Keep on the way

The Mass at the closing of the General Chapter was celebrated in the basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, the Porziuncula. As beautiful as the simple daily Masses at Domus Pacis have been, it was very nice to be in a large church where the stones are balmed with prayer.

The general abbot, Dom Eamon, pointed out how the readings of the day referred to journeys to Jerusalem, and how Jesus is making clear to those who want to follow him what demands that will entail:

• What Jesus says is indications of a spirit and an attitude that takes God and the Good News seriously. They show us what may be asked of us and call us to a spirit of recognizing the priority of God in our lives. They are indicators of the kind of choices we have to make not only at the moment of first being called to follow Jesus, but are challenges that face us each day as we journey to our heavenly homeland.
• Despite making decisions with forethought and consideration we cannot always know all the implications of our choices. Just as there were moments of truth when the disciples were severely questioned about their ideas of what the kingdom of God would mean and the reality that Jesus proposed, so it is with us. Life and relationships are made up of expectations, surprises, disappointments, and joys – the learning that is part of our schooling in love, our growing relationship with the Lord Jesus.
• The journey continues and life will continue to surprise us and we will have to learn these truths again in new situations. God’s plans and purposes are always much greater than we can ask or imagine. The important thing is to keep on the way to keep our eye on him who leads us and to be ready to be surprised. May this Eucharist, this celebration of the mystery of faith renew our faith and trust in God, strengthen us for the journey ahead with our communities and may he, Christ, bring us all together to everlasting life.

Then it is all the goodbyes and parting, the long journey home and the joyful expectations of getting back to the regular monastic life in the communities that we love.

Thank you for following us with interest, love and prayers these weeks!

Sr. Hanne-Maria of Tautra 

Transparency

• Transparency.

The abbot general, Dom Eamon Fitzgerald doesn’t need much time to think when I ask him to give me a key word for his impression of this first single General Chapter of abbots and abbesses, so I could share with the readers of the blog:

• There has been a growing transparency from Chapter to Chapter. This year I find a great honesty in the sharing people have given. This was showed clearly in the Regional Reports, but also in the House Reports. People have been more prepared to admit where they are. The work in the commissions has been along the same line. It is the 8^th General Chapter I experience, and I find that this year there is more openness to other cultures, and more acceptance of others being different. We are not afraid to admit our weakness and difficulties.
• Is this special for the General Chapter or is it a change of climate in the Order in general?
• Dom Mauro, the abbot general of the OCist, talked well about this is his experience of visiting the communities, and I have had the same experience. Many people used to look at the abbot general as somebody up there, but my experience now is that people are happy to receive the abbot general, they receive me with love and very warm and good relations. I like to meet with the individual monks and nuns.
• Have you learned something new during this General Chapter?
• I have become more conscious about observing how people relate to one another. There is so much to learn from the interactions even in coffee breaks. Unconsciously we pick up a lot from what others say and how they interact, and we assimilate without acknowledging. I have become more conscious about how I do this, how I learn from observing others, says Dom Eamon, looking forward to a time of rest in Ireland after some very full weeks in the service of the Order.

In the evaluation of the Chapter it was clear that everybody appreciated the openness and warmth and pastoral care that have been so palpable in the work, and the strong sense of communion, especially in the mixed commissions where we dealt with the situation of the particular communities. Cheerfulness and good humor has contributed to a light and warm atmosphere. We were enriched by the depth in the sharings and the good mutual listening.

Although we lived through the sadness of the decisions of closing two houses (Achel and Ubexy), and the pain of difficult situations, we have experienced that this Chapter will give new life to our Order. It is a help to experience that one is not alone in the difficulties experienced. Many said this was the best General Chapter they had experienced. This applied both the warm relationships, the content of the conferences, the exchanges and the pastoral care showed in the commissions and the aula, and it applied to the liturgy, although there were different views on the use of Latin. We have experienced how the Charter of Charity is alive among us. Many thanks were given to those who have carried special burdens of responsibility and practical work, not the least to the translators and interpreters.

There was great satisfaction with the place and accommodation of the General Chapter, and although there were suggestions of choosing Lourdes or Fatima for the next Chapter, Assisi seemed to be the choice for most of the capitulants also for 2014.

In his last word to the assembly, Dom Eamon especially mentioned how he appreciated the reports of the regions, and the surprise gift of the Prefect of the Congreation of Religious Life allowing us to become one single General Chapter. The quality of the working papers was also mentioned, and the honesty, simplicity and friendships in the good relationships.

Sr. Hanne-Maria of Tautra

Homily of The Abbot General at Mass for the closing of the General Chapter, September 28, 2011.

As we gather for this last Eucharist together in the course of this General Chapter and move towards thinking of our journeys home the liturgy of today’s Mass puts before us in a number of ways people who are also on a journey and not just any old journey or trip but journeys motivated by the call of God in their lives.  We heard first of Nehemiah, living in exile, and doing well there.  On hearing of the state of Jerusalem, he is moved to sadness and concern and decides to return home to rebuild the city of God, the community and its worship.  And, we are told, the kindly hand of God was with him.  

In the Gospel Jesus has started out on his journey to Jerusalem where he too will do God’s work in the city of Jerusalem and fulfil God’s purposes.    Today we learn of three different encounters with people Jesus met on his way.   They all teach us something about following Jesus and the demands it can make on us.  The first encounter is with someone, who sounds young and full of spontaneous good will and enthusiasm:  “I will follow you wherever you go!”  Jesus replies with a dose of realism that points out to the man the cost of following Jesus.   It is a call to think well before making the decision, to realise what one is letting oneself in for.  The following of Jesus cannot be sustained by a spontaneous bright idea of ours, nor a momentary appeal which does not measure the consequences.  At another moment Jesus speaks of assessing your forces before going into battle and seeing if you have the material to finish the job before you start building your tower. 

The call of Jesus can also make demands on other human and earthly bonds – the demands of filial piety and the courtesies of family life.  This call is not to be taken as a rule of life in every situation but it shows us the demands that the service of the Gospel can at times make on the life of the follower of Jesus.  Each of the demands is made to individuals and should not be generalised and applied to all. We are not talking here about norms but rather indications of a spirit and an attitude that takes God and the Good News seriously.  They show us what may be asked of us and call us to a spirit of recognising the priority of God in our lives.  They are indicators of the kind of choices we have to make not only at the moment of first being called to follow Jesus, but are challenges that face us each day as we journey to our heavenly homeland.   Despite making decisions with forethought and consideration we cannot always know all the implications of our choices.  Just as the disciples in the Gospel were put before moments of truth when they were severely questioned about their ideas of what the kingdom of God would mean and the reality that Jesus proposed, so it is with us.   From the “Lord this must not happen to you” of Peter to the “we thought he was the one who would set Israel free” of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, to the realisation of Peter “Lord, to whom shall we go, you have the message of eternal life” the pattern will be no different.  Life and relationships are made up of expectations, surprises, disappointments, and joys – the learning that is part of our schooling in love, our growing relationship with the Lord Jesus.  

The journey continues and life will continue to surprise us and we will have to learn these truths again in new situations.  God’s plans and purposes are always much greater than we can ask or imagine.  The important thing is to keep on the way to keep our eye on him who leads us and to be ready to be surprised. The prayer of today’s Mass reminds us that we need to continually ask God who is merciful and forgiving to pour out his grace on us as we make our way to the heavenly Jerusalem, to the blessings promised by God where we will become participants of eternal happiness.    May this Eucharist, this celebration of the mystery of faith renew our faith and trust in God, strengthen us for the journey ahead with our communities and may he, Christ, bring us all together to everlasting life. 

Well done – makes for reelection

Another day of beauty has come to Assisi. The capitulants of the General Chapter are persevering in the last efforts to complete their work, another day of important but somewhat tiring voting, although the fact of now being one single Chapter simplifies the voting process.

Yesterday afternoon we finished the votes for the abbot general’s council. M. Regina of Abakaliki and Dom David of Spencer were elected for another six years and Dom Santiago of  Sobrado for three more years. So the council will remain the same as it is now, Dom Timothy of Gethsemani and M. Danièle of Les Gardes having three years left of their term. Dom Timothy was reelected as procurator general.

The capitulants equally showed their great satisfaction with the work of the Coordinating Commission in the votes for the promoters/promotrixes for the General Chapter in 2014. All the five members were nominated anew, and three of them reelected: Dom Bernardo of Novo Mundo, M. Benedict of Arnheim and M. Marie of Glencairn. It was pointed out how important it is to have somebody with each of the three official languages of the Chapter as mother tongue. This will facilitate getting the right formulation of votes in the different languages. Dom Jean-Marc of Bellefontaine and Dom Roberto of Cardeña were thus elected as new members of the Coordinating Commission.

Gedono’s foundation in Macau was approved by the general chapter this afternoon.

Sr. Hanne-Maria of Tautra 

“Communities don’t really like a perfect superior”

The theme of formation was central also today, as the reports from the sharing in the commissions were presented. The focus here was mainly on the concrete experience of ongoing formation for the superiors themselves. The following is taken from various reports:

• Our sharing happened in a very fraternal ambiance, very relaxed and simple. The means of formation emphasized is above all the Community: It does form us.
• Formation is more about receiving than passing on. Our liturgical life, reading and study are all about receiving. Formation is about teaching to receive life rather than transmitting life. One’s daily work is a going out of the self to do God’s will, and allowing God to shape us through the hard work of reconciliation and building community. Dealing with difficult personalities is especially formative, because we learn to depend on God and to go beyond our likes and dislikes in order to love the other, even when he or she distrusts us. Stability is especially formative: “I will be with this person for the long haul.” This realization forces me to keep learning.
• The common vision is formative. It is within our differences that we can find our fundamental agreement through listening to each other. Everything in our life is formative. We are formed by suffering, by carrying the Cross in our carrying the sufferings of our brothers and sisters, while also experiencing our own weakness. Our failures are a part of our formation. Transparency with the community when we don’t know what to do can empower them to work towards an answer and foster union.
• As superior I must live the monastic life fully myself. Loving the sisters and brothers and giving them first priority in my life, before work, guests etc., is central to monastic leadership.

Experiencing the joy of life is important in the ongoing formation, and openness to what happens each day, seeing it as the gift of God, and staying with prayer day in and day out:

• The abbatial ministry will bring forth our darkness as well as the light. Our life is a life of faith. It is important how I respond to events. When we have done all we could, we must leave the rest to God. The encounter with Christ never stops. This is a real challenge. The diminishment of the community can be humbling. We must see it in the light of faith.
• God is in the reality, and we have to obey God in and through the community. Perhaps the abbot is the one who has to obey more than anyone else. We are humbled by the office, realizing our limits, mistakes, learning to accept correction, to apologize without defending ourselves. We experience the gentle compassion of the community.

It was pointed out that our crises often are crises of faith, and can be seen as part of the deepening monastic journey through the paschal mystery:

• Meditating on the mystery of Abraham and Isaac, I saw that the “Isaac” that I had to be ready to sacrifice was my own conviction that the community had to survive at all costs. Giving up this deeply held conviction, my depression lifted. Let God be God, may his will be done. My task is the help the brothers follow whatever he indicates. A possible death of a community should be viewed with the same faith of Abraham. If our abandon to the will of God is pure, there will be a gift of life.

Lectio Divina was mentioned again and again as a fundamental practice in being formed to Christ. Many experience that it is difficult to persevere in regularity and fidelity to Lectio Divina when the responsibilities mount. Others find that this practice helps to stay in the being and not being absorbed in the doing. Lectio Divina and the liturgy hold a privileged place nurturing and strengthening in the daily life.

• Our participation in the work of the community puts us in touch with the lived reality of the brothers and sisters. Work welds the community together, and the young are edified by the seniors.
• The experience of listening to the brothers, of accompanying the dying, of accepting contradictions and criticisms from the community permits the superior to pursue his personal growth in all humility.   

We are clearly coming towards the end of the general chapter, only one more day to go, and finishing early in the afternoon also today. These few open spaces of time give an opportunity to sense even better what it means being in this holy city, visiting more of the Franciscan places, breathing in the charm of the medieval Assisi – or just sitting on a bench in the park outside where we live.

You sense a certain pull towards home. At the same time this place has become a home during these weeks. The smiles of the faces you meet grow greater and warmer each day, as the bonding between us grow deeper. The experience of the unity of this huge family is very strong. As one of the delegates said: I feel loved.

There are 19 delegates from the different regions. A short reflection of the delegates about their experience of the General Chapter was presented Tuesday, expressing their gratitude for a rich experience of communion at the heart of the Order:

• Beyond the diversities of languages and cultures, we recognize ourselves as members of a single family within which we feel ourselves welcomed and loved. We have especially been struck by the meaning of the abbatial service, pastoral care, listening and mutual support, the search for the good of all and of each, especially in delicate situations, the patience, quality and truth of formal and informal exchanges, the atmosphere of simplicity, common prayer and Eucharistic celebration, the universality of the Order and of the Church.

Sr. Hanne-Maria of Tautra 

Faces of Joy

The interior image I have from this morning shows the joy of perseverance: Three of the delegates walking up and down the ails of the aula handing out pink and white papers and collecting the votes – again and again, always smiling, always smiling from a deep joy.

I guess they are not aware of how much their smiles help the rest of us to persevere through sessions of voting that may be very tiresome. We continue to go through reports from the commissions, suggestions for votes, amendment of votes suggested, keeping straight that we have the right voting sheet in hand when the votes are finally taken. Communities and superiors waiting for decisions concerning their own community have to learn patience again and again. Then the relief or disappointment or great joy when the result is given.

Mother Regina of Abakaliki and Dom David of Spencer were both reelected to the abbot general’s council. M. Daniele of Les Gardes and Dom Armand of Scourmont were reelected to the Law Commission, with M. Marion of Crozet and Dom Elias of  Gethsemani and Fr. Germain of Koutaba as new members, all for six years. 

The following were elected to the Central Commission: Dom Bede of Calvaire, Dom Armand of Scourmont, Dom Joseph of Mt. St. Bernard, Dom Bernardus of Tilburg, M. Angela of Nasu, Dom Filomeno of Guimaras, Dom Vedaste of Mokoto, M. Maureen of Abakaliki, Dom Isidoro of Huerta, Dom Jean-Marc of Bellefontaine, Dom Patrick of Sept Fons, Dom Giacomo of Tre Fontane, Dom Francisco of Miraflores, M. Stella of Juigalpa and Dom Elias of Gethsemani.

Tautra Mariakloster in Norway was erected to a major priory.

Sr. Hanne-Maria of Tautra

To Persevere With Joy

How can we succeed in forming candidates that persevere with joy in the monastic life?

Dom Bernardo of Novo Mundo tried this morning to give a synthesis of the thoughts presented in the conferences given on the theme of formation at this General Chapter:

• The necessary foundation for the transmission of monastic life in formation is that of truth. This manifests itself in the evaluation of candidates and their capacity to fully live our life. Lasting harm is done to the community by admitting candidates who have no vocation to our way of life, and it may be harmful to persons if they are admitted without the requisite qualities.

This same honesty should mark how we present ourselves to the young, so they will clearly understand that we are not a university, not a media center with unlimited access to internet and telephones, and we are not the guarantee of a comfortable lifestyle or the fulfillment of the desire for power:

• We are a school of the Lord’s service and the Lord’s praise, a school of self-transcendence in which we aim to attain a common will – common among ourselves and common with Christ. Far from shocking the young, this honesty will attract them. They have not come to the monastery for the easy satisfaction of their desire, but to recuperate their identity as sons and daughters of God in Jesus Christ. This Jesus and the whole scope of his power and love, is often unknown to them at the time of their entrance. We must participate in the transmission to them of the “truth that is in Jesus”, not so much by catechesis (information about the faith) as by evangelization. 

Dom Bernardo referred to self knowledge as an indispensable foundation in formation to monastic life. To come to this self knowledge and a gift of self, a relationship of mutual trust must slowly and patiently be constructed:

• We must not be afraid of asking from those in formation everything that the Lord is asking of them. This will be ultimately experienced by them not as a crushing weight but as an honor and a call to correspond to the fullness of their spiritual identity. We must not impose a sacrifice, but see the particular greatness in what the Lord is asking of each person and call him to that greatness.

The community’s commitment to truth is expressed in its efforts towards ever greater unity:

• Only the unified community is formative. A united vision is built and maintained by the teaching of the superior, ongoing community dialogue and coherent behavior on the part of all the brothers or sisters. Failure is inevitable, but these can be productive as they stimulate us to gestures of pardon, to recourse to the sacrament of reconciliation and a renewed experience of ourselves as saved by God’s mercy. The young will then experience the monastery as “the house of peace, dialogue and mutual assistance” that they have a right to expect.

The abbot’s or abbess’ own contribution is the faithfulness they show in a truthful living of the deep reverence for God, honoring their fellow human beings and delighting in God’s creation:

• The ever deeper “fear of the Lord” based on the truth of who God is and who the abbot is, will get him beyond favoritism and pride, discouragement and self pity, and will enable him to take difficult but necessary decisions with compassion and objectivity. His own spiritual adviser can help him increasingly to discover and accept the truth of his own self.

All this, Dom Bernardo said, should lead us to liturgical living, to the constant praise of God who made us and daily remakes us more and more in the likeness of Jesus Christ.

Sr. Hanne-Maria of Tautra