Constitutional text - Chapter Tree - Our Community life

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In a real spirit of loveA community is an existential reality based on love. Love bindstogether the various values , goals and means that have called ustogether and rnakes of thern a transfonning environrnent - givingspiritual support and apostolic power.We are not speaking here of a "feeling", but rather of love as adeep and intirnately persona! choice. We are capable of this choiceto love because the Spirit of the Lord is present in each of us,but this presence alone does not cornpel usto love. Love is afree response - a response that is influenced by our feelings, butis not pr imarily grounded in our feelings. It is a response thatcomes frorn that unique center - our free capacity to say yes orno - to choose one thing over another - one way over another - oneperson over another. We are principally defined by our choices;they are what create us. If our choices have been to love, thenwe will be recognized as lovers and thus fulfilling that radicalGospel imperative.Living comrrunally "in a real spirit of love" does not mean havinga sentimental or "soft" ernotional disposition. Rather it meansrnaking a series of very hurnan choices. As St. Paul spells them outin Rornans 12:9-20 and 1 Cor. 13:4-8, these involve:choosing to be sincerechoosing to show one another respectchoosing to rernain fervent in spiritchoosing to be patient under trialschoosing to offer generous hospitalitychoosing to rejoice in hopechoosing to persevere in prayerchoosing to see the needs of others as one's ownchoosing to rejoice with those who are rejoicingchoosing to weep with those who are weepingchoosing to put aside ambitiousthoughtschoosing to be kindchoosing to never be rudechoosing to associate with all and have no favoriteschoosing to respond generously to friends and enemiesalikechoosing not to be jealouschoosing not to seek only one's own goodchoosing not to be controlled by one'sangerchoosing not to brood over injurieschoosing to forgive whatever grievances we have with oneanother.These are choices involved in the love that will create an authenticreligious comnunity. Only these kinds of choices can create an- so -
atmosphere of trust and openness, mutual acceptance, and a perseveringcorrnnitrnent to struggle and work together for the Kingdornand Reconciliation.l'.'At tirnes this love rnay coincide in a corrnnunity with friendship -with a hurnan intirnacy that gives warrnth and affection. But it isl.mrealistic to expect close friendship with all the members of thecorrnnunity. The "spirit of love" being discussed here is not the"warm affection" type, but rather love that creates the bonds onthe level of comrnitment, a cormnitment to one another that existsand perdures whether there is that "feeling" response or not. Itrnust be added, however, that if these commitrnent choices are madefreely, andare not simply a response to sornething that is irnposedfrorn outside, then there will naturally re sul t a spiri t of j oy anddeep peace. All the gifts describing the presence of the Spiritin Galatians 5 will be present and these will often be ~xperiencedin very human "feeling ways." But they are the effects of thechoices made, and not the cause for the choices thernselves.••each meniber is responsible for thevitality of the corrmunity in whichhe lives.An earlier draft of the text was more expansive concerning theresponsibility each rnernber should feel for the life of the comrnunity:The reJj gious is called to live a life of close fratemalunion. This union is one of consideration and support forone another, as well of mutual support and solidarity whichresults when each one has a personal sense of responsibilityfor everything that affects the others. In this way isformed on the firrn base of authentic charity a truly Christiancormmmity and the persona! sanctification of each one isplacedin the perspective of the spiritual well-being of the group .In other words, as Father Garnbari well observes, "the cornrnunity canonly gift its rnembers what it received from them, rnaterially andspiritually, 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 adeeper life in the Lord and a greater capacity to fulfill the missionof Reconciliation. But a connnunity with such a power comes onlyas the result of daily and mutual self-giving, through the persona!effort of each member.- 51 -
Page 1 and 2: tlf<D 11C tNJ 0'1m M, Oli IE ID IE
Page 3 and 4: •..This first section presents th
Page 5 and 6: O U R C O M M U N I T Y L I F EP R
Page 7 and 8: In a real spirit of love, each mern
Page 9 and 10: CAP ITULAR NORMS: Once again we hav
Page 11 and 12: convictions of others in the comrnu
Page 13 and 14: ·This essay is to provide o fromew
Page 15 and 16: •'I need the cornrnuni ty to carr
Page 17 and 18: -cornmunity based on emotional atta
Page 19 and 20: make that light shine - but how ITR
Page 21 and 22: Only clarity and agreement can lead
Page 23 and 24: proclamation of reconciliation that
Page 25 and 26: --- IV ---Since religious corrrrnun
Page 27 and 28: at the center of the cormnunity' s
Page 29 and 30: - share with one another on the lev
Page 31 and 32: --- V ---Having looked at the goals
Page 33 and 34: - change is normal in a growth-proc
Page 35 and 36: Here the airn is also to accomplish
Page 37 and 38: I~THAT TI-IEY MAY ALL BE 0NE ••
Page 39 and 40: a covenant with the others and with
Page 41 and 42: the coming of Christ." Our proposed
Page 43 and 44: II~ IS ESPECIALLY BY THE BROTHFRLY
Page 45 and 46: that the brotherhood is sufficient
Page 47 and 48: Ifa comrrrunity is not one of "fait
Page 49: IIII IN THIS SPIRIT oF LOVE, EACH M
Page 53 and 54: holding one's tongue when called fo
Page 55 and 56: become the supportive envirorunent
Page 57 and 58: dim, our belief so unreal, our gene
Page 59 and 60: IVioUR SAME LOVE OF CHRIST INSPIRES
Page 61 and 62: We can justifiably ask if there is
Page 63 and 64: honest emotions, but rather it rnea
Page 65 and 66: "hundredfold" promised in the Gospe
Page 67 and 68: i f every rnernber r eceives a def
Page 69 and 70: These are obligations that cannot b
Page 71 and 72: If the individuals of a community h
Page 73 and 74: the breaking of bread and the praye
Page 75 and 76: Our community prayer should not onl
Page 77 and 78: unconscious of this, but if we one
Page 79 and 80: well merges with the joy of meeting
Page 81 and 82: VIIIIFINALLY, IF OUR COMMlJNITIES A
Page 83 and 84: displayed by the Lord in his m1n1st
Page 85 and 86: welcome others into it. But this un
Page 87 and 88: The leadership role of the superior
Page 89 and 90: behind closed doors)we will share w
Page 91 and 92: - speak the truth with modesty and
Page 93 and 94: 3. Don't try to fix a problem or gi
Page 95 and 96: Leisure time is very important. Man
Page 97 and 98: - -,.- -It should be evident which
Page 99 and 100: ì 28.The comnrunities should give
Page 101 and 102:
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Constitutional text - Chapter Tree - Our Community life

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