The Meaning and Purpose of Religious Life and Vocation Today

Brother Marcel nous l'avait promis,  une réflexion plus approfondie sur les changements de notre époque et les modifications en conséquence à apporter à la vie religieuse d'aujourd'hui pour qu'elle retrouve  le charisme de la prophétie. Ce pourrait être l'occasion de commentaires et d'échanges type "Café culturel" dont nous avions l'habitude à Mascherone. Notre blogue est tout ouvert pour les recevoir . Joyeux Noël à tous et meilleurs voeux à Laurent qui va répandre la Bonne Nouvelle jusqu'en en Indonésie. Florian 

Foreword:

            When the new Rule of Life was introduced to the Brothers in the local communities, there were many questions: How is it possible that what we have known and practiced for more than a hundred years can now be put aside?  Isn’t this whole updating “change for change sake?”  These questions echoed what the Church had taught for many years:  truth is eternal, nothing really changes.  And so, Vat. II really did usher in a new period and a new way of thinking.

            Because change happened so slowly through the ages, it was hardly noticed and it was deemed erroneous by the Church leadership.  But with the dawn of post-modern times, change began to take place at a dizzying pace and could no longer be held as suspect.

            Yet, if we look back to the times as recent as that of Andre Coindre, we realize that the culture then was particular to those times: few schools (almost none in the countryside), little health care, widespread dire poverty, little upward mobility, a God and me and salvation theology, etc.  By looking back, we recognize how change has happened and why it has been good and necessary.  We also realize that the culture of Coindre’s time is something of the past.  We are now at another time of crisis when change is sweeping over us, a time which demands a Coindre-type prophecy and leadership to organize the future in a new society and culture.  Nothing is being spared: spirituality, Church, religious life, vocation, education, society… 

I.                    A quick look at the particular value of religious life in Coindre’s time and culture:

     -     The religious vocation was an extension of Church and of parish life, the Pastor and parish being the center of cultural and spiritual life.

-          nearly all of the first Brothers worked in rural parishes;

-          the Pastor organized all social and religious activities;

-          religious life was the only ready-made system/structure available to founders to undertake their prophetic and social initiatives;

-          the work of the founders of these times was the beginning of the education movement in the rural areas;

-          education was a Church “affair;”

-          any kind of hope for advancement lay in the simple country school house;

-          most of the early Brothers had little or no education;  formation and training was done mainly in the local community under the tutorship of the older and more experienced brothers and continued throughout a lifetime;

-          religious life was considered a “better” means to save one’s soul and a detailed method of formation to religious values and ministry;

-          spirituality was very much a rote and formula thing.

  

II.                  The signs of our times:

-          the Church/parish is no longer the center of culture, education and social life;

-          the Pastor is one among many leaders in what concerns only the spirituality and religious activities of his community; society takes care of the rest with some exceptions;

-          basic formation, education and training are a given almost everywhere, at least where the Brothers are;

-          rural life benefits from nearly all the advantages of city life;

-          education is universal for all who accept post-modern times;

-          priests and religious are no longer privileged in spirituality, in education or in ministry; lay people can minister by right of their baptism;

-          spirituality is seen differently: God is understood and present in new ways; the world is no longer a danger to salvation, making the cloister and the religious habit, etc., practically meaningless; prayer forms, sacred spaces, the practice of the vows, the understanding of the founding charism, ways of living community life, the practice of the sacraments, worship and devotions have evolved;

-          many choices of life form and profession are readily available;

-          human awareness has grown by leaps and bounds.

III.               Conclusion to parts I and II

What is in question is not religious life/vocation per se but the social, cultural and spiritual expression of both as existed in Coindre’s time.   Both Sister Joan Chittester and Sister Sandra Sneiders (and others) have published recent articles re-envisioning the religious life and vocation for today.   Pope Paul VI called for a study and updating of religious life and vocation shortly after Vatican II; it would be well for Pope Benedict XVI and Brother Jose-Ignatio to do the same today.

IV.               Religious Life

Religious life dates back to the earliest times of the Church.  There were various reasons why both men and women created this form of spiritual life but it is safe to say that in all cases it was the work of the Spirit.  There was no blueprint for what these people did.  It was their way of being faithful disciples of Christ and to make a statement about the dignity of and well-being of humanity.

The earliest forms of religious life varied according to the inspiration of the individual(s) and according to the spiritual statement those individuals wanted to make, such as distancing themselves from court values of the empire, which made “Church” too powerful and too secular, or dedicating themselves to ministering to the poor and unfortunate.

At the time of our founder, the Church had given a rather definite form to   religious life and required all new Institutes to conform to canonical norms for this life.  A few things which occasioned this form was the idea that the world and its ways were corrupt and endangered one’s salvation; that this form of life was a more perfect life form than that of one living “in the world,” that is, a better way to love and serve God, to serve others and to save one’s soul; that a religious Rule for community, prayer and other traditions guaranteed a higher and more reliable spirituality; that regularity and conformity were necessary for religious life… 

Naturally, the form of religious life at the time of the founder reflected both the religious and secular culture of the times.  For example, many of those coming to the Brothers had little or no education, many had little knowledge of French (they spoke patois), had almost no religious formation, no training in social habits, no sense of organization or purpose in social services.  Thus, the Rule of Life was like a formation manual covering every aspect of daily life, of religious observance, of the practice of virtue, of the sense of ministry, etc., and the focus was on loving and serving God and on doing education among the poorest of the poor, who still had no education at all.   All of this can be considered the religious culture of Andre’s times.   Because this culture no longer exists, a new paradigm of religious life is necessary.  Every life form results from the conditions and situations of the period.  In re-envisioning religious life, it is necessary to study the signs of the times that should dictate what form religious life will take and what response it can make to the urgent needs of these time.

V.                  Vocation

Vocation is a call to a specific life form and a relevant ministry or relevant ministries.  Because it is necessary for a new paradigm of religious life, it follows that it is necessary to understand vocation in a new way.  The young people who are talking to us show much esteem and respect for the Brothers but they do not show excitement about joining us.  That is understandable, because we live and work a lot like we did 80 years ago, portraying a sense of vocation that has little to do with their world.  Vocation in the times of Andre Coindre was an exciting relevant thing and he had to warn the Brothers about taking too many young people without being able to educate and form them.  One of the signs of our times is that there is no excitement among young people to be one of us and do what we do.  This speaks volumns and demands that we give much serious attention and study to this and other signs of the times that demand of religious life and vocation a new meaning and a new look. 

VI.               Conclusion

The conclusion is stated in the last paragraph.  It is obvious in theory, but near impossible in practice.  As much as the first Brothers struggled to stay alive, now we are at the top of our game, although the “we” is misleading.  We have brought our schools to this day but now it is the laity who run our schools and are doing an excellent job.  Catholic education is their charism now.  The Brothers, who, as religious, claim to live a prophetic life form, must search out a new prophetic vision if they are to continue into the future.  For us, refoundation, re-envisioning the charism is now the name of the game.  As with Andre, the Spirit is here to guide us.

                                                     Dec. 17, 2011

                                                     Brother Marcel Riviere, S.C.