Fidelity to the Church and to her mission in the world

14. The third criterion---fidelity to the Church and her mission in the world---sheds light on the fact that formation is integral if we are formed/educated to feel ourselves to be and live like members of the Church: Church icon of the Trinity, communion and mission. ²⁵

            The formation program translates into objectives and experiences, the contents of the 2^nd part of the Apostolic Exhortation, where consecrated life is defined as “sign of fraternity” in the Church.  VC reconnects the community to its source (the icon of Mk 3:13-15), explains the meaning of “fraternal life in community”, indicates the means and attitudes to develop, opens to other vocations together with which we constitute the Church, asks for the contribution of everyone in communion.  It is here that the task of promoting a “spirituality of communion” comes in (VC 46.51),  right from the first steps in the initiation to religious life, and, therefore, to make the formation community a genuine “house and school of communion”, in order to be able to realize communion among religious families and contribute, according to our charisms, to make the Church a “house and school of communion”.

15. Fidelity to the mission of the Church is fidelity to the vocation of the Church:  evangelization.  (EN 14) “…as the Father has sent me, so I send you” . (Jn 20:21

            The community, in contemplative silence and suffering for the Gospel (2 Tm 1:8), in order to build builders cannot fail to open itself to the mission of the Church in the world today. ²⁶ I have experienced that many obstacles come from “particular traditions”; “it’s always been done like this!”. Do we want to form young people for a world that exists only in our memory?  It is up to us to walk ahead first, in the new “agoràs” of mission, that is, of the life of humanity. This choice is part of objective pedagogic mediations, to be respected and developed with each person’s creativity.

16.   Allow me to make a note or rather, to open a parenthesis.  Each formation director in fact has

his/her own “educational creed”, explicit or implicit, matured through studies, with personal experience and that of others, in suffering and in prayer, in dialog with the educational proposals that emerge in an effort to improve formation and to contribute to the renewal of the institute and its mission. Each one taps into this “creed” to carry out his/her own formation program; in addition it becomes their immediate reference point, especially in the less easy situations.

 This “creed” is expressed, in an objective way, in the Rule and documents of the institute,

among which there is the “Ratio Institutionis”.  The “creed” is also described in the lived experience of the Congregation, which in its communities, persons and works is the handy “model" of our young people in formation, as it is for us adults.  The charism embodied in the toils and seeking along the road of daily life is, in fact, “the letter” written in our hearts (cf 2 Cor 3:2-3), which transmits a message of life and leads the young and the less young to follow Christ with the vigor and passion of the Founder and his/her followers.  It is a precious letter, imprinted with characters of the most diverse cultures.

            Secularism and consumerism tend to make us consider this conversation useless; they want to furnish an alternative model of “modern man” and of education; as they also tend to create interior discomfort for the time dedicated to prayer and study, because they aren’t considered “productive”; in addition, these “isms” tend to deprive us of the strength of faith and love that flow from the Crucifix, source of all life.  We know it.  We observe it.  But right here is the distinction, not as a defense, but as a call to travel these new streets of the poverty of man to announce hope and true happiness. We must continually train ourselves to this with a formation that is continuous and rich in values, open to the ever surprising action of the Spirit who forms in us Christ’s way of feeling. (VC 19)