116. ALL ARE CO-RESPONSIBLE

Now together you are Christ's body; but each of you is a different part of it. In the Church, God has given the first place to apostles, the second to prophets, the third to teachers; after them, miracles, and after them, the gift of healing, helpers, good teachers, those with many languages. Are all of them apostles, or all of them prophets, or all of them teachers? Do they all have the gift of miracles, or all have the gift of healing? Do all speak different languages, and all interpret them? Be ambitious for the higher gifts. And I am going to show you a way that is better than any of them.

All confreres, since they have been called to labor for the continuation of the Mission of Christ, have the right and responsibility, according to the norms of our own law, to work together for the good of the apostolic community and to participate in its government. Consequently, confreres shall cooperate by an active and responsible obedience in fulfilling assignments, undertaking apostolic projects, and carrying out commands.

As has been said, the Congregation is a gift of God to the Church. Now this gift is placed in the hands of the entire Congregation. Each and every one of us is, therefore, responsible for this gift; the vitality of the gift depends on us. A better understanding of this reality can be obtained by reflecting on the meaning of co-responsibility, a very important idea that has taken on renewed strength in the Church and in religious communities.

1. ALL HAVE THE RIGHT AND THE RESPONSIBILITY TO WORK TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD OF THE COMMUNITY.

Our common vocation and mission is founded on the right and the obligation of all to work together for the good of the community. God has bestowed on us his gift, and he asks us to give life and vitality to that gift. Saint Vincent said that the bond that exists between us allows us to participate in our common successes and benefits.

Our Constitutions point out very clearly our right and responsibility to work together for the good of the community. Let us reflect on the more significant aspects of our Constitutions in this regard:

1. Regarding the renewal of our community life: This fraternal life together, continually nourished by the mission, forms a community which promotes both personal and community development and renders the work of evangelization more effective...We shall evaluate the initiatives of confreres in the light of the end and the spirit of the Mission. In this way we strengthen our unity in diversity and we make the Mission fruitful.

2. Regarding formation: The entire province ought to feel responsible for the formation of our candidates and ought to help out when asked.

3. Regarding the administration of temporal goods: Since all temporal goods of the community are held in common, all, according to their function, are responsible for their administration and use.

2. ALL HAVE THE RIGHT AND THE OBLIGATION TO PARTICIPATE IN GOVERNING THE COMMUNITY

"To govern" is to lead the community toward its purpose. If the community is for all, then everyone ought to participate in some way in governing the community. The Church has opened the doors for this participation, and faithful to the desires of the Church, the Congregation has done the same. Beside the general principle which was stated above, our Constitutions go on to say:

We should become co-responsible, helped by the necessary service of authority and together with the superior, in seeking the will of God in our life and works, thus engaging in active obedience. Also, we will foster mutual dialogue, and in this way overcome an excessively individualistic style of living.

Participation in this mystery of the obedient Christ requires us all to seek the will of the Father in a community. We do this through the mutual sharing of experience as well as open and responsible dialogue, in which differences of age and outlook interact, so that common directions may surface and develop, and lead to making decisions.

3. COOPERATION AND PARTICIPATION ACCORDING TO THE GIFT RECEIVED

The fundamental equality that exists among the members of the Congregation does not prevent the existence of diversity in personal gifts, function, ministries, situations, etc.; rather, this diversity demands the cooperation and the participation of the members in the development of the community. For this reason it is established that:

All confreres have sufficient authority to fulfill the responsibilities assigned to them by the community. For this reason, those matters which can be managed by individual confreres or lower levels of government should not be referred to higher levels of authority. The unity of govern-ment which is necessary to achieve the ends and the good of the entire Congregation must, however, be preserved.

Only through our unity in diversity can we obtain that which Saint Paul speaks of in his letter:

There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them. The particular way in which the Spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose.

***** Do I realize that my right to participate and collaborate flows from my obligation to participate and collaborate?

***** Do I respect the rights of others in our collaborative effort?

PRAYER:

God, Almighty Father, your wisdom abides in us, and, with gentleness and strength, leads us toward service. Fill our superiors and those who govern our community with this wisdom, so that, renewed with understanding and strength, they might guide us on the straight and narrow path, the path along which we have been called to walk. We pray in the name of Jesus, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.