When Jesus
began announcing the Kingdom of God he didn't put together a work
group or start a rabbinical school for future apostles. He created a
community. Jesus considered community to be a foundation stone in the
construction of his kingdom.
In his community we find the values of that kingdom: the presence of
Jesus, fraternity, service, communion, mission, prayer. In it we also
find fragility: its members have difficulty seeing things from a
gospel point of view, they are tempted to control and dominate
others, they struggle for power and important posts, they find it
difficult to welcome the weakest and smallest, there are ethnic
tensions, cultural conflicts and divergence of ideas.
Jesus did not succeed in achieving an ideal community. Neither his
advice, his admonitions nor his personal example succeeded in forming
a model community. Internal struggles did not disappear and when the
hour of truth came none of the disciples, despite all their promises
of fidelity to the Master, remained faithful. If we were to judge by
concrete results, Jesus Christ, as formator, would have been
transferred by his Provincial in the earliest possible reshuffle of personnel.
And yet this group became the seed of the future church, the
beginning of a project to change the world.
The community Jesus created
The first obvious thing is that it was not a ready-made community,
but a school of ongoing formation. Just because the disciples had
difficulty understanding and following Jesus' project didn't mean he
lowered his expectations of them. While he forgave and understood
weaknesses, he always called for the maximum. Half measures were not
enough. The presence of God in the community constantly demanded a
godly way of being.
The community of Jesus was centred on the person. The names of each
of the disciples are repeated several times, reference is made to
their roots, to their family members, to their history and their
place of origin. The apostles are not anonymous.
It was not a community of the elite. Jesus chose a great variety of
people: a tax collector like Matthew, side by side with a true
Israelite like Nathanael; a fanatical zealot like Simon (and perhaps
Judas Iscariot) by the side of James and John, who had friends in the
high priest's house. One has the impression that Jesus wished to
gather together into one all the divergent tendencies of the Israel
of his day.
The apostles' temperaments were also very different. Peter was
generous and enthusiastic, but also timid and hesitant in the hour of
truth; James and John were violent sons of thunder; Philip had the
knack of putting others into contact with Jesus, while not being very
good at solving practical problems - Jesus lost patience with him
once; Nathanael was somewhat narrow minded, to the point of not
admitting that something good could come from Nazareth; Thomas, the
stubborn one, would stick to his opinion for a whole week against the
united witness of the others.
Christian communities today
Saint Francis of Assisi would later say that all the Brothers were
needed to build community: the love and poverty of Bro. Bernardo, the
simplicity of Bro. Leo, the courtesy of Bro. Angelo, the good looks,
common sense and eloquence of Bro. Maseo, the contemplation of Bro.
Egidio, the prayer of Bro. Rufino, the patience of Bro. Juniper, the
physical and spiritual sturdiness of Bro. John of Lodi, the charity
of Bro. Rugero, the holy restlessness of Bro. Lucido.
Each one's gifts make for a rich community life. The elderly, the
sick, the least in the community can be great gifts for the
community. The most invaluable members are often the people who are
not in positions of responsibility. They are not made for organizing,
foreseeing or governing, but they are quick to notice when others are
in difficulty and, with a smile or a simple gesture, they let them
feel they are there for them. They always have time to listen. Their
doors are open. These are the heart of the community: they accept
those who don't get on well with others, those with hang ups, those
whose ideas are radically different.
The gifts of the elders, are very important. They give the community
its memory, they link past and present. They are never scandalized,
you can say anything to them.
Young people sometimes want to refashion everything, but they also
wake up the community, they don't let it stagnate, they keep it
turned towards the future.
Sick members are often unable to do anything except be in God's
presence. They are the community's sentinels. Their bedroom is a
chapel where the Blessed Sacrament is always exposed, the true place
of adoration in the community. Their very immobility keeps their eyes
and their heart focused on the essential.
We have communities that have the gift of history, of memory and of
living tradition. They keep us linked to our sources. They are
cenacles of prayer and contemplation that don't let us stray from the
essential. Other communities have the gift of youthfulness and
novelty, they are in tune with the modern world - windows to the future.
All are welcome. All are needed.
(Excerpt from a talk given to the delegates at the
Spiritan General Chapter 2004 by Portuguese Spiritan, Adelio Torres
Neiva )
Welcome
to the site of the TransCanada Province of the Spiritans. We are a
Roman Catholic Religious Congregation of over three thousand members,
founded in 1703. Our missions are spread worldwide. While we may be
found involved in many diverse ministries, we have dedicated
ourselves to working with the poor and in those situations where the
Church has difficulty in finding ministers. We hope you enjoy your
visit to our site and that while browsing you will keep us in your
prayers. May God bless you.
