1.2. Getting back relationships
My working hypothesis is that the new image of the vc should first and foremost be that of relationship. "Relationship" in its widest and most essential meaning, precisely because relationships are at the basis of human life. Man is a creature of dialogue; through sin, however, he risks "falling in love with his own voice", forgetting the Word that created him and continues to call him and speak to him, to provoke and trouble him, to console and encourage him… The vc is the echo, or image, of that Word, and the religious is an interlocutor who speaks aloud for Him whom the world does not see or hear, but Who wants to enter into a relationship with this world, even with our modern and postmodern world.

How is this renewed image of the vc expressed?

1.2.1. "Decentralized" Consecrated Life
The implications of the relational model are legion and we certainly cannot presume to describe them all here and now. The concept of decentralization would seem to express a series of "negative" implications. It should be said that a vc which does not trespass upon the central role - which does not belong to it because it is God’s - is therefore less preoccupied with itself and its resources (of various kinds, not just financial). In concrete terms this means those institutions less preoccupied with themselves and their own survival, less troubled (to maintain certain levels of presence and works) and less affected by fear (of counting less and of not being successful), a fear which, the document on vocations states, always "gives very bad advice" and is not open to any kind of future. In this sense, we really must say that the vocational crisis, amongst other things, has had the effect on us of a very healthy slimming diet, freeing us from unwanted fats and harmful toxins, that is to say from the burdensome and self-centered pretensions which put us at the center of things.

Nowadays, it is true, we are no longer in an age of religious grandeur; the diet has undoubtedly had some results, but there is still a lurking temptation to reassume the role we were happy with for so long. The following may be some of the habitual signs of such temptation: preoccupation with numbers (cf. the sin of David’s census) that too often leads us to place less importance on the quality of new vocations; the cult of efficiency that makes us ignore the rules of evangelical conduct, which often bear no relation to the rules of progress or human success; idolization of our own achievements (what we manage and own) - better still when these are visible, if not out and out imposing - that gradually makes us incapable of co-operation amongst our various institutions or with other bodies, lay and ecclesial, of just giving a hand, and sometimes gives rise to the desire to ‘have children’ who will, of course, bear our name. A worrying sign of this… fall into temptation is the barely hidden depression we suffer when these dreams do not come true.

There is an ecclesial and lay sense, which still does not seem to be a definite part of our deeper sensitivities, but which could in fact be a fruit of this decentralization. As Rahner said, we are all still somewhat individualistic, having been formed in individualistic structures. The demon of self-centered individualism takes a long time to die, because it can transform itself into shapes that are pleasing to the eye (e.g. the equivocal concept of private saintliness).

1.2.2. "Extroverted" Consecrated Life
This is the positive aspect of the discussion about relationships. The vc must not take any central place, not only because the center is God, but because the very function of the vc itself, in this pilgrimage through time, is to point out the center, the reason for following the pathway, i.e. the centrality of the Eternal.

Here then, various prospects and renewal scenarios are opening up. We will quickly indicate only a few regarding both the internal aspect, the vc’s way of thinking, and the external, apostolic side of the question.

1.2.2.1. The religious principle
At the heart of the vc, of its culture and witness, is the so-called principio religioso, which consists of the essential recognition of the Other and its unconditional existence, in radical orientation towards the Other as such. The Other as God, above all, but also as our neighbor, the person standing next to us. Yet all this is not just the principle at the origin and heart of the vc, it is behind every living reality; we have already noted that man is a creature of dialogue, who discovers his "I" only by means of a "you"; only when he feels called by a "you" does he come to life, because a call has been made to his foundations. This primordial fact is indelibly impressed on his make-up, making him "responsorial", permanently involved in dialogue.

That is why man is a religious being, including in the etymological sense of the word, because in the depths of his being there is a relationship and he is called to live that relationship, he is made in the image of the Trinity and profoundly marked by the trinitarian dimension, which is the ultimate celebration of relationship, as a recognition of otherness.

For this reason, St. Basil sees the meaning not only of monasticism, but of man himself, in community life, and the cenobium as a place of brotherly love, of purification of all relationships and of the fulfillment of charity, as an environment for achieving the perfection of man. This is a very important statement because, if this is true then the vc has the sacred duty to show that it is also actually possible and can be physically translated into the realities of life and everyday relationships, within the dynamics of community.

This cannot happen if the vc does not finally decide to really assume a new face, no longer to think of itself in terms of how it fulfills its rules and achieves its private perfection, but to see itself at the service of God’s people, with whom and amongst whom it is making its way to the land promised to everyone. So, let us say, firstly, that the vc must have an image, it cannot do without its own expressive and communicative visibility, it cannot be anonymous or prefer to hide ambiguously (false humility); it has the duty to express to itself the reasons for its hope and confess them to the world and the Church. Secondly, it must have a new image - new, mind - not only and not primarily because it will increase the attractiveness of the vc itself, of its audience that raises support amongst the lay and religious public, but because in a certain sense relationship is and is destined to become ever more refined and more methodical, because relationship means love, in the final analysis, with all its associated implications.

1.2.2.2. Relationship as exegesis and test of the vc
If the religious principle is also the principle of faith, then it is also the principle of the vc. Which means to say that communication is the most important value. "Indeed, it is the value from which all other values originate in one way or another. In the evangelical sense this is the value to which all other values are subjugated, because the greatest of all is love (1 Cor. 13,13) which, in the form of a luminous spirit, leads us to renounce ourselves as long as the relationship lasts".

Let us look, purely for the sake of example, at three possible applications of this principle to the dynamics of renewing the vc, in the areas of spirituality, community life and the apostolate.

* Spirituality: sharing the gift

Spirituality, for example, is essentially a relationship with the God of relationships, the God-Trinity, the God of Community, the God who has a face (yes, Him too!)- a particular face - and who decided to reveal that face to us in the son, Jesus Christ. That face is both paternal and maternal, with all the countless details "told to us" by the Gospels. So our charisms become, firstly, the revelation of the face of God. Even more, every charism reveals a particular aspect of the divine face, whilst all our charisms together reveal the unique face of the Holy Trinity. In consequence, any kind of spirituality at once shows a clear relational system, and is in itself the celebration of a contact, the search for a face ("I am looking for your face... show me your face"). All this must be more than just a purely interpretational meaning of the spiritual event: i.e. it is not just a matter of content, but also represents a question of method. In other words, it tells us that spirituality, by its nature, must be communicated, it cannot remain silent and unexpressed, it is not made to console the listener and satisfy his expectations and ambitions. On the contrary, it is a gift from on high which, like all gifts of God, is destined not for the single individual or the single institution, but for the Church, nay, the whole world. It is a gift given to ennoble the community; as Paul clearly tells us in his theology of charisms, we are only shareholders in these gifts, not the final recipients, who are the Church and the world. Therefore authentic spirituality must be communicable, expressed in simple words understandable by all, otherwise it is not true spirituality. The new image of the vc does not have to be sought all over the place: it is here, in the form of our own spirituality now finally being shared with the people of God and freed from the initiates’ jargon that often expresses things in language that is not in current use and which not everyone can understand. The new image is a spirituality that is not restricted to the context of "practicing piety", is not overly official or unintelligible, nor shut away in our sacred texts and archives, but a spirituality that is brought to life through contact with history, with the life of the Church, with present-day needs, with the signs of the times, with modern culture..., an image and a spirituality that have adapted to the culture; the new image of the vc is above all the gift of the Spirit translated with the knowledge of the Spirit into simple language, that spoken by simple people, by the poor, for whom our first gift and service is exactly this: the translation of our spiritual wealth into local languages and dialects. We must, however, remember that in so doing we are not achieving anything extraordinary or especially deserving, because these gifts were given to us for just these people and only if we pass them on into their hands can we ourselves understand and enjoy them. Otherwise, if the gift stays in our hands it will wear out, will lose warmth and color, weaken and continue only to repeat itself; then we will become the curators of the museum and the face of the vc will grow old and wrinkled, it will no longer have anything to say because it will have moved outside the relationship, and it is well known that words spring from relationships. The new face of the vc will be a much more ecclesial and worldly face, much more marked and enlivened by relationships with the Church and the world than it is now.

* Community life: the communion of saints and sinners

Another example we can provide is that of community, or the concept of fraternity. Rediscovering relationships, and rediscovering the religious principle as a radical orientation towards and unconditional acceptance of the Other, could radically change the direction of intra-community relationships. Starting with what we have just seen regarding spirituality. If spirituality has a relational nature and destination, then that has an inevitable and immediate significance, firstly, for relationships between all those who share in that spirituality which, indeed, by its very nature, must necessarily be shared. For no single person possesses the whole gift; it is given to each one in an absolutely unique and original form. Only by sharing it amongst the members of a community can a charism shine in all its beauty and attractiveness. This means sharing the gifts of the Spirit, the Word of God, spiritual intuitions, experiences of God, the hardships of the pathway, but also the doubts and uncertainties, even our limits and weaknesses, in the diverse and unique forms that appear in each individual. Community relationships do not mean the simple exchange of conversation, word and words in a free flow, i.e. banal and irresponsible; they take on an exact form and configuration, to be precise, that sharing which gives rise to communion, to the solidity and depth of our mutual bonds. The document on fraternal life puts it very well: "the more central and vital the things we share, the stronger the bond of fraternity". The new image of the vc, then, will be visible, obvious and convincing testimony of true fraternity, of how we can build unity in diversity, communion in sharing before God both good and evil (the communion of saints and sinners); in a world where, on the one hand, all sorts of boundaries are tending to become more and more elastic and, on the other, where new fences seem to keep springing up like walls of ice both inside and outside the heart of man, this kind of testimony is all the more urgently needed; the new image of the vc will be a sure interpretation of perfection as "overcoming divisions, antagonisms, separations", but above all as the ability and freedom to "make part of love, everything that usually breaks up relationships and makes us retreat within ourselves"; finally, the new image of the vc will be the statement of a saintliness that is not only individual, but also shared, built by joint effort, with the ability to absorb the diversity of one and the sin of another, yet not content to accept and forgive, [preferring] "to try, patiently and with difficulty, ‘to grow together, one beside the other’ before God, ever more united, sharing in grace and forgiveness". I know that in some communities, as well as the three classic vows, members make a kind of promise of "perfect community life": could not this too, expressed in the widest possible variety of forms, be a sign of the new image of the vc? A true relationship with God, restoring the person to the center of himself and truth of his being, continually renewing him and all his relationships, which are lived anew in the joy of freedom. The experience is, then, that prayer (relationship with God) produces friendship (relationship with man) and friendship produces prayer and that, together, prayer and friendship bring joy, serenity, creativity, the capacity for ‘contagious’ witness.

* Apostolate: the image culture

As a final example we can look at the aspect of the apostolate. In this period of new evangelization the vc is called to enter into a new relationship with man, a relationship more profoundly marked by the religious principle as the essential recognition of the unconditional existence of the Other. As briefly indicated above, such a principle does not apply exclusively to God but - originating in Him - extends to every "other". Unconditional acceptance or full recognition does not mean only empathy or general goodwill, still less any kind of neutrality. On the contrary, it means assuming responsibility towards others, seeing a face and discovering its beauty and dignity. Levinas puts it well: "The revelation of others is ipso facto my responsibility towards others: being aware of others means an obligation towards them from that moment on... Consciousness is the spur which directs us to others, not an eternal return to self". I believe the vc must take a much more serious attitude towards its presence in the world, in contact with man and his sufferings, open and hidden, material and spiritual. The new image of the vc is the face of modern man. It is the face of everyone we in the consecrated life meet face to face. In particular, it is the face of the poor man who fell amongst thieves, with whom the Samaritan had no special connection, nor obligations of race or religion, but who, nonetheless, was generously and speedily helped by the "good" Samaritan. The new image of the vc is that very face of the Church as the "good Samaritan" who takes care of others, whoever they are, because they are living creatures, because they have individual characteristics, beyond any question of personal interest or the limits that man might spontaneously apply to charity. For it is not a matter of charity, but "a relationship and responsibility to which I respond even before I can ask myself how I should act and what I should do", as Levinas always says, and this relationship and responsibility is universal, offered to any and everyone; it cannot be restrictive and selective, shortsighted and obtuse. It is exactly this which makes us attentive and caring, courageous and generous, creative and good at involving others in service or in sharing - yet again - the blessings of the love that leans towards those in need. The new image of the vc is the way, peculiar to each institution, in which space is given to others in a spirit of love, resulting in the successful involvement of others in that responsibility. It is the culture of the human face, the mysterious icon or the modern shroud of the most beautiful and dramatic face in the whole of history.