2.      Lay persons with special vocations

Beside persons who live their Christian commitment in an ordinary way in the arenas of family,

parish, normal social life, the Church knows many forms of associations of laity acknowledged by Canon Law. “The Church’s rich variety” we read in Christifideles laici, “is manifested still further from within each state of life.  Thus within the lay state diverse ‘vocations’ are given, that is, there are different paths in the spiritual life and the apostolate which are taken by individual members of the lay faith. In the field of a ‘commonly shared’ lay vocation ‘special’ lay vocations flourish.” (56)

            We are not yet dealing with groups connected to our religious families, but with associations of prayer, of charity, of cultural or social commitment… Often they arise and organize themselves based on a genuine particular vocation. In this area we could consider also ecclesial movements and, in some ways, some of the new communities, since both these forms of life gather a great number of laity among their members, if not the majority. With these groups there is a charismatic syntony: like the religious community, they are often born from genuine charisms.

            What is the relationship with these lay groups? The response, it seems to me, was indicated by the last General Assembly of USG (27-29 November). Something new: besides the 140 general superiors or vicars, there were 50 members present from 14 movements and associations (Theresian Association, Catholic Action, Community of Beatitudes, New Path Community, Communion and Liberation, St. Egidio, L’Arche, The Word and Life, Schoenstatt Movement, Focolare, Salesian Movement, Secular Franciscan Order, Christian Rebirth, Renewal of the Spirit).

            The topic of the Assembly of general superiors was not on the relationships between religious and Church movements, as had happened, for example in the assembly of 1987, as much as on how to face together the big challenges that the third millennium opens before us. It is an enormous change of perspective, that says what has to be the type of communion and cooperation that religious and lay associations must establish: “It’s not a question of looking at each other” said Bro. Alvaro Rodriguez Echeverria, superior of the Brothers of Christian Schools and President of USG, quoting St. Exupéry of the Little Prince. “but to look together in the same direction. which cannot be other than the salvific plan of God. We must unite our charisms to respond creatively to the new forms of dehumanization, new poverties, the calls that the world of the excluded addresses to us. A presence of solidarity must stimulate us to a fruitful creativity of initiatives of our own and to collaboration in joint initiatives.” Five big priorities were looked at together. For each one concrete testimonies were offered by an Order and a Movement. For the challenge of war, the Community of St. Egidio and the Combonians; for poverty, L’Arche and the Jesuits; for the communication of the Gospel, Communion and Liberation and the Dominicans; for spirituality, Renewal in the Spirit and the Carmelites; for inter-religious dialog, the Focolare movement and the Franciscans.

            Then, group meetings to go deeper in knowledge and in communion and to see what can be done together. It was an experience of intense and very rich communion between ancient and new charisms. More than the conclusions reached, everyone perceived the newness and beauty of the event in itself: so many charismatic forces in the Church finding ourselves together: a true gift of God which will have a great future.

            Participating in this assembly, I felt I was seeing an implementation of what Starting Afresh from Christ writes, where it invites consecrated men and women to be open to communion with other Institutes and other forms of consecration, in the conviction that “the future can no longer be faced in isolation… Dialogue and communion are also sought from new forms of evangelical life… Finally, a new richness can spring from an encounter and communion with the charisms of ecclesial movements. Movements can often offer the example of evangelical and charismatic freshness such as the generous, creative initiatives in evangelization.  On the other hand, movements as well as new forms of evangelical life can learn a great deal from the faithful, joyful and charismatic witness of consecrated life which bears a very rich spiritual patrimony, the many treasures of experience and wisdom and a great variety of apostolates and missionary commitments.” (30)

            I earnestly hope that also the UISG will also move into this line. It was also the desire of the lay people present, accustomed to relate with religious women in their daily life, and amazed to have to meet with only the masculine part.