We just sung “Spirit, who art fire and love, who comes forth from the Father and the Son.”A Divine power which is for us a source of creativity, liberation and perseverance.

I have asked the jubilarians to let me have a text that inspires them. It will not surprise you that for all of them Jesus Christ is the inexhaustible source of inspiration. In the Constitutions we read: “He brought the liberating message of the Kingdom of Heaven as a Message of love.” Jesus Christ delieessage not onltul Message not onlt inwordsuions we read: vered this Joyful Message not only in words, in what He says and does, but also in  what He is. It gives him a charism that has a very strong attraction on all of us.  

A charism that we also see in  Pope Franciscus. The manner in which he helped and blessed the refugees made a deep impression. He also broke with the tradtion that on Maundy Thursday the feet of only men are washed. Instead of this he also included women and muslim prisoners, Images that left a deep impression behind.

We do not always manege to hold on to that Divine power that inspires and urges us on and in moments when life is difficult for us to be open and receptive to it. During the visitation of the General Council the attention was drawn to the old age and vulnerability of the Dutch Brothers in the Congregation. We often see and experience it as a weakness. But if we do accept this as such  and surrender ourselves to it, in that vulnerability a strength can break through, can appear. Therefore it is exactly at this moment very important to be in contact with our source of inspiration. It is exactly at this moment very important to  be a brother of people; having loving attention for one another and being close to each other.

We all may draw from the Divine Source that has been given to us. We can allow ourselves to be fed by it. To receive hope and energy of life from it.

That, which stirs up the good in us and instigates us  to be good and do good,

As the poetress Henriëtte Roland Holst expresses in one of her poems: “This is what we surely know: all creation will rise to perfect love”. Let us allow ourselves to be inspired by this  knowledge, by this belief.

Let us now sing about the Lord Who is accesible for little people.