Society
Of The Divine Word

Being a Brother – Becoming a Brother
At the end of this month there will be a joint assembly of the two unions of the Superiors General, the female and male congregations. Normally, we have separate assemblies. The female congregations, because of the big number, are having their assemblies every three years, while the male congregations twice a year. We are going to reflect on the last encyclical of Pope Francis: Fratelli Tutti. Prior to this joint assembly two meetings were organized for the purpose of getting to know each other. In the first meeting, we shared in small groups two questions: How has someone become brother/sister for me? And how have I become a brother/sister to someone? Reading the encyclical Fratelli Tutti (FT) and reflecting on these questions I became aware how being a brother is a gift that we receive. I also realized that becoming a brother as a gift ought to be shared and given away. This is exactly the essence of our call as religious. And you, dear Brothers, live this as your vocation: to be brother and to become a brother. Living your vocation consistently you remind and invite us of our common call to be and to become brothers for one another.

A gift that is “received, shared and given away”, these three notions are used in the document of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (CICLSAL): “Identity and Mission of the Religious Brother in the Church”. I believe this document is familiar to you. I would strongly suggest that you use this document as one of the principal resources for the formation of our candidates and novices, both brothers and clerics. I would like to use this document as the main source of my reflection, together with the encyclical FT which reminds the Church and the whole world of the importance of being a brother and of the call to become a brother. I also make use of the document of the second general assembly on the SVD Brother vocation in 2009 as well as the 18th General Chapter. To organize my presentation, I will be using triple Ps: Prologue, Pro-existence, and Prophecy. I found this in the article of Martin Lechner, a Professor of Pastoral Theology at the Salesian Institute of Philosophy and Theology in Benediktbeuern, Germany, on the pastoral for youth of the religious congregations.1 Since all of us are consecrated persons, both Brothers and priests, what I am going to share speaks volumes of our fundamental call to be religious.

Prologue: the primacy of God – being brother: a gift we receive

The first P connotes the Prologue. The Prologue I am referring to here is not directly related to the Prologue of John, the favorite Gospel passage of our Founder, Saint Arnold and of our Society. What is meant here is the conviction that God has the first Word before anyone else. The Word of God is in the beginning of the universe, the Church, our Society, and our vocation. This primacy of God has several consequences. The first, our religious vocation is a gift from God to us. Out of His love to the world and the Church, God calls us to be religious, and you, in a special way to be and to become a Brother. The document of CICLSAL says: “The vocation of the Brother is part of the answer that God gives to the absence of brotherhood which is wounding the world today. At the root of a Brother’s vocation lies a profound experience of solidarity that essentially matches that of Moses before the burning bush: he discovers himself as the eyes, ears and heart of God, the God who sees the oppression of his people, who hears their cry, feels their anguish, and comes down to liberate them. … Therefore, the dimension of communion is closely linked in the Brother to a fine sensitivity for everything that affects the least privileged of people; those oppressed by various forms of injustice, abandoned on the margins of history and progress, those who, ultimately, are less likely to experience the good news of God’s love in their lives.” (CICSLAL, 6)

The second is that all of us are equal in our religious vocation. Because the first Word belongs to God, we are all brothers. The vocation of a Brother is not derived from the vocation to priesthood. Being Brother as a gift from God is no-less important and worthy than the call to be a priest. The document reminds us that historically “From the first centuries of Christianity, consecrated life has been composed predominantly of lay members, an expression of the yearning of men and women to live the Gospel with the radicalism proposed to all followers of Jesus. Even today lay members of the consecrated life – men and women – form the great majority.” (CICSLAL, 1) Also, in the history of our Society we know how until the First World War the Brothers outnumbered the priests (until 1918, from 1919-1923 there were more priests than brothers in the Society, from 1924-1939 again there were more brothers, and then the number of brothers went down). However, it is not just about the historical importance. It is more about the theological significance. Pope Paul VI in Perfectae Caritatis (PC) writes: “The religious life, undertaken by lay people, either men or women, is a state for the profession of the evangelical counsels which is complete in itself” (PC, 10). This awareness of our primordial equality is important to fight clericalism, which is a virus that paralyzes the Church, which is sadly still a real danger in our Society. Being brother is a permanent reminder to all of us that before anything else we are “a community of brothers from different nations and languages”, called to be “the living symbol of the unity and diversity of the Church” (Prologue, Constitutions).

The third, because the Word of God comes first and foremost, we all are listeners. Listening is the principal quality of a disciple, a Christian, and a religious. The permanent call to be rooted in the Word of God is for all of us. This is the source of our commitment to His mission. As brothers we all are disciples whose primary query should be: what does God want us to do? After exhorting the disciples about not behaving like a master but equal brothers, Jesus said. “You, however, must not allow yourselves to be called Rabbi, for you have only one Master, and you are all brothers.” (Matt 23: 8). The temptation of being a master is to talk rather than listen; command rather than ask. The consequence of being brothers and becoming brothers for one another is to listen to each other and together, listen to the only Master and Father. The document says: “Just the experience of being centered in God and imbued by his Word can guarantee the living out of this dimension in the apostolate, for ‘true prophecy is born of God, from friendship with him, from attentive listening to his word in the different circumstances of history’. The ability to read deeply the signs of the times, to understand in them God’s call to work according to His plan, to discover the presence of God in people, especially among the poor, is all the result of cultivating contemplation, which helps us to see things and people as God sees them.” (CICSLAL, 19)

Our last General Chapter talks about spiritual renewal, and invites us to practice discernment, following the example of Saint Arnold, for whom “discernment was not an option, but a vital need to remain rooted in the Word, do God’s will and fulfill his mission” (#19). Discernment should be, both personal and communal, as our way of life. Communal discernment deepens our brotherhood and brings us to a common mission. It is a real temptation in our Congregation that some confreres start a mission as their private project. This comes about because of the lack of openness, interaction and communal discernment among our confreres. Their missions become their personal kingdoms. They carry out different initiatives and programs with people they like or could command. At most, they share the common roof and the common table but not the responsibility for the work. The last General Chapter acknowledges honestly: “We still experience situations whereby some community members are very individualistic and strive for personal interests, and some even harbor envy and resentment towards their brothers in the community” (#15). When there are many personal kingdoms, there is no brotherhood!

The fourth, we proclaim the Word of God in our life and mission. “The task of devoting themselves wholly to ‘mission’ is therefore included in their call… Indeed, more than in external works, the mission consists in making Christ present to the world through personal witness” (CICSLAL, 28). The proclamation of the Word is not only the privilege of the priests. While the priests are authorized to preside over the sacraments, we all, as baptized, are called to proclaim the Word of God, the Good News of our merciful God who embraces all and who is never tired of forgiving. This is everyone’s mission, as Pope Francis writes in his Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium: “I am a mission on this earth” (EG 273). We are a mission, because in and through every one of us God speaks to the world and humanity. The proclamation of the Word of God is not limited to the classes on religion or catechism. Wherever we are and whatsoever we do, we proclaim the Word of God. Especially as Divine Word missionaries the proclamation of the Word is our fundamental identity and mission.

Because the Word of God is the incarnate Word, our proclamation does not only consist in words, but utmost in our deeds. The document expresses this very clearly: “Thus the Church experiences itself being constituted as a ministerial people commissioned by Jesus. The evangelists represent the institution of the ecclesial ministry through two icons. The three Synoptics choose the icon of Jesus breaking and sharing his Body and Blood with his disciples, while requiring of them: ‘Do this in memory of me’ (Lk 22:19). Differently, the Gospel of John presents us with the icon of Jesus with the towel tied around his waist, washing the feet of his disciples, and making a request of them later: ‘I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you’ (Jn 13:14-15). In the consciousness of the Church, it is in the light of this icon of the washing of the feet that the other icon, in which Jesus shares out his Body and his Blood, finds its full meaning. That is to say, the commandment of brotherly love gives us the key to understanding the meaning of the Eucharist in the Church” (CICSLAL, 12).

Furthermore, the document says: “Likewise, the mission that his disciples are entrusted with, when being sent to evangelize, refers not only to proclaiming the spiritual message but also to liberation from what oppresses the people and their human development … Its evangelizing activity has consistently been linked to the distribution of human bread in its various forms: food, health, freedom, culture, meaning of life, etc. In particular, the history of consecrated life portrays this effort to make the Good News of the Kingdom a reality” (CICSLA, 27). The document uses the phrase Eucharist of Life to describe this living for others. “Because of this he (the Brother) feels urged to seek out and to make a place at the table of the Kingdom for those who have nothing to eat, the socially excluded and those marginalized from progress. This is the Eucharist of life which the Brother is invited to celebrate in the spirit of his baptismal priesthood, reaffirmed by his religious consecration.” (CICSLAL,20)

Times of crisis such as this COVID-19 pandemic open our eyes to see anew how important this ministry to the poor. It brings to the fore the Church and the Society as credible witnesses of the love of God. Everywhere, confreres, Brothers and priests, are reaching out to the most vulnerable in the society, the poor and the daily waged workers. This period also opens new ways of preaching the Word of God. I am very happy to see that in different places confreres, including Brothers, share their reflections to the public using social media platforms. When people, because of restrictions, are not allowed to go to Church to attend the Eucharist, virtual Eucharistic celebrations are not the only way to provide people with spiritual nourishment. Reflection on the Word of God has got a more important role in these months of the lockdown.

Pro-existence: living for one another: the gift we share

The second P stands for pro-existence. Brothers are not just people who are living together (co-existence) but more than that, they live for one another. Being a brother implies a relationship. There is no brother and brotherhood if there is only one person. This is a core element of being religious following the kenosis of the Lord as described in the Letter to the Philippians (2: 6-11): not focusing on one’s own interest but giving one’s life for others. This understanding of being and becoming brother has several consequences. The first is community life. As in the history of our Society, the present reality of many communities still shows that the Brothers play a key role in keeping the community life. In some communities the community life seems to be a core aspect of the Brothers’ way of living while the priests find many reasons to excuse themselves from living it. In the document we read: “The mystery of the communion of its very inner life which the Trinity communicates to us becomes a gift shared by the Brothers in the community. The gift received and shared will also be given away in the mission. The foundation supporting the religious community is, above all, the gift of fraternity that it has received, which is more essential than the efforts and generosity of its members or the tasks they perform. Whenever we lose sight of this mystical and theological dimension which binds religious community to the mystery of divine communion, present and communicated to the community, we inevitably come to forget the profound reasons for making community, for patiently building fraternal life” (CICSLAL, 21). Later, we read in the document, “Thus, the community is, for Brothers, an experience more than a place; or better still, the Brothers live together, gather in a place, to deeply develop that experience. In that way they are responding to the call to be experts in communion, effective signs of the possibility of living deeper relationships rooted in the love of Christ.” (CICSLAL, 23)

Living as community has two important implications. The first, we need to be ready to bear the burden of the other. We do not measure our dignity only on the work we perform. Our care for one another, especially to those who are retired and no longer work, is a witness of true brotherhood. Human dignity is not measured by what one is doing and producing but by the fact that he is loved by God. Our programs and activities should always respond towards the care and concern for others. And by doing so, God is the center and priority. Are our communities places to cultivate and practice the human dignity of others?

The second implication is to be aware that we need our time and space to talk about our concerns. Our community is a home where brothers feel accepted, acknowledged and forgiven. Our last General Chapter talks about creating safe places for confreres, especially those who are going through difficult period in their lives (#32). True brothers respect the privacy of individuals in community. Not everything in the community is shared openly. In EG Pope Francis says, “This conviction (that God calls us) enables us to maintain a spirit of joy in the midst of a task so demanding and challenging that it engages our entire life. God asks everything of us, yet at the same time he offers everything to us” (EG, 12). How do we deal with our own and the others’ human weaknesses?

The second is the promotion of the spirit of communio in the Church. As proclaimed by the Second Vatican Council in the LG, the Church is essentially a mystery of communion, a people brought into unity from the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (LG, 4). The Church is a communion of brothers and sisters where, receiving different gifts from the Holy Spirit, perform different ministries. Being and becoming a Brother is of great importance because it helps the Church to grow as a community. The document says: “… The fraternity of Religious Brothers is an encouragement for the whole Church, because it makes present the Gospel value of fraternal relationships of equality in the face of the temptation to dominate, to search for the best place or to exercise authority as power.” As brothers you belong to the laity and to the consecrated persons (CICSLAL, 10). As I mentioned above, clericalism is a permanent temptation for the Church, including our Congregation. Your presence makes our Congregation a mixed congregation. In such a congregation the interplay and communion between the laity and the priests is determined by the consecration. We are consecrated persons. The priesthood lived by priest members of such a mixed congregation must be shaped by their being religious. This helps the de-clericalization of the Church as a whole.

The third is the promotion of fraternity in the world. LG 1 speaks of the Church as the sacrament of unity between the human beings among themselves and with the Lord. The Church does not exist just for itself, but for the world. So, our religious communities are at the service of realizing the brotherhood among the peoples in the world. Brothers are called and empowered to be brothers for all. A German brother who worked in Indonesia for almost 50 years often says to me: you priests have your “pastoral”, we brothers are called to work for “Bruderal”. By living your identity and mission as Brothers you remind us of this essential task we received from the Lord, to be brother for everyone, especially the last and the lost ones. Our preference, stated in the constitutions, is for the poor, for those who are left without brothers. The last General Chapter uses the term “mission non-negotiable” for this commitment to the last ones (#42). This is exactly the intention of FT, explaining so beautifully the parable of the Good Samaritan. The document of CICLSAL declares, “Because of this, many charisms are raised up among the faithful to develop communion through fraternal service. That is how salvation comes to the poorest: the blind see, the lame walk, prisoners are released, youth are educated, the sick and the elderly are taken care of. Brotherly love is made real in numerous services, many of which become institutionalized or recognized as ecclesial ministries”. Furthermore, “Relationships of affiliation are thus transformed simultaneously into brotherly relationships. For that reason, saying ‘brother’ is like saying ‘mediator of God’s love’, the God who ‘so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life’ (Jn 3:16)” (CICSLAL, 13). Then the document continues: “Their brotherhood will create brotherhood, and the mission of the Brothers is characterized from the beginning as one of being in communion and creating communion.” (CICSLAL, 24). Pope Francis shared with the capitulars of the 18th General Chapter, the term fraternity and brotherhood. He said, “The world, as well as the Church, need to feel this fraternal love in spite of diversity and interculturality, which is one of the riches that you have. A community, in which priests, religious and laity feel they are members of a family, in which they share and live the faith and the same charism, in which everyone is at the service of others, and nobody is more than the other”.

The fourth, witnessing to the presence of the Lord in this world. Escapism, fuga mundi, running away from this world, is another virus the Church is being confronted with in its long history. Once, it was the ideal of religious life. Now, this escapism could be found in ritualism, Pelagianism and Gnosticism. Pope Francis also referred to this in Gaudete et Exultate. People tend to think that their salvation is guaranteed in following exactly the rituals or keeping the purity of the teaching of the Church. Brothers are consecrated persons who involve themselves in developing the world. They present the ideal that this world is a place of grace, and this time, is a period of Kairos. The Good News Jesus preached is addressed to this world, to prepare it for the fulfillment in the world to come. God is already present in this world.

The presence and participation of brothers demonstrates the consecration of this world. The document says: “Brothers are active inhabitants in this home and are both students and teachers in this school; that is why they make their own the urgency that the Church proposes for itself, to live and promote a spirituality of communion” (CICSLAL, 7). Furthermore, it is written there: “The Brother … maintains the unity between the profane and the sacred, a unity which has become more evident since the human incarnation of the Son of God. Sign of God’s presence in secular realities. The Brother assumes ecclesial ministries with his Brothers in community, with other members of his congregation and with other believers who participate in the same founding charism. … he seeks and points to God in the secular realities of culture, science, human health, the workplace, and the care of the weak and disadvantaged. Similarly, he seeks and points to the human being, man and woman, ‘whole and entire, body and soul, heart and conscience, mind and will’, convinced that ‘the human person deserves to be preserved; human society deserves to be renewed’ (CICSLAL, 10).

The fifth is the promotion of the ethics of responsibility. Brothers belong to one family. Therefore, one characteristic of being brother is feeling responsible and taking responsibility. Brothers do not wait until an order is given, but spontaneously take initiative to respond to the concrete situation. Our obligation is not only for the work entrusted to us but for our community and our Congregation. The clear distribution of tasks is important, but this does not mean that we only focus on our area of responsibility. The last General Chapter speaks about servant leaders and responsible members (#36). The wellbeing of our community, our province and our Congregation does not only depend on our leaders. We all share the responsibility. Once more the document reminds us: “The members of a ministerial community can perform many different functions; some may even be unable to carry out any outside task due to illness or age. The ministry is not identified with any particular task. It is the whole community which carries it out through the various services of its members, including that of prayer, the offering of their suffering by the sick, and solidarity with one another. The entire community is responsible for the mission that the Church has entrusted to it” (CICSLAL, 23).

The sixth is about the financial consequences of being brothers. Being brothers requires the readiness to live from and to contribute to the family or community. Brothers share their resources. However, there is the tendency to take from the Society as much as possible, and to give to the Society as less as necessary. This is a temptation that we need to be alert to in our religious life. Our Founder, Saint Arnold Janssen, when asked about how he would finance the mission house he replied saying, the money is in the pocket of the benefactors. Numerous benefactors were quite generous in sharing what they have to support the mission. Nowadays I would say: the money is in the bank account of the confreres, who are not always ready to be transparent ad accountable.

Prophecy: Witnessing that another world is possible: the gift we proclaim

As Christians we do not follow an ideology but a person, Jesus, who proclaims that in him the Kingdom of God is at hand, and a new era has come. As religious, we consecrate our life not for a project, but for a person who demonstrates in his life, in words and deeds, that another way of dealing with one another is possible. Jesus opens our eyes that living together does not have to follow the structure of power where there are Lords and slaves, the rule of competition that produces winners and losers. It is possible to treat each other as brothers. Here we talk about the prophecy of the consecrated life. In Vita Consecrata (VC) we read: “The sign value, which the Second Vatican Council acknowledges in the consecrated life, is expressed in prophetic witness to the primacy which God and the truths of the Gospel have in the Christian life. Because of this pre-eminence nothing can come before personal love of Christ and of the poor in whom he lives. … True prophecy is born of God, from friendship with him, from attentive listening to his word in the different circumstances of history. Prophets feel in their hearts a burning desire for the holiness of God, and, having heard his word in the dialogue of prayer, they proclaim that word with their lives, with their lips and with their actions, becoming people who speak for God against evil and sin. Prophetic witness requires the constant and passionate search for God’s will, for self-giving, for unfailing communion in the Church, for the practice of spiritual discernment and love of the truth. It is also expressed through the denunciation of all that is contrary to the divine will and through the exploration of new ways to apply the Gospel in history, in expectation of the coming of God’s Kingdom” (VC, 84).

I would like to mention five dimensions of prophecy of consecrated life. First: The memorative-transformative dimension. The prophets remind us of our origin and opens us for the future. The word “remember” is very often spoken by the Prophets in the Old Testament. People need to be reminded of the covenant God has established with them. This recalling the covenant is a way to encourage people to take the path of transformation. Being a brother for others is a reminder that we come from the same source, sharing the same dignity, and entrusted with the same mission. The prophecy of the Brother vocation is a permanent sign for the world, the Church and the Congregation of this same origin, dignity, and mission. Without Brothers, the world, the Church, and our Congregation will be lacking something essential.

Second: The proclamatory-corrective dimension of the prophecy. The prophets are called to confront the ways people think, judge and act, with the ways of God. Through the proclamation of what God wants from His people, the prophets call for change and conversion in the way people think, their priorities and their behavior. In a sense, the prophets are unpredictable and necessary for God’s provocation. The prophets awaken the powerful as they continue to profit from what they possess regardless the cost it brings to their fellow human beings and the environment. The prophets encourage the powerless to stand up and fight against their feelings of being utterly useless and without any right.

The prophets therefore call for conversion on both sides and to work together in building up a just and peaceful society as the anticipation of the Kingdom of God. Being brother is an invitation to work together for the future of humanity and the care for nature. A Brother conveys the feeling of being respected among those whom he helps. The document says: “The life of the Brothers is a story, a story of salvation for their contemporaries, and among them, especially for the poorest. … A characteristic of Brothers is their concern about being a gift of God the Father for those to whom they have been sent. They are bearers of the love that goes from the Father to the Son and from the Son to his brothers” (CICSLAL, 32).

The prophecy includes the courage to correct what is wrong. Brothers love each other if they are honest in helping each other grow in their religious vocation, including making corrections in a gentle way. In the last General Chapter we talk about the importance of fraternal correction among us as brothers (#14). Many confreres could have been prevented from entering into very difficult and troublesome situations if there would have been the courage from the part of other brothers to exercise fraternal correction.

Third: The dialogical-interpretative dimension of the prophecy. The dialogical-interpretative dimension of the prophecy allows us to see the present context and be able to capture what God wants to say to His people. Prophets are close to the people. They can feel the heartbeat of the time and they are open to seek the will of God in the midst of what happens. It emphasizes the role of the prophets in carefully listening to the will of God in the world and discerning of the signs of the time in the light of God’s word. The prophets do not only serve as channels to bring the voice of God to the people, but also to put in front of God the situation of the people. This situation is summed up as the cries of the oppressed, the despair experienced by those suffering, as well as the joy of the faithful. Being brother stands for this closeness.

The vows of consecrated persons shall make the religious sensitive to history and society and speak of radical openness to the Word of God. What is asked here is the prophetic interpretation of the signs of the times based on historical, political, and cultural changes taking place around us. Denouncing what is contrary to the plan of God, the religious are to explore new ways of applying the Gospel in history (VC ,73). This interpretation of the signs of the times can only be done in the spirit of dialogue. The search for the will of God in the midst of what is happening in the world and history can be done in dialogue. The consecrated people are to promote the awareness that all lives and the whole creation are sacrament of the Holy Spirit. As people dedicate their lives for this call, they become the continuous reminder for the Church about its fundamental service to promote life and care for the environment. In our Society the term we have declared prophetic dialogue as our understanding and way of doing mission. Being brother is being at the same level with others, being partner of dialogue. Only in the spirit of a brother we can promote and practice prophetic dialogue.

Fourth: The receptive dimension of prophecy. The receptive dimension of prophecy calls attention to the supremacy of God as the only one who can bring fulfillment to His promises. The prophets proclaim what God dreams of humanity and the whole creation. The prophets’ strength is the Word of the Lord, and their poverty is the lack of means to bring to accomplishment what is envisioned.

The consecrated life is a life in expectation based on the promise given in Jesus Christ, a communion of all which ends our pilgrimage on earth. Consecrated religious life is a form of being poor in Spirit, not having all the answers to the questions and the problems which arise in the world. The religious life expresses the deepest belief that what is the greatest in life can only be given to us as a present. Being human means being open to receive and to be enriched. We are in stance of waiting, “until He comes in glory”. As mentioned above, this is not just a passive and disengaged waiting because the coming of Jesus becomes the qualitative time for the presence of the promise. The Kingdom of God is the source of inspiration for our work towards a human, just and peaceful society, putting the last first and dealing responsibly with the care of the environment.

This dimension prevents us from falling into activism in which we define ourselves and others based merely on the work done. The concrete situation in our Congregation shows the growing percentage of aging confreres, especially among brothers. The average of all the members in perpetual vows is 55.5 years, that of the brothers is 60.22 years, while of the ordained confreres is 54. 71. The situation in ASPAC is similar. In Asia, the average age of the ordained confreres is 54.28 years, while that of the brothers 55.18 years, and confreres in final vows 54.37 years. In

Oceania, the average age of all members in perpetual vows is 55.45 years, of those ordained is 54.68 years, while of the Brothers is 62.76 years.

Recently a Provincial told me that we need to create an atmosphere wherein our elderly confreres can overcome cynicism, feeling not worthwhile and tiredness. In the preface to the book, Sharing the Wisdom of the Time, Pope Francis says: “Only the testimony of the elders will help young people look above the horizon to see the stars. Just learning that it was worth fighting for something will help young people face the future with hope”. In the document of CICLSAL we read: “They need an advanced awareness in order to avoid the possibility that retirement from their job might lead to religious retirement. There is no retirement in the evangelizing mission; one simply participates in the mission in different ways. One way, and a very important one, is supporting the common mission with prayer and sacrifice. Another way is through small services that can be offered depending on the person’s health, and also being witnesses to and promotors of gratuitous service” (CICSLAL, 36). It would be very enriching if the stories of our elderly brothers who have given their life to the mission are gathered and documented.

Fifth: The intercultural dimension of prophecy. The prophets of the Old Testament do not only talk to the people of Israel. Proclaiming the uniqueness of the Lord means presenting Him as God of all peoples and cultures. Criticisms on the idolatry and social misbehavior are addressed to the Israelites as well as other nations. And the prophecy about salvation goes also above the limit of cultural and national boundaries. In the vision of the meal on the holy mountain we read in the book of the prophet Isaiah, “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich of food … And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations” (Isaiah25,7). The similar vision is in the book of Revelation when John sees, “a great multitude … from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands, … (cried) out in loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb” (Revelation, 7, 9-10).

This eschatological sign in and for the world carries the consequence for those in religious life to look at interculturality not as a strategic issue especially when the membership becomes more intercultural and international. The presence of the future Kingdom of God embraces peoples from all nations, cultures, and languages. Interculturality needs to be seen as an essential part of religious life. This prophecy is more actual and urgent in our present time when the divisions along the lines of cultural, racial, and religious differences seem to be more and more the pervading situations. Pope Francis reminds that “In a polarized society, where different cultures experience difficulty in living alongside one another, where the powerless encounter oppression, where inequality abounds, we are called to offer a concrete model of community which, by acknowledging the dignity of each person and sharing our respective gifts, makes it possible to live as brothers and sisters.” (Apostolic Letter of Pope Francis to All Consecrated People on the Occasion of the Year of Consecrated Life, November 29, 2014).

The cultural diversity is enriching for the Church and the congregation, and it has a witnessing character for the world. Pope Francis says, “When properly understood, cultural diversity is not a threat to Church unity. The Holy Spirit, sent by the Father and the Son, transforms our hearts and enables us to enter into the perfect communion of the blessed Trinity, where all things find their unity.” This unity is “never uniformity but a multifaceted and inviting harmony” (EG 117). As prophets are always called to reflect on their own life, we, with regards to interculturality need to follow the advice of Pope Francis, “… We need to ask ourselves about the way we relate to persons from different cultures, as our communities become increasingly international. How can we enable each member to say freely what he or she thinks, to be accepted with his or her particular gifts, and to become fully co-responsible? …” (Apostolic Letter of Pope Francis to All Consecrated People on the Occasion of the Year of Consecrated Life, November 29, 2014). The prologue of our constitutions declares clearly who we are as SVDs: brothers from different nations and languages, who are a living symbol of the unity and diversity of the Church. The 17th General Chapter even states that interculturality is a distinguishing feature and an essential part of our identity. Only in the spirit of brotherhood we can live and work in intercultural communities.

Conclusion

I would like to thank all of you, my dear Brothers, for giving witness to the prologue, pro-existence, and prophecy as Brothers in our Congregation. Dear Brothers in the ASPAC Zone, I am grateful of the fact that this zone has the highest number of vocations, including the vocation for brotherhood. In Asia, we are dealing with clericalism which comes from the hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church. Our cultures also favor priests more than Brothers. Therefore, living your vocation, identity and mission as religious Brothers in this context is challenging but also fulfilling. The most effective vocation promotion is your conviction and joy of being Brothers.

I thank you for your ministry and service in the SVD communities or outside. Many of you are working in the schools and universities, administration, finances, NGOs, JPIC Centers etc.

I do believe that many of you here present are involved in the formation houses at different level. We know the importance of your presence and ministry for our candidates and young members. We also know the challenges of being formators. Thank you for your generosity to accompany these young men. I would like to encourage you to share with all formandi, especially for the candidates for brotherhood and for young brothers, your conviction and joy of being a Brother. Assist them in their discernment that the decision they take will not be changed later.

Paulus Budi Kleden, SVD
Rome, May 13, 2021

1- Martin Lechner, “Prolog – Proexistenz – Prophetie“. Der spezifische Beitrag der Klöster und Ordensgemeinschaften zur Jugendpastoral in Deutschland, in Ordens Korrespondenz, 1/2017, pp. 80-87.