Rome , May 20, 2007
Prot. N. 182/2007
The Gift of a Brotherly Heart
Letter to the Congregation for the Feast of the Sacred Heart
Dear brothers,
By way of preparation for the feast of the Sacred Heart over the past few years we asked you to deepen your appreciation for the invitation extended by the XXI General Chapter to renew our SCJ and religious life. We dwelt on the three pillars that ought to give support to our entire consecrated life: a heart that is attentive to God (spirituality), a heart that is open to our brothers (communion); a heart that listens to and is one with the church and the world (mission). After the General Conference, we delineated a social structure and a spirituality that set forth the heart as both the start and the fulfillment of a way to understand both our spirituality and our mission.
We wish to continue this reflection keeping in mind the celebration of the Feast of the Sacred Heart which is almost upon us. We want to focus our attention on the life of communion as a way to make our spirituality take flesh and as a point of departure for our Gospel witness.
1. Together as One We Receive the Gift of the Spirit
Our fraternal life is born from a gaze at the pierced side of Jesus (Jn. 19:25-37) which we are accustomed to do according to the example of Fr. Dehon. It is there that we learn of the manifestation of the immeasurable love of God for humanity. We are present at the birth of the church, the redemption of mankind, coming about through the gift of the Spirit and all made visible in the blood and water flowing from the Heart of Jesus.
The tiny community that received this revelation of such mysteries and gave witness to them deserves our special attention. In addition to a few women, the Mother of Jesus and the beloved disciple are mentioned. Apart from declaring his thirst for the gift of the Spirit and from consigning his life into the hands of his Father, the last words of the man on the cross to his own are: Mother, behold your son; son, behold your mother (Jn. 19:26-27). By these particular words Jesus intended not only to see to the care of his mother but to establish his community out of the faithful of Israel , represented by his Mother and the disciple he loved, who prefigured all those who were to follow. These two figures fulfill the plan that Jesus had made which was made possible by the gift of the Spirit; the tradition of Israel and newly established discipleship are united; he has initiated the true family of the risen one and the new creation.
We are born of the spirit of this mystery of love as Christians, as sons and daughters of the Spirit; we receive birth as the Dehonian community within the grand family which the church is. We are born as individual communities that both receive and give witness of the love of Christ, source of life and unity. Just as the evangelist himself was, we are born into life because we have seen, touched, and received the gift of the Spirit which issues from the Heart of Christ; we have believed and we testify so that others can believe. This testimony is no longer an individual matter, but the witness of an entire community. It is the gift of the Spirit that establishes the community of Jesus; and so, the fraternal life in his Spirit is the sign that reveals the presence of the risen one among his own.
The gift of the Spirit which makes the community of disciples possible, in New Testament tradition, fixes the culminating point of Jesus' mission. John saw this revealed at the moment of Jesus' glorification on the cross and made concretely visible by the disciples at that first apparition (Jn. 20:19-23). The Lucan tradition, instead, celebrates its fullness with the Pentecost (Acts 2). It is the Spirit which makes union between members of the first and second covenant possible, beneath the cross. On Pentecost morning it is the Spirit, too, that leads all brothers and sisters, from every language, nation, and culture to the identical language of love. Without such a gift and without community, redemption and salvation could not have taken place. For us, a mere glance toward the pierced One implies the origin of seeing with the eyes of a brother.
Truth and credibility cannot lie in a consecration or in a spirituality where there is no fraternal communion. John himself states that if anyone claims to love God and does not love his brother is a liar (cf. 1Jn. 4:20). Jesus, in turn, makes love the distinguishing sign and proof of belonging to him: All men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another (Jn. 13:35).
Our vocational charism, as Dehonians, should lead us to a particular awareness in building up fraternal communion through constant and generous attention to the matter. If harmony does not exist among us, to the point where some men do not talk to each other and are not able to work with each other, if our communities are not right with each other, how can we pretend to be: prophets of love and servants of reconciliation (Cst. 7)? But, accepting the invitation from the one who calls us to learn from him who is meek and humble of heart (Mt. 11:29), we must daily allow ourselves to model the Spirit which makes us accept our brothers and involve ourselves with them in the search for and realization of communion, beginning with the community we live in.
Whether in the local community, the province/region/district, or the congregation, fraternal communion constitutes the principal setting for our life where we must give witness to oblation and reparation, to service for building up a new world order: Within the Church we are called to follow Christ and in the world to be witnesses and servants of the communion of people in a fraternal community (Cst. 59).
2. The Congregation, An Enterprise for Communion
That option we made for fraternal life when we entered the congregation is exercised primarily in the local community where we are sent to be attentive to God, to share the life and resources of the community, to work together for the Kingdom of God .
We, the Community
This, “We, the Community” is the point of departure for communion among all Dehonians. We cannot speak of a “We, the Province” or a “We, the Congregation” without a true fraternal life among those who live within the same community. In very large part, the joy and fidelity with which we live out our consecration and the Gospel witness we give all flow from the quality of our community life. Seeking to be both faithful and consistent, our very first duty toward the Lord and our brothers lies in making our own generous contribution toward the building up of community wherever we are called to live and work.
Following the examples set by Mary and John, it is in community that together we contemplate and are attentive to the pierced Heart of the Lord. We take him as our model for becoming listeners and welcomers through the Spirit that he pours out on us. Particularly when we are gathered around the Eucharistic table, which sacramental event we protract in adoration, we believe that it is He who calls us together. Hearing and sharing the word ( lectio divina ) are sources for bringing people together and for having criteria to use in a common discernment of God's will. He it is that nourishes communion, heals divisions, make makes the mission achievable. Nothing can justify not taking part in this prayerful dimension of community life. Without it, all other dimensions will lose their reasons for existence, sooner or later. For this reason, every community must have at least one time a day for reflection and common prayer, preferably, at the Eucharist.
It is in the local community that each person must have a face, a name, a voice and feel esteemed and appreciated so that he is able to develop the gifts he has been given generously and joyfully. A community is more than just a work group or a liturgical choir. To build community means to really welcome a brother, giving him time, attention, affection, working with him actively and as an equal according to the role and function that each person has within the community.
In the same manner, each person makes use in common of all goods that Providence has made available for our life and mission. No one should keep for himself what he earns or receives; he puts everything at the disposition of the community via the common cash box and takes from it whatever he has need of. This evangelical freedom with regard to goods, practiced with transparency and mutual responsibility, is a basic element of fraternal community among us and of solidarity with those people who do not have what they need to live.
The service of authority , taking its inspiration from the Good Shepherd, the washing of feet, and the Son of Man who came to serve and give his life, is a very important part for advancing the manifestation of the Spirit in a community. Such service should be performed by paying attention to every single member, by promoting a atmosphere of fraternity, by sharing responsibility, and by coordinating activities. Decisions that are necessary should be made after a suitable participation by everyone in looking for ways to be faithful to God, to the brethren, and to the community mission.
We, the Province
Community life should be open to a “We, the Province” (region/district). In this way we learn to look beyond our own personal plans and the mission we engage in. We are part of a pastoral plan that integrates various and complementary ministries, whether these affect the life and advancement of the Institute, or the pastoral service that we are called upon to fulfill in the local church where we are located.
Our Dehonian identity and service which we offer the church and society goes beyond the sense of belonging to a particular province/region/district which sense of belonging is the source of loyal participation in our own life and mission. From those who are the leaders, its development calls for suitable information and occasions for celebration, formation, and involvement. It is through just such occasions that the brothers have the opportunity to get to know each other and share in the life and decisions that affect all of them. Every single person should feel summoned to take active part in the life of his own province. The common mission thus becomes like personal property and allows each one to give his service, skills, and abilities generously, with an open heart, to build up communion wherever Gospel service takes him.
We, the Congregation
Our “We, the Congregation” gives us both the challenge and the opportunity to open our hearts to the universality of the church and the whole world. The “We, the Congregation” is not built up by cutting us off from our roots or by not assigning us to work in our own community and province. The “We, the Congregation” is an experience we want to have from the beginning to enrich our international communion with the style we use to be truly Dehonian, with its diversity of cultures and traditions.
The General Conference of Warsaw has nudged the congregation toward greater communion and collaboration among the provinces while respecting the principle of autonomy and subsidiarity which has been part of our tradition from the beginning. By way of an ideal, the conference proposed that every single SCJ, in keeping with his own life, have the possibility and the readiness to give some time to a mission different from that which his own province of origin serves. We began our walk down the road of the congregation in a particular province, but, like disciples of Fr. Dehon, our hearts should be open to the horizons found in the Heart of Christ where we have been born. An SCJ should never lock himself up in his work, into his own community, his own country, his own language and culture. All these should serve, instead, as points of departure for a greater vision and sensitivity to communion and mission throughout the world.
3. A Community that is Always in Progress
No human relationship, even those arising from empathy and love, can be well maintained by sheer spontaneity and sentiment. To overcome any difficulties in preserving communion deliberate positive choices are necessary . This is even truer in religious community life which is not based on mutual family attraction or sympathy but on a common dedication to God's call. The Spirit is the one who transforms us and makes us fit for building fraternal communion and friendship. Our communities, and the congregation and the church alike, are formed from persons who bring their gifts as well as their weaknesses. Each one of these elements, in turn, has a positive or a negative effect on the common life. As a consequence, communities are never perfect and are always in progress. Like any living organism, they demand attentive commitment and hope on the part of each confrere.
We are frequently discouraged because we are unable to carry the community as it seeks progress in being built up. We are thus tempted to take the easier road: live with the divisions, reduce the tensions, hold back from building up communion, taking on the easier role of misunderstood victims and critics of a community that does not function. This attitude suits a community visitor or a client better than a community brother. Jesus declares faithful loyalty and love for his disciples, not because they are “lovable” but because he loves them. The original community was not already something good, but He made it grow into something good by offering his love to his very last breath, despite its defection, betrayal, and lack of understanding.
To be a believer when nothing is going well is not easy. To maintain hope and offer love and reconciliation in the midst of discord and hatred is a fruit of the Spirit . The Spirit alone makes us true prophets of love and servants of reconciliation in our very own communities. We cannot be such as utter sweet words because we have tasted honey, or to speak venom because we had to drink gall. We are the children of the Sprit and grace and therefore we have the capacity to avoid compulsive and automatic ruinous revenge. Both our duty and hope itself force us to build or rebuild communion every time we have to. This is how we practice oblation and reparation at the community level. Our fraternal life thus becomes a sign of Christ's presence among us and our hope for establishing a new order in the world.
4. Communion in Service to the Mission
In his description of the first community at Jerusalem , Luke makes the point that their fraternal life, based on hearing the word, prayer, breaking of bread, and the sharing of goods was a sign of their credibility . This brought about an attachment by new believers and gave the word that the apostles preached about the Lord Jesus some authority (cf. Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-36).
By its very nature, community is a proclamation of the effectiveness of the Gospel to transform the world through reconciliation and the new commandment to love. It is also a way by which one learns about Christ and how one allows his transforming action to take place. In a community one has to be open to welcoming whoever it is that shares our same faith, our daily life, and our mission. Hence, any success in achieving a community's mission will always be closely connected to the quality of fraternal life it lives.
The international and multi-cultural makeup of a number of our communities and the congregation as a whole constitutes one significant part of our witness to this fraternity. In a world of increasing globalization, that is victimized by new divisions, conflicts, and injustice, we wish to be visible signs of the universal love of God starting with our communities. In God all barriers sink into the ground and fraternity, solidarity, and collaboration become possible. In this way, we work together we work toward instilling a human and brotherly heart in the process of globalization.
Fraternal communion is not only a proclamation of the Gospel to the world but also a model of missionary style . Sending his disciples out “two by two” (Mk. 6:7), the Master helped us realize the community nature of every mission, even when a person must work alone: “It is important that each one, in his work, be conscious of being sent by his community, and that all consider themselves as interested and involved in the activity and mission of each one” (Cst. 62). Furthermore, in carrying out a mission, the person who is submissive to the work of the Spirit in his own community will always promote communion. Such a one will always welcome people, foster sharing responsibility with the laity, look for resolution of conflicts to achieve reconciliation and contribute to the edification of the church and a world of brotherly love. This spirit of fraternity will resist the illusion of “personal efficiency” which grows out of the inability to accept and work with his brothers and sisters and the desire to make one's own mark. This style of activity could actually lead to starting up certain works that, once the initiator is gone, could lead to problems or, in fact, to a dead end.
We have desired to give this testimony to the fraternal life humbly yet realistically . In fact, we are very conscious of the difficulties that we face when we build fraternity among us and the fragility of the vessels in which we carry this treasure. However, we feel one with our world wounded by divisions and discord but which looks for peace and solidarity: “The community lets itself be questioned by the people among whom it lives. It comes forward to join and to support their efforts at reconciliation and fraternity” (Cst. 61). Our witness is thus not that of an already perfect community but a daily walk down the road that leads to its construction. We do this by contemplating Christ, our Master and Brother, thanks to our prayer and daily efforts toward mutual acceptance and reconciliation. We turn toward Christ who consecrates himself for the Father on behalf of those he does not call servants but friends (cf. Jn. 17:19). Each day we offer ourselves, in brotherly sacrifice, to plant the seeds of reconciliation and communion beginning with our own communities and taking the planting to the world.
May the contemplation of the pierced side of the Lord whose feast we are preparing to celebrate, truly be an example for our own hearts. May our communities be credible signs of the presence and love of Him who makes the building of a new world in justice, fraternity, and peace possible through his Spirit.
Fraternally, in the Heart of the Lord,
Fr. José Ornelas Carvahlo, scj
Superior General
and his council
