For the Capitulants and Associates, Tuesday, July the 12th,
was a day of prayer and reflection with a view to
being led by the Spirit to develop the Congregational Body.
For the Capitulants and Associates, Tuesday, July 12, was a day of prayer and reflection with a view to being led by the Spirit to develop the Congregational Body.
Starting from two guides to prayer:
“Walking under the guidance of the Holy Spirit”
“Each one receives the grace of the Holy Spirit for the good of the whole body”
the day was divided into three different times:
- personal prayer
- sharing in small groups
- feedback to the large assembly.
Some feedback
A representative from each “entity” of the Congregation accepted to share with us how he or she has lived the first days of the Chapter
Sr Florence Lavigne from Canada
“It is me who has chosen you.”
How did I experience the first day of the Chapter? Well, what touched me was ….
Gathered together again in Locquirec, the internationality of the Congregation becomes very evident: the colors are varied, the ages also, the presence of the Associates…the joy of the meetings – we are together.
The beautiful opening celebration is a call to set out, to add a brick to the construction, called by my name to cast the net on the word of Jesus.
What touched me in the reflection was the text of John 15: “I have chosen you”. Since you have chosen us, you will guide us. You act in us, through us. It is in weakness, in crisis, that the power and love of God is manifested. Let us not let fear extinguish the breath of the Spirit in us.
Mr Jean-Marc Noupieu, Associate from Cameroon
“I felt something burning in me.”
My participation as Associate Delegate in this General Chapter of the Congregation of the Daughters of Jesus awakens questions in me and the living expression of God’s will, of God’s Grace.
- Why me? Who am I? Where am I going? And how do I get there?
- What is the meaning of my presence and that of the other associates in this Chapter, this unprecedented international meeting?
All these questions burned eagerly within me. The choice of the General Council and of all the entities to integrate us, to invite us to be one with the Congregation remains a question for me.
The day of Monday, July 11th, which marked the solemn opening of the Chapter, remained a momentous one for me because I feel called to walk together under the action of the Holy Spirit with the Sisters and the Associates in the concrete and contextual humanization of our planet. This day remains memorable and historic for me and for all the Associates present at the Chapter.
I felt something burning within me during the meditation and the personal encounter with the Lord. I was reminded of “Walk under the guidance of the Holy Spirit: my attitude as a member of the Chapter” and the Rule of Life n°6 of the Congregation.
We all felt embarked on the boat of a new dynamic and adventure in the life of the Congregation with all the entities and the Associates.
I was challenged and invited to walk daily together under the impulse of the Holy Spirit by responding to the demands of humanity and the environment in complete freedom, in a spirit of self-denial, disappropriation, and of personal and collective responsibility.
Finally, the response to my call and my laying of the brick were for me very strong and significant expressions and gestures for the contribution, participation, and commitment together in the construction, the development of the Congregation that faces the various fragilities and challenges of the present world.
Sr Patrocinia Gutierrez Garcia from Honduras
“To allow the Spirit to enter into and guide you leads to a regard for the common good.”
Regarding the personal prayer, I liked:
– the method used.
– the complementarity between the biblical readings and the texts of the Rule of Life.
– the experience of feeling the passage of the Spirit in my personal life, as well as in the Congregational-Body and associates.
Within the group, we felt a profound experience of God, that each one was listening attentively to the other. There was a real freedom to say what one wanted, a respect for each other, respect also in that everyone was punctual.
We could see that we are allowing ourselves to be led together by the Spirit and that we are called to live in freedom, led by the Spirit of God in the mission we are engaged in.
Sr Mary Clare Mason from England
A “Freedom Trail”
I have felt that:
- we belong to Congregation Body that has to be protected.
- we are on a “Freedom Trail”.
- walking in freedom means to be of service.
Sr Nathalie Guéguen from France
« Encounters that I live as visitations. »
In these first days of the Chapter, I feel like a “pilgrim” invited to set out on a journey in order to live a true human and spiritual adventure with other companions. During the opening celebration of the General Chapter, I was touched by the question of Sister Micheline, our Superior General, when she asked each participant: “Do you want to go out into the open sea and cast the nets?”
In answering, “Yes. On the Word of the Lord, I will cast my nets”, I welcomed the call to commit myself in a free and responsible way to this dynamic path of listening and dialogue, of discernment and faith, together and in fervent communion with the extended family of the Daughters of Jesus. I do this with confidence, because the Risen Lord walks with us, takes care of us, and accompanies us.
The pedagogy of the Chapter also asks us to participate in spiritual conversations in small groups, with sisters of different entities and associates. These are encounters that I live as “visitations“, they open my eyes and my heart to the experiences of others, to the realities of their countries, and their cultural and ecclesial context!
I have discovered in the simplicity and the depth of the sharing, the desire and the impetus of the life that dwells in each one, including that of adjusting personally and as a Congregational Body to the will of God in this particular time of our history, in order to serve more!
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