World Day for Consecrated Life

Circular Letter of the Prior General

   

You havecalled us for a mission

 

2 February 2020

 

To all theBrothers and Communities of the Order

 

Dear Brothers,

 

On 2 February, the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord, we shall be celebratingthe 24th World Day for Consecrated Life. Since it will fall on a Sundaythis year, Pope Francis will be celebrating  it in St. Peter's Basilica, with theconsecrated men and women in Rome, on Saturday, 1 February. 

 

I therefore send my best wishes to all the Brothers of the Order and allthe consecrated men and women who work with us on our mission,  and are members of our Family of St. John ofGod. This Day offers us the opportunity, once again, to celebrate our Religiousconsecration and to thank God for the gift of His vocation, following thecharism of Hospitality, in the spirit of St. John of God, our Founder.

 

For this event, the Holy Father reminds us that Jesus did not choose us and send us forth to become more numerous! Hecalled us to a mission. He put us in the midst of society like a handful ofyeast: the yeast of the Beatitudes and the fraternal love by which, asChristians, we can all join in making present his kingdom (ApostolicJourney to Morocco, 30-31 March 2019).

 

Almost a year has already passed since we closed the General Chapter ofour Order with a fraternal meeting with the Pope, in which he spelt out the mainthrusts of how we must live for our Order and, in particular, for ourconsecrated life consistently with his words that have I just quoted in theprevious paragraph. The final document of our General Chapter also set out veryclear indications for our consecrated life, at both the spiritual and apostolic,and the personal and community, levels.

 

On this occasion, I wish to stress the importance of continuing formation as one of the keys to thepermanent renewal of our consecrated life, as both individuals and as a community.For the formation of the Brother of St. John of God does not end with initialformation and with solemn profession. We are well aware of this. Formation is life-long.But we do not always approach it properly and we settle for running a few courseson topics that have to do with our spiritual, apostolic and fraternal life. Butthere are also times when these are barely touched upon.

 

All this forms part of continuing formation, but is insufficient initself. For the kind of continuing formation we consecrated people, and in ourcase the Brothers of St. John of God need, is formation that helps us to liveour consecration with passion, joy and enthusiasm, ready to devote our lives toGod and to His Kingdom, at the service of the sick, the poor and the needy.

 

Not all of us need the same formation, for we must take account of ourdiffering ages, cultures, apostolic missions, and other variables. But everyoneneeds to seek and nurture the elements that help us to live a spiritual,fraternal and apostolic life that is relevant in today’s world, along apermanent path of spiritual and hospitaller growth, a path of continuing conversion.

 

Every Brother is responsible for acquiring the means they need, andthese must be provided by the provincial and local superiors, who must organisethem to help the Brothers and the communities. The General Government ispreparing a document to offer guidance to the Order’s Provinces and Regions, tobe used to foster and organise the formation of the Brothers and the Communities.

 

Only if we nurture our consecration through continuing  formation, understood in this way, can werespond to the Lord's call to be yeast in the dough, and light in thedarkness. 

  

Let us all joyfully celebrate the 24th World Day forConsecrated Life and, as I have said on other occasions, may all the Brothers ofSt. John of God enlighten the world by bearing witness to Hospitality, as St.John of God did!   

 

United in Our Lord and St. John of God, I send you my fraternal andhospitaller best wishes.

 

 

Brother Jesús Etayo

Superior General

 

 

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