Report for Monday, August 19

Br. Michael Sidharta

Overall, the atmosphere of today at the ongoing  General Chapter was one of fraternity. There were moments when the dynamics of the General Chapter became very emotional, but all of this enriched the encounter.

Today’s programme began with a morning prayer led by the Brothers from Chile Province. The theme of the prayer was “Our Mission.” In his introduction, Brother Diego emphasized that the mission of the Brothers is rooted in the call to follow Jesus Christ. To add more stimulus to the prayer, we were invited to draw inspiration from the FIC Constitutions, especially articles 15 (Called together and sent), Article 16 (In the spirit of our Founders), and 17 (Our principal concern).

After briefly reflecting on the message from the Constitutions, we were invited to contemplate the Gospel of Luke (4:14-21). This Gospel passage tells about the occasion when Jesus read the scriptures in the synagogue on the Sabbath. At the end of the Gospel passage, Jesus declared that the scripture passage He had just read was fulfilled in Him. This story can be understood as a declaration of Jesus’ mission.

The theme of mission and sending forth seemed to color the dynamics of today’s proceedings. In the morning session, we were invited to discuss proposal 27 regarding the possibility of the General Council organizing an Apostolic Congress, and proposal 28 concerning Financial Self-Reliance of FIC Provinces. Both proposals are closely related to the Brothers’ mission in carrying out their apostolate and managing daily life, particularly in financial matters. I believe the Holy Spirit is guiding the participants of the General Chapter to be more aware of the dynamics of our life and mission.

After discussing the proposals, we began the third stage of the General Council election process. First, within the provincial and RHN groups, we were asked to identify names deemed suitable for the task of serving on the next General Council. After the names were collated, the President of the General Chapter asked of the availability of each Brother whose name was mentioned. This set the stage for the process of personal discernment, reading the movements of the Holy Spirit in the election process for the Will of God to be done.

After nominated Brothers declared their availability, chapter members convened again in mixed groups to propose two General Council teams. The groups later presented the results of their discussions. This brought the proceedings of the day to a close. The rest of the day went as normal, namely the usual Eucharistic celebration, supper and evening recreation. We pray that the entire process of the General Chapter proceed smoothly, leading to the successful conclusion of this six-yearly meeting.