acta ordinis fratrum minorum - OFM

A07nterno:ACTAORDINIS 16/5/07 16:37 Page 9494 AN. CXXVI – IANUARII-APRILIS 2007 – FASC. Iwhich permits you to meet and to take abearing on the situation of formation in theOrder by sharing the progress of each Conferenceand identifying together the elementson which it is necessary to pause andwork.I hope, first of all, that the time you aregetting ready to pass in Nairobi – in thecomplex and rich African reality – will bepositive and rich in results, besides constitutinga sign of your care and closeness tothe Friars who live and work on that Continent.Right from the start, I wish to thank inparticular the Province of “St. Francis” ofAfrica, Madagascar and Mauritius for thewelcome it has generously given to you.According to the indications of the SecretaryGeneral for Formation and Studies,which the General Definitory has accepted,the following topic will be at the centre ofthis XI Council: Ongoing Formation today:the person at the centre of the journey of aFraternity-on-mission. In this way theCouncil itself represents the second stage ofpreparation for the International Congressof the Moderators of Ongoing Formation,which will be held in St. Mary of the Angelsin October next. I believe that this appointmentis very important for the entire Order.We are becoming, in fact, ever more awareof the vital importance of ongoing formationto our present and, therefore, to the futureof our form of life itself.The present is marked by multiple phenomenon,not always reducible to a singleand harmonic reading. We are living incomplex times and the impressive speed ofchanges going on seems not to allow us tomake a complete synthesis that will last along time. This is clearly valid also for theconsecrated life and calls on us to be veryattentive to the signs of the times and to thegrace of the day we are living, in the light ofthe Gospel and of our charism. Living ourpresent intensely and with wisdom, lookingat both its lights and shadows, we arespurred to give due value to the dynamicprocess of ongoing formation, which isnothing other than the process of continuousconversion which constitutes the veryheart of the life and rule of the Friars Minor.Rather than being activities and initiatives,no matter how brilliant, ongoing formationwishes to accompany us precisely inan itinerary of faithful creativity and renewedeffort in accepting the gift of our vocationand in living it today. This is why itseems particularly important to me thatyour Council and Congress are being heldduring this year dedicated to the Gospelwithin the framework of the process ofpreparation for the celebration of the graceof our origins. Listening to and living theGospel in all its naked and disconcertingbeauty is what we wish to confirm duringthis period of change, in which we have thegood fortune to respond to our vocation.Our times are, therefore, beautiful and richin possibilities!Ongoing formation in its totality wishesto help us to live, already today, the grace ofthe future, which is the following of Christlived in our time and with the heart andmind turned to Him, who comes in theseour times also. A more profound and consciousadherence to the Lord in faith is,therefore, decisive today for any project ofrenewal or re-foundation of our life. If wedo not set out and if we do not find agreementabout this incandescent core of the experienceof faith, we can say that we willstrive in vain in any work whatsoever!Dear Brother! It is with simplicity that Ihope with all my heart that you will identifytogether the most urgent challenges sothat we all may be able to accept a more decisivepath of conversion and, therefore, ofongoing formation, with audacity and anew understanding so that we will not cometo a halt in a nostalgia for the past or in theparalysis of a present which we do not understand.May our father and brother Francis, whoat the end of his life always began again tolisten to and to live the Gospel, accompanyyour work through his blessing so that, withBlessed Mary, the woman of faith in permanentmovement, you may recognisewhat the Lord is asking of us today in orderto give a more radical response to His call.With my personal gratitude and prayerfulpresence, that of the Friars of the Gener-