The chapter invites us to base our spirituality on the Word and openness to the Spirit so as to live more fully the joy of the Gospel with all its challenges. This spurs us on to cultivate a more transforming relationship with Jesus, an encounter which constantly pushes us to live a more Gospel inspired life as we reach out in love. This relationship is to be nourished by our personal and community life of prayer and an ever-increasing awareness of our need for the support and encouragement of our brothers in community.
Our spiritual life is enriched by our faithfulness to the Word of God, which nourishes and strengthens our relationship with Christ. It is sustained through personal and community prayer, which is a witness to others. It is supported by spiritual accompaniment, regular spiritual exercises inspired by Ignatian spirit-uality and the special sessions that the Society provides. It is also lived through our participation in the life of the Church. The experience of our frailty and the simplicity of the people, especially in their popular devotions, help us to discover God’s grace. This grace leads us to reconciliation, and from our sufferings and struggles flow serenity, strength and hope.
Our being rooted in Christ, our fidelity to his Gospel and the awareness of our vulnerability have truly transformed our spirituality into a more radical, prophetic and joyful following of Christ which pushes us to the margins. This has renewed our spiritual life by the way we pray and reflect together within the context in which we live. It also empowers us to be attuned to the reality of the world which unfolds before our eyes and dare bring about transformation in view of the realisation of God’s Kingdom.
For our charism to have an impact on our Mission today, the chapter invites us to actualize and contextualize it.
Our Charism
a) In order to ensure that our spirituality remains rooted in Jesus Christ, we recommend that a small study group be put in place by the General Council to study the matter and produce a booklet explaining the present day charism based on the core-values of spirituality, community and mission.
b) We ask every Province to shed more light on and to own their charism-tree.
c) We ask the Provinces to propose ways and means for communities and confreres to link the various elements of our charism within their specific events and situations.
d) We insist that candidates study the biography and writings of our Founder in order that they make our Charism their own.
Spiritual life
a) We invite confreres to include in their community projects: retreats, recollections and daily prayers in line with Ignatian Spirituality proposed by our Constitutions and Laws (CL 27).
b) We ask all candidates and confreres to commit themselves to good and regular spiritual accompaniment.
c) In the formation cycle, let there be a progressive development from community spirituality to a personal prayer-life that can be seen.
Eco-Spirituality
With the help of Church documents on eco-spirituality such as ‘Laudato sì’ and available resources materials of the Society, we recommend that recollections and sessions be organized at Provincial and Sector levels. We also invite all confreres to maximize the use of modern technology in accessing material on this topic.
Capitular Acts 2016, pages 19-21