Constitutional text - Chapter Tree - Our Community life

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
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