From 27 to 29 November 2019, the 93rd Assembly of Superiors General was held in the house of the Religious Sisters of the Virgin of the Cenacle. The meeting was organised by the Union of Superiors General (USG). The theme for reflection during these days was: Religious life in the 21st Century. In order to stimulate reflection, young religious from different cultures had been invited: Spain, Japan, India and Italy. For the elderly, the reference continues to be Vatican II, with its achievements, its failures and its promises, some of which are still unfulfilled. This group is also marked by the decline in the number and influence of religious life, at least in the West, and is concerned about the future. The group of younger religious, on the other hand, is more sensitive to a Church that is searching and which is not afraid of trying, a church that values deeper human community living and which prioritises presence and closeness especially to the poorest. The future paths of religious life consist in learning to walk together, in mutual listening and becoming more sensitive to the different generations that are present in our communities.
The Assembly concluded on Friday, 29 November with a meeting with Pope Francis and more than 145 Superior Generals in the Paul VI Synod Hall. The meeting consisted in two hours of dialogue between Francis and the Major Superiors. Among the topics discussed was the prophetic dimension of religious life. A question was raised as to how to discern the prophetic meaning of religious life as we journey together even if we are not sure to where and in which direction we should go. In response to this question, Pope Francis reiterated his recent exhortation to religious men and women, seminarians and catechists in Thailand: “Let us be alert to beauty, alert to a sense of wonder capable of opening up new horizons and raising new questions.” For this it is essential that we cultivate the capacity for astonishment and surprise before the living God, before the Risen Lord who makes our hearts burn. At the same time, Pope Francis invited the Superior Generals to be attentive to what is happening to so many marginalized brothers and sisters, as many founders and foundresses did. To be with the poor, working side by side with them, to know them from within their lived realities. It is out of the interaction of wonder and working together with the poor, that we may discover new paths, new ways of walking together. The way is Jesus. What we can do as religious is venture to "be the path" (Francis' neologism) even if the end of the road is not clearly visible. Do we, young and old, dare to trailblaze together in our congregation?
11/30/2019