Every day there have been five and a half hours of presentation of topics and proposals, information, explanations and clarifications, debate, dialogue – many words which are beginning to be engraved in the minds of the capitulars. Just as water that gently continues to fall on a rock gradually begins to infiltrate it, so these words are beginning to make their marks in our hearts, like seeds that we hope will become fertile and fruitful through the action of the Spirit and productive of new life for the Order.
There are words that pierce the heart like red-hot arrows, empty words that get lost, words that change lives, words that serve as a soothing balm to the soul and a melody to the ears, words that hurt and words that lift spirits, words that enter and do not return empty because they produce the fruit hoped for, but at the same time superfluous words, tiring words, words that don’t say anything. There are words that are like a two-edged sword and others that comfort and console, that produce joy, that communicate, that pacify the spirit, words full of life; but above all there is the One Word made Flesh, Jesus, the Incarnate Word of the Father, the first and last reason for this 54th General Chapter.
Revitalization
This topic has a tone of urgency, of fresh air, of renewal, of authenticity, of recuperating what is essential for life, of conversion, of enthusiasm, of new fervor, of courage, of roots, of life. All of these come together in the desires of the capitulars for the Order, and all of our work is concentrated precisely on seeing how we might accomplish these goals in the Order, how we might make this sap flow and circulate for the life of the Order, for its communities, for its religious, and also for its juridical parts and structures.
Restructuring
On to new challenges, to new responses, to new problems, to new approaches and creative solutions. Restructuring may sound like a magical word, capable of surmounting all our obstacles and solving all our problems; but as the days pass, we are becoming aware that true restructuring means greater unity, the commitment of everyone, a road to follow, hope for the Order, and a cry in the heart of many Augustinian Recollect religious, who have participated in the Chapter by sending their suggestions and who dream of a better tomorrow.
One heart and one mind is the cry of the restless heart of Augustine. Identity
Going to the heart of the matter without getting lost in superficialities, deepening our commitment to what and who we are, going back to our origins, becoming ourselves again, living with greater authenticity, being truly rooted in our religious consecration, feeling a sense of belonging – all these are expressions that will help us to understand where we hope to be going when we talk about charismatic identity.
Communion
For us Augustinian Recollects living in community, working as a team, and, in the final análisis, communion, is not so much a goal to be reached as it is a way to be followed, no matter what our objectives or plans as an Order, all the more so in these moments of individualism, independence, and autonomy in which we are living at present. One heart and one mind is the cry of the restless heart of Augustine and must be the cry of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, the cry becoming the way of life for a society in need of love, being disintegrated by its divisions, confrontations, and wars.