A Player in the Church's mission…

From the gift of communion arises the duty to build fraternity: in other words, to becoming brothers in a given community where all are called to live together. By accepting with wonder and gratitude the reality of divine communion shared with mere creatures, there also arises conviction "filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit" Acts 13:52

In our days, and for our days, it is necessary to take up again this "divine-human" work of building up the community of brothers, keeping in mind the specific circumstances of present times in which theological, canonical, social and structural developments have profoundly affected the profile and life of religious community.In order to live as brothers, a true journey of interior liberation is necessary. Israel, liberated from Egypt, became the people of God after walking for a long time through the desert under the guidance of Moses. In much the same way, a community inserted with in the Church as people of God must be built by persons whom Christ has liberated and made capable of loving as he did, by the gift of his liberating love and the heartfelt acceptance of those he gives us as guides.

The love of Christ poured out in our hearts urges us to love our brothers and sisters even to the point of taking on their weaknesses, their problems, and their difficulties. In a word: even to the point of giving our very selves.

The sign par excellence left us by our Lord is that of lived fraternity: By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another". John 13:35

Along with sending them to preach the Gospel to every creature, the Lord sent his disciples to live together "so that the world may believe" that Jesus is the one sent by the Father and that we owe him the full assent of faith (JN 17:21). The sign of fraternity is then of the greatest importance because it is the sign that points to the divine origin of the Christian message and has the power to open hearts to faith. For this reason, "the effectiveness of religious life depends on the quality of fraternal life in common." John Paul II to the plenary meeting of CIClSAL 11/20/92

A religious community, if and to the extent that it promotes fraternal life among its members, makes present in a continuous and legible way this "sign" which is needed by the Church

From this new york subway car to the sidewalk or in the Sanctuary these Lay Brothers Evangelize every corner of society.

above all in her task of a new evangelization.

Also for this reason, the Church takes to heart the fraternal life of religious communities: the more intense their fraternal love, the greater the credibility of the message she proclaims, and the more visible the heart of the mystery of the Church, sacrament of the union of humankind with God, and of its members among themselves.

Fraternal life is not the "entirety" of the mission of religious community, but it is an essential element. Fraternal life is just as important as apostolic life.

Religious communities, aware of their responsibilities towards the greater fraternity of the Church, also become a sign of the possibility of living Christian fraternity and of the price that must be paid to build any form of fraternal life.

This is especially true in the diverse societies of our planet-torn as they are by the divisive forces of passion and conflicting interests.They yearn for unity but are unsure of what path to follow.The presence of communities, where diverse people meet as brothers, and remain united despite the inevitable conflicts and difficulties inherent in common life, is in itself a sign that bears witness to a higher reality and points to higher aspirations.

"Religious communities, which by their life proclaim the joy and the human and supernatural value of Christian fraternity, speak to our society about the transforming power of the Good News." John Paul II to the Plenary Meeting of CICSL 11/20/92

"And above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony"(Col 3:14). God wishes to inundate the world with his love; so, fraternal communities become missionaries of this love and prophetic signs of its unifying power. "FRATERNAL LIFE IN COMMUNITY", part II. By: The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. 1994