Conclusion: building hope

That is the end of the reflections I want to put forward, in all sincerity, for your consideration, examination and criticism. I believe I have accomplished the task I was set.

I would just like to add a profound conviction that I am sure I share with you all: the consecrated life is rooted in God’s plans for his Church, it is not a social or cultural phenomenon belonging to a given period, but a gift of the Spirit for the Church of all ages; for our time and for the future; but for a future we entrust to the goodness and faithfulness of God towards his People, the Church.

We do not claim to have everything necessary to build the future; neither did our Founders: they put all their trust in the "one Lord" who had opened up to them paths of hope, even though at times these were routes and pathways they had not planned for and which they had difficulty in following.

Of us, it is asked that, trusting in the Spirit that brought us into the Church, we should open the doors to hope. There are always young people who look at us with faith and generosity; let us keep our doors and windows open every day so that they may "come and see", and let us continue to open our hearts to the Spirit so that he may renew us. That will be the best way to build hope.

(Original text written in Spanish)