious corrnnunityis:

an environment of col1ll1l.lJlal faith-expression according to the

spirit of the three vows •.•. Authentic religious community

will express many things in its life, many different values.

But above all it must express an eÀ.'"Plicit centering of faith,

hope and love on the person of the Lord .•.• For any real community

to exist among Christians, they rrust know each other

as persons responding to Christ. They must know in some way

that each individual in the cornmunity has taken a personal,

free stance of faith, hope and love toward Jesus Christ ••••

Expression must be given to one's corrrrnitment, and the expression

must be understood. (David Knight, Cloud by Day, Fire

By Night, Vol. I, pp. 118, 127, 131-3)

- 46 -

Ifa comrrrunity is not one of "faith expression", then it is difficult

to understand how the "power of the Gospel" will be evident.

Our connnunities IJR1st be places where we can acknowledge Christ

together in deep, personal and spontaneous ways without being embarrassed.

As Knight rightfully observes:

..

It is easier to recognize the intramundane justice of a

Christian cause and fight for it through the use of worldly

power than it is to recognize the reality of Christ.Himself

as person in our midst and to embrace His means for the

redemption of the world ••. ask religious to declare in

personal, spontaneous ways together their faith and love for

Jesus Christ, and the deIJR1rring murmur begins. Why is this?

We do not want to be demonstrative about our faith in public,

even in the very private public of our own religious

houses? ••• Faith-expression is a threat to mediocrity •

.•• and many religious get itchy when anything or anyone in

the house reminds them too explicitly that professional work

and Christian comradeship are not really what their lives are

all about. . •. The community must be an environment in which

all of the members express w1ambiguously to one another, in

a language of action that leaves no room for doubt about its

grace-inspired origin or direction, the place of the person

of Jesus Christ in their lives. (Knight, pp. 125, 126, 127)

If a community is to be a true''faith-expression" community, this

will. be reflected in the atmosphere of the comrrrunity, the prayer

life, the connmmity meetings. Faith-sharing can be easily and

naturally done during corrnmmity reflections on the readings of a

liturgy, moments for sharing during the Liturgy of the Hours, shared

preparation of homilies for those particularly engaged in parish

work, conrrnunity meetings based on the "revision of life" formula.

"Christ is the Rule of our Life", declares Chapter II of our Constitutions.

(Explained in Dossier III, pp. 18-9). This Rule is power

- the power of the Gospel. But this "power" must be revealed and

evident if it is to be effective, especially in terms of mutual support

for spiritual growth and a real witness drawing others to the

Lord.

- 47 -

--------------PULSE - TAKING-----------t

(For 1 & II)

1. Concerni ng "feeling or experiencing God' s call". in my own life

what has happened is . . ..... .

Relateci to cormmmity life, I have felt . ....•..

2. Tue time that I have been rrost impressed by a co;11muni ty' s capacity

to point to God's gift of lll1ity were when •. •... ••

3. Forme 'one mind, one heart' means • •• . . .. .

4. In my own )ife surrendering my life to thc conrnunity has

meant .•.••..• and has been concretely demonstrated by ••.••••

S. Our communities have truly been signs of reconciliation

when •.•. •.•• They have unfortunately been countersigns

when .....•.•

6. I am / am not / conscious of the vows relationship to community.

Concretely, I can see this for example when ....... .

7. I believe our devotion to Our Lady of La Salette does / does not /

tmite us because •.•.••. .

8. I have experienced the Gospel as an explicit unifying farce

arrong us when •.•.....

#

- 48 -

III

I IN THIS SPIRIT oF LOVE, EACH MEMBER Is RESPONSIBLE FOR THE vI7

TALITY OF THE COMMUNITY IN WHICH HE LIVES. HIS PERSONAL DE

VELOPMENT WILL TAKE PLACE AS HE ACTIVELY PARTICIPATES IN A COM -

MJN EFFORT BY ALL MEMBERS TO CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE OF TRUTI--I,

CONFIDENCE AND CORDIALITY.

l We propose the following text: I

IN A REAL SPIRIT OF LOVE, EACH MEMBER rs RESPONSIBLE FOR THE

VITALITY OF TI-IE COMMUNITY IN WHICH HE LIVES. HIS PERSONAL DE

VELOPMENT WILL TAKE PLACE AS HE ACTIVELY PARTICIPATES IN A COM -

MJN EFFORT BY ALL MEMBERS TO CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE OF TRlITH,

L CONFIDENCE AND CORDIALITY.

_J

.,

There is only a minor change in this paragraph. Since the previous

paragraph has dropped "brotherly love", the first words,

"In this spirit of love" had to be replaced with "In a real

spirit of love." Basically the paragraph remains the same, but

the spirit of love is given a greater emphsis as the basic attitude

that is to ùnderlie all that we do together as a cornrnunity.

- 49 -

In a real spirit of love

A community is an existential reality based on love. Love binds

together the various values , goals and means that have called us

together and rnakes of thern a transfonning environrnent - giving

spiritual support and apostolic power.

We are not speaking here of a "feeling", but rather of love as a

deep and intirnately persona! choice. We are capable of this choice

to love because the Spirit of the Lord is present in each of us,

but this presence alone does not cornpel usto love. Love is a

free response - a response that is influenced by our feelings, but

is not pr imarily grounded in our feelings. It is a response that

comes frorn that unique center - our free capacity to say yes or

no - to choose one thing over another - one way over another - one

person over another. We are principally defined by our choices;

they are what create us. If our choices have been to love, then

we will be recognized as lovers and thus fulfilling that radical

Gospel imperative.

Living comrrunally "in a real spirit of love" does not mean having

a sentimental or "soft" ernotional disposition. Rather it means

rnaking a series of very hurnan choices. As St. Paul spells them out

in Rornans 12:9-20 and 1 Cor. 13:4-8, these involve:

choosing to be sincere

choosing to show one another respect

choosing to rernain fervent in spirit

choosing to be patient under trials

choosing to offer generous hospitality

choosing to rejoice in hope

choosing to persevere in prayer

choosing to see the needs of others as one's own

choosing to rejoice with those who are rejoicing

choosing to weep with those who are weeping

choosing to put aside ambitiousthoughts

choosing to be kind

choosing to never be rude

choosing to associate with all and have no favorites

choosing to respond generously to friends and enemiesalike

choosing not to be jealous

choosing not to seek only one's own good

choosing not to be controlled by one'sanger

choosing not to brood over injuries

choosing to forgive whatever grievances we have with oneanother.

These are choices involved in the love that will create an authentic

religious comnunity. Only these kinds of choices can create an

- so -

atmosphere of trust and openness, mutual acceptance, and a persevering

corrnnitrnent to struggle and work together for the Kingdorn

and Reconciliation.

l'.'

At tirnes this love rnay coincide in a corrnnunity with friendship -

with a hurnan intirnacy that gives warrnth and affection. But it is

l.mrealistic to expect close friendship with all the members of the

corrnnunity. The "spirit of love" being discussed here is not the

"warm affection" type, but rather love that creates the bonds on

the level of comrnitment, a cormnitment to one another that exists

and perdures whether there is that "feeling" response or not. It

rnust be added, however, that if these commitrnent choices are made

freely, andare not simply a response to sornething that is irnposed

frorn outside, then there will naturally re sul t a spiri t of j oy and

deep peace. All the gifts describing the presence of the Spirit

in Galatians 5 will be present and these will often be ~xperienced

in very human "feeling ways." But they are the effects of the

choices made, and not the cause for the choices thernselves.

•

•

each meniber is responsible for the

vitality of the corrmunity in which

he lives.

An earlier draft of the text was more expansive concerning the

responsibility each rnernber should feel for the life of the comrnunity:

The reJj gious is called to live a life of close fratemal

union. This union is one of consideration and support for

one another, as well of mutual support and solidarity which

results when each one has a personal sense of responsibility

for everything that affects the others. In this way is

formed on the firrn base of authentic charity a truly Christian

cormmmity and the persona! sanctification of each one isplaced

in the perspective of the spiritual well-being of the group .

In other words, as Father Garnbari well observes, "the cornrnunity can

only gift its rnembers what it received from them, rnaterially and

spiritually, and yet it exists for the purpose of giving." (E. Garnbari,

Unfolding the ~Iystery of Religious Life, St. Paul Ed., 1974,

p. 110) We expect that the corrmRlnity will be an environment of love,

"one heart and one mind" giving rnutual support and l eading all to a

deeper life in the Lord and a greater capacity to fulfill the mission

of Reconciliation. But a connnunity with such a power comes only

as the result of daily and mutual self-giving, through the persona!

effort of each member.

- 51 -

All efforts at developing effective structures of co-responsibility,

collegiality, shared decision-making, etc., will be futile if there

is not this basis of the conviction and cornmitment of each member

to creating and contributing to cornnunity.

Correlative to this call to personal responsibility is the necessity

for each member to recognize his or her gifts. It is through

contributing our gifts to the comrrunity that we best manifest our

responsibility for the vitality of the coI11I111nity. As Paul shows in

his analogy of the human body, Romans 12:3-8, 1 Cor. 12:12-31,

each partis important and has a unique contribution to make for

the life and effectiveness of the whole.

But just as the individual is responsible to the cornmunity, so too

the corrnnunity is responsible to the individual. The comrro..mity is

to help each member recognize his or her gifts and how _best to contribute

them to the life of the coJllllUJlity and how this is indispensable

to the cormrunity's life. We must help one another use our

gifts and take the responsibility for developing them. We are also

to hold one another accountable for our gifts. We all needeach

other's gifts and so have the right to know how they are used. We

must help everyone discover their place in the cornmunity according

to their gifts and also to realize they are not only useful, but

also unique and necessary to the rest of us. (Vanier, pp. 27-8)

In a Christian corrnm.mity, everything depends on whether each

individual is an indispensable link in a chain. Orùy when

even the smallest link is securely interlocked is the chain

unbreakable. A cornrrnmity which allows unernployed members to

exist within it will perish because of them. It will bewell,

therefore, if every member received a definite task to perfonn

for the cornrrnmity, that he may know in hours of doubt

that he too, is not useless and unusable. Every Christian

community rnust realize that not only do the weak need the

strong, but also the strong cannot exist without the weak.

The elimination of the weak is the death of fellowship.

(Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, SCM Press LTD, London,

1978, p. 72)

This is all in keeping with what St. Paul has to say about the

different rninistries that exist in a cornrrunity. And unless we

think that the above quote from Bonhoeffer srnacks .too much of

"utilitarianisrn" it is worthwhile looking at the chapter titled

''Ministry" in his book (pp. 69-85) where he goes through the variety

of gifts that are needed in a corrnnunity. It quickly becornes

evident that there is no one who can be excluded frorn contributing

- not even the sick. Some of the gifts that contribute to building

corrnnunity are:

..

- 52 -

holding one's tongue when called for

humility

tenderness

silence in the face of criticism

listening

constant readiness to render small services

support of the others

forgiveness

proclamation of the Word

speaking truth with authority

ability to sense innnediately and to live the sufferings ofothers

compassi on

ability to spot what is wrong and pinpoint its cause

discerrunent

see clearly the fundamental concerns of the corrnnunity

creating an atmosphere that brings joy,

relaxation and growth

gift of welcome

gift of intercession

Each of us could add many,many more gifts that we have benefited

from in community because others had the time and willingness to

share them with us.

" ••• always seek one another's good, and for that matter, the good of

all." (1 Thes. 5:15). This is not just a pious exhortation for us,

it is a call to the basic responsibility that everyone has to one

another in connnunity •

..

His personal development will take

place as he actively participates in

a common effort by all members •...

In this paragraph the "connnon effort"is related directly to creating

an atmosphere that is particularly fruitful for corrnnunity life. The

following paragraph in the Constitutional Text speaks for the common

effort in the apostolate. Both _are an appeal fora surrender to

the greater good - the coITilTIUIÌity life and the community's apostolate.

MJch of what will be said here will also be applicable, therefore, to

the next paragraph in the text.

- 53 -

Comrrnmity life involves the interplay of the individual member's

responsibility to the corrnnon effort and the corrnmmity's responsibility

to the individual member. In the past the impression given

was that the community and its work was the first concern - the

individual seemed to exist solely for the group and his needs or

capacities were often considered only in passing. This is an exaggeration,

but it was an impression based on sufficient experience.

Today we i-un the risk of having the individual dominate, often

with the result that a corrnmmity is paralyzed in its common effort

because each member insists on "doing his own thing." A creative

tension will always exist between the needs of the individual and

the needs of the cornmunity - in a mature community made up of mature

individuals, the tension is resolved by a fruitful balance.

•

But related to our text here, it is important to remember that the

real good of the person often enough includes sacrifice. The personal

development and fulfillment of a married person involves sacrifices

lovingly made for the wife and the family. A member of a

cornmunity finds his fulfillment as part of a corrnnon effort with all

the unselfishness implied in this.

Father Schleck e:xpresses this very well when he writes about the

liberati11g and ascetical dimensions of corrnnunity:

Tue corrnnon life, in all its demands, acts as a marvelous

means for self-giving and opening oneself more and more

to and onto others. For most religious it is in practice

the most constant occasion they have for personality building,

for self-denial, and self -and social- integration

Relìgious must begin their comrnunity life and they rrust

continue to live it with the principle of voluntary and

complete surrender of their own selfish interests and

concems when these conflict with those of the group . It

will be in doing this that they will discover their own

personal fulfillment and their own personal identity -

but in Christ and within the framework of the total gospel

message. (Charles A, Schleck, C.S.C., "Comrnunity Life:

Problematic and Some Reflections", Review for Religious,

July, 1970, pp. 544, 547.)

This surrender is developmental and dependent on the stage that the

individual has reached in his own growth as a person and in the

Lord. There are periods when the corrnnunity will be primarily the

giver and the individual the receiver - especially true of a formation

community or of a situation in a comrrnmity when an individualis

in crisis. In other situations, and these are perhaps the more

corrnnon ones, the corrmrunity is primarily the receiver of the individuals

gifts and efforts, which in turn allows the comrnunity to

•

- 54 -

become the supportive envirorunent sought and needed by the rnernbers.

The rnaturity of the individual and the coITilTRll1ity are very JI11..1ch at

play in all of this.

An earlier draft of this text showed a great sensitivity to all the

elernents involved in this ideal of an individual rnernber's total

surrender to the comrnon effort:

When we enter cornrnunity we do so with an innate desire

to grow as persons to the full rneasure of the gifts and

abilities we are endowed with by nature and grace. In

turn, the Comrnunity sustains this hope and capacity we

have to grow in Christ, for it is only as we are fulfilled

as individuals that we can fully give ourselves to others.

We grow in Corrrrnunity by sharing our personal gifts in

sirnple openness to one another. Through this cornrnunication

in a clima te of trust, concen1 and reverence we learn to

love one another so that God rnay dwell with us. (1 Jn. 4:12)

As we develop our gifts, we rnust remain ever sensitive

to the Spirit of Christ if our personal growth is to strengthen

our community. It is only by uniting ourselves with

Chrìst through prayer, contemplatìon, and study of Hisword

that we will have abundant life that we rnust give to one another

and to the world.

If in seeking personal fulfillment in the context of

corrnnunity we draw ever closer to Christ, His Spirit wìll

direct us, within the rnystery of his death and resurrection,

to lose our life in order to save it and thus to accommodate

all our personal needs and aims to the larger goals of our

cornrnunity and the Omrch. (Mt. 16: 25)

We are called to truly live out the Gospel truth that it is in losing

one's own life that we find it. John Courtney M.lrray sumrnarized

very well the two values at work here when he said, "Self-fulfillment

is the achievement of freedorn for cornnunion with others."

Tue validity of all of this is very dependent on whether or not there

is a "conmon effort". One of the tasks of administration or leadership

(by individuals, Cotmcils or Chapters) is precisely to deterrnine

and promote the coJ111T10n task or mission. Without this there is nothing

else for the individual mernbers to do except to "do hìs own

thing" in ministry and even in life-style.

- 55 -

a common effort ... t o cr eate an

atmosphere of truth, confidence

and cordiality.

An atmosphere of truth, confidence and cordiality is necessary for

the members to be able to continue to discover who they are - not

nm away frpm whatever they discover - so that they can accept and

love themselves more deeply and thus be whole enough and freeenough

to truly love others. The maturity of the individuals is always a

prerequisite for graces to be able to build a vital faith-filled

cornmunity.

In such an atmosphere:

- t he truth of what brought us together and keeps us together,

the presence and experience of the Lord, can be trustingly

shared with one another in a heartfelt way - speaking from

our heart and not simply from the theories in our heads.

- there is no need far masks, or far "avoidance tactics", but

rather the coIIIJ11llllity thrives on truth - br9kenness, resentment,

bitterness, are confronted honestly and lovingly by men seeking

truth and healing.

- a mernber can be himself, open and without deceit because there

is no fear of being ridiculed, ignored or taken advantage of

- no fear of that ·what is vulnerable and special within him

be subjected to the "Kleig light of a sneer."

- there is the security of knowing that people are able to accept

us even though they do not fully understand us - recognize

our weakness without ever wanting to use this knowledge

as a weapon against us. An atrnosphere where one can really

relax.

forgiveness is the norrn, allowing and calling forth new life

after the humiliation of failure.

- there is the joyful and quiet experience of being able to

receiveJas well as give>Christian love.

Without such an atrnosphere corrnnunity living can often be reduced to

rutual "game playing" so that the situation remains "comfortable"

and "nice". The situation also rernains superficial and not "vital"

for growth as persons nor for growth in faith. Cardinal Newman

spoke very tellingly of this in one of his serrnons:

•

-

Perhaps the reason why the standard of holiness among us is

so low, why our attachrnents are so poor, our view of life so

- 56 -

dim, our belief so unreal, our general notions so artificial

and external is this, that we dare not trust each other with

the secret of our hearts. We have each the same secret, and

we keep it to ourselves, and fear that, as a cause of estrangernent,

which really would be a bond of union. We do notprobe

the wounds of our nature thoroughly; we do not lay the foundation

of our religious profession in the ground of our inner

man; we make clean the outside of things; we are amiable and

friendly to each other in words and deeds, but our love is

not enlarged, our bowels of affection are straitened and we

fear to let intercourse begin at the root; and in consequence,

our religion viewed as a social system is hollow. The presence

of Christ is not in it. (J.H. Newman, "Christian Sympathy'',

Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. V, Ri vingtons,

London, 1882, pp. 126-7).

His words are certainly applicable to a religious community. The

atJIDsphere of truth, confidence and cordiality is one effective

tonic for the affective and spiritual "constipation" that the Cardinal

so delicately refers to and which we have all witnessed and

experienced.

The atmosphere of truth, confidence and cordiality is not destroyed

by honest tension and loving confrontation that seeks to resolve

and heal problems. On the contrary, a truly close, mature and

solid community will necessarily include open confrontation. It is

the only way of avoiding hurts and resentments to fester and act

like cancer in the corronunity body.

Rather, the atmosphere is destroyed:

- by repeated actions or expressions that are contrary to

our shared faith cornrnitments

- by indifference or fear

- by that so-called sophistication, or heavily rational attitude,

that disdains honest and heartfelt expressions of

one's concems

- silence, or the simple unwillingness to respond to the efforts

made by others to create this atmosphere.

Perhaps more common than the actual destruction of such an atmosphere

is the avoidance of facing the task of creating it. And the

excuses are plentiful and serve to anesthesize against the problem:

overwork - overcommitment and involvement - socializing -

fonnal religious exercises - meetings - professional or

family commitrnents - television - "busy" work.

- 57 -

We return to the first step - an atmosphere of truth, confidence

and cordiality is necessary for the growth of a vital connnunity and

the individua! within it, BITT, that atmosphere is nota "given" it

is the task, the responsibility, of the mernbers under the guidance

of a superior or rroderator.

--+-----------PULSE - TAKING ----------~

(For I II & IV)

1. I personall y find this talk of "a real spi rit of love" to

be ..........

2. Some of the actions or attitudes in comrm.uùty that I have

observed or experienced anù would not hesitate to call love

have been ....••.•..

3. I think I fulfill my responsibility for the vitality of the

cormrunity when I •.•...••

4. The corrvm.mity has truly helped me to recognize and develop my

gifts. For example •.•••••.

S. I sense that in community life there is / is not / a real comrron

effort. This is obvious in •....... and ..••....

6. I really would / would not / like to live in an atrrosphere of

truth, confidence, and cordiality because .....•••

Forme this means .•.....•

7. Such an atmosphere has been evidcnt tome when ...... . .

The opposi te has been obvious when ...••..•

8. I think I 've contributed to this atmosphere when I ........

On the other hand, I may have blocked i t when I •.......

I think I may do this because ..•... ..

9. In the apostolate I tJ1ink / do not think / that a "coITD110n effort"

is that important because ...... . .

10. I think the iàea of letting as many membcrs as possible find

their own ministry is ......•.

•

11. Some of the steps taken in our Congregation to unite our

apostolic efforts have been ....... .

I fecl that this is ...... . .

- 58 -

IV

ioUR SAME LOVE OF CHRIST INSPIRES A SPIRIT OF SOLIDARITY IN OUR 7

APOSTOLIC TASKS. F0R TI-!IS REASON, WE ARE CALLED TO ì\ORK IN

CONJUNCTION WITI-! 0N'E ANOTHER, UNITING 0UR EFF0RTS F0R THE

BUILDING UP 0F THE CHURCH.

f We propose the following text:

OUR SAME LOVE FOR CHRIST AND COMMITMENf T0 THE SA.ME MISSION

INSPIRES A SPIRIT 0F SOLIDARITY IN 0UR APOSTOLIC TASKS. F0R

? THIS REASON, WE ARE CALLED T0 UNITE OUR EFFORTS F0R THE BUILD-

L..!.NG UP 0F THE CHURCH.

_j

We have added "corrrrni tment to the same mission" because our spiri t

of solidarity is more specific than that which all Christians

should have as a result of their love for Christ. Our apostolic

solidarity also comes from our corrrrnitment to serve the needs of

the Church in a particular spirit and within an evergrowing, but

nevertheless determined, mission.

Our same love for Christ ... inspires

a spirit of solidarity in our aposto

Zic tasks . ...

Our solidarity on this level is explained well in an earlier draft

of the text:

In this apostolate of reconciliation, love for Christ impels

usto recognize that it is one and the same Spirit who dis-

- 59 -

tributes the gifts we need to go about "doing good". Regardless

therefore of our particular task, whether we live and

work alone or with others, in personal success or failure,

we will carry each other's burdens, keep in close contact,

share and evaluate our ex-periences, and rejoice in our common

effort to build the &Jdy of Christ.

We are o~e in the same Spirit - who has called us together and

continues to be the source of our power. It is this Spirit who

should permit usto break through the spirit of competitiveness

that is so prevalent in our society today, or the tendency to

"pettiness" and the desire to establish one's "own little kingdom"!

The Spirit that empowers usto go beyond all this comes to us from

and in our love for Christ •

... commitment to the some mission

inspires a spirit of solidarity in

our apostolic tasks. For this reason,

we are called to unite our efforts

for the buiùling up of the

Church.

The "mission" of the Congregation has been described as the "ministry

of Reconciliation." This will be explained in the next Dossier

treating "Our .Apostolic Life". A mission carries within itself a

variety of apostolates - ways of carrying out the mission. But it

is important that members of an Institute have some clarity concerning

what dimensions of the Gospel they have been graced to

present and elicit in the life of the Church. Mission is the active

or "work" dimension of charism.

Tue value of a corrnnon effort in an apostolate assumed by an Institute

is minimized today in favor of individual apostolic efforts.

There are many reasons for this: conditions and needs have provided

new opportunities for ministry; more religious are specialized; the

charismatic emphasis has highlighted the individual gifts and ministries.

Yet a member of an apostolic religious comrmmity cannot

be an "ecclesial free-lancer". From his comrmmity he has received

his initial formation, but from the corrununity he also receives the

ecclesial character of his apostolate and should receive continuing

strength, encouragement and support. In turn the individual contributes

to the life of the corrununity in a variety of ways, but his

true solidarity in the apostolate will be manifested by his spirit

of readiness to collaborate in the common task if one is established

and his service is required.

- 60 -

We can justifiably ask if there is not something being lost today

by the rnove away frorn a "cornmon task" by many Congregations. Cornmon

apostolates previde the Church's life with ministries andservices

that are quite impossible on an individual level. It is the

"cornmon task" that, in the past, has provided the resources and

personnel to rninister in education, hospitals, care for the aged,

centers responding to multiple spiritual needs. Tue hands of Mother

Teresa in Calcutta could reach only a few of the dying and

abandoned - the many hands joined in the "cornrnon task" of her community

are reaching hundreds and hundreds. Social services are

often providing responses to collective needs - but the collective

needs in our world will never exhaust the creative response that

should also be corning from the Church - collective needs best met

by creative cornmon effort, in the past found principally in religious

communities. ·

A "cornmon effort" also has the pragmatic value of providing an

jdentifiable Institute to those who are attempting to discern if

they are called to religio~s life or not. It is interesting to

note that Institutes that have been experiencing a resurgence of

vocations have been principally those that are easily recognizable

through their "coITBTion effort" - either in creating a particular type

of coillITUility life or in responding to particular and real needs.

This is true even in Europe that has been most hard hit by the

crisis in vocations. Vocations are entering Institutes that are

insisting on rather demanding cormnunity living; those that are

specifically working with the marginalized, the poor, etc.: those

that are specifically dedicated to the rnissions. Communitiesthat

have remained confused or vague about who they are or what they are

doing as a corrnnunity - those that more or less give the impression,

"join us and do your own thing", have not been attracting vocations.

At the heart of most vocations to an apostolic, religious corrnnunity

is the desire to give oneself to a unified effort to rneet a

real need in the life of the church - the desire to be part of a

"common effort" which can be more far-reaching and effective than

any individua! effort. "We" make the Lord present in ways that

the "me" never could. "The unity of the brethren is ••• a source

of great apostolic power." (Perfectae Caritatis, 15)

Tue Dossier on the Apostolate will explain in detail some of the

fine examples throughout the Congregation of ways that apostolic

efforts are being united, not only within Provinces, but across

Province boundaries as well.

(Pulse-Taking found on page 58)

- 61 -

V

l1ovING oNE ANOTI-IER IN A SPIRIT oF REAL BROTHERHOOD, BFARING 7

WITH FACH OTHER'S FAULTS WHEN TI-IE OCCASION ARISES, WE SHALL

MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ASSIST ONE ANOTI-IER, EVEN IN THE SMALL

DETAILS WHICH 00 TO MAKE UP COMvllJNITY LIFE: WE SHALL SUR-

ROUND OUR SICK ANO INFIRM BROTHERS WITH SPECIAL CONCERN AND

L FAITHFULLY REC(]\WENI) TO THE LORD OUR DEPARTED.

Rernains unchanged.

_J

Loving one another in a spirit of real

brotherhood, bearing with each other's

faultB when the occasion arises, we shall

make every effort to assist one another,

even in the smaii details which goto

make up community life . •.

The spirit of real brotherhood is founded on the fact that we are

mernbers of Christ and therefore "should live together as brothers

and should give pride of place to one another in esteern, carrying

one another's burdens." (Perfectae Caritatis, 15) If this fraternal .

spirit is lacking there will be a certain restlessness and dissatisfaction

arnong the mernbers, each realizing that the colTIITJUility is not

a "community" gathered together as a true farnily in the Lord's

name" (Perfectae Caritatis, 15) and therefore living a lie or an

infidelity.

We rrust accept others as they are and rnaintain a spirit of friendliness

without exception. This is to exist in an atrnosphere of

honesty, sincerity, and obviously, self-control, Self-control is

basic to rnutual relations in charity; to lack it is a sign of irnma.turity.

Self-control does not rnean a person does not express

- 62 -

honest emotions, but rather it rneans that an individual expresses

these in appropriate ways and appropriate tirnes. And this is done

out of a reverence and love far the other.

"Bearing with each other's faults" should never be an excuse for

allowing conflict situations to continue or be ignored. Tue idea

of "grin and bear it" is often a cowardly refusal to face and

struggle to overcorne the things that cause debilitating tension

in a corrnnunity. Those things that are actually detrirnental to the

life of the corrnnunitymust be honestly confronted. If there is a

real farnily spirit and the comrnunity is cornposed of mature and

well -balanced in9i vidual who have the good of the comrnuni ty a t

heart, then it will be a natural occurence that suggestions be

made to one another about personal conduct that is disturbing others.

Tnis is clone not in a critical or carping spirit, but with sensitivity,

sincerity, sirnplicity and friendliness. We are speaking here

of those things that affect the whole conrrnunity.

However, there are situations where people's habits grate on the

nerves of one individual. This often involves behavior that is

inconsequential far the coTIIlTLlnity as a whole. In such cases we are

often called to truly "bear with each other's faults." We are expected

to be able to put aside our personal tastes and preferences

and sirnply put up with other people's ways, especially those that

are not to our liking. This is a definite part of the ascetical,

penitential aspect of corrnnunity living.Cf. pages 97-99 on Conflicts)

A clima.te that is truly friendly, open and mature will naturally

elicit sensitivity to the needs of others, even the srnallest needs.

This is nota burden, but rather a natural response. Each of us

could draw up a list of the "sma.11 things" that make for warrn com

Ill.lllity living:

- getting a.member to talk about his favorite subjects

- leaving clean connnon rooms in the same condition

- passing on books or items of interest, pointing out events

of interest

- inviting others to share in an outing

- asking others if they need anything when one goes shopping

- being careful about the banging of doors, the volume

level of radios, etc

- sharing in the preparation of a feast

- offering a helping hand with the tasks of others, especially

keeping a house clean

- being on time far corrnnunity events

- 63 -

- trying to not always be "too busy" to listen or relax

with others

special attention to the sick in a member's family

- asking about another's work, e:xpressing appreciation

for it

The list can go on and on. Such a comrm.mity will create an atmosphere

of friendship, one in which no one is shut out. It will be

a place where everyone will feel "loved", appreciated and therefore

a place to which the members are glad to return after an absence.

(A good little test to determine just how meaningful the comrrn.mity

life is for us is to get in touch with our own feelings to see if

we actually do look forward to returning to the cotnrnunity after

having been away from it fora time. Do we actually have a feeling

that it is "home" for us?)

we shaU surround our sick and infiY'l71

brothers with special concern ..... .

Proposed Capitular Norm 28 (formerly No. 27, unchanged) spells this

out more fully: "The communities should give wholehearted attention

to religious who are ill, disabled, or aged and bring thern their

rnaterial, moral and spiritual assistance."

TI1roughout the Congregation there is evidence of great concern and

care in this area: professionally staffed infirmaries have been

established within regular communities; residences have been renovated

with particular attention given to the aged and sick; efforts

are made to keep aged, but active mernbers, within an active cornmunity

where they can continue to share in various apostolates and

not feel isolateci.

The religious has a "right" to ejcpect that the religious family to

which he has given his life will care for hirn in illness and old

age. Materially there is usually the security that rnost people enjoy

today based on health insurances. This has becorne a regular

part of most religious corrnnunities and this is only right. A sick

or disabled religious should not have the added anxiety of sensing

that he is a great financial burden on the community. Some form

of '' insurance'' should therefore be provided.

Some feel that we often previde our rnernbers with better care than the

ordinary person can recei ve. At tirnes this rnay be true, but this

is due to the resources available when a group of people have

joined their lives and put all they have in corrnnon. These "corrnnon

goods" are destined for the loving service of those in need - at

tirnes ''those in need'' are our own rnernbers. This is also part of the

- 64 -

"hundredfold" promised in the Gospel to those who have left all to

follow Christi unsought and undeserved, but provided by the Lord.

Apart from the material concern, the "special concern" must also

extend to the moral and spiritual assistance. This demands an

awareness and sensitivity to the problems that face the sick and the

aged. It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that a corrrrnunity

meeting or a part of any on-going forma.tion program could very

beneficially be devoted to this subject. Here we would like to

indicate just a few areas for reflection.

Concerning the elderly especially, problems can arise simply from

the cultural climate of our peri.od and also from the structures or

corrrrnunity model in which a religious finds hirnself.

Our contemporary culture, especially in the west, is guilty of a

great disvaluation of the elderly. Other cultures and other periods

gave places of reverence and prominence to their elders because of

their experience and belief that they were a source of wisdom. In

our age of "future shock" when change occurs at such an accelerateci

pace - in the atmosphere of crisis - it is not long before yesterday's

experience is considered "out of touch" and of little value

far the problems of today. This is truly unfortw1a.te because the

person of real experience is always capable of offcringinsight an

some valuable guidance because such a person will be in touch with

the fears, strivings, hopes, pains, joys, ambiguities, processes

of growth - all the things that remain qui.te constant in men's

hearts in the midst of ever changing situations. (We are speaking

here of the man of real experience which is very different from the

person who has spent all of his life simply repeating the same experience

aver and over and over again. Real experience means a

person who lives through experience, reflects upon it, learns, moves

on to new experience, grows, continues to develop, may approach the

same experience again, but now in a different way because of what

he has leamed, and on and on and on.) A "special concern" must

include attempts at putting back into full value the experience of

our elders. We must invi.te them to tel1 "their story", to continue

to share their hopes, to share their insights after their own

years of struggle, their discoveries of the Lord in the unexpected,

etc... We must cherish "their story'' because it is also our story

as part of the same family. We must never forget that we are building

on their foundations. (At times we have the "luxury" to experiment

precisely because they have created situations that provide

t he security in which one can have the freedom to experiment.)

Being cherished and appreciated is one of the greatest assistance

that our elderly and sick can receive.

Special problems can emerge for the elderly from the corrnrunity

model that they have always lived. The Institutional mode

- 65 -

of relating, as briefly described on page 34 of the essay, creates

particular problems for the sick and elderly.

This model emphasizes efficiency,

they are no longer efficient.

This model emphasizes quality and quantity of apostolic involvernent,

they are no longer producers or extensively involved.

This model values individuals because of their roles,

they are now "retired".

With all of this comes a sense of loss of status, accentuated by

the gap created by the disvaluation rnentioned above. Therefore

those who in the past were accustomed to having their advice sought,

to rnaking responsible decisions, to enjoying a certain status -

are now no longer listened to, sought out, and seern to have little

or no status at all. They are often relegated to a more or less

distinct social group - people of their own age or condition. This

is a pattern that occurs in ordinary society and is also unfortunately

duplicated at tirnes in religious corrnnunity life.

Ifa corrnnunity is based more on the person-oriented model and has

provided a more familial and close atmosphere, the process of aging

or the coping involved in being sick will be much better. It rnay

well reflect a sociological theory of aging called the ''disengagement"

theory. According to this theory a person in his life time

first grows in engagernents, status and roles - at a certain point

the process reverses. There is a process of disengagement which is

mutual and reciprocal between the individual and society. This affords

the society roorn for younger rnembers and a.lso gives the aging

individual the satisfaction and freedom from constant work involvement.

For the aging person this should lead to a "rea.ping of the

harvest" stage with no feelings of insecurity or anxiety, but rather

a feeling of "letting go" with the realization and trust that

the work is in the hands of the Lord, now operating through younger

hands. It must be admitted that in recent years this process has

been very difficult because the change in our works and life itself

has given the irnpression to rnany members that the harvest they have

planted and toiled all their lives to produce has not been reaped,

but rather has been razed or ignored and left to rot. Our "special

concem" must lead usto enter into the pain that many of our older

members have experienced in seeing their life's work considered

as inconsequential. Our affirming and confirming of our elderly

and sick brothers rnust also include a respect for the work they

did a.nd what they left behind. When some of these works have

to be abandoned for one reason or another, this should be done

with great care and sensitivity.

"Special concern" also demands that we find creative and realistic

ways to make the sick and the elderly understand and assume the

ministry they contribute to the life of the corronunity. Returning

to Bonhoeffer's quote from earlier: "It will be well, therefore,

- 66 -

i f every rnernber r eceives a def inite task to perfonn for t he colllTTR.lnity,

that he rnay know in hours of doubt that he too is not usel ess

and unusable. Every Christian cornmunity must realize that not only

do the weak need the strong, but also the strong cannot exist

without the weak". What great ministry and service our elder ly and

sick previde by their presence, by their interest, by their life

story (which is also our's), but especially by their ministry of

intercession for the members and works of the community.

The material, rnoral and spiritual assistance that we are to bring

to our aged and sick brothers must never be a mechanical or. .. irnpersonally

structured affair. O~r "sp~cial concern" ip _

tliese fhree- areas mùst flow from the cornmitrnent to

one another in fraternal love. The profession.fonnula fÒr the cornmunity

at Taizé, with its echoes of the wedding foTITRlla, expresses

this beautifully when i t asks the new mernber: ''Will you, while always

discerning Christ in your Brothers, be watchful with them on

good days as well as bad, in abundance as in poverty, in suffering

.s as in j oy?" Our loving care can help turn whatever bad days our

elderly and sick have into good days; whatever poverty they may

experience into an abundance; and whatever suffering they may experience,

into joy.

and faithfully recommend to the

Lord our departed.

Proposed Capitular Norrn 30 (forrnerly No. 29, unchanged) states:

The Chapter of each Province detennines the suffrages which

will be applied for each of their deceased. The General

Council does likewise for the suffrages which are its

responsibility, especially those concerning the Sovereign

Pontiff and the rnembers of the General Administration.

The spirit behind this directive is very well expressed in the

introduction to the Statute on suffrages for the Province of

France and Antsirabe:

Death does not destroy the bonds that unite us in the

Lord. Those who leave us rnerely go before us into the

Kingdom of the Father where we hope to join them one day,

near the Risen Lord, the Firstborn arrong the dead. Because

of the Corrmrunion of the Saints , we can remain

united to them and demonstrate our fraternal love for them.

- 67 -

In practice the suffrages and observances at the death of a member

of the corrnnW1ity can be outlined as followed:

- Encourage participation at the fW1eral: "All members of the

Province will make every effort to be present at the wake

and to participate in t he Liturgy of Christian burial, as

an expression of brotherhood with the deceased and as a

source of comfort and inspiration to his loved ones and

all who stand by them in their sorrow." (Seven Dolors,

similar expressions in Immaculate Heart of ~1ary and

Antsirabe)

- Upon death of member of Province:

Each corrnnW1ity has a comrrunal celebration for the departed

(in most).

Each priest offers one mass for the departed (France, Seven

Dolors , Switzerland, Immaculate Heart , Mary Queen of

Peace) .

Each priest offers three masses for the departed (Mary Queen,

Antsirabe, Philippines).

200 ~1asses celebrated by the confreres (Italy) .

150 Masses - 30 in his own residence, the others divided

amongst the houses and residences by the Provincial Superior

(Poland). .

A month's mind and first anniversary Mass in own residence

(Seven Dolors, Switzerland, Italy).

Non-priests offer prayers and sacrifices they think are fitting

(Philippines).

a novena of communions and stations of the cross (Poland).

In November a ~1ass offered by every member for the departed

of the Province (Seven Dolors).

Each member of the Vice-Province shares in the "Perpetual

Mass Association" (200 Masses yearly) and the annual 30

days of Masses celebrateci in November and the various

Novenas of .Masses which are celebrated by the Vice

Province ~ry Queen of Peace).

- For members of the Congregation:

A Mass sa.id in the Provincial House on occasion of death of

any member of the Congregation. (Switzerland)

Each November each corrnmmi ty of fers a ~1ass for all the

deceased of the congregation (France, Antsirabe, "escially

those who died during the year", Immaculate Heart,

Mary Queen, Mary Queen of Peace).

- Por Supreme Pontiff, Superior General and Provincial Superior

- solenm ~1ass in all houses and residences -

Death of Superior General - each priest says a Mass

(Poland).

- 68 -

These are obligations that cannot be taken lightly because they

are due to the departed in justice and each rnember is obliged to

fulfill his obligation, which should actually be a spontaneous

response ifa true spirit of brotherly love and a faith in the

coITIITil.lilion of the saints exists.

Proposed Capitular Norrn 29 (forrnerly No. 28, unchanged) is also

related:

When a mernber dies, the news of his death is at once made

lmown to the whole Province and to the Secretary General

who, in tum, coITIITil.lilicates it to the entire congregation.

It is expected that the General Administration will be notified by

telephone or by telegram. The death notices in La Salette Information

are another attempt to draw attention to our departed. Some

Provinces publish the homily given at the liturgy of burial, others

also compile a resumé of the rnember's life, giving some personal

touches and insights and also recounting the last days of his

life. This involves time and effort, but shows a form of "cherishing1'

the life of a departed member and giving him a final tribute.

--+---------- PULSE - TAKING ------------t

(For V & Vl)

1. If people in the corrmunity really get on my nerves, I ususally

2, Forme the small things that make up commwùty living and that.

I try to be very conscious of, involve •....••••

3, As a "senior citizen" in the corronuni.ty, I feel that the community

has / has not / shown "special concern" for us.

For example •••.•.•..

4. I thin.k we are doing a great deal for our C'lderly by •••.•.•••

I believe we could do even rrore, for exarnple ••....•••

s. I think the best situation for our sick is

6. Corrmunity prayer for mc means •...•..••

7. Some fonns of commwlity prayer that I have fow1d very beneficial

are ........ .

8. I feel that the Liturgy, and particuJarly concelebration, in a

corronunity is •....•...

9. Corrmunity prayer should be possible in all situations, for

example we can always . ......••

- 69 -

VI

i FACH OF us STRIVES TO LEAD AN INTENSE LIFE OF PERSONAL PRAY 7

ER AND UNION WITH THE LORD. AT THE SAME TIME, IN ORDER TO

STRENGTHEN TIIB BONDS OF BROTHERHOOD WHICH UNITE US, IT IS

NECESSARY THAT WE COME TOGETHER TO PRAY.

ESPECIALLY THE LITURGY, EXPRESSES SOLIDARITY.

COMMUNITY PRAYER,

IT IS THE

SOURCE FROM WHICH WE DRAW THE FAITH AND LOVE WE NEED TOAC

COMPLISH OUR MISSION.

I We propose the following text: I

CONSCIOUS OF THE MUTUAL INFLUENCE OF THE PERSONAL ANO COM

MUNITY FAITH LIFE, WE WILL OFTEN COME TOGETHER TO PRAY:

COMv!UNITY PRAYER, ESPECIALLY THE LITURGY, WILL BE FOR US

THE SOURCE FROM ¼'HICH WE DRAW THE FAITH AND LOVE WE NEED

TO ACCOMPLISH OUR MISSION, AND THE EXPRESSION OF OUR

~OLIDARITY.

_J

This paragraph has been restructed so that the role of conum.inity

will be the center of attention. The first sentence of the original

has become part of proposed Capitular Norm 6 which deals with the

obligations of our personal spiritual life. We want to point out

the mutual influence between personal prayer and COITIITR.ll1.ity prayer.

- 70 -

If the individuals of a community have no personal prayer life,

then it is extremely doubtful that the community prayer life will

be very vital. If we live in community and yet do not experience

our faith and prayer life in a comrnunal way, then the faith community

as such will be just a fiction and our own personal spiritual

life will often be dirninished as well. As personal prayer is

meant to vitalize community prayer, so tao community prayer is

meant to fortify and often carry us in our personal prayer life.

We therefore want our Constitutions to hold us responsible far

coming together often as a connnunity to pray. We have also changed

the arder of the last sentence because our community prayer life

is primarily a source of the love and faith that helps us live an

effective solidarity in mission and life style. Secondarily, it

expresses this solidarity that it itself helps create.

It is almost essential to re-read the pages on the personal prayer

life in Dossier III, pp. 86-94, to fully understand and appreciate

the value of this paragraph.

Conscious of the mutuai influence of

the personal and corronunity faith life,

we will often come together to pray ...•

In Dossier III it was stated, "the witness of history has shown

that there is no enduring, Spirit-filled, loving service without

the support-system of a strong prayer life". This was said concerning

the individual, but it is equally applicable to the community

if we hope to give loving service as a community, as well

as individuals.

An earlier text explicitly pointed out the correlation between the

personal and communal spiritual life:

As we develop our gifts, we must rema.in ever sensitive to

the Spirit of Christ if our personal growth is to strengthen

our conmunity. It is only by uniting ourselves with

Christ through prayer, contemplation and study of his

word that we will have the abundant life we must give to

one another and to the world.

The corrnnunity is there far a support, but as stated earlier, the

cornrnunity can only give what it itself receives from its members.

We tend to think of this i.rmrediately in terms of rna.terial resources,

but it is doubly true of spiritual resources as well.

- 71 -

The faith-prayer life of the cornmunity is meant to nouri sh, support,

challenge and build the spiritual-prayer life of the rnember.

What David Knight writes about the action of the cornmunity is particularly

applicable to the prayer life of the cornmunity and its

influence on the individual, especially when the individual is

going through a rnoment of difficulty.

In moments of desolation, when the truths of faith do not

inspire or rnove one at all, when all is confused, dark and

meaningless, what has man gotto fall back on? •.. In those

moments the faith becomes visible in the hurnanity of others;

it is the word of faith made flesh in my brother's life

that supports me. What rnakes Christ visible when He is not

visible tome is the way that others are visibly responding

to Him. His reality becornes visible through the fact that

others are visibly taking Him for real. His presence appears

through the visible recognition of His presence in

the way the community acts.

The life of the community is, or should be, an external

reflection of the vision in my own heart, of the light I

live by. When that light becomes dark within me. I can

still see by the light that is shinning from others. When

the flarne in my own heart seems to be dying out, the fervor

of those around me keeps me burning until I can catch fire

again ...• to express my faith in community is to store it

for future use. I bank my light and warrnth in others by

expressing it to them and then I draw upon it in my moments

of need. (Knight, p. 120)

But the coITlllRlnity prayer being discussed here is llQl what Knight

describes as "a collection of individuals saying their prayers out

loud together at the sarne time." (p. 151) Community prayer is a

prayer where there is the experience of unity and interaction -

where there is, even in the most traditional forms, a presence to

one another. Comrnunity prayer to be real ITn.1st bring something to

the individual that he could not get from private prayer. It

should bring us the special presence of Jesus who is there where

two or three are gathered in His narne. It should also bring us

to the heart of our unity - the presence of the Spirit who has

called us not simply as individuals, but has called us as a cornmuni

.!:l. to experience and live His power.

For this to be a regular and on-going experience, it has to be a

fixed part of the community's life. The ideal is to have periods

or a period of prayer together every day. Only in this way can we

reflect that primitive cornmunity described in the Acts: "Together

they devoted themselves to constant prayer ...• They devoted

themselves to the apostles' instruction and the comrnunal life, to

- 72 -

the breaking of bread and the prayers." (Acts 1:14, 2:42) Regularly

scheduled prayer is a major safeguard against the tyranny of shortsighted

moods. A conmrunity that gathers together to pray only

when the rnembers "feel like it" or when it just "spontaneously happens"

is very quickly a community that is always too busy or unavailable

to ~ pray together.

r

p

There are rnany forrns of cornmunity prayer. Recitation of the Liturgy

of the Hours together, especially rnorning and evening prayer,

has become part of many communities 1 prayer life. Communities such

as the Sisters of M:)ther Teresa, the Missionaries of Charity, and

also the Little Brothers and Sisters of the Poor have a daily period

of communal adoration. Some communities have particular devotions

that are closely related to their family spirit - for example, devotion

to the Sacred Heart or Our Lady. We ourselves would certainly

be remiss if our community prayer did not include some forms of

Marian devotion. These form part of a community's "sound tradition"

and fidelity to its own character will often require that they be

maintained in one fonn or other. To do away with all special characteristic

devotions would be an impoverishment to the Church.

(Gambari, Unfolding •.. , p. 119) ConTITP..rnal faith-sharing based on

the Scripture is a cornmunity exercise that is often incorporated

in the Office or in the Liturgy.

The forrns of comrnunity prayer, therefore, can be very varied. Each

community must arrive at a realization of what serves its needs

best. But it is necessary to arrive at a stage in our daily prayer

life when the community has moved beyond the perpetual need to

"experiment" or "find relevant fonns of prayer". There is nothing

more tiring,and in the long run destructive of people's good will

and desire for community prayer, than this desperate atternpt to always

be doing something "new". A simple and established fonnula

which allows for spontaneity and sharing is the best fonnula for

most comrnunities. It pennits every member, from the most creative

to the least creative, to be able to animate such moments of prayer

and it eliminates a great deal of pressure that often turns

prayer into very self-conscious exercises. There should be a healthy

rhythm even of traditional forms and more contemporary forms. All

this demands a sensitivity to the spiritual needs of every member

in the community and an unwillingness to let one tendency dominate

in the comrnunity's prayer life.

- 73 -

community prayer, especiaiiy the Liturgy,

wiii be far us the source from

which we draw the faith and iove we

need to accomplish our mission andthe

expression of our solida.rity.

The Liturgy must be central to our corrnnunity prayer life.

There is surely no need to remind you of the special place

occupied in your community life by the Church ' s liturgy,

the center of which is the Eucharistic sacrifice, in which

interior prayer is l inked to external worship .. • Your comrnunities,

since they are united in Christ's narne, naturally

have as their center the Eucharist, "the sacrarnent of

love, the sign of unity and the bond of charity." (Evangelica

Testificatio, 47, 48) --

Earlier drafts of the text clearly point out the relationship of

the Liturgy and our missionJas well as our solidarity:

.•. by prayer and the Liturgy, principally in the Eucharist,

summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed

and fountain from which all her powers flow, the Missionaries

of Our Lady of La Salette are fully drawn to the rnystery of

Reà.emption and obtain the faith and charity necessary to

fulfill their mission .•. • It is around the altar, at the

breaking of bread, that we rnost fully signify our oneness in

Christ and where He in turn rnost powerfully builds us into

still greater unity.

"Because the loaf of bread is one, we, many though we are,

are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf." (1 Cor.

10:17) ..• Since the liturgy is a most fruitful source of

nourishment for our spiritual and apostolic life, weshould,

individually and collectively strive to attain a deep understanding

and rneaningful practice of the liturgical celebrations.

These lines express the thoughts found in the Document of Vatican

II on the Liturgy, No. 10, and Lumen Gentium, 3, 11.

The Eucharist is the privileged rnornent of establishing and expressing

our unity and the source of our power. God's word is hear;

Christ hirnself is received; by our participation we enter more

deeply into the offering of ourselves; we are bonded more closely

with our brothers in Christ: and we are more intimately joined to

the mystery and power of Reconciliation which is our mission:

"Through Christ, the Mediator, they should be drawn day by day into

ever more perfect union with God and each other, so that finally

God may be all in all." (Sacred Liturgy, 48)

- 74 -

Our community prayer should not only express our solidarity, but

at times be directed at restoring that solidarity. There is great

value in entering at times as a community into the sacrament of

reconciliation, the special moment of metanoia. What an earlier

draft says concerning the individual's call to the Sacrament of

Penance is equally applicable to the community as a whole, especially

when the emphasis is on those failings that particularly touch

the life of the corrrrnunity.

At times our unity is weakened by our failings and sins.

Therefore to walk worthy of the call to connnunity and to

restare to our brothers what we may have taken away from

them through selfishness, we will enter into the mystery

of God ' s mercy, especially in the Sacrament of Penance.

Father Gambari swmnarizes well the role of community prayer:

Fora religious community, prayer in corrrrnon has particular

significance and efficacy; it is a source and manifestation

of unity, deepening the sense of having been chosen by God

fora special vocation. In actual practice it smooths the

way to rnutual understanding and, when it is called for,

rnutual forgiveness. Together, in the intimate familiarity

of prayer, the cornmunity grows in the faith, hope and love

on which all religious life is based, and therefore grows

in holiness. One can scarcely imagine a religious community

without some measure of prayer in cornmon. (Gambari,

Unfolding •.• , p. 117)

An finally, the expression of our solidarity also has a witness

value. But this rnust be seen. It seems strange that when there

are visitors in a house or residence, very often community prayer

is suspended. We could learn a lesson from the attitude at the

Taizé connnunity. As John Heijke observes in his book on Taizé:

Neither in Taizé nor in the fraternities is the praying

of the Office conceived as an exercise that the Brothers

are not allowed or unwilling to "inflict" on a guest.

On the contrary, they conceive it as a service to be rendered

to an appreciative guest, a "communion" given to him,

something shared with him as a joy and not as a "job" to

be done. (Heijke, An Ecumenical Light on the Renewal of

Religious Cormrunity Life: Taize, pp. 165-66)

We have been called as individuals and as a corrnm.mity to grow in

faith and service. Without prayer in connnon, there will never be

this growth for us as comnunities. Without connnunity prayer we may

eventually degenerate into friendly "clubs" or efficient service

agencies - but certainly we will cease being r eligious apostolic

communities.

(Pulse-Taking on page 69) - 7 5 -

lf

VII

oR THE SAME REA.SON, WE SHALL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTIJ-7

NITIES FOR TOGETHERNESS OFFERED BY COMMUNITY :MEALS, RECREA-

TION IN COMìvDN AND OTHER PRACTICES WHICH EXPRESS HUMAN FRIEND -

SHIP IN OUR RESPECTIVE COUNTRIES. THESE ARE OCCASIONS FOR

MAKING OUR SPIRIT OF BROTHERHCX)D A CONCRETE REALITY.

We propose the following text:

IN ORDER TO STRFNGTHEN TI-IE BONDS OF BROTI-IERHCX)D WHICH UNITE

US, WE SHALL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR BEING

TOGETHER OFFERED BY CO.Mv1UNITY MFALS, RECREATION IN COMMON

AND OTHER PRACTICES WHICH EXPRESS HUMAN FRIENDSHIP IN OUR

RESPECTIVE COUNTRIES. TI-IESE ARE OCCASIONS FOR MAJ<ING OUR

~PIRIT OF BROTI--fE}3HCX)D A CONCRETE REALITY.

_J

The changes are minimal, prirnarily dictated by the change of wording

in the previous paragraph. In English we have changed the

term "togetherness" to sirnply "being together" because "togetherness"

was a trendy terrn popular in the 60s, but seldorn used at

present.

"How good it is where brothers dwell as one .••"

For many people

one of the most striking features of a religious cornmunity is the

warrnth and conviviality they observe at the meals and other occasions

when the mernbers are together. We ourselves often are

- 76 -

unconscious of this, but if we one day find ourselves sharing a

meal with a group of students at a university residence, or with

employees at the coIIUllOn cafeteria, we quickly becorne aware of the

difference. In rnost of our corrnrunities there is an ease of cornmunication

and interaction between the rnernbers that is indicative of

shared experience and also shared orientation into the future.

However, there is a danger today that our corrnnunities fall victim

to our work-oriented culture. With a relentless push to work, work,

work, mernbers can begin to relate to one another principally on

this work level and slowly ignore or undervalue the benefits of

just being together. Meals thernselves can becorne quickly gobbled

affairs; a "gaudearnus" may be poorly attended because members are

"too busy''; and eventually it seerns that the only time members

are willing to give to one another is work t ime or "useful time".

Celebrating together "keeps work frorn becoming life itself for

us ••• we step out of the whirlpool fora rnoment to regain our bearings,

to recapture our sense of direction." (Knight, p. 173) And

a major part of our sense of direction must include the direction

that we have undertaken together as a community.

A warrn,healthy corrnnunity needs the breathing space provided by

moments of being together just to celebrate. At tirnes this is the

celebration of feasts cornrnon to all - Christrnas, Easter, Pentecost;

at times there are the celebrations particular to the cornrmmity itself

- anniversaries of foundation or important events, patron

saints; at times the celebrations recognize the uniqueness and

gift of each individual - birthdays, anniversaries, narne days; and

finally there are the small daily celebrations which spring up around

meals and happen spontaneously when we are together - a gaudearnus,

a coffee break, a shared recreation. But in all of them the real

spirit of celebration comes because we are together - together we

may focus our attention on an event outside ourselves, but it is

a celebration only because we do this together.

The following thoughts from Jean Vanier's book Conununity and Growth

can be applied, in varying degrees, to all the above levels of

celebration.

Celebration is a comrmmal e:x:perience of j oy, a song of

thanksgiving. We celebrate the fact of being together;

we give thanks for the gifts we have been given. Celebration

nourishes us, restores hope, and brings us the

strength to live with the suffering and difficulties of

everyday life. Tue poorer the people are, the more they

love to celebrate. The festivals of the poorest people

in Africa last for several days •.• Celebrations have a

role in helping people to accept the sufferings of everyday

by offering thern the chance to relax and let go. Butto

- 77 -

see them as nothing but a fonn of escapism or drug, is to

fail to understru1d humall nature. We all, a11d especially

if we are poor, live in a daily life which brings its own

weariness: we rnake things dirty, we clea11 them, we plough,

sow a11d harvest, a11d there is no security in a11y of this.

We need something beyond these limitations. We thirst for

a happiness which seems unattainable on earth. We crave

the infinite, the universal, the etemal - something which

gives a sense to hurnan life a11d its irksome daily routines.

A festival is a sign of heaven. It symbolises our deepest

aspiration - a11 experience of total communion.

Celebration expresses the true mea11ing of community in a

concrete a11d ta11gible way. So it is a11 essèntial element

in community life. Celebration sweeps away the irritations

of daily life; we forget our little quarrels. The aspect

of ecstasy in a celebration~n terms of being out of oneself

a11d involved in a common joy)unites our hearts; a current

of life goes through us all. Celebration is a moment

of wonder when the joy of the body a11d the senses are linked

to the joy of the spirit. It unites everything that is

most hurnan a11d most divine in connnunity life. •.. Celebration

is nourishment a11d resource ••• it brings hope a11d a

new strength to take up everyday life with more love.

(Va11ier,pp. 232-3)

The rather lofty goals of celebration described by Va11ier are specially

applicable to big coTID1Unity celebrations when time is put

aside to thallk God for an event in the past when He showed His

loving presence to us a11d to remind ourselves that He is still

with us. In those moments we not only celebrate the past, but something

which is happening now. Exactly what is done in a liturgical

celebration. The depth of such celebrations greatly depends on our

capacity to still be in touch with our family and religious roots

and traditions. As soon as we have lost touch with these then a

celebration tends to become artificial. It may be a party, but

there is not the deep sense of communion and j oy that a real celebration

brings.

The celebration of special moments in individual member's lives is

a concrete way of saying to that person that we value him - that we

want to celebrate him because it is a way of saying, "thallk you

for being a gift to us." But of course, if there is not this authentic

fraternal feeling, then any celebration there is will be

routine and with time perhaps disappear altogether.

Then there are the simple, everyday celebrations. Meals where we

meet each other around the same table to be nourished and share in

joy. They are meant to be a delight for the body and the senses.

They are _meant to be a time when the joy of eating and drinking

- 78 -

well merges with the joy of meeting one another - a rnarvelous hwnan

rnoment. How insensitive it isJtherefore, to bolt our food under

the pretext of having more irnportant or more spiritual things to

do than sit at table. The meal is rneant to nourish us also with

friendship and love. Contentious discussions or serious educational

discourses should be foreign to rnost of our rneals. "Working

meals" should also be discouraged. A meal is a time of relaxation

for the body and for the spirit. Laughter is excellent for digestion

and such moments surprisingly perrnit new perspectives to break

through and perrnit usto reenter our work with"re-created"vision.

A meal is also for rnany members one of the major occasions for

meeting the others. It is a time to bring people out of their isolation.

They cannot remain behind the barriers of their depression

when they have to ask for and pass the food. The need for food

encourages communication.

How enriching these moments of celebration can be. But just as

community itself in its giving aspects can only give as much as the

individuals put into the community, so too celebrations need the

active participation and even preparation of the mernbers. ~ilch

of our culture has transforrned us into spectators - and spectators

don't celebrate! Although we are in an age that highly values spontaneity,

really creative spontaneity occurs within a discipline or

within a prepared framework. As Vanier observes. "Ifa celebration

is not well prepared, you can be sure that either someone will

seize the chance to turn the occasion into "their" project and

impose their view, put themselves at the heart of the spectacle and

collect the applause; or everything will disperse into boredorn,

with no sense of unity or celebration at all." (Vanier,p. 240) This

is usually the rnoment when alcohol is quickly turned to in order

to "liven things up". How different it is when people at a celebration

bring something - stories, songs, even games that all can

participate in. If everyone at a celebration is mere1y a conswner

or a spectator , we never join hands and hearts . We have some

"fun", but not that reinvigorating joy that comes from the communion

involved in celebrating.

These moments of celebrating together are also extremely important

in creating the family atmosphere that is one of the rnajor helps

in persevering in our celibate commitment. Ifa community lacks

elementary courtesy and cooperativeness; if there are glaring examples

of uncharitableness and an absence of mutual respect; if the

work and institutional aspects of the life become asphyxiating

social patterns, then these factors will undermine our celibacy

nore efficaciously than our inherent wealmess and warrn-blooded temperament.

It is especially, although certainly not exclusively,

during the times of joyfully being together to relax that the celi-

- 79 -

bate as a vulnerable human being e:xperiences human fellowship and

breaks through the isolation that no one desires. Friendship, human

wannth, are not luxuries within a corronunity but necessities

and these grow best in moments of celebration.

To conclude, "these are occasions for making our spirit of brotherhood

a concrete reality". As corrnrn.mities we will live celebration

oniy if there is the milieu of true sharing and honest interaction

on the other levels as well - the spiritual, the apostolic, the

ordinary human caring - all the things mentioned in the previous

paragraphs of this Chapter. Without these things, we may get

together and have "parties" which at t:i.mes leave us feeling isolated

and rather foolish, but we will not truly celebrate, express and

deepen our human friendship that should grow from our brotherly love.

---+----------- PULSE - T A K I NG ----------t--

1. Wi thin the life of the communi ty, I feel that conmunity

get-togethers and celebrations are .•......

2. In my own comrm.mity we relax together when we ....... .

3. I have really experienced the power of celebrating togethe r

when .......• It left me feeling •..••...

4. l myself usually try to add something to il conununity

get-together, for exarnple .•......

I have always appreciate<l those at community gatherings who

- 80 -

VIII

IFINALLY, IF OUR COMMlJNITIES ARE TO BE A LIVING SIQ--J OF 7

CHRIST'S LOVE FOR ALL MEN, THEY MJST ALWAYS BE OPEi\J, EXfEND

ING A WARM WELCOME TO PRIESTS, RELIGIOUS AND LAì'tvfEN AND ES

PECIALLY OUR RELATIVES. OUR OOSPITALITY WILL TI-IUS BE A SIGN

OF OUR JOY AND OF OUR DESIRE TO BE "ALL THINGS TO ALL MEN''

L (1 Cor. 9:22).

__ J

Remains

unchanged.

Our God is a God who has reached out to man throughout history and

definitively through Jesus. Hearing man's deepest searching,

;'Where do you stay?", He has offered to all the answer, "Come and

See." And as it happens in the gospel for the disciples, we too

are invited to go see where he is lodged and to stay with hirn.

(John 1: 38-39). Our God is hospitable.

A banquet has been declared and all are invited, "bad as well as

good" (Mt. 22: 10). TI1e Master of the banquet is the Lord Hirnself

who reaches out to break down all barriers and unite all men in his

love - this love is open (as wide as his arrns flung open on the

cross), inviting, and welcorning. It is a love that invites _to _the

Kingdom through small gestures of hospitality - listening (sometirnes

to the wee small hours of the morning like with Nicodemus), healing,

teaching, touching, weeping, allowing oneself to be cared for. A

love especially transmitted in a meal, "Take and eat, take and drink."

- 81 -

As individuals we too can say, "Come and see"~ as cornrnunities we

can say it even more effectively. Our wann and constant invitation

and welcorne is to be the continued incamation of the Lord's

own loving call - not only in word, but especially in gesture, in

action, expressing the joy we experience and the need to share this

with others. All authentic and genuine love of its very nature

wants to be shared - and hospitality is the sharing of the joy and

love that·our religious corrrrnunity life should be creating in us

- the living presence of the Lord of Love.

This call for corrnmmities to be open and welcoming rnay seem a bit

strange to those who have been brought up under the strict legislation

where religious houses were very rnuch "cloistered", even

those which were not monastic. There was a great "reserve" about

corrnrunities. It was not unusual to have our farnilies travel many

miles to visit with us and yet always have to stay and eat away

from the cornrnunity, even though our residences could have easily

accorrnnodated them. In some ways the legislation of protection at

tirnes led usto fail in our oore basic Christian call. Hospitality

is enurnerated arnong the works of love by which we will be judged

(Mt. 25:35). Paul exhorts the Christians, "Look on the needs of

the saints as your own; be generous in offering hospitality."

(Rom. 12:13) Peter urges, "Be naturally hospitable without complaining."

(Peter 4:9) Paul in 1 Tirn. 3:2 and Titus 1:8 lists

hospitality as one of the irnportant qualities to be present in

a Bishop.

Hospitality, therefore, is not merely a pleasant social gesture

- it has deep and sacred roots that go back to the Old Testarnent.

As is evident in the stories concerning Abraharn (Gen. 18:1), Lot

(Gen. 19:1-8),and Gibeah (Judges 19:16-24) , the guest is sacred

and rnust be protected frorn all danger. In a desert society hospitality

was actually necessary for survival, but this necessity

was transforrned into something sacred as well. For exarnple, in

the Abraham story, the guests are perceived as angels from

God. This sarne thought is picked up by the author of the letter

to the Hebrews when he writes: "Do not neglect to show hospitality,

for by that means some have entertained angels without knowing

it." (Heb. 13: 2)

The idea of hospitality as a necessary attitude is certainly present

in the irnage John uses in Rev. 3:20 when the Lord says,

"Here I stand, knocking at the door. If anyone hears me calling

and opens the door, I will enter his house and have supper with

hirn and he with me." To welcorne, therefore, is not sirnply a gesture

to express kindness for the benefit of the other, but rnuch

deeper, it is the host hirnself who benefits from the hospitality

because it is an occasion for hirn to reach out, to love, to give

- and in the process, to have the Lord come to hirn. The pattern

- 82 -

displayed by the Lord in his m1n1stry - of not having a place of

his own but of being constantly a guest - continues today in our

midst. To be closed up means that we prevent a new visitation of

the Lord.

For us as La Salettes this call to hospitality is rooted in our

very or1g1ns. Just as we try to live Our Lady's call to reconciliation,

her ministry of intercession, so too we should constantly

repeat and live out her invitation: "Come near my children, do

net be afraid." The invitation dimension brings hospitality a

step further. We should not simply permit those who come and ask

to share with us, but we should be more active and invite people to

come and share wi th us. ''Come near ..•'' ''Come and see •.• ''

Within the life of the Congregation hospitality is certainly entangled

in our ministry. Tue first Fathers were on the mountain

precisely to receive and care for the guests - spiritually yes, but

they also saw that their other needs were cared for when they built

the hotel. It may well be an exaggeration and simplification to

say that "hospitality" is the "spirit of the Congregation", but

hospitality is net added to our spirit out of caprice. Hospitality

has been part of our service from the very beginning.

Hospitality, welcoming, is a sign that the comrrllnity is alive and

healthy. Members of a cornmunity who have their hearts open to one

another and experience the joy of living together in the Spirit,

naturally want to share this with others. Authentic love does net

and cannot close in on itself. And hospitality is precisely a

concrete way of proclaiming that we have something of great value

- "come and share in it." Without this basic attitude, all the

words about a community being a witness to the Lord's loving presence,

and being a special mornent of encounter with the Lord to

help break down disbelief, becorne pious and empty phrases. A witness

attracts if it is to be effective - and an alive>wel corning

conmunity is as attractive as life and love itself.

Hospitality is not simply a matter of opening our doors, however,

but much more of opening the doors of our hearts. Hospitality

- being open and warmly welcoming - is an inner attitude and spirit

that shows its concern and attentiveness to others net at a distance,

but in the proxirnity of one's own home. This spirit is not afraid

or unwilling to ha.ve its security or routine disrupted because at

the base of this spirit is the belief that Jesus rnost often enters

our lives by breaking into our cornforts and shaking our complacency.

How liveless and unattractive is a community that is shut up on

its own territory, like a fortress. If the mernbers have withdrawn

frorn one another and do not live with their hearts open to one

another, then they will definitely be withdrawn frorn others and

- 83 -

closed to visitors. (Except when visitors provide a distraction

frorn the sorry state of the corrnmmity itself!) There is no desire

to share and invite others if the basic attitudes are the "need to

protect ourselves", or the more common and often unrecognized or

unadrnitted feelings of fear, insecurity, weariness, often coupled

with a desire to cling to one's comfort and not be disturbed.

Such conurunities becorne stifling, more easily give in to dissension,

envy; pettiness and slowly wither and die spiritually. Tue

health and life of a corrnnunity need openness and hospitality.

(Vanier,pp. 194-198)

Tue Taizé comrrn.mity states in its Rule:

It is Christ Hirnself whorn we receive in a guest. Let us

learn to welcorne; let us be willing to offer our leisure

time; let hospitality be liberal and exercised with discenunent.

"Discenunent" in the exercise of hospitality 1TR1st consider:

- the need for a certain "apartness" of a religious corrnnunity,

- the need fora rhythrn of openness and strictly corrnnunity

time,

- the need of privacy for individuals,

- the need for definite "nonns of welcome."

Tue mission of a religious connnunity in the world means that it

nrust be open to society; and yet it is separate from society because

its values are different. Ifa religious corrnnunity becomes

totally open and simply another "gathering" in society, then it

will never be able to keep and deepen its own values. Eventually

it will cease having a life.of its own and therefore cease being

a place in which we can "welcome" others who are seeking something

that society is not giving them. Hospitality rrust not destroy that

"apartness" that is a result of the very nature of being a religious

connnunity founded and dedicated to values that are not those of

society •

.An open and welcoming community does not mean creating the atmosphere

of a railroad station where people are constantly coming

and going, just running into one another, parting, new faces all

the time, hustle and bustle. Such a community will soon becorne

dispersed. There is a time for everything - a time to build community

and a time to open its doors to others. Just as a healthy

community will always need times of openness, so too it always

needs time of intimacy. Without both, the corrnnunity will die

or exist with serious problerns. Members need a time and space

reserved to getting to know one another and to forging their own

unity. A corrnnunity that does not have its own unity should not

- 84 -

welcome others into it. But this unity takes time - the time given

to comnunity prayer, coIT1TIR1llity meetings and sharing, etc. Guests

should not prevent these moments from happening.

There is also the need for at least a reasonable privacy of life

guaranteed to the members of the comrnunity. This privacy is not

to provide an "escape" for people with basic reclusive tendencies,

but rather this privacy is to insure a time and place where

the individual can find rest, can deepen his own intimacy with the

Lord. Our guests often come to us or respond to our invitation because

they are seeking a spirit of fraternal love and intimations

of an interior life - in arder to meet this desire we must become

interior, recollected and Spirit-filled people. This demands time

for aloneness with oneself and the Lord.

Hospitality also demands certain norms of welcome. This should be

decided by the whole cornmunity because it is the comnnmity as a

whole that is affected by both the difficulties as well as the

joys of guests and visitors. There is a need to have an agreed

upon understanding of the mutual responsibilities of the members

of the comrnunity for the guests. It is not fair to a corrununity if

one member, even if he is the leader, brings many people into the

cornrrrunity as guests and then excuses himself because of work and

expects the others to take care of the visitors. There must be

mutual agreements established.

Also, people who come into our cornrrrunities have to respect the comnrunity's

goals and not do anything that would disrupt or violate

the atmosphere of the community. Our guests should be encouraged

to participate in our liturgical life and to observe the regulations

concerning silence, meals, etc.

In conclusion, our comrrn.mities should be open because Christian

love is open. Jesus Christ was not closed in upon himself. Let

us welcome each new person as a gift of God and as His messenger.

In being open to them and loving them, we in turn bring to our guests

the God of welcome and acceptance.

---'-----------PUI.SE -

1. My own feeling about guests is that •.......

TAKING-----------1--

2. Concerning our hospitality, I have henrd others remark that

...•.... and this made me feel ...•..•.

3. Guests should / should not / be welcomed at our meals because

4. I think there are certain limits that should be put upon our

openness. For example ....... .

S. I enjoy inviting / do not enjoy inviting / my friends to the

community because ....... .

- 85 -

CAPITULAR NORMS

Once again we have ahanged the order of some of the Norms in an

effort to give a more logieal progression: from the generalstruetures

of aommunity life to the partiaular attitudes of themembers;

from attention to our siek, deaeased, benefaators and finallythose

who have left the Congregation.

j22.

L

Under the leadership of a superior or director, the co;:-i

munity forms a single body and is responsible for the

conduct of its religious life and apostolic activity.

Accordingly, the members of the comrnunity:

a) will do whatever is possible to create a spirit

of fratemal openness and dialogue, especially

through regular meetings where each is invited

to eÀ1)ress his point of view and to share his

e:x:periences. In these meetings the community

will also study questions important to the community,

clarify its objectives and evaluate

projects already undertaken.

b) will come together daily for prayer and

will devote a day to deepening together

itual life and Salettine vocation.

each month

their spir-

_J

TI1is new Norm is a combination of C.N. 84, a and e, and C.N. 24.

It tries to make more specific the requirernents of paragraphs III

and VI in the Constitutional Text. It focusses on a number of

important elernents of community life:

- the one who has the m:inistry of leadership

- TIR.ltual responsibility for the comrnunity life

- atmosphere and spirit of openness and dialogue

- regular conum.mity rneetings

- daily communal prayer.

Our commentary on this Norm will be devoted primarily to "comrnunity

meetings" and the "spirit of dialogue", only briefly treating the

other elernents.

- 86 -

The leadership role of the superior or director was briefly examined

in the section on the vow of obedience, Dossier I II, and will

be explored at length in the Chapter and Nonns dealing withGovernment.

The superior or director should serve as a catalyst and anima.tor

in the community's effort to become 'one heart, one soul, one spirit.'

As stated many times earlier, a vital community is one in

which the rnembers share the sarne vision, are committed to the sarne

goals, andare exercising their gifts far the good of the community.

It is the role of the leader to call each rnernber to this, time and

time again; to previde mornents for clarification, accountability

and recommi tment. As Vanier says:

The best authority is the one who does very little itself,

but reminds others of the essentials in their activities

and their life, calls thern to assume responsibilities,

supports thern, confirms them, and directs them." (p. 157)

An effective religious leader will create situations where it will

not only be him, but the cornmunity itself that will do all these

things.

As "servant of cormnunion" the leader has the responsibility of calling

the conmunity together. If the leader does not take this

initiative, we all know that initiatives undertaken by other mernbers

seldorn have the capacity to unite. And all the good will in

the world on the part of the members will not make the connnunity

"happen" unless the good will is channeled, coordinated and given

direction. Cormnunity rneetings are one of the main means to do this,

and it is the responsibility of the leader to call them, prepare

them, and also animate them.

Concerning prayer in corrnnon, the commentary on Paragraph VI, pp. 71-75

should suffice. This Nonn points out the value of setting aside

a longer period of time each month for spiritual sharing. As an

earlier draft expressed it:

•.. we will set aside moments and days far silence and

solitude to draw nearer to Christ in arder to instensify

our faith and hope, and to renew our determination to

live as one family in Christ. •.• In arder to strengthen

cornmunity, there ought to be periodically days of

reflection, study and dialogue.

Earlier drafts also rnentioned yearly community retreats. During

the past decade or so there has been a strong movernent towards

permitting individuals to make private retreats. However, in some

- 87 -

of the Provinces there has been a strong move to return to the community

retreat because it is the only time that large groups within

a province are able to get together and share their faith and cornmitments

in a prolonged period. Perhaps we should give some thought

to whether it would not be a good thing to include the yearly retreat

as a cornmunity retreat in the Nonns.

Communi ty Meetings . • •

An earlier draft stated:

As members of the same Congregation having the same Mission

in the Church, they will delight in gathering together -

and Superiors will foster this - to reflect and exchange

ideas on their life and their apostolic work.

To be honest, it is not very often that there is a response of "delight"

when a community meeting is scheduled. More often than not

there are groans and moans or sighs of weary resignation. And yet,

ifa unity is to be forged the mernbers have to meet, not just to

organize things, butto speak to one another and to listen to one

another - to comnunicate.

David Knight calls cornrrrunication the "lifeblood" of cornmunities.

(p. 147) The Missionary Oblates of Mary Irnrnaculate in their extremely

useful program entitled New Testament Way to Cornmunity

call cornmunication the "barometer" of a cornmunity's life. The

rneaning of their observations are equally true if we substitute the

words "community meetings" for the word "cormnunication."

¼hen a group of people with cornrnon goals increases the

quality of their cornmunication (cornrnunity meetings),

then mutual trust, warm caring, a sense of belonging,

sharing decision making, happiness in work, apostolic

effectiveness, and joy in living grows accordingly.

Of course, if the individuals in a group do not share

the sa.me goals or do not really love one another,

clear communication (honest cornrnunity meetings) is

the quickest way to discover it.

As we will indicate further on, there are different types of community

meetings, but in all of them there should be the "spirit

of fraternal openness and dialogue" and the "atmosphere of truth,

confidence and cordiality." This means that we rnust have meetings

that will not only treat of "business" or "objective matter", but

meetings that will involve revealing something of ourselves to

each other. There rnust be times when as a cornrnunity (which is

different than the sharings that oftengo-on in the corridors or

- 88 -

behind closed doors)we will share with each other what we are living,

how we are reacting to people and events; how the community

is helping or hindering our growth in faith, love and truth; when

we are hurting, why we are rejoicing or sad; how we are apprehensive,

anxious or weak. In such a situation we will be willing to

ask for encouragement or strength, to seek advice, reassurance or

even fraternal correction. This is not advocating a "let it all

hang out" spirit. On the contrary, there must always be a great

respect and reverence in our communities for that which is most

personal or private in a person's life. But there can be no personal

bonding, no real fraternal loveJif there is no personal sharing.

We must meet and know one another if we are to grow together

in love and truth.

Vanier has valuable insights concerning the need to share not only

our strengths but also our difficulties:

If we are concerned only to show our strength, qualities

and successes, we will be admired rather than loved and

others will keep their distance. Tue sharing of weaknesses

and difficulties and the request for help and prayer are

like cement to the community; they bind people and create

unity; they help us discover that we need each other if we

are to rema.in faithful and use our gifts. (pp. 210-11)

It is no exaggeration, therefore, to say t hat connnunity meetings

fonn an essential part of the backbone of community life. They

previde time, space and the forum far making real most of the

ideals of unity that are at the foundatlon of community life.

Leaders are responsible for calling, preparing and animating such

meetings; members are responsible for actively participating in

such meetings be they local, regional or province-wide meetings.

Types of Meetings ..•

(See pages 28-30 in the Essay)

Meetings to organize the community or apostolic life -

business meetings.

Meetings to pass on infonnation.

Meetings to explore and discern about important questions

or projects - often leading to decisions.

Meetings to examine and evaluate present works.

Meetings to deepen the comrrunity's faith and interpersonal

life.

A regular schedule of meetings should be established to avoid the

"meeting because there ar e problems" syndrorne.

- 89 -

Meetings should begin and end on time, leaving roorn for flexibility,

but also respecting people's time. This dernands discipline.

I--leetings should have a clear agenda so that the important rnatters

will be given sufficient time. The goals and purposes of

the meeting should be clear when the meeting is scheduled.

Meetings should have structures that will not only pennit, but insure

that everyone will have his say.

Meetings should be effectively directed, keeping to the topic, although

permitting a flexibility and also incorporating

needed rnoments of relaxation and laughter.

Meetings should always be held in a spirit of prayer, especially

those dealing with the examination of important matters

leading to decisions.

Spirit of diaZogue ...

In recent years the word "dialogue" had unfortunately taken on the

stigma of being a bit "jargony" - an "in" terrn that many now use

more in mockery than with respect. Yet anyone who has experienced

or knows about the effectiveness of the i1arriage Encounter Movement

or the Better World ~bvement will innnediately realize the great

importance and value of dialogue. Most of the following ideas were

taken from an excellent collection of essays entitled Dimensions to

Dialogue published by Tue i1ovement fora Better World.

Authentic dialogue should be present at every type of meeting held

by a religious coIT1111w1ity. Because in dialogue we come together to

search for and to coillITlllilicate the truth in love. Only this kind of

truth can truly serve the comrnon good. And a community arrives at

it when the membcrs speak and listen to one another in benevolence

and love, in openness, trust and acceptance, in reverence andrespect.

Dialogue is called by some the new asceticism - the daily discipline

of practical loving. It dernands of us the selflessness necessary to

meet and truly accept the being and truth of another person. Authentic

dialogue is ascetical also because it is placing oneself in a

situation that will change us. In dialogue there is not merely a

sharing and a listening, but there is a real "exchange", with the

emphasis on the "change ", To dialogue is to let people get inside

of us, as it were, to let them walk inside of us and perhaps rearrange

the furniture. This can cause usto grow, to change our

ideas .and rutted ways of doing things, to let go of our comfortable

ideas.

Some requirements of dialogue:

- sincerity and good will - honesty - not wearing ~asks

- 90 -

- speak the truth with modesty and serenity - not out to

defend or "to win", butto share - not in competition,

but with equals

- have reverence and respect for those who think and act

differently - distinguishing between the person and

the idea

- have humility - willing to listen, to receive from others

because know that no one has a rnonopoly on the truth

- listen to the truth from those younger or older

- have a spiritof 1:enevolence and love - atmosphere of love

and caring is essential because not the meeting of

intellects, but the meeting of two persons - truth

can only be practiced in love and perfect love casts

out fear

- preswne the good intentions and motives of the other

- reach out in trust, not in prejudices

- know how to keep silent and listen - people need to be

heard, listen with compassion, understanding, trust

- get rid of low expectations of other, of envy,

jealousy, fear, resentments, prejudices, cynicism

- have patience - it takes tjJne to discover meaning

- try to calm passions and feelings and be detached from

own point of view

- have prudence and sensitivity - lmow the time and the manner

in which the truth can be presented and accepted..,

Prayer is an excellent preparation for creating the interior dispositions

needed. And dialogue is truly a skill that needs practice

and time. A brief rundown of what is not dialogue may help bring

together and clarify the qualities and the requirements for dialogue

mentioned above. Tue idea of dialogue presupposes two honest persons

seriously attempting serious corrom.mication on serious matters:

If one does all the talking, it is a monologue.

If one expects only to admonish and instruct the other, it

is a sermon.

If both talk only to score points orto expose the other's

weakness, it is a debate.

If neither takes the subject seriously, it is badinage.

If neither takes the other person seriously, it is banter.

If each takes seriously both the subject and the other person

it is dialogue.

Reuel Howe in The Miracle of Dialogue says:

Dialogue is to love what blood is to the body. ¼'hen the

flow of blood stops, the body dies. ¼'hen dialogue stops,

love dies and resentment and hate are born. But dialogue

can restare a dead relationship. Indeed this is the miracle

of dialogue.

- 91 -

An inflated claim? Not when we r ealize that the trut h in love is

a special pr esence of God and it is only God's presence that will

give real life to any cornrrnmity - be it the community of two people

in marriage, or the community of cormnitted religious. If dialogue

has not been fruitful at times, most often it has been because

people thought it simply meant talking to one another or "saying

everything we have on our mind. '' As the above shows , dialogue

involves a treat deal of personal preparation and especially the

proper interior attitudes. If past experiences have produced little,

the solution is not to give up on dialogue, but rather to

continue making the effort, especially an enlightened and guided

effort.

Meetings for deepening the comrrrunity's

faith and. interpersonal Zife • . • •

Tue Chapter on Government will treat meetings devoted to evaluation

and arriving at important decisions; the conrrnon good and theindividual;

discernment and consensus. Tue section on communal prayer in this

Dossier offered some suggestions for colTIIllUilal faith-sharing. Here

we would like to briefly treat the elements involved in any effective

personal sharing and then a format that has proven popular and

useful, when used correctly, the "Revision of Life."

Sharing: easy to do on the level of small talk, work, etc., but

here we are speaking of sharing on the level of experience and

of feelings. This is exactly what the "pulse-taking" in the

Dossiers have attempted to help us do. Our feelings - our experiences

- are deeper and closer to our real selves than our

thoughts are. To share these is to really offer oneself to

another so that we may truly be of 'one heart and one mind and

one spirit'. To do this effectively:

1. Don' t hide behind generalizations or words like "We",

"us" "you" "one" - use "I" and own your feelings.

2. Don ' t invite discussions or conrrnent - eg. "Don't you

think?" etc.

3. Don't exhort or preach with words like "should" or

"ought" and don't use such words to run yourself

down•

4- Don't rush - take time - need periods of silence•

Listening is an important part of shar:ing - try to listen to

the whole person. To do this:

1. Don't judge or condeJTU1 even in your mind, a person's

feel:ings are neither right nor wrong.

2. Don't probe or :interrogate - can ask helpful questions,

but all sharing must be totally free•

- 92 -

3. Don't try to fix a problem or give advice - unless sought·

4. Don't interrupt silences - use them to try to enter the

feelings of the other orto get in touch with one's own.

The "Revision of Life" presupposes that the members have the ability

to share and listen in the manner described above. Tue revision

also presupposes that the coITilli..ll1ity has a clear, shared vision -

otherwise how can we honestly speak of re-vision! For us the Project

on the Rul e with the "pulse-taking" gives a great opportunity

• to develop this shared vision and also grow in the capacity to express

personal feelings and experiences related to this vision, our

basic values, etc.

As Edward Farrell explains, the revision of life is like a meeting

on the road to Emnaus. Like the disciples the cormnuni ty is ''deep

in conversation about everything that has happened. And while

they were absorbed in their serious talk and discussion, Jesushimself

approached and walked along with them." The review of life

is founded on the fundamental faith reality that God acts through

certain events and experiences in our life. The revision or review

of life is an attempt to read our weekly experience (some connnunit

ies have this format fora weekly meeting!) in the light of the

Gospel. In this way we are helped to discover the presence of Jesus

and His expectations of us in all the aspects of our life.

Some people do this alone through a j ournal, but here we are speaking

of doing it together.

Tue exercise is best preceded by an hour of praying during which

each member reviews his own week or month in order to recognize

how Christ has acted in Him and how he has responded. Each prays

for discernrnent to speak and listen to Christ in the person of

one another. Tue review itself is always done in the first person

singular forcing usto confront our acts, feelings, etc. Some lead

phrases that can help:

"I feel I have been neglecting personal pr ayer ••••."

"l'rn avoiding this person .•.. •"

"I have a new understanding of forgiveness because this week •••"

"What made this week forme was •• • •• "

"This week a new dimension of the Gospel opened up to me when •••"

What is important i s that we share precise and concrete facts drawn

from our actual day, week or month. (Edward J. Farrell, "Fraternity

and Review of Life", Review for Religious, May, 1971, pp. 377-83)

Some may see this constant questioning of our understanding and

our love of one another and our lives as analogous to the nervous

child who has a plant and watches it so closely that every day he

re100ves it from the pot to look at the roots and see if it hasgrown.

- 93 -

Naturally the plant does not grow because it simply is not given

the chance to grow. This kind of abuse does happen - especially

by those who are insecure, hypersensitive, or who are afraid of

"getting on with the business of life"and find a ,type of security

blanket in this kind of communal navel gazing. Butto use this

danger as an excuse to avoid all attempts at cornmJnity sharing and

dialogue would be an escape from our call to grow in Christian com

JTlllllity and ·a serious lack of responsibility to contribute to the

vitality of our community life.

Building cornmunity is work and the corrrrnunity meeting offers one of

the best tDnes and places to do a good part of this work.

! 23.

L

Tue local rules of life, established by the community, 7

determine the tDUes of community prayer, corrnnunity

meetings, and the rhythm of work and leisure that will

contribute to the rnental and physical health of each

member. These rules of life will be submitted to the

Pr ovincial Superior and his Council for approval. In

order to insure a certa.in equality, the length of vacations

will be determined by Provincial Statutes.

_J

This Norm combines elements from Capitular Norms 84b, 24 and 25. In

the Norms as we have them now the Rule of Life is spoken of in a

variety of places, creating some confusion. We have tried to put

all of these things together in one number.

Establishing a community Rule of Life can be a good opportunity for

a community to grapple with its understanding of its shared values,

because the Rule of Life is the structure that will best translate

into day to day living the goals to which we have committed ourselves.

A practical way of setting up a rule of life is to ask:

- how has this or that value been traditionally nourished and

fostered?

- will such a means serve effectively for us today?

- do we know of other means that ha.ve proven effective?

- do we want to try new means (but let us be honest enough to

also evaluate these new means after a period of time!)

A community Rule of Life is a safeguard against the possibility of

a community living by whim and fancy - we meet, we pray, we share

- but 01ùy when and if the rnood moves us. A regular and clearly

established process of life frees us from the tyranny of our moods.

- 94 -

Leisure time is very important. Many religious have a tendency to

become "workaholics". It is the responsibility of the cormm.mity

and especially its leaders to not only "permit" leisure time, (days

off, vacations, etc.) butto actively insist that the members take

them. A lot of aggression, dissatisfaction, rnalaise, disagreernents

in corrnmmities can be traced to simple tiredness. People get worn

out - lack energy - can't seern to respond to anything and slowly

become more and more anxious, if not actually depressed. At tirnes

the best cure is rest and leisure that truly re-creates and gives

perspective.

According to the Statutes, there are the following vacation or

"time off" policies in the Congregation:

At least three weeks each year (France, Immaculate Heart, Mary

Queen, Italy, Mary Queen of Peace)

One month each year (Seven Dolors, Poland, Switzerland)

Two weeks each year (Philippines)

According to the diocesan directives (Antsirabe)

One full day offa week (Italy, Philippines)

j24,

L

Realizing that unity among brothers, which allows for 7

a diversity of expression and a plurality of involvements,

is a sign of the love asked of us by Christand

expected of us by men, each member will strive to avoid

anything that would be a counter-witness to this unity

so that the cormmmity might live the Reconciliation

which it wants to bring to the world.

_J

Basically this is forrner C.N. 20 with the addition of the phrase

"which allows fora diversity of expression and a plurality of

invol vements. 11 The addi tion is made in the hope of responding to

the objection of some that the idea of unity may be misinterpreted

as meaning total conformity. Our unity is founded on our commitrnent

to the same fundamental values, goals and orientations. :&lt

within that unity there is great room for diversity. When there is

clarity and security concerning the conm:m good, then there is

usually a great acceptance of diversity and pluriformity. Security

permits usto recognize that the differences are actually part of

the richness of corrnnunity life.

1 Corinthians 12 is the perfect corrnnentary for this reality of variety

and unity with the analogy of the body and its members.

- 95 -

There is a growing awareness of the fact of pluralism within the

life of the Church itself today. No two individuals ever experience

God in the same way, and this is equally true of our experience and

expression of the vowed life. Pluralism and diversity is grounded

in our uniqueness. By committing myself to the same values and

goals I have agreed to shape with you the mosaic that is religious 1

apostolic life. But the piece that is me is different from you and

even if we are put together very closely, side by side, we still rema.in

unique, different, but part of the same mosaic.

Some examples of behavior that could be a counter-witness to this

unity:

- a.ti individual living a lifestyle that is obviously contrary

to our vows

- an individual derronstrating no obvious ties or obligations

to the community

- an individual who rather than honestly struggle to resolve

the tensions that his uniqueness may cause in a community,

cultivates his own "following" or "supportsystem"

outside the comnunity and at times making , .-,

the corrnnuni ty, ''the enemy'' !

Unity and Reconciliation are a gift, but a gift that rust be developed,

cultivated - like community itself, it is a task.

Gs.

L

While remarnmg finn on the essentials of our corrnnitment,

each member will act towards his brothers with

understanding and respect for their personal convictions.

Should a conflict arise, those involved will

try to settle it themselves with true charity.

7

_J

This is former C.N. 21 with a few additions. We have added the

introductory phrase, "While remaining finn on the essentials of our

corrnnitment" because it should be clear that understanding and respect

for personal opinions and convictions of others in the community

cannot extend to the point wh'.ere people do not agree on the

"non-negotiables" to which we have corrrrnitted ourselves. If there is

disaccord on our fundamental values, then individuals have to

ultimately be faced with the fact that perhaps they should reconsider

some of their fundamental options because a community cannot strive

together for the same goals and ideals if there are members wo do

not accept or agree with these goals. Por example, it would be difficult

to understand how a comnunity could tolerate fora lengthy

period of time an individual who does not believe the community

- 96 -

- -,.- -

It should be evident which pattern is to be preferred. Tue direct

approach does not mean, however, hasty confrontation. This can

often make the situation worse. Effective resolution of conflicts

need an atmosphere of love, respect and trust. A climate in which

praise, gratitude and encouragement are also the common practice.

Without this a direct confrontation would be more harmful than

helpful. There is also the need for patience because if we act too

qui ckly1 peopl e are often pushed to exaggerate their positions. We

1mst be "great fri ends of time" in such si tuations, as Vanier expresses

it. At t imes , therefore, our obligation to deal with conflict

will necessi t at e that we first work very hard to create the

proper atFDsphere and develop the patience needed. What is important

is that we don't excuse ourselves from having to deal with the

conflict situation!

In dealing with conflicts individuals and the comrrn.mity itself have

t o develop certain skills. First of all the individuals have to be

able to come to grips with their own feelings - the hurts, the anger,

etc . • This can be clone alone or with the help of another.

What are my feelings?

What do they stem from?

When and how can I voice them?

Tue individuals involved in the conflict are then invited to sit

down for an open discussi.on of the difficulty. This could be a

whole group. The following are guidelines to be followed:

1 - report feelings descriptively, not judgmentally or condemning.

2 - attack the problem, not the person.

3 - give specific feedback, actual words a:nd behavior, so that

the person knows what is being talked about.

4 - deal with only one problem at a tin1e.

S - have sufficient time available so all parti.es can deal with

the problem.

6 - always report one's own feelings - don't assume you know

what the other is feeling.

7 - listening is as important as reporting - ask the other to

rephrase what you have said to see if is hearing what

you really rnean - allow the other time to explain, and

if necessary, to apologize with dignity.

8 - if there is a real difference and not just a misunderstanding,

especially if the difference touches the life of

the comrmmity as a whole, then don't just complain,

ask fora reasonable change.

Number 8 is important. We have a right and a responsibility to ask

fora reasonable change ifa situati.on merits it. Fraternal correction

and a method for doing it is even given to us in the Gospel

- Matthew 18:15-6. Paul was certainly.confrontative with Peter as

- 98 -

indicated in Galatians 2:11. We can and should challenge one another

to live more fully a loving, fraternal and Christrlike life.

(Much of the above material is taken from "Conflict in Religious

Connnunities: An Interview", by Paul J. Weber, S.J. and Sister Madeline

Reno, O.P., Review for Religious, January, 1974, pp. 119-26).

Vanier's words offer a good sWTIIT13ry and conclusion:

Tensions should never be hidden nor brought prematurely to

a head. They should be taken on with a great deal of

sensitivity, trust and hope, lmowing that there is bound

to be suffering. They should be approached with deep understanding

and patience, with neither panie nor naive

optimism, with a realism born of a willingness to listen

and a desire for truth. (p. 79)

Done in a spirit of faith and love, these conflict situations will

offer the concrete opportllllity to practice authentic forgiveness

of one another, to challenge one another to grow in unity and to

experience over and over again, reconciliation

126.

All should realize that authentic personal fulfillment

is found in service to one's connnunity and its

work rather than in personal preferences.

(see corrnnentary for Paragraph III

7

L

27.

There is no arder of precedence in the communities

cept that of superiors or their substitutes in the

performance of their duties. Christian charity

inspires the marks of respect we show one another

and the honor we give to our guests.

ex-

_J

Precedence in a corrnm.rnity could work against the brotherhood and

family spirit that we are striving to establish. There are different

ministries and responsibilities within the life of the community,

for example a particular individual can receive the profession

of vows whereas others cannot. But there should be no thinking

that one is "greater" than the other. Tue Gospel itself warns

against this very human tendency when it speaks about the arguments

the disciples had about who is the greatest and also when Jesus

gives the parable of the guests seeking the first places at the

banquet (Luke 14:7, 9:46, 22:24).

- 99 -

ì 28.

The comnrunities should give wholehearted attention to

religious who are ill, disabled, or aged and bring

thern their rnaterial, rnoral and spiritual assistance.

(see comnentary for paragraph V)

7

L

29.

When a mernber dies, the news of his death i s at once

rna_de lmo¼rn to the whole Province and to the Secretary

General who, in turn, coJllJTil.ll1icates it to the entire

Congregation.

30. The Chapter of each Province detennines the suffrages

,~1ich will be applied for each of their deceased. The

General Council does likewise for the suffrages which

are its responsibility, especially those concerning

the Sovereign Pontiff and the mernbers of the General

Adrninistration.

(see commentary for paragraph V)

31. The Provincial and local regulations detennine the

prayers and other acts of gratitude due to the benefactors

of the coJllJTil.ll1ities.

_J

Prayers for our benefactors is an obligation that none of us

should take lightly.

France: Intercessory prayers during the Office is an occasion for

frequent remernbrance of the Benefactors. Superiors are

responsible to see that the ~1asses promised benefactors

are celebrated. These rnay be promised by individuals or

announced in the various bulletins of the Province.

(Sarne for Antsirabe)

Seven Dolors: Corrmu.nity Mass on Septernber 20 for the departed benefactors

of·the Province and relatives of the members.

Poland: Every day the benefactors to be mentioned in comnrunity

prayers. In ~1other House and houses of forrnation a

solemn ~1ass for the intentions of the benefactors of the

Province and Congregation will be offered during May and

Septernber.

Switzerland: A special remembrance in public and private prayers.

Brazil: September 19th each mernber offers ~1ass for members and

benefactors. November 2nd each member offers Mass for

deceased rnembers and benefactors.

Irrnnaculate Heart: Each year each conununity has a special Mass for

its friends, collaborators and benefactors. A ~1ass in

November for the deceased parents, relatives and benefactors.

Each comrrrunity should frequently acknowledge its

indebtedness and express its gratitude to benefactors in

prayer.

- 100 -

Mary Queen: Comrrrunity benefactors, especially members of the

Seminary Aid Society will be included in the Masses,

prayers and sacrifices of the members of the Province.

In each residence on a date close to the anniversary of

the Apparition, the principal Mass will be offered for

our living and deceased benefactors.

Italy: Every month Father Provincial himself, or someone

delegated, offers a Mass for parents of the professed

and benefactors. Every conununity invited to recite

•

Lauds and Vespers on Saturday for intentions of benefactors.

Benefactors' intentions should be part of the

prayer of the faithful, especially in houses of fonnation.

lv1a.ry Queen of Peace: Each year the Vice-Provjnce offers 200 Masses

and Novenas for its friends, collaborators and benefactors.

(Tue Perpetual Mass Association) In November

30 i1asses are offered for deceased parents, relatives

and benefactors.

Philippines: Once a year each residence has a special Mass for

the intentions of benefactors.

..

t

L

32. The cornmunity bonds of friendship extend also to former

members and to all who are or ha.ve been associated

with our life and work.

The capacity to continue to extend warm friendship to former members

is often a good indication of the security which the conununity

has in its vocation and life. These individuals ha.ve often

journeyed many years with us in a connnon search and effort to

respond to the voice of the Lord. They have often given many

years of valuable service to the cornnnmity and its work.

Christian love and Christian fellowship perdures and a family's

love should always be large enough to continue to extend a loving

welcome, evento those who ha.ve chosen tono longer be part of

that family •

7

_j

- 101 -

---+----------- PULSE - TAKING -------------t--

1. As fai: as- I 'm concerned, community meetings are ....... .

My own experience of them has been . . . . . . • . I would like

to see •• •••• ••

2. "Dialogue" or "sharing" js somethJng 1 have / have not /

experienced when , . . . . . • • For me the effect was ..•.• • •• and

for others it seemed to •• , •....

3, I consider time off and v.1çiltions to be •••. , . . • rrom what I

can see, our çommuni ty po Hcies concerning t;:)lj s area are ......

4, I kmw / hardly lmow at all / my cornmunity ' s Rule of Life and

thiJ1k this is due to the fact that •.••....

I think a comnw1ity' s Rule of Life should be .•.•••.•

5. In the face of conflict: situations or cormmmications gaps, I

try to ........ As commun1t1es we seem to ....••..

I would like to see us .. •. .. • •

6. I remember our benefactors when

7. My own feeling concerning fonner members is ....... .

I think our commllllities should treat them ....... .

Eugene G. Barrette, -M.S.

September, 1980

- 102 -

OUR COMMUNJTY LIFE

Table Of Content

Introductory Letter 2

PART ONE: Summary and Brief Explanation of changes

Constitutional Texts 4

Capitular Nonns 22-32 9

PART n\O:

A- Essay : "Contrrunity! \'Jhat are you talking about?" 14

1, l\11y concern for "communi ty"today? l 6

2. Essentials for a community' s existence? 20

3. Purposes of a Religious Con»mmity? 21

4. Means to achieve these purposes? 25

5. ~b<lels of Religious Communities? 31

Pulse-Taking 35

B- Detailed eÀ-planation of the Texts

Paragraph One: "that they may beone ... " 37

Paragraph Two : Uni ted by . • . into a connnw1i ty. 4 3

Pulse-Taking for One & Two 48

Paragraph Three: Responsibjlity - personal <levelopment

- Atmosphcre 49

Pulse-Taking for TI1ree & Four 58

Paragraph Four : Solidarity in Apostolate 59

Paragraph rive : ~utual concern - Sick - Dcparted 62

Pulse-Taking for Five & Six 69

Paragraph Six: Comrnw1ity prayer life 70

Paragraph Seven : Leisure time together 76

Pulse-Taking for Seven 80

Paragraph Eight: Hospitality 81

Pulse-Taking for Eight 85

..

Capitulat Norms:

23 - Rules of Life

24 - Plurality and Un.ity

25 - Respect a:nd Conflict

26, 27

28 - 31

32

22 - Meetings , dialogues

Pulse-Taking on the Norms

86

94

95

96

99

100

101

102

- 103 -

Constitutional text - Chapter Tree - Our Community life

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