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a) I am very aware of the different situations that exist
throughout the Institute.
3. An Institute with communities in 75 countries has to be
flexible. Necessarily so. It cannot deal with every reality using a uniform,
universally valid set of solutions. Situations vary, and it must be
acknowledged that they call for diverse responses.
·
The
variety of responsibilities and circumstances facing the Brothers and their
works. Obliga-tions
and benefits vary from one country to another. For example, some governments do
not pro-vide social security, medical care, or pensions for Brothers. Quite a
few do not give financial support to private schools. Some Provinces have to
rely very much on their own resourcefulness, and to seek aid from benefactors
in caring for the needs of the sick and the elderly.
Some depend on financial assistance to start up new apostolic projects and to
maintain their mis-sion commitments. Over and above that, there are countries
where teaching does not provide a living wage, and the Brothers have no funds
for their formation programs.
·
The
differing economic and organizational capabilities of each Province. We have Provinces that are very
poor with many worries, and others that are financially well-off.
In some cases, Province funds are depleted because of internal disagreements
and financial mis-management, and yet some of their individual communities and
apostolates are living on easy street.
·
Different
ways of conceptualizing "poverty," and seeing the relationship
between "quality and effectiveness in ministry and the possession of
economic resources." This happens with schools and ministerial projects. We have very
different ways of understanding the vow of poverty and its connection with
spending measures that we believe are necessary for running a good school,
youth group, or other mission. The social milieu that surrounds our communities
and apostolates has a lot to do with this. And so it happens that Brothers who
are working every day among the poorest of the poor become somewhat skeptical
when we speak or write on this subject. I have the impression that it all
sounds like empty rhetoric to them, and that our Institute is continuing to
lose credibility in the area of collective and individual poverty.
I think that cultural factors have a greater influence on us in relation to the
vow of poverty than to the vows of obedience and chastity. Being poor means
different things in different societies, depending on family ties, the state of
national economies, etc. India has its tradition of the holy mendicant; in
Africa, wealth is considered as a blessing from God; in industrialized
countries, con-sumer societies give a different slant to the idea of poverty.
The location of our communities within countries also needs to be taken into
account.
Does that mean that when we speak of poverty, everything is relative, given
these variations and how rapidly the world is changing? When it comes to
economic decisions, the means we use, and lifestyles-which has more of an
impact, the Gospel or public opinion polls? How is it possible to train young
people in the virtue of moderation when they have never been taught about
sacrifice, and they live in luxurious surroundings? How is it possible to help
other young people to discover the value of being poor and unselfish for Christ
when they regard religious profession as a step up on the social ladder, or
come from a life already marked by the scourge of extreme poverty.
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