A word from the Superior General

In the last issue of NEF, May 2015, I was sharing how much the witness of Maria Eugenia had struck me: the way she knew the charisms of the congregation, thanks to a Religious Brother for his sermon and his apostolic work, as well as his way of life. That delighted me to see that the life of one of our brothers was so attractive, appealing, capable of stirring up a conversion in this young woman. And I gave thanks to God for it.

This witness made me think a lot about the meaning of our Betharramite life. Since today an education is given to everyone, whether it is by the State or privately, it seems difficult for the life of a teaching Brother to be as meaningful as in the past. Difficult but not impossible. That goes too for those who work in the field of Health. So often Education and Health are professionalised.

The event of travelling to a far-off place for a mission also appears to be hardly significant to the men and women of today. So many volunteers and charity workers spend years of their lives within the framework of a relief organisation, for a service free to people and populations in difficult situations - as if this volunteering was fulfilling a sense of wanting to make a difference as a missionary might.

We must also add that, in the recent past, our missionary brothers have witnessed through their choice to stay near the local populations, instead of running off when confronted with difficult situations, sometimes putting their lives at risk. When the first events flared up in the Ivory Coast, the French Embassy employed helicopters to facilitate the evacuation of French nationals working within the framework of different relief organisations. They suggested to Father J.M. Ruspil to return this way but he refused to abandon the people who had been entrusted to him; this gesture was appreciated by the faithful of Dabakala. The same thing happened a year later (or so) to Father Bacho, and later on in Central Africa with our Italian missionary brothers. Equally, the presence of Father Sergio Gouarnalusse by the side of the peasants of Santiago del Estero, in the North of Argentina, in their struggle to defend their land, was significant and prophetic.

When our lifestyle surprises those around us and makes them pose questions, that is what is significant. That is how we are prophetic – we become a living word of the mystery of the God of Love for those close to us.

It is the seriousness, the coherence and the reponsibility with which we live day by day, individually and as a community, that produce our life’s contribution: That way, our spirituality within a material context thirsts after spiritual experiences; our celibacy in a pleasure-seeking atmosphere, our poverty in the face of those who only want to stockpile; our obedience in a world that puts self first, our brotherliness in an individualistic society; and our selfless devotion in the activities of our missions in the service to the poor and the good news of Jesus Christ, while in the average mindset only lucrative activities and sources of economic gain are looked for.

It can also happen that those who share our faith, as those who have other convictions, do not perceive this seriousness in our lives and do not see clearly that we are living by these values. Often from another perspective, our lifestyle contradicts our speech when we claim that we are dedicated. In our desire to live with others, we have not been capable of showing that there are things which, due to our free life choice, must be different, breaking away from the spirit of the world and must therefore be significant.

If we were to avoid this difference too much which would make us stand out, we would become changed by the world around us, as Pope Francis says. The individualism, which hampers the brotherly life, is well known to us all, as it is to those we are close to in the Parish or whom we live our mission among. We can say the same thing about the independant way we use our wordly goods or, as another example, our resistance to obedience to change. In the end, it is the lack of conviction, of passion, of servant-mindset or of joy with which we carry out our mission and which should be so characteristic of it.

We proclaim that our ministry is the good news of Jesus Christ, the building up of the Church, but the people of God realise that we are doing it to make ourselves feel good, to exercise a clerical power, to earn our living by means of a gainful activity. As it emerges, we are self-serving. The message that we send that way to others is a kind of professionalising of the ministry just as society has professionalised Education or Health. We are losing sight of the unique purpose of our ministry – having experienced the love of God which fills our lives with enthusiasm, we want to bring the same happiness to others. On the other hand, people notice that certain lay-people, without saying a Word, live the Gospel more earnestly than we do.

Our life must be the sign of light, of salt; it must be a catalyst. It must have coherence between what we say, do and have. These three dimensions of our existence cannot be in contradiction as the message must be clear, not confused, transparent, not opaque. All this depends on the consistency of our life. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Matt. 5: 14-16.)

Gaspar Fernández Pérez, scj
Superior General