The Councillor opened the meeting inviting everyone to participate and giving the spiritual motivation for living this experience to the full. Then the reflection process was opened by Fr Antonio Jiménez who introduced it with a talk “Without a passion for God, religious life is not possible,” and by Fr Koldo Gutiérrez on: “Community: making the atmosphere more human and deepening the religious experience.” Both topics were then considered in groups sessions and in moments of personal prayer in order to arrive a suggested guidelines for renewal in the context of the imminent re-structuring of the Provinces.
On the final day Fr Miguel Ángel Álvarez Paulino spoke, proposing to the Salesians present an exercise of Lectio Divina based on the Book of Kings 1, 19, entitled: “Passion for God and compassion for the young: the way ahead, nourishment, encounter and mission.”
By the end of the meeting, those present had come to an understanding of the need for the re-structuring to be undertaken as a process of religious development and charismatic re-birth, of profound spiritual change which will help in discovering God as the centre of life and of the mission. This process, undertaken within the community, needs to have mediators. In the first place therefore the Church; then the Salesian Congregation; and also the efforts of a community which is fraternal, open and generous.
Published 04/01/2011
