FRATRUM MINORUM - OFM

70
AN. CXXIV – JANUARII-APRILIS 2005 – FASC. I
a process and must not stop, must always be
looking forward and never behind, accepting
the bet on a hope which is greater than
our narrow confines.
It seems to me that there is something
missing in our formation and in the intellectual
tension which studies require,
maybe it is that very disposition to progress
and to seek the new, to allow ourselves to be
penetrated by this searching, not coming
out of it as we were before but accepting
that many of our values and measures miss
out, in order to make us more capable of
greater measures, because they are donated
by Another. Our Formation is often tired
and weighed down. We should ask ourselves:
what are we continuing to form for?
Whoever does not ask himself this question
cannot extract himself from the slow wearing
down of certainties and forms to which
out times submit every non-renewed tradition.
I agree that we must take care of the integral
maturity of the candidates and encourage
that of the “already adult” Friars
and, equally, that it is necessary to guarantee
the level of studies and research. In the
same way it is vital to initiate an authentic
spiritual and vocational experience. We
must, as formators, secure an objective referential
framework. But I still ask myself:
for what? For what project? For which present-day
Franciscan life, at this time, in this
context? And with what disposition and in
what reality of courageous progress in order
“to dare the future”, trusting only in the defenceless
power of the Gospel, which is the
flesh of the Son of God, poor and crucified?
Formators can remain the jealous custodians
of the situation, of the status quo, or
are they, rather, called to become promoters
of a process, of a search for a full life, to be
capable of having “visions” of the future,
always aware that we can only live the impossible
of the Gospel through grace?
Can formators avoid putting forward and
allowing others to see and touch this fire
through concrete proposals of life and
work, of sharing with the poor, of a vital
and profound prayer, of a fraternity where
the other may be met and looked at in the
eye as soon as they have met? Here is a fire
to be kindled in the formators of our Conferences
and Entities. The rest is of capital
importance, but without this fire, we run the
risk of exchanging the Gospel for our poor
fears and disillusioned prudence.
I therefore think that every formation
programme for formators should include
time and some concrete means for reassuming
and becoming impassioned once again
with their own life and vocation, but in a
movement towards the new.
This is urgent in the Houses of formation,
in the courses of ongoing formation,
which run the risk of being born dead, in the
service of the Ministers and Custodes, in
the animation of Secretaries, etc. It is urgent!
Can we give witness to it? Can we
promote it as a sensitivity and an urgency?
Do we believe that to preserve what we
have today is already a useless effort, without
an eye, our intelligence, our will and
heart turned towards the future? Are we disposed
to pay personally for this? These are
crucial and not easy questions, questions
we are are asked wherever we may be.
4. La formación en la OFM hoy
No se me ha pedido una síntesis de los
informes de las Conferencias en este Consejo.
Ya las hemos escuchado. Me urge solamente
subrayar algunos puntos principales,
que considero útiles para nuestra reflexión
común. Los escojo de vuestros
informes.
a. La formación entre la conciencia de su
importancia para el presente y el futuro
de nuestra Familia y la fragilidad del
proceso formativo en un tiempo de cambio.
Se nos exige paciencia para sembrar
en vistas al futuro.
b. El contraste entre formación permanente
y formación inicial continúa y en algunos
casos llega a ser más profundo. En
la formación permanente es necesario
dar un grande salto de calidad. Con este
fin deseamos preparar muy bien el Congreso
Internacional para Moderadores
de Formación permanente en el 2007 para
ofrecer una fuerte señal que marque