“I am what I am today it’s because of I
am Capuchin”, said one elderly and holy friar. I liked and appreciated the statement,
which made me to reflect on my own life. It’s so true that we are made
something and someone because of the Capuchin Order. There were and are friars
who acknowledge this truth and fact. They are full of gratitude towards the
Order and all those who worked for their growth. What we have and posses belong
to the fraternity that molded and formed me to achieve it. Just imagine what
was our past and what is our present and future will be. The Order gives
selflessly and it is expected from us the same.
It’s in the fraternity that we are formed
and given a spiritual shape with the presence of Christ who brings us all
together with our talents and gifts to develop. Nothing is achieved with our
sole efforts and hard work but the fraternity helping and supporting us to be
what the Lord wants us to be. The grace of our capuchin calling allows us to
flower and bloom. We become in the course of years what the Order expects from
us when we totally and unconditionally give to the Lord and Order. We integrate
and incorporate ourselves into the fraternity by giving of ourselves. We slowly
forget all our personal projects, plans and agendas and we take up the
fraternity’s project. We get involved in it totally and thus bring about plenty
of fruits. In carrying out the fraternity’ vision and mission forwards we must
be accompanied by our own Rule, constitutions and the orientations of the
General and Provincial Chapters, which define today’s way of life in keeping
with the Capuchin charism, source of our unity and of our brotherhood. We can
then move on to its concrete implementation according to directives, which will
yield satisfactory results. As we have become aware, working out the fraternity
project implies a process of community discernment. It is appropriate,
therefore, that we try to understand the process thoroughly. We know how
difficult it is to carry out such discernment in our personal life. Carrying
out such discernment in community involves the same requirements, but performed
in heartfelt communion with others, unanimously seeking only God’s will. It is
by no means my intention here to provide a method of discernment but simply to
underscore some aspects of that process.
Many of us forget this fact and truth. We
think that purely on our own strengths and power, intelligence and gifts we
have become someone in the Capuchin Order. What we would have been in the world
if not in the Capuchin Order? Let’s not forget this truth. Let’s work and give
more to the Fraternity and not keep on receiving and taking it back what we
have given on the day of our profession in the Capuchin Order.
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