Constitutional text - Chapter Tree - Our Community life

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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.
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