WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!

If we had officially stopped the General Chapter, after the General Superior and his General Council was elected, and then tell the story to the Brothers and the Associates yesterday, would we have proclaimed the good news about the legitimate General Chapter of the FIC Brothers 2018? If we had explained to the Brothers and the Associates the discussion like what was written in the General Chapter Message yesterday and edited further according to what we have discussed further yesterday, would we spread the legitimate explanation?

But this morning, we have experienced a happening, that does not belong to any official written documentation of this General Chapter as such.

What did we experience? An integrated experience of “formulation of an understanding of what FIC Brother is from older Brothers  told to the younger generation”; non only that, they have created a joyful and happy encounter, because they have  concretely created a love-relationship in a wide and deep sense of the word, about “living in communion of the Brothers”: not through teaching but through “communicating the mind, the heart and the experience of faith in the Congregation of the FIC Brothers”. We could ask: had the discussion on the Report of the GC, conversation about the Proposals, different proposals about juridical and financial or organizational matters no meaning. Yes they had. But I think, all of that together with the experience of this morning, was very deep and very impressive, to enable me to give a complete story about the General Chapter 2018 of the FIC Brothers: otherwise, it would not be complete, showing what is the community of the FIC Brothers.

Let me give you a story about somebody, namely Jesus Christ, whom we want to follow, as Children of Mother Mary. She and He is a true village family.

Matthew 5:1-12 has tried to give the focus of the teaching of Jesus through the Eight Beatitudes (just like the General Chapter Message). It is legitimate and true. But John 1:45-51 show Jesus from a very different angle: it is a story, picturing the disciples of Christ learning to be witnesses of the Guru in another happening. He is shown as a simple man. Nathanael sees him not more than a villager: from that part of the world, you won’t find a good thing. But that is exactly the way, witnessing of Christ happened in a very specific way.  Faith here is not understanding the Teaching Jesus, nor following the Healing Jesus, or looking for the Consoling Jesus, but the experience of the Disciples to get nearer to Jesus.

Natanael experiences a very impressing approach, Jesus has given to him. There we have a very important faith experience. I have the impression,

That faith is truly an experience of our relationship with the Lord.

Let us ask the Lord, to give us deeper and deeper faith experience, individually as well as communally.