On Day 4 (Thursday) of the Assembly, after having heard the reflections on charism made by Br. Joe Pawlika, Dr. Ed Hardiman, and Br. Placide Ngoie and having the opportunity to talk about this in small groups, participants in Assembly 2012 were invited to take time in prayer and reflection to come up with their 5-6 characteristics of the Xaverian Charism. Later in their small groups each person had the opportunity to share their characteristics. Then, each small group came to a group consensus of what they considered to be the 5-6 characteristics of Xaverian Charism. Each group then presented their report to the General Assembly during Thursday's evening prayer.
Here are the group reports:
Characteristics of Xaverian Spirituality/Charism
Group Reports (Thursday afternoon General Session)
Group A
• Mystery
• Gift given to the group
• People who live on the edge
– Called
– Sent to those in need
– Let go/move on
• Community
• Inclusive
• Hospitality
• Self-emptying
• Inter/intra culturally
• Driven to do good
• Evangelizers
• Simplicity
• Trust in providence
• Empowering beyond their expectations
• With excellence
• Flexibility
• Formed by the common/ordinary/everyday flow of life
Group B
- Formed by God through communal and personal prayer
- Ordinariness
- A contemplative stance that includes on-going formation and nurtures compassionate action
- A missionary spirit as one with the poor and marginalized among other dispositions
- Community
Group C
As disciples we are drawn to ordinary life where we form community centered on the Word and worship of God. Thru God’s grace and genuine dialogue we discern our call in these times. Recognizing our diverse gifts from God we work in harmony and allow ourselves to be transformed by the common, ordinary, unspectacular flow of everyday life. Sharing in Ryken’s global vision of the Church we are ignited by the passion and compassion of the Spirit to go out to world in service to the poor and marginalized.
Group D
Charism is sharing the story of the lived experience of the passion of TJ Ryken that has been told and continues to be told for all, past and present, and to continue to live out the qualities of simplicity, hospitality, openness and zeal of mission.
Spirituality is being formed through living the ordinary life with a deep commitment to prayer and contemplation as well as sharing the fruits of that prayer with brothers and sisters in community, as well as those to whom we minister. This humble recognition of the presence of God in ordinary life enables us to minister in such a way that others recognize themselves as God’s beloved.
- Zeal for mission and vocation
- Finding God in the common, ordinary, and unspectacular
- Commitment and dialogue
- Importance of community
- Clarity of Vision (Ryken’s “onefold” vision)
- Being collaborative, relational, accessible rather then hierarchical
- Balance of complementary lives of Martha and Mary
- Sensitivity to the poor and marginalized
Group F
-
* Martha/Mary balance
* Hospitality
-
* Missionary spirit: zeal, compassion, outreach to margins
* Grounded in God’s love and relationships
-
* Challenges injustice in the cultures where we minister
* Emerging sense of lay spirituality for our times