IV. WHO must begin and continue a refounding

A simple cultural analysis of society leads us to conclude that, together with the rest of humankind and the Church, we are in a time of transformation or very great change. Our symbolic world is changing; old institutions are fading away and new realities are emerging. The existing ones are merging or integrating to form a new one. In the whole the situation is one of flux and, for some, chaotic. The form to assume, live and achieve those changes is different in each person, community and group.

For some what arouses more interest is what is emerging as the result of the transformations and what is more dangerous is to look backwards and want to stay behind; to preserve the "body" even if the spirit is gone. Who is visualising the new model of the consecrated life that is taking shape in our institutes? Who has the patience to wait for the good seed to sprout and grow? Who is causing something to be born and to die? Who wants to make this pending renewal in order to have revitalisation? Who is lagging and who is leading this movement to return to the charismatic foundation of the consecrated life?

These questions are what lead us to speak, as we said in the previous part, of possibilities of refounding and therefore of the refounders that are needed. The cultural processes go through chaos before the rapture of creativity arrives. In order to enter into this creativity there is a need for genuine refounders: individuals who have an understanding of the mystery of the consecrated life and live it; they create or reproduce symbols that inspire admiration and hope in the consecrated life; they preside at rites that are, deep down, a celebration of lfe, they know the anecdotes and have the vision that inspire action; they discover the myths that can explain the "divine" and human origin of the consecrated life and they know how to "tell" them. They are convinced that the state of the consecrated life is lived more authentically only when it is sustained in the Lord.

To put it simply, they believe in the consecrated life and they profess their faith and hope in it; they live and witness to a new model which combines the motivation, attitudes and concrete actions that help to be and to act in a manner differently than has existed up until now. They realise that animating the consecrated life at this time does not always mean being inspired by others. In short, these refounders have the charism for this job. People with these talents do exist within the consecrated life; from time to time the Lord raises them up. We have to be able to discover them. Sometimes this is done by a good election process in a general or provincial chapter or through a simple "popular" promotion of individuals in an assembly or in the daily living of a province.

For the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on the consecrated Life, the great renewers of the consecrated life have been the saints (n. 35). They were able to begin and carry out renewal processes. Whoever begins a refounding must be a saint; however, in order to find better and more easily what is necessary, it is important to know the "profile" of these persons. Therefore, and since no one has the audacity to believe to be a founder or to claim that title, I am offering one that I have met on various articles on the topic. I do so, as well, so that we can recognise that all of us can collaborate in this decisive phase of the history of our institute, because in all of us there is the seed of a creative fidelity that transforms reality; there is no doubt that some bear more and better fruit and the capacity for leadership in difficult times. Genuine reformers:

Intuit the lack of synchronisation between reality and the Gospel and intuit the practical ways for overcoming it. They realise that something is not right; They are embedded in the founding charism and draw inspiration from the best of the institute’s tradition; in presenting it, they do not repeat it, but recreate it; They already have a vision of the future of the consecrated life – and a concrete one – of their institute; in some way it can be said to be eschatological, and they draw their dynamism and creativity from it. They proceed as if they can see the invisible; They are close to the poor. They know that it is with the poor that we can shed light on this new path; They have special gifts of the Holy Spirit: joy, peace, patience, kindness, cordiality, wisdom (cf. Gal 5:22). In them one easily discovers a deep sense of compassion. They do not lack the gift of prophecy and they manage to embrace God and humanity in the same thought and moment; They are people who perceive the deep changes at the level of culture and discover that it is necessary to be open to these changes with a deep insight and an attitude of openness and dialogue; they manage to see in the reality that surrounds them the seeds of the Kingdom and important obstacles to the Kingdom’s becoming a reality; These persons are oriented towards the future. They know the past but, trusting in Jesus and in the Church, they plunge into the adventure of the future with a hope that is not always enthusiasm, but which is as necessary as the air that we breathe; They are capable of making profound transformations, but without entering into open or hidden conflict with their own congregation or the Church. They change within and adapt from without. The power to do so is sometimes confused with a certain daring to assume the risks that are necessary. They are inspired by a persistent and bold vitality to withstand the "battle’. However, they do their job with a talent that is in no way individualist or introverted; They think globally, but act concretely. They teach others to be for the whole world and not for a little region or a province. They do not lack the necessary tenacity to finish what they have begun; They believe in the importance of good communication and information for leading individuals and groups; They are good at identifying goals and offering ideals; they do not lack the precision needed for presenting strategies and indicating means. They easily translate their great vision into concrete objectives and proposals; They do not need personal affirmation and they proceed in their plans with the conviction that what they are doing comes from the Lord and it is to his glory and praise.

These individuals inspire and engender enthusiasm. They introduce a vision of the future, seek strategies for achieving this vision, motivate others to respond to this call and make them responsible for this work. Someone once said that it is enough for a province or community to have a prophet; we could say the same thing about refounders. Not many of them are needed.

However, there is no doubt that the charism of refounding can be shared among the members of a general or provincial chapter, a general or provincial council; a whole chapter or community can be refounders. In the final analysis, the fate of a religious institute is in the hands of its members. What cannot be lacking is that someone or some individuals want to set out on this path for the good of the group and, with great humility and authenticity they begin and further this process. Without a core group of persons who initiative and promote this process a plan of this complexity cannot begin or proceed. These people must remain at the task. They need to be men and women in government and bring to an end what they have begun.