Marist Brothers - Irmãos Maristas Province of Southern Africa - Província da África Austral Province Office, Area 9/290B, Box 1077, Lilongwe, Malawi February/Fevereiro 2013 Newsletter / Bolletim Informativo From the Provincial’s Desk … 1 February 2013 I know even at a young age I was clearly in search of something meaningful in my life. It Dear Brothers, was drummed into me by my initial formators At the start of this letter I would like to – to live a life in Jesus’ service as a Marist apologise for sharing with you a hang-up I Brother. I also realised that very few people have concerning the title “Brother”. At the understood the path I undertook as there was end of last year, when I was visiting a little understanding of brotherhood. community, an incident occurred where I was Sometimes we misunderstand what religious told that I was emotional about it. And that I life is. We can say all the right things like: am! “Religious life is a form of consecration to This is what happened. As we were leaving God, characterised by the profession of vows after Mass in the chapel belonging to a of poverty, chastity and obedience.” In this community of Sisters, I was introduced to a consecration we are meant to give witness to seminarian on pastoral duty as “Brother”. My a life given totally to God and to our brothers reaction was: “He is not a Brother!! He is a and sisters, in the imitation of Jesus, who seminarian!” made himself a servant out of love of all The title is important to me and should be people. This is what we as brothers should important to all of us because of what it make visible, the loving and saving presence stands for. A few days prior to this incident I of Jesus. was chatting with a young man who told me he would like to join the brothers, I asked him, “Why?” He said that he felt that God was calling him to be brother. He understood the brother’s vocation and call better than a number of us do. I would like to share some of my feelings and thoughts on brotherhood as vocation that means so much to me and I hope to all of us. Let me share some thoughts on our brotherhood in this letter to help us rethink In his Encyclical Vita Consecrata, Pope John our commitment to Jesus and Mary. Our Paul II wrote, “The Church has great esteem Constitutions clearly explain the importance for the kind of consecrated life in which of our vocation in the church. (Constitutions religious brothers provide valuable services of Articles: 1, 3, 6, 8, 114, Statues 170.3) various kinds, inside or outside the community, particularly in this way in mission same service of what is good; brothers to of proclaiming the Gospel and bearing witness everyone, in their witness to Christ's love for to it with charity in everyday life. Indeed some all, especially the lowliest, the neediest; of these services can be considered ecclesial brothers for a greater brotherhood in the ministries, granted by legitimate authorities. Church.” This requires an appropriate and integral By living in a special way this aspect of formation: human, spiritual, theological, Christian and consecrated life, religious pastoral and professional.” brothers are an effective reminder to religious The misconception of the brothers’ vocation is priests themselves of the fundamental evidenced by some laity, priests and sisters, dimension of brotherhood in Christ, to be who have asked me: “Why did you not go all lived among themselves and with every man the way and get ordained since we need and woman, and they proclaim to all the priests?” I was called and chose to be a Marist Lord's words: ‘And you are all brothers’ (Mt Brother that I may put my whole attention 23:8).” and energy on nothing else than to make There are some key elements of the vocation Jesus known and of a brother. loved to those children and youth 1. Brothers should live an intensification of entrusted to my care their baptismal consecration. since I was convinced 2. Brothers should make a total gift of self to that this ministry to God through their vows of poverty, young people is a chastity and obedience. vocation complete in 3. Brothers’ lives should be a fraternal life in itself. common. Our brotherhood helps to give a balance to 4. Brothers should imitate Jesus by a certain the church’s concept of ministry as there is a detachment from the world, in our case in tendency to put things in a hierarchy and to the Way of Mary. overemphasize the sacramental ministries to the detriment of the other ministries of the 5. Brothers should live lives of prophetic church. We as brothers can become a window witness to the Kingdom of God. for the whole Church in its search to become 6. Brothers should offer themselves in the servants of God’s people. practical and generous service to the Let me go back to the incident about the use Church. of the title “Brother” mentioned at the 7. Brothers should serve a common mission beginning of this letter. Why does it annoy me that flows from and nourishes their when I hear the term applied to seminarians? fraternal life. Once again I will quote what Pope John Paul II said in Vita Consecrata. He says it so much 8. By their identity and spirituality, brothers better than I...“……the term brother suggests should reveal the fundamental dimension a rich spirituality. These Religious are called to of “brotherhood in Jesus”. be brothers of Christ, deeply united with him, 9. Brothers manifest that the profession of 'the firstborn among many brothers' (Rom the evangelical counsels is a complete 8:29); brothers to one another, in mutual love vocation in itself. and working together in the Church in the 2 There is so much to say on this topic that I only one father who is in heaven (cf. Mt 23:8- could go on but I will conclude with just a final 9) – can become a window of the Church as a paragraph from an article written by Armin real community of believers.” Luistro,.a De La Salle Brother: “The struggle of I trust that you now have some food for the Religious Brother to live in true thought about our wonderful vocation as brotherhood with his confreres is a counter- Brother. cultural statement against the prevailing views of masculine aggression, dominance May God bless you and Mary support you in and indestructability and can point towards a your vocation as brother. possibility for male bonding, friendship and fraternity which are essential aspects of Christian intimacy, maturity and commitment. A community where no one is called father – because they are all brothers and they have LENT: An introduction, a little bit of history, and a few ideas As you know Ash Wednesday occurs in two endured on the cross, and it was a time to weeks’ time on 13 February, marking the remember the sin that put Christ on the cross beginning of Lent. What follows is the fruit of and the sin in our own lives and world. some research, some thoughts on the season, and some suggestions about ways to engage Reflections in Lent this year. At its heart, Lent is a journey to wholeness, a journey of joining God in his redemptive and History saving work in the world. But that journey Lent has a long history. It began in the early begins with a journey through brokenness – church as a time of preparation for those who we join God in his redemptive work of were going to be baptized and fully accepted wholeness by first confronting the brokenness into the Church. Baptism happened only once in our own lives and in the world around us. a year on the day before Easter. It was a time We confront the barriers that keep us from for fasting and prayer, as well as a time of God, the barriers that keep us from each study and learning about Christ and the other and the barriers that keep us from doctrines of the church. Candidates were to God’s creation. This is not a onetime act. We prepare for the new life and new birth that do not overcome these barriers in a day or in would come with their baptism on Easter. 40 days, but the idea is Eventually the rest of the church joined in this that each year we go practice (some say they did this as a way of through this Lenten showing fellowship with the new believers) process and that at the and by the Council of Nicea it had become an end of it each time we official season of the church calendar as a 40- find ourselves day period of fasting and repentance and closer…closer to the goal preparation for Easter. It was a time to of wholeness and of remember Christ’s 40 days in the wilderness, joining God in his loving a time to remember the suffering Christ work in the world. 3 Lent is not just about giving something up for was not supposed to eat meat or drink alcohol a few weeks and it’s not just about focusing at all, with fish being allowed as an exception on our sin and repenting for a few weeks – it’s to the no meat rule. This practice was really about growth. The very word Lent intended to join believers with Christ’s means “spring” or “springtime”: falls during suffering and the suffering of the world.