It is Tuesday of the final week of the Chapter, and the welcome coolness of dawn following an overnight rain set a tranquil and fresh mood over the morning’s activity. There was work in the conference groups (ceti) on the “Ratio Formationis” followed by the usual sharing of the group secretaries in the hall. But the highlight of the day was a visit from Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. This is not the first time the Cardinal has spoken at the Capuchin General Chapter.
His Eminence presided at the Eucharist, with the General Minister, the General Vicar and some of the Councilors concelebrating. In his homily, the Cardinal focused on some of the main themes of the Chapter: fraternal collaboration, fraternity and formation, with particular emphasis on fraternity. In his opinion, these “are the points on which we must do everything possible to live them well, so that, as consecrated people, we can make the words of Jesus resound around us: ‘by this they will know that you are my disciples’”.
The Cardinal linked the theme of formation to synodality, inviting everyone to open up “to this new way of being Christians, tending to all the cultures in which we make a presence.” He recalled that all cultures carry within them traits of goodness and values, which can be enhanced starting from the Gospel.
Commenting on St. Paul’s 1st Letter to the Corinthians on how to fraternally resolve some inevitable misunderstandings within communities, the Cardinal pointed out, “we need to find the criterion in the Gospel and open our hearts for this to happen, for Christ to be the criterion.” He stressed the need for dialogue, listening and openness to the newness that comes from the presence of the other in our lives. Recalling the vocation of the apostles, he noted that “Jesus chose the apostles after a night of prayer.
He chose a group of people full of good will, but with the same problems as every man, who had to find their way to authentic relationships. They were able to trust Christ; they had to make changes, to convert by drawing from above. Their journey is also ours: in need of drawing from above to open our hearts more and more to the Gospel, to communion, to fraternity. With an air of praise to the friars, he continued: “you have in you the charism of fraternity, a charism that has done enormous good throughout the world and continues to do so. You must continue to seek this path.” He concluded his homily by wishing that “the fruits of the Chapter will be immense, especially for true fraternity based on the power of God.” At the end of the Eucharist, the Cardinal stayed for lunch with the friars, thus demonstrating his affinity and kind regards. In the afternoon, the Chapter work continued with a presentation on the topic of formation by the Praesidium team followed by a discussion with the capitulars present in the hall.
