Reflection: A New Pentecost

-Written by Brother Frederick Mueller, FSC, Ed.D., on Pentecost Sunday, May 19, 2013

As I reflect upon the International Assembly 2013 on this Pentecost Sunday afternoon, I cannot but help to think about our final gathering in Rome in the Sanctuary of Saint John Baptist de La Salle as we celebrated and enacted a new Pentecost in the Lasallian Family, replete with large tongues of fire hanging above us and blowing in the wind.

In his homily today Pope Francis reflected on three words: newness, harmony, and mission. He asked: “Do we have the courage to strike out along the new paths which God’s newness sets before us, or do we resist, barricaded in transient structures which have lost their capacity for openness to what is new?...Am I open to the harmony of the Holy Spirit, overcoming every form of exclusivity?...Do we tend to stay closed in on ourselves, or our group, or do we let the Holy Spirit open us to mission?”

For me, the International Assembly was an experience of newness, harmony, and mission. For some of us, the newness was being in the Motherhouse; for some of us, the newness was being in an international and multi-lingual gathering; for all of us, the newness was sharing the lived experiences of the Lasallian Family around the world in 2013—a sharing of information, a sharing of music and dance, a sharing of simple conversations among new friends.

Our challenge was to have the courage to “strike out along new paths,” to smash the pottery jar representing structures and ideas of the past (as we did in a dramatic scene during a Prayer Service), and to break out of “transient structures which have lost their capacity for openness to what is new.” We needed to find new language to address our presence in multi-religious societies, e.g. how we can authentically evangelize in non-Christian cultures. We needed to admit to the challenge of sustainability of Mission and set up a process to address those issues of financing and personnel that impact Mission.

The frustration of speaking different languages and of finding common understanding of key concepts mirrored that of the pre-Pentecost gathering of the peoples. However, with the help of translators, both the official and unofficial ones, with the persistence of delegates who made allies and friends and worked behind the scenes, and with the deeply-held commitment of all who were present—we found some harmony. As one of our fellow delegates, Brother Enrico Muller of Italy has written: “I feel myself different. I feel we are speaking one language and we try to speak the language of the poor.”  In our final Prayer Service, when the symbolic voices of disharmony gathered together before the sanctuary and the choir chanted, Veni, Sancte Spiritus (“Come, Holy Spirit”) and “Domine, opus tuum” (“Lord, the work is yours”), it was only natural that those gathered before the sanctuary embraced each other in a circle of harmony, a circle of unity: “One Family—One Mission.”

Finally, the Assembly refused to turn in upon itself and Regions refused to get stuck in their own needs and situations. Together, the delegates stretched themselves in the “Actions” following upon each “Challenge” to find new, creative, and innovative ways to further the Mission, be it ways to evangelize the young caught up in a social-media driven environment or to re-invigorate Lasallian pedagogy in light of the educational needs of our students, especially the most vulnerable among them.

In his final address to the Assembly, Superior General Brother Álvaro Rodríguez Echeverría challenged us as he said: “I believe that this Assembly will have meaning if we have taken the steps to insure that future (a future where Lasallians continue to serve as ministers of God’s salvation of the young). Not because we are looking for survival or for prestige but because of the need for service in a world that is so complex for young people today and a world that confronts the old types of poverty which are on the rise and the new types of poverty. In that way we are responding to God’s saving plan.” The delegates responded to his challenge symbolically in the final Prayer Service as we literally marched out of the sanctuary, candles raised, hearts on fire, singing loudly: “We are marching in the light of God…we are marching in the light of God.” A New Pentecost, indeed, in the Lasallian Family!!

The Dance Has Ended (Day 11 – May 16, 2013)

Dr. William Hudson
casts his vote.

The first task for our last day was to revisit our responses to the challenges we had developed and to turn in our final version to the Secretariat. It was a gentle and affirming morning’s work. After several days of struggling to find the right language, everything seemed to fall into place to the satisfaction of the thematic groups. These final versions were published on large sheet of paper and each delegate was given five colored dots to vote for those responses that he or she thought should have highest priority. 

In the afternoon each Region gathered to discuss the experience of IA 13. The RELAN delegates noted the joy of working together as a Region and the impact of sharing with so many committed Lasallians from all over the world. As we stated in the reflection we shared with the whole assembly:  “The chance to fully experience the kaleidoscope of our Lasallian Family will be something we will carry with us back to our Region, our Districts and our ministries.”  

Read the reflection >

At the end of this session Brother Álvaro gave us his final presentation. And towards the end of his time he made a strong call in favor of our work with young people: “The world of the young needs more than theories, testimonies and signs that will unsettle them and open them to the transcendent. There is no doubt that the young people we teach today will need, above all, a word or gesture that reaches their heart, and it is there that they will find God and open themselves to their brothers and sisters in need.  The challenge is always to unite this warm and compassionate stance with a prophetic word and a kind of ant-establishment action, all of which will come from the same kind of love.”

Immediately following Brother Álvaro’s moving exhortation, the delegates moved in solemn procession to the Chapel for the final ceremony, where we were welcomed by a beautiful mobile of tongue of fire. We lived a celebration of our movement from the Babel of linguistic and cultural confusion to the commitment of Pentecost. Carrying the light of Christ, to the sound of throbbing drums and amidst a flurry of colored banners, we left the chapel singing “We Are Marching in the Light of God.”

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The evening continued with a social and picnic-style meal, lots of conversation and sincere good-byes. 

At the end of our time together, I believe that we all felt that we had accomplished what we came to do: to remember that we are Lasallians Associated for the Educational Service of the Poor: ONE FAMILY, ONE MISSION.

Brother Michael French
Midwest District