Constitutional text - Chapter Tree - Our Community life

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 -