VATICAN CITY, JUN 14, 2002 (VIS) - The instruction: "Starting Afresh from Christ. A Renewed Commitment to Consecrated Life in the Third Millennium" was made public today by the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
The document, which has 60 pages and contains an introduction and four chapters, has been published in English, French, Italian, Spanish, German and Portuguese. It bears the signatures of Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo and Archbishop Piergiorgio Silvano Nesti C.P., respectively prefect and secretary of the congregation, and is dated May 19, Solemnity of Pentecost.
The fundamental core of the document, which is addressed to consecrated men and women, "is the need for a strong spiritual life and for renewed quality in consecrated life."
The first chapter, "Consecrated Life: the Presence of the Love of Christ in the midst of Humanity," is a "song of praise to God for the gifts of grace that He has made and continues to make to His Church through this particular manner of following Christ." After highlighting the "admiration aroused by the many and varied missionary activities of consecrated persons," the document affirms that "the strength of the Spirit continues to guide the dynamism of consecrated life, and even in times of crisis we see the flowering of new institutes."
Chapter two, "Courage to face Trials and Challenges," considers the most significant difficulties that consecrated people must face. These include the "temptation of efficiency and activism," the dominance of individualism and "the decline in numbers and increasing old age of members." These challenges "must be faced with a new quality of consecrated life ... by means of a process of formation that involves - at different levels - superiors, communities or fraternities, and individual consecrated men and women."
The third chapter: "Spiritual Life in the First Place," offers a series of concrete guidelines "for authentic formation, for overcoming difficulties and for responding to challenges." The document makes an invitation to follow the indications given by the Pope in his Apostolic Letter, "Novo millennio ineunte" practicing "contemplation of the face of Christ" and "a profound spirituality of communion." It is emphasized that "when the Word of God, prayer and the Eucharist are the motor driving consecrated life, the consequent spirituality naturally tends to be a spirituality of communion."
"Witnesses to Love," chapter four of the document, is "an invitation to all consecrated people to follow to the end this path of spirituality and communion, renewing life and work." The instruction gives particular attention to "the necessity for consecrated persons to be engaged in dialogue with everyone; with brothers who are separated, with those who belong to other religions and with those who profess no particular religion."
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