The end is near! While the business of the 46th General Chapter has finished, the official close only happened today, following an hour of photos in front of the Casa Generalizia and a two-hour session in the Aula Magna that provided an opportunity of Br. Armin to share his thoughts and the Capitulants to share their appreciation and thanks.
The morning prayer was held as usual at 7:00 am. It was simple and reflective. We have been so active over the last three weeks that being together in silence was now both familiar and welcome. I lingered a little behind the rest at the end, knowing that the elusive bananas would be gone by the time I arrived to the dining hall. But those things were much less important than the building sense of accomplishment and fraternity.
At about 8:45 am, I made my way to the main entrance where Brothers and others had begun to gather, because photos were to be taken at 9:00 am. When I got there, about 15 people in the group began to walk out of the front door. They were all casually dressed, and I wondered if I'd read the wrong memo. But then I found out that they were on their way to a scheduled appointment at a nearby pharmacy that was open on Sundays, getting their fast COVID test and certificate so that they could travel tomorrow. Our scheduled photo period would have to accommodate itself, like most things in today's world, to the requirements of the pandemic.
Between 9 and 10 am, there were a series of photos among different groups and different individuals. Phones made photographers of us all. While the Communcations team took its planned photos of Regional, District, or Chapter service groups, others did so as well on a more ad hoc basis. It was a time of relaxed fraternity despite the fact that some groups would have to wait for others from the COVID test group to return. Just before our formal on-the-steps photo of the entire group was taken, we made a circle and followed instructions as a 360-degree camera in the middle recorded a "wave" of arms and hands that went around for several revolutions. Finally, we gathered for the large group photo, along with another flying drone wave, and then it was off to the Aula Magna for our last session.
The session started with Br. Jorge describing how we would hear from Br. Armin, after which the Brothers would be able to provide expressions of support and encouragement. Then there will be some business to consider, which should not take long, followed by the signatures of the voting delegates which validate their work and their agreement to the implementation of the Chapter's decisions.
But before we started that process, Br. Rodolfo would explain the ways in which we might obtain photos from the Vatican Media office from our audience with Pope Francis. Suddenly people paid a little more attention. They stopped furtively checking their email, confirming their flights, or exploring possible places to visit in Rome or elsewhere. This was important stuff to listen to.
There were two ways to get photos; one was online and one was through a process that he would facilitate. All the hundreds of photos that had been taken during our thirty-minute audience were available to be looked at in two binders that would be left in the John Paul II room, along with order forms and samples of photo sizes. Just fill in the order form with the appropriate information and leave it in the provided box. Br. Rodolfo would make sure that the photos were mailed in bulk to each District, and their cost deducted from the the District's account at the Motherhouse. The same was true for digital versions - which were a Euro more costly than the largest print size.
Vatican Media had an efficient system and a good money-maker here. All during the afternoon, there were Brothers in there - including me - who flipped through the pages and squinted at the small sample images and decided which to order and in which format. As expected, the small versions were too small to duplicate via a close-up shot with your phone camera. There were even some large versions of the photo of the entire group with the pope, as samples. I hope that my phone-camera capture of one of these below, taken in the afternoon, does not lead to my arrest by the Vatican police or a perpetual ban on entering St. Peter's.
After all these explanations were done, Br. Armin came to the front dais to share his thoughts with the assembled delegates. He started by reading the story of the deaf man healed by Jesus (Mark 7: 31-34), which ends with "he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, 'Ephphatha'! (that is, 'Be opened!')"
Br. Armin followed this with, "Friends, open up! Those last words of the chapter are also for us. A world renewed begins with ourselves, and the very first step is to open up. It’s an invitation given to every man, not just the deaf man, with a groan. ... Open up - our disillusions, our fears, our hurts - that’s what the Lord is asking of us as we begin this journey." I trust that this presentation will be made available to the larger Lasallian family, because it was well delivered and well received. Below are just a few highlights:
- He mentioned the gallery of Superior Generals that were displayed around the Aula Magna, with no more room for others, except perhaps over the place where the clock hung. "Maybe the era of the gallery of Superior Generals is over, and maybe we have to see things from a different light. Maybe when we look at pictures of gatherings of Lasallians, we don't always have to assume that those who hold responsibilities, not necessarilly power, are in the middle of a photo. And maybe we need to train ourselves to look at things in a new way."
- "Opening up also invites us to open our ears, and most especially our hearts, to the groans of people who we may not even recognize or spend time with." His example was seeing one of the refugee families he saw on the grounds of the Casa Generalizia. (We provide the two small apartments flanking the main gate to the Sant'Egidio community to use for transitional refugee families that they help.) He tried to speak with one of the children, who ran away the first few times but eventually was approached and said that his name was Khalifa.
- He spoke of having been distracted, almost depressed, by the happenings in the Philippines, and he thought, "Where does one lodge hope when everything around us seems to have been given up?" The power of money, politics, etc. make it very difficult, if not impossible, for men and women of goodwill to make any changes in our world. But that is invitation of the Gospel today. Open up.
- The pandemic brought about a fear and fragility that made us feel threatened, and our general response was to hide from the world, to close our doors and protect ourselves. "But that's not the call of the Chapter. The call of this Chapter is to unlock doors."
- Br. Armin then quoted from the English translation of the recent critical biography of De La Salle by Bernard Hours. (I had given him one of the first 10 copies printed by SMP for the Region. It will be released very soon on the RELAN website.) "It is evident that Jean Baptiste set forth on a new path at the end of 1679. It was a disruption that brought about a conversion in his life. It gradually opened up before him a new path and would lead to decisive breaks with his prior life." He then read a statement by De La Salle's nephew's biography of him, Dom Maillefer, that was in the book. "Since they were
reduced by their state to the most modest of means, and since they had no
funds, they were at times plagued by doubts. They imagined their distress if
they were to lose M. de La Salle. Fanciful thoughts and fears formed in their
minds, causing them to slip into weariness and discouragement. M. de La Salle
soon realized this, and when he set about to learn the reason, they told him
candidly that they saw nothing firm or stable in their situation, that the
least misfortune could destroy all his projects, and that they were unhappy at
the prospect of sacrificing their youth in service to the public, with no
assurance of being cared for after their work was done."
- Br. Armin then said, "Sisters and Brothers, what we are experiencing even today is not new to our Institute. It was at the very heart, the Founder's own journey. But that key experience was also the yeast, the salt, the light that gave birth to one family in the Church. (The reference to yeast, salt, and light echo the words of Pope Francis to us yesterday.) I suppose that that's what we are called to do; to look at this mystery of God's reign in the light of the groanings that we hear within."
Time was then given for those in the Chapter hall to respond with words of advice, support, and encouragement. There was a rather long pause during which people were thinking of what they might want to say, but once the responses began, they kept coming. In the end, there were 30 individuals who spoke, each expressing their appreciation to both the past central government and to the incoming one. A small sampling of the thoughts expressed:
- Thank you for these hopeful words. Our tendency is to think of our survival, but we must leave such notions behind.
- You touched us and encouraged not only us, but also our communities, Districts, and Regions.
- I wish you every success and am reminded of an incident when my sister asked me how I was doing. "Just going with the flow," I told her. She responded, "Dead fish go with the flow!"
- I was reminded of the Founder's advice when he was dying, telling the Brother to stay united in community. Indivisa Manent.
- At a time when people are closing borders, when mistrust and defiance seem to be reigning, it's striking to listen to someone who calls us to open ourselves; to allow ourselves to be touched by others. When we accept our vulnerability, we enter the great adventure of the path of resilience, faith, hope, and charity.
- I have been to four chapters, and I think that this one is the most hopeful. We must share the best of who we are and of what we can do.
- We will think of you as our Brother before we think of you as Superior General.
- Please take the General Council room to the peripheries for your meetings so that you can smell the sheep.
One La Salle Prayer
