Report to the Chapter: Extracts

Br Giacomo Bini, ofm
Minister general

Spirit of Prayer and Devotion

In times of crisis and confusion, in order to re-situate our existence it is indispensable that we focus on the essential. Taking a clue from the biblical icon of the disciples of Emmaus (Lk 24: 13-34), and accompanying it with the reading of the Testament of St. Francis (1 ff.), we can identify some important steps along the path that leads back to a life that is God-centered and spiritually meaningful. Here is a summary:

* regain trust in the Lord, in ourselves, and in others. Nothing is more isolating that skepticism, doubt, and disillusionment. Faced with the “failure” of the Cross (Emmaus), as with that of apparent lack of success (Francis), there remains hope, the recovery of a total and evangelical reading of an existence projected toward the future, capable of overcoming the restriction of the “partial,” the passing moment. And the condition for this change is openness to listening, accompanied by an interior silence that is “active,” that expresses the will to begin again.
* place at the center of everything, as light that enlightens the whole, the Eucharist (Lk 24:31) and obedience to the Church, guarantor of this sacrament (Test 6-11). The Eucharist opens us up to trust again, to hope, to new relationships (Lk 24:33), allowing us to rediscover the others as gift, as brothers (Test 14). The Eucharist must thus be placed anew at the center of our day, of our fraternal relationships, as light to interpret events, strength that moves us to give ourselves in our daily involvements (cf. GG.CC. 21:2)
* create spaces for listening to the Word of God: it prepares us for Eucharistic hospitality, readies us to welcome the other without manipulation; and at the same time stimulates and moves us toward mission (Lk 24:33; cf 1Cel 21).
* sustain evangelical daring: new wine goes in new wineskins (cf. Mk 2:22). The Eucharist and the Word, received in a heart that is pure and available, will never leave things the way they are; they oblige us to reexamine structures, and urge us onward, even when not everything is clear.

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Communion of life in fraternity

To live the Gospel as brothers following Christ is our forma vitae. Based in the Trinitarian dimension, the Fraternity is formed in respect for the individuality of every brother, a gift of God, just as he is (cf. Spec 85). By means of this acceptance the Fraternity becomes theophany, a theological locus in which God can always reveal Himself anew, become “incarnate” and make Himself present in our world: “From this they will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (Jn 13:35). To live this fraternal relationship in communion and sharing signifies being faithful to our vocation and mission (cf. GG.CC. 38-40).

This fraternal dimension structures our style of life, our way of working, our way of doing mission. The fraternal relationship also defines our relationship with God, with ourselves, with others and with the world.

The writings of Francis are very clear on this element, fundamental to our spirituality. After the numerous studies and reflections of the past years on Franciscan Sources, I believe that no one any longer needs to be convinced on this point. The Constitutions remind us of the indispensable demands for authentic fraternal communion: “The life of fraternal communion requires on the part of all the Friars the unanimous observance of the Rule and Constitutions, a similar tenor of life, participation in the acts of the life of the Fraternity, particularly common prayer, evangelization, and household chores, and finally, the handing-over to the community of offerings received under any title whatsoever” (GG.CC. 42:2). I do not believe that further comment is needed.

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Expropriated

“The brothers follow Jesus Christ who ‘humbled himself, becoming obedient to death.’ Faithful to their calling as lesser brothers, they go through the world ‘in joy and gladness,’ as servants and subjects of all, as men of peace and with humble hearts.” (GG.CC. 64)
This article of our Constitutions is a program for life that is beautiful and joyful, that can be attained through a progressive liberation from all that slows us down and impedes our journey toward the Lord in service to our brothers.
Our steps are slowed down by so many forms of dependency and slavery, so many bits of tinsel of soul and body that make us forget what is essential. To become once again free from every form of property-holding contrary to the Rule is the most urgent challenge. “The brothers shall not make anything their own ...” (Rb 6).
We are called to:

* free ourselves from the exaggerated cult of our personality, of our self-realization at all costs, in order to be more faithful to God’s plan for us, in the specific vocation of minority and humility.
* free ourselves from an activism that is boundless and meticulously organized, that leads to an independence in which there is no longer room either for the creativity of the Spirit nor for obedience toward the Ministers, nor for the necessary responses to the expectations of our world.
* free ourselves from the fears of tomorrow, and to make ourselves available for the surprises that God has in store for us today, in order to be free to depart even “without knowing where to go” (Heb 11:8), confronting the risk of the present and the future, trusting in the Lord, according to the style that is proper to Consecrated Life.
* free ourselves from securities, internal and external, that do not allow us to rejoice in the active presence of the Spirit.
* free ourselves from any personal property, from individual projects that are exclusively self-referential, that make us sadly turn in upon ourselves.
* free ourselves from so much, too much money that we utilize without scruple for so many superfluous things.
* allow ourselves to be freed by God! We cannot begin the journey of following without this attitude of liberation.