The Art of Listening and Communicating the Invisible

Bro. Eustachius Robert Eko Wijayanto

1. A.    Voices to Unite, Hearts to Listen

At a time when distances seem to be shrinking but voices are drowned out by noise, we have discovered that communication is not just a means, but a true vocation: the art of finding, listening to and recognizing each other as brothers, beyond borders, languages and cultures.

Since the 2024 General Chapter, we have embraced with hope the challenge of fostering lively, fraternal, and transformative communication that expresses unity in diversity. To achieve this, the General Council has promoted a communication training workshop for the management teams of our Provinces and the Religious House of the Netherlands.

The goal is clear and vital: to listen to each other more attentively in order to serve better. Clear and effective communication ensures quick sharing of information, supports shared coordination, strengthens unity, and improves work processes.

Clearly defined channels and protocols foster fruitful collaboration, minimise misunderstandings, and boost efficiency, bringing together people, provinces, and our shared mission. Similarly, strong communication skills enable us to manage conflicts effectively, maintain positive relationships, and strengthen unity and clarity of purpose.

Therefore, communication ceases to be merely a means of interaction: it becomes a path to encounter, service, and community renewal, strengthening our mission and uniting us as brothers across the world.

1. B.    Communicate to Unite

Fruitful communication goes beyond simply sharing information: it is an act of love, openness, and faith. When we speak honestly, when we greet others with empathy, and when we allow ourselves to be moved by the words of others, the Holy Spirit weaves an unseen web of communion within us that supports our mission.

Speaking, listening, understanding and forgiving become everyday acts of dedication.

Thus, words become bridges, listening becomes prayer, and dialogue becomes the human face of God's love.

 C.    Listen, Trust, Serve: The Art of Fraternity

The Province of Chile, currently made up of brothers from Chile, Indonesia, the Netherlands and Spain has learned to transform communication into a path of human and spiritual grow.

In the Chilean province, diversity in age, language, and culture has not been an obstacle but rather a school of fraternity. The brothers have realized that getting to know each other deeply requires time, silence, listening, understanding, empathy, compassion, and courage. Trust does not always come easily, but it flourishes when dialogue becomes an act of humility and hope.

Among the initiatives that have strengthened community life, the following stand out:

:  Feedback on the Effective Communication and Assertiveness Course: Opportunities for reflection and sharing, enhancing relationships through constructive dialogue, empathy, and self-esteem, while identifying ways to improve interactions across different contexts.

:  Sharing My Life Story: A personal, family, and vocational journey that enables us to recognize the milestones that have shaped each brother, fostering reflection, personal growth, and mutual understanding, and strengthening our sense of purpose within the FIC community.

:  Monthly Provincial Retreat: Scheduled for two communities, it aims to continue our journey of formation, communion, and discernment, living our consecration with authenticity and courage, following Jesus's example in our service and witness.

:  Meetings, Eucharist, Community, and Provincial Outings: Moments of fellowship and joy that foster mutual understanding and strengthen our unity and commitment to our shared mission. These activities include meals at restaurants, trips to the cinema, nature excursions, winter and summer holidays at the summer house, celebrations of national holidays, and other events that enrich our community life.

:  FIC Spiritual Journey Encounters with lay people: Spaces to strengthen our shared mission, grow in faith and unity, and promote a mutual commitment that deepens our vocation and service in the Church and the world.

:  Annual FIC Provincial Retreat: An event to renew vocational dedication, foster unity, and deepen the shared mission in an environment of reflection, prayer, and fraternity, promoting synodality among brothers and laypeople.

:  Community celebrations: Birthdays, Christmas, Easter, New Year's Day, 8 December, 1 and 21 November, as well as farewells and welcomes for travelling brothers, and other occasions that foster joy, closeness, and brotherhood.

These small daily gestures have yielded valuable results: a more human, closely connected, and evangelical brotherhood, where communication springs from the heart and becomes a seed of unity, trust, and service.

1. D.    The Challenges of a Small and Universal Community

The Province of Chile, modest in size yet welcoming to the world, reminds us of the challenges faced by every FIC community: maintaining communication within small groups, across different generations and cultures, requires patience, sensitivity, and faith.

Sometimes, the pace of the mission or language differences can create distance. But when we learn to look at each other with compassion, we understand that every accent, every silence and every story is part of the same symphony: the melody of universal fraternity.

1. E.    Communication as a Gift and Spiritual Pathway

At the core of the Gospel, Jesus gives us a prayer that encapsulates his mission and our congregational dream:

“…that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (John 17, 21)

These words, spoken on the eve of his passion, are a cry of love and unity, a call to live in communion that does not arise from uniformity, but from love that embraces difference. Jesus does not ask us to think alike, but to love one another in diversity, so that each encounter may be a space where the other can recognize themselves as a brother or sister, a child of the same Father.

Communicating, in light of this prayer, is not simply talking: it is making visible the communion that dwells within us. When words arise from prayerful silence and listening becomes a welcoming practice, communication is transformed into a sacrament of fraternity. Every sincere dialogue becomes a place where God manifests himself, and where the Spirit builds invisible bridges between hearts.

1. F.    Pope Francis' Vision: Building Bridges, Not Walls

Pope Francis, with his warm and deeply human gaze, reminds us: “Authentic communication stems from listening, respect and a sincere desire to build bridges, not walls.” (Message for World Communications Day, 2021)

 His words resonate deeply within our community life. They call us to communicate with kindness and understanding, adopting an attitude that aims to comprehend rather than judge, to support rather than criticise, to heal rather than divide.

In an era when messages are plentiful but face-to-face encounters are rare, the Pope encourages us to listen with our hearts, see with compassion, and speak with honesty rooted in love.

Building bridges involves reaching out to those who think differently, creating space for silence that fosters understanding, and building an environment where everyone can express themselves without fear. It also entails recognising our limitations and asking for forgiveness when our words cause harm. Only then does communication become an act of reconciliation and a promise of hope.

1. G.    Communication: The Path to Maturity, Discernment, and Pastoral Conversion

Following the Gospel and the Pope's words, we understand that fraternal communication is not only a human skill, but also a spiritual path. Effective and affective communication stems from self-knowledge, mutual respect, and a willingness to learn from others.

When we communicate with transparency and humility, we create an environment where discernment flows, decisions are shared, and the mission is strengthened.

Thus, communication becomes a school of pastoral conversion: it teaches us to move from ‘I’ to ‘WE,’ from isolation to collaboration, from fear to trust.

Every email, meeting, conversation, or brotherly gesture can be — if born of love — a seed of the Kingdom of God planted in everyday life. Communicating, then, is evangelising: declaring with our lives that fraternity is possible and that the Holy Spirit continues to weave His work among us.

H. Voices to Unite, Love to Transform

We seek a form of communication that unites, humanises, and evangelises, where every word, gesture, and silence becomes a gift of love to God, who calls us together as a universal family. We see communication as a light in the mission, a bridge between cultures, and an embrace across generations— a space where each brother feels his voice matters, his story encourages, and his life reflects God's love made simple. Because when we speak with respect and tenderness, and when we allow space for dialogue and listening, the Kingdom of God is made present among us. Communication then becomes a path of conversion and humanity, where we learn daily to say with our hearts: ‘BROTHER, I HEAR YOU, I UNDERSTAND YOU, I WALK WITH YOU.’ And amid our differences, we remain ‘one family, one body and one dream: to be a living sign of God's love in the world, communicating life, hope, and fraternity.’

ÿ QUESTIONS FOR PERSONAL AND COMMUNITY REFLECTION

1. Do I perceive our community as a welcoming, supportive, and respectful space where everyone can grow and feel valued?
2. What attitudes should I identify and develop to communicate with greater empathy, assertiveness, and openness?
3. What strengths within our community can we utilise to strengthen our relationships and dialogue?
4. How can I cultivate a mindful and responsible approach to digital communication that fosters authentic and positive human connections?