INTRODUCTION

I. At the beginning of the XXI century

1. Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord, the Mediator of the New Covenant and of the Kingdom, is our contemporary. He does not belong to the past, nor is consecrated life, our form of Christian living, a thing of the past. Currently, in some countries consecrated life is dramatically impacted by the phenomenon of aging, yet in other places the average age of religious is much lower. In recent years new forms of monastic and religious life have been added to the century-old forms we know. Some of the charisms that arose centuries ago have taken on new aspects that give them new vitality. After Vatican Council II, consecrated life received a great impetus and underwent important changes. Present socio-cultural and religious contexts demand even more decisive transformations. In the midst of many contemporary changes we perceive the validity and the relevance of the important values that constitute our form of life and we also feel the urgency of living these values in an intense and significant way for ourselves and for others. We are living in a time of grace and challenge.

2. The passion that Christ felt for humanity, shown throughout his lifetime, and in a singular way on the Cross, is also not something of the past. It continues down through all of history , where we find clear signs of its fruitfulness. At the beginning of the XXI century, Christ shares the crosses of millions of persons in various parts of the world. Today, his call for consecrated men and women is demanding and life giving. It is a call to follow him passionately and, motivated by his compassion, to share his passion for each human being.

II. The Congress

3. We want to be attentive to the voice of God, to the teachings of Jesus and to the urgings of the Spirit that constantly open up new horizons and prompt us to a new evangelization. We want to be attentive to the challenges which the Church places before us, attentive to the needs of present day society and attentive to the needs of consecrated life. That is why representatives of consecrated life from throughout the world will gather together in this Congress. We want to listen to these voices from an intercultural perspective, careful to include the perspectives of men and women. We want to bring to this task all of our experience as superiors general, presidents of national and continental conferences, women and men theologians, directors of centers for theological reflection on consecrated life, and editors of reviews on consecrated life.

The young religious present will contribute their enthusiastic faith which is attuned to present-day cultural values. We want to continue the reflection and discernment which began with the Synod on Consecrated Life and to discover the new things that the Spirit is bringing to life in us (Is 43:18-19) at the beginning of the third millennium (VC 13). From these foundations we wish to offer some proposals and practical steps to rekindle our hope and sustain us along the path that the Spirit is leading us.

a) Objectives of the Congress

4. The overall objective of the Congress is to discern together, with global awareness, what the Spirit of God is bringing about among us, where the Spirit is leading us, and how we can respond to the challenges of our times, thus building the Reign of God "for the common good" ( 1 Cor 12:7).

5. This objective is composed of the following particular objectives:

• to discover and discern the validity of the new that is appearing among us;

• to accept and promote this newness as a gift from God and an expression of commitment;

• to strengthen the spirituality and mission shared with the People of God and to foster communion and solidarity among the men and women of consecrated life;

• to commit ourselves to sharing our passion for Christ and for humanity in new contexts: consecrated life is urged to cultivate a "passion" for God and for human beings and to make it apriority (VC 84);

• to be the voice of consecrated life for consecrated life.

b) The method and the spirit of the Congress

6. The objectives of the Congress are concretised in this Working Paper, which is an expression of a serious and ongoing team effort. Prior to developing this document, an announcement of this Congress on Consecrated Life was sent out along with four questions that would help us discover signs of vitality, challenges, obstacles and dreams. A "Visioning Group" analysed the answers received from the questionnaires and then worked to focus the theme of the Congress, its inspiration, objectives and process. Now the "Theological Commission" offers this Working Paper that, remaining faithful to the replies received, aims to offer a creative synthesis that reflects certain intuitions for future directions. This Working Paper is being sent to all the participants in the Congress for their reactions and contributions to its enrichment. During the Congress itself the participants will delve deeper into the themes, which will be developed through the various conferences, interchanges and proposals.

7. The Working Paper that we are presenting only seeks to guide the preparation of proposals that are likely to arise from our global and shared discernment during the Congress. In this Working Paper we present the different elements, areas or aspects that may help to focus or direct our work.

8. We deeply desire to express the "spirit" of the Congress which inspires all its particular "components" in the following verbs or dynamic attitudes that have inspired us in the writing of this document: welcoming, transforming, beginning anew, celebrating.

• Welcoming: implies seeing, discovering, listening to what the Spirit offers and perceiving how the Gospel moves us to respond.

• Transforming: implies openness to learning and discerning the spirits that move us.

• Beginning anew: suggests willingness to be decisive and to make proposals that help transform, re-structure, innovate and rethink our concrete actions. Such proposals demand both personal and communal conversion and transformation of environment and structures.

• Celebrating: evokes an authentically celebrative attitude which is needed throughout the Congress. This demands an ability to create symbols, to contemplate, to be joyful, to ask pardon, to intercede, to give thanks, and to praise.

c) The Icon: the Samaritan Woman and the Good Samaritan

9. The Congress has as its theme "With a Passion for Christ and Passion for Humanity," and finds its inspiration for discernment and proposals in the double Gospel icon of the Samaritan Woman and the Good Samaritan. Both symbols, which have not traditionally been applied to consecrated life, can offer inspiration in this moment of need.

10. The Samaritan woman met Jesus at the well. She felt an attraction for his person, his mystery , and his message in her heart. She abandoned her water jug, that is, her former life, for him and became a witness to and sower of Good News (In 4:5-42). One day a Samaritan man met another human being, half dead, a victim of robbery and violence. He felt his heart moved to compassion. So, he changed his journey because of this person; he became his "neighbour" and took care of him with great generosity (Lk 10: 29-37). The Samaritan Woman and the Samaritan Man are symbols of the pathway along which the Spirit is leading consecrated life today and symbols of the love and compassion that the Spirit is arousing in our hearts. This double icon has shown itself to be a powerful force of inspiration throughout the history of spirituality. Today it also pours out its transforming energies on consecrated life. The Samaritan Woman and the Samaritan Man are sinners, yet grace and openness to goodness are not lacking in them. We consecrated women and men are very much like them and we feel challenged by her thirst and desire for living water and his compassion for the wounded on life's byways.

11. We are experiencing a crucial period in our history. We are a world, a Church and consecrated life that experience the exuberance of life, as well as terrible signs of death. The Spirit leads us towards sources of life and simultaneously, towards those brothers and sisters of ours who lie prostrate and dying on life's paths.

d) Perspective: Discernment for Refounding

12. The focus of this document: We understand consecrated life to be a gift of the Spirit given to the Church for the world. The Church is mother and teacher. It is a field of action and mission for consecrated persons (EN 8, 24). In the People of God consecrated life is at the service of the Reign of God which is breaking forth in our world. We have to be attentive so that the world and the new culture, which is coming to birth, will have a human face and that the Church will be a "sacrament of humanization." For this to become a reality consecrated life needs a radical revitalization that will give it a new face. In this document everything is directed towards beginning a discernment of this new process, which has already been initiated by some religious men and women, some communities, and some congregations. This discernment will continue in the days of preparation for the Congress and will be deepened during the Congress, and ultimately it will be shared with the whole of consecrated life. We intend to include the contributions of the theology of consecrated life, ecclesiology, and anthropology, but we will not develop these lines of thought.

e) The Logo

13. The message of this document is captured with strength and beauty by the logo that is on the cover of the document. This logo is made up of many dots -representative of the many that make up the world, humanity, God's Reign. The women and men in religious life constitute a million of these dots.

In the drawing's composite there is a movement in which one symbol flows into the other in a continuous rhythm. They come to the centre, to the essential, to the love that envelops all. They also go outward, to the world that represents the Body of Christ, the People of God. This double movement flows from the Cross, the sign of life and hope. The logo in its entirety evokes the heart of every religious in which passion for Christ and for humanity merge together into one dynamic. The colours red and blue remind us of the force of Christ's grace that penetrates humanity with all its tenderness and vigour. Consecrated life desires to participate in this movement. The call to zeal, to intensity, to mission and to conversion is very much present in this significant symbol. The glorious Cross of Christ draws us to itself; it transforms us and sends us on mission.

PART ONE

THE REALITY THAT CHALLENGES US

Jacob's well is there and Jesus,

tired by the journey, sat straight down by the well (In 4:6)

And when he saw him.

 he passed by on the other side.

But a Samaritan... was moved with compassion )When

he saw him... (Lk 10:31-33)

14. As Jesus taught us we discover the will of God, the innovative action of the Spirit, the direction in which we should move, the presence of God and God's designs for us in the signs of the times. The comments from those who answered the questionnaire for the Congress have helped us to glean insights and to suggest a profile of consecrated life in these times.

15. When we look at our reality at this moment of history, in this particular world, in this Church, all of which form our experience, we ask ourselves various questions:

• What is the Holy Spirit raising up in consecrated life today?

• How do we identify it, describe it, and present it?

• How are we initiated into it and how do we form ourselves for it?

• How do we describe the leadership that it needs?

• How do we discover the obstacles to its existence ?

• To what new "wells, " and new paths is this emerging consecrated life drawing us?

• What name could we give to this process of newness in which we are involved?

16. The following is a presentation of the challenges and the opportunities for grace that we have recognized as well as the obstacles that make our dreams impossible or difficult, and more concretely, our passion for Christ and for humanity. Important criteria for us are the four great fidelities that are mentioned in the document Religious and Human Promotion: "Fidelity to [humanity] and our times, fidelity to Christ and the Gospel, fidelity to the Church and her mission in the world, fidelity to religious life and the particular charism of each Institute" (RPH, 1980, nos. 13-31). We are also faithful to our current reality as well as to the great spiritual and ecclesial realities. The two perspectives are intertwined and mutually nourishing. We will consider each reality or situation in relation to consecrated life to see the influences and the challenges that are there. Our objective is none other than to be "ready to respond with the wisdom of the Gospel to the questions posed today by the anxieties and the urgent needs of the human heart" (VC 81 ).

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

17. Consecrated life, being more global than ever, feels challenged by various new phenomena. Included among them are: 1) globalization with its ambiguities and mythology; 2) human mobility with its migratory phenomena and accelerated processes; 3) the unjust and destabilizing neo-liberal economic system; 4) a culture of death and the struggle to promote life in the face of challenges from biotechnology and eugenics; 5) pluralism and growing differentiation; 6) post-modern attitudes and mentality; 7) the thirst for love and the distortions of love; and 8) hunger for the sacred and secularistic materialism.

l8. Such challenges situate us in a field of tensions and opposing forces that we can neither forget nor minimize. This makes it all the more necessary to discover where the Spirit is leading us in this "novo millenio ineunte ": What opportunities is the Spirit offering us for growth, innovation, and refoundation? What practical decisions inspire us to grow and renew? Toward what formation processes are we heading? What are the difficulties or stumbling blocks awaiting us?

I.  Globalization with its Ambiguities

19. We are dwellers in a global and planetary world. Information, thanks to new technologies, easily circles the entire planet and creates economic, political, and strategic dynamics, even unthought of and unsuspected ones. We feel closer to one another, and we can better understand our differences. Nevertheless, since these dynamics are at the service of those powers without official status but with immense influence, of particular interests, and of neo-liberal ideologies, they have very negative and discriminatory consequences. They generate poverty, humiliate the dignity of peoples with few resources, impose only one neo-liberal economic model, and marginalize cultures, peoples, and groups that do not serve their interests.

20. Consecrated life is also involved in the process of globalization. Our charisms are rooted in new religious and cultural places and contexts. These differences convert our institutes into transitional communities that enjoy the same global identity. Nevertheless, there is the danger that the predominant culture in the institute will impose itself on the others and thus impede the inculturation process and the expression of the charism in new contexts (VC 73 and 79). This universalising model can have negative consequences similar to those of the neo-liberal project, going against the poor and the excluded.

21. The challenge of globalization can become an opportunity to recognize the unity in the diversity of this world so loved by God. A prophetic commitment to justice and peace and care for creation is a dimension of the Christian mission, in which the Church and consecrated life oppose the neo-liberal model of globalization and defend a model of global consciousness without excluding or impoverishing anyone. ["global consciousness" translates the Spanish "mundializaci6n" -trans.] This form of global sensitivity opens us to real possibilities for an inculturation and contextualization of our charisms and also for closer collaboration with other congregations and with other forms of Christian and human living.

II. Human Mobility and its Migratory Phenomena

22. Diverse political and social conflicts such as poverty, wars, political instability, and religious intolerance are among the causes of the various waves of migration that are changing the complexion of some nations. Large sectors of humanity feel displaced, uprooted, and dispersed throughout the world. The constant struggle for survival in such circumstances hinders the transmission of traditions, balanced education, and healthy, dignified development. The migration of peoples challenges us in that in welcoming others, we put our own Christian and religious identity at stake. From this arise admirable attitudes of hospitality and receptiveness, but also xenophobic, ethnocentric and racist attitudes that we cannot tolerate.

23. In consecrated life we also experience the mobility characteristic of the times. We are called to be Exodus communities and persons who wish to have an attitude of dialogue with life and culture, an openness of mind and a capacity for transformation. In an unjust and divided world we need to be signs and witnesses of dialogue and trust, of communion and communal love (VD 51 ).

24. Today consecrated life has an opportunity to meet people in their mobility. It has an opportunity to share with many men and women the sense of uprootedness from one's own cultural identity as well as the process of adapting and of creating new syntheses. Consecrated persons have to be "Samaritans" in knowing how to welcome, accompany, and care for these wounded and marginalized persons. Their mission takes on essential overtones of hospitality, compassion, and inter-religious and intercultural dialogue (VC 79). All this presupposes that consecrated life undergo a profound restructuring of life style, mentality, and programs.

III. The Unjust Economic System and New Forms of Solidarity

25. Another great challenge is the exclusion to which great sections of humanity are subjected in the name of the current globalization process. An economy of exploitation generates wants and new types of poverty (cf. NMI 50) that lead in the end to an ongoing depreciation of life. The liberalization of the world economy has not managed to avoid the evil effects which crush the weak and less developed peoples and countries.

26. As consecrated men and women, we can picture ourselves involved in this economy which excludes many. This challenge really tests the truth of our solidarity with the poor, the excluded, and those threatened in their right to life, and also tests our commitment to their liberation. We recognize that this solidarity is an essential part of our faith in Jesus, of the prophetic dimension of our consecrated life, and of our following of Jesus. The evangelical counsel of poverty should become more and more a personal and communal practice of solidarity with the poor, of detachment, of giving freely, of trust in Providence, and of simple witness. (VC 82)

27. Consciousness of unjust economic systems also offers us the opportunity of confronting our life style with the Gospel and with the urgent needs of the poor. It challenges us to establish an economy of solidarity that is critical of the present economic system. It calls us to put our resources and institutions at the service of the poor and of creation by participating actively in the defense and promotion of life. justice, and peace through collaboration with other religious and civic organizations.

IV. Life Threatened and Defended

28. Life is abundant and fruitful in nature and in humanity. An appreciation, defense and passion for life is shown today in many ways. There are persons and organizations who work on behalf of the poor, human rights and peace, and, at the same time, the great steps forward in the sciences, biotechnology, and modern medicine constitute a sign of both hope and fear for humanity. This is particularly true for consecrated men and women who are committed to promoting and protecting human life.

29. There are numerous indicators of violence and death in our world. Life on our planet is threatened, e.g., contamination and lack of water, deforestation, pollution, toxic wastes. Human life is devalued from conception to death, e.g., abortion, violence against women and children, sexual violence, totalitarianism, terrorism, wars, the death penalty, euthanasia. The sources of life and fertility are being manipulated often without scruple and without ethical criteria. At times we get the impression of scientific showmanship. Religious fundamentalism of many kinds provokes a violence that could be called "sacred" and from which we ourselves are not exempt.

30. The challenges are numerous, above all for consecrated men and women who serve in the field of health:

• ethical challenges: abortion, euthanasia for the terminally ill, the use of  therapeutic cloning and embryos for the healing of some degenerative diseases;

• the challenge of the great endemic and epidemic diseases, such as HIV, malaria, ebola, SARS;

• challenges in the field of justice: e.g., the moral acceptability of the

• pharmaceutical industry warehousing medicines while the poor die for lack of medication. Consecrated men and women could be these poor sick people as well as the defenders of their human rights.

31. This dramatic situation opens up new opportunities for us. We can no longer live without being deeply affected by these situations that impact Mother Earth and our human community. We should be attentive so as not to be co-responsible for a "culture of death." Our apostolic plans have no sense if they do not stimulate us to serve with greater devotion those whose lives are diminished or lead us to establish a true "culture of life."

V. Pluralism and Increasing Differentiation

32. We live in a pluralistic world, and we are more sensitive than ever to differences due to ethnicity, culture, religion, gender, and generations. The acceptance of pluralism makes our way of thinking and acting difficult. Some cultures are excluded. Respect for differences and pluralism often conflicts with networks of particular interests. Many times majorities prevail over minorities; force over reason; economy over solidarity; law over freedom; gender exclusion over gender inclusion; dictatorship over democracy. The tendency towards a single way of thinking and the levelling of everything cause great tension and distress.

33. Consecrated life embraces pluralism and diversity now more than in other times. Consecrated life itself is called to be diverse in its members and in the charisms that the Spirit gives it. This is why men and women in consecrated life feel uncomfortable in uniform ecclesiastical or social systems and in monocultures that are neither open nor participative. The challenge of dialogue, on all levels, attempts to shape a new style of consecrated life. At the same time, we need to acknowledge that religious life has also many times imposed cultural forms, ways of acting, ethnic fanaticism, and caste differences. Mature religious obedience, an exercise in attentive listening to God's desires and those of others, in free submission, and in an integrated personal and community commitment, helps us to respond adequately to this challenge.

34. This task changes into an opportunity when we are capable of entering into communion with those who are different from us. Individual charisms are recognized, freed, and put at the service of others. Consecrated life in which differences of gender, age, culture, rites, and sensitivities are respected and promoted, acquires a notable quality of being a sign in our world. In this way, consecrated life gains a better understanding of pluralism in our society and is better equipped to defend it and to illuminate it with the wisdom of the Gospel.

VI. Postmodern Mentality and Attitudes

35. The so-called "postmodern mentality" is a globalized phenomenon that affects above all, the younger generations. They are more sensitive to the reality that surrounds us, more receptive to pluralism and complexity, and, as such, are more vulnerable. This, in turn, fosters feelings of uncertainty, insecurity, and instability, and from this comes a narcissistic tendency to look for pleasure in the present without any responsibility for or hope in the future. It should not be surprising that fundamentalist, reactionary movements which seek to establish security by restoring the past, arise in reaction to this.

36. In consecrated life we also see that the complexity of our world and a postmodern mentality produce, especially in the younger generations, a type of personality that is more complex and less defined. This has particular effects on the life and mission of consecrated persons. It shows up in attitudes more tolerant of diversity and more centered on the subjective, less interested in accepting long-term and definitive life commitments. Everything becomes relative in relation to subjective feelings and needs for temporary commitment. From this we see the necessity for finding ways to live the Gospel authentically and creatively in this new postmodern culture.

37. This postmodern attitude gives us an opportunity to recognize our own limits and to avoid the triumphalism of the past. It should also make us more vulnerable and compassionate, both towards our own communities and towards all people. We see an opportunity in this to regain our compassion for the suffering of our world. The sense of temporariness and the cultural difficulties with permanence/stability could lead us to study the possibilities of proposing forms of consecrated life " ad tempus"' (VC 56 and Propositio 33) which would avoid giving the sense that someone who has joined consecrated life for a time, has deserted or abandoned it.

VII. The Thirst for Love and the Distortion of Love

38. We perceive that in our world there is a deep thirst for love and intimacy that is expressed in so many different forms that sometimes we feel disturbed. There is a desire for the kind of marriage and family that becomes a home and communion, security in the midst of a hostile, strange, rapidly changing, and violent world. We are very aware of how difficult working at a love relationship can be, how it can be continuously interrupted, and can even fail and end in self-centeredness. There are various reasons for difficulties in this area: a cultural dominance of one gender over the other (machismo or sexism), patterns of employment, that are imposed because of outside forces which do not favor the stability that the family and couple require, a desire for autonomy and self-realization, etc. The number of divorces is high, and at the same time life expectancy is longer. More possibilities for relations between persons of the same or of the opposite sex have appeared. That the institutions of marriage and the family, such as we have inherited them, are in crisis is obvious. All of this generates a "distortion of love" difficult to manage.

39. The Church laments the fact that her message and doctrine -laid out in more integrated and educational schemas -are not sufficiently embraced and carried out, not only by society but also by her own faithful. Consecrated life has also been affected by this situation both in the living out of celibacy or consecrated chastity and in community and interpersonal relationships. The constant flow of those who leave this form of life, the sexual scandals, and the affective immaturity of members indicate that this situation is unsatisfactory to more than a few, who also do not find ways of getting beyond the obstacles and blocks. The celibacy that we profess in consecrated life demands a mature, generous, fruitful, and healthy way of living our affectivity and our sexuality. This witness becomes a prophetic gesture in a society like ours so greatly marked by eroticism (VC 88).

40. A theological and anthropological reflection of this sort cannot be limited to this topic and to problems related to celibacy or community life. It is, however, true that in speaking of celibacy and community life we need to keep in mind the contributions of the new anthropology. Only in this way can we respond to new situations and have a better orientation for formation in love and celibacy, emphasizing the relational and integrating dimension of spirit and body. This anthropology should influence the other areas of consecrated life as well. Up to now we have not always been on target in formulating its implications for formation and vocation ministry, for multiple interpersonal relationships, for forms of government and organization, and for language. If we do not pay attention to the human substratum that sustains consecrated life, we could easily be building on sand.

VIII. Thirst for the Sacred and Secularistic Materialism

41. This theme does not come at the end because it is less important, but because it is the key which gives meaning to everything that has been said. An authentic renewal of consecrated life and a revitalization of its mission arise out of a healthy and lively spirituality. We see in our world athirst for the sacred and a longing for spirituality, for meaning, and for transcendence. On the other hand, too much confidence in ourselves, in power, in technology, and in wealth moves us far away from the ultimate Reality. In our world, new idols are being adored that prevent the adoration of the one and true God. A secularized vision of reality is globalized, especially in rich countries, and we find ourselves immersed in a world without transcendence, syncretistic, agnostic, and functional; in other words, in a world without a soul.

42. Both in the Church and in consecrated life, the secular environment also favors a tendency toward idolatry that is expressed in a cult of the media, of the powerful, of institutions, customs, ritualism, and laws. This makes conversion to the one and only Absolute and Necessary difficult. It also makes passion for God and for the Reign of God difficult. The challenge of a deep experience of God and of a passion, which is mission-oriented, innovative, and prophetic, is seen today as conversion to the living God. Hunger for God nourishes our Exodus, and mission gives meaning to our Christian and consecrated vocation. Moreover, we should see that the new experiences and forms of spirituality are not only fruits of human searching, but also true calls and challenges of the Spirit for a society and humanity that have not found the paths of transcendence but still eagerly search for the mysterious face of God (VC 84).

43. The thirst for God and a healthy spirituality for our times, together with an idolatrous and secular tendency, offer us the opportunity to purify our vision of what is religious and to find new modes of expression, thus living out our passion for the God of the Covenant. Consecrated life will recover its identity if it appears and acts as a witness to God, as an announcer of God's reign and if it makes use of serious spiritual means to listen intelligently and empathetically to the sentiments of the human heart. It will thus offer services of spiritual paternity and maternity to our contemporaries who need them. Witness to the true God also demands that consecrated persons be prepared to risk, in the extreme case, their own lives, even unto martyrdom (VC 86). This situation offers us new opportunities for evangelical creativity in announcing the Risen Jesus.

44. A spirituality that is able to face as an equal challenges and expectations of the men and women of our times must be nourished with daily, prayerful listening to the Word. We need to strengthen ourselves to meet the demands of the Paschal Mysteries that we celebrate daily, to insert ourselves in the not always easy or defined pathway of God's people in this world and to enter into a welcoming dialogue that is capable of discerning the utopias and wounds of our present humanity. Only by using this experience of life in the Spirit as a point of departure can we encourage and animate anew epoch in the history of the coming of the reign of God and in the history of consecrated life. According to different cultural and religious contexts, this spirituality can place more emphasis on elements of interiority or historic commitment, but it can never falter in its continuous search for a dynamic balance between these two perspectives. By encountering God, we encounter a great love for the human being especially the "little ones" and the frailest; by encountering the poor and the wounded we are moved in our deepest being and our eyes see in them an image of God, even if disfigured and scorned.

OBSTACLES

45. Sometimes it is difficult or impossible to walk the paths along which the Spirit directs us. Consecrated life appears to be held back with locked brakes and blocked by various obstacles. We are the cause of some of them, while others are caused by the Church and by the world in which we live.

I. Obstacles Caused by Ourselves

a) Personal and community limitations

46. Our institutes seem blocked, in the first place, by the limitations of the persons who are members. Among these limitations are the continuing aging of their members and of the institutes themselves in some countries; the development of new vocations who are sometimes affected by family or social traumas or are inadequately chosen or poorly accompanied in the formation process; the excess of work burdening some; superficiality in discernment or the lack of serious initial and ongoing formation. These limitations also put a limit on the capacity of the institutes to respond to the challenges of our times and places. In turn this reduces and, in some cases swallows up, our passion for Christ and for humanity. For these reasons, the programmatic vision expressed in our documents often exceeds our real possibilities and gets stuck in the first stages of developing an unreal utopia. This generates anxiety and frustration. Solemn theoretical proclamations and language distant from everyday life speak more of human cunning than of evangelical wisdom.

b) Infidelity and a lack of vocational response

47. Another obstacle comes from our infidelity or lack of response to our vocational gift. A middle class mentality or a strong sense of being well established, generated by an excessive interest in comfort and goods, along with a lack of evangelical simplicity, born of excessive attachment to material goods, suffocates openness and a spirit of mission. It blurs a contemplative vision and numbs us in the presence of the poor and marginalized, thus hindering an authentic life of communion.

48. Direct or indirect involvement in sexual and economic scandals and in the abuse of power takes away our credibility, our moral and evangelical authority, and paralyzes the implementation of our projects. To be in touch with reality, we cannot ignore these serious facts. It is difficult to weigh out the consequences, but there is no doubt that all of this puts into question the evangelical radicality of this kind of life which should shine with a real brilliance.

c) Fears and shutting out

49. The action of the Spirit is blocked within us when we let ourselves be motivated by a fear of taking any risks and refrain from making suitable decisions that might displease a dominant group or authority. Fear paralyzes. It reduces our capacity to risk and moves us to seek secure positions. We become traditionalists, conservatives, persons closed to renewal and innovation.

50. When superiors allow themselves to be influenced by fear, weak leadership develops that tries to please everyone and everything and as a result, becomes very indecisive or too subservient to higher authorities. In a word, such superiors are more willing to please than to act. It is difficult to exercise authority and obedience in an evangelical way, in this situation. Today we lack men and women with sufficient moral authority to lead communities in creative fidelity to the charism.

51. Groups that try to hinder conciliar renewal and impose their laws on certain aspects of life and in certain circumstances change the collective charism into something routine and decadent. In these cases creative persons are looked upon with jealousy and are controlled; the most they are permitted to do is to make some superficial changes that do not threaten the status quo. In this way the "new wine" is poured into "old wineskins" (Mt 9: 17).

52. Fear leads us to search for securities that in turn, lead us to close ourselves up within our own little world, be it religious, ecclesiastical, provincial or national. We become inordinately attached to our own language and culture and to isolation in our charism or religious tradition. We become blind to the signs of the Spirit and we kill all initiative and creativity for responding to the great urgencies of our times. There is a pressing need for a new inspiration from Vatican Council II that will make us audacious and striking in our faithful living of the Gospel.

II. From the Church and Society

53. The Church is the Body of Christ in continual growth (MR 11). Consecrated life finds living space, expansion, and growth within her. However, it feels blocked wherever a closed ecclesiastical system dominates, be it on the universal level or in particular local Churches, where the system distrusts and is suspicious of the evangelical freedom that so often moves consecrated life. In such circumstances, consecrated life feels relegated to a position of inferiority and not appreciated in relation to other groups that are more docile. In some places its initiatives and labours are dulled and suffer discrimination. If it then opts for conformity with the situation, it loses touch with its most prophetic source. If it opts for the exercise of its prophetic vocation, it is excluded. The prophetic dimension, so essential to consecrated life, needs to be nurtured and promoted (VC 84-85).

54. The societies in which we live influence us very powerfully, in such away that their obstacles are our obstacles, in much the same way that their virtues are our virtues. We have only to mention the obstacles that proceed from dictatorial regimes, societies that are very "closed in on themselves" without any openness to global realities, and societies immersed in materialism and secularism. There are many groups, currents, and cultural tendencies that block us: the lack of credibility on the part of the principal organizations (political parties, labour unions, social projects, religious organizations), the collapse of the great Utopias that make the struggle for abetter future that much more difficult, and terror and violence. All of these make us more insecure and fearful everyday and everywhere.

III. Hope not Crushed by Obstacles

55. This reality that challenges us does not crush our hope. Our time is the time of our God of the Covenant, of our God "always greater," of our God whose gifts surpass our desires.

56. We, as consecrated persons, are living through crucial moments for humanity and for the Church. We have to make decisions of great importance for the immediate future. We are being presented with decisive options: we can gladden life or make it difficult; grow in communion or create greater distances between us; be conquered by difficulties or face them. We do not have time to spare. New realities demand new responses. God is speaking to us through these new situations and challenges. These responses must be rooted in real life, but they also have to come to birth and be nourished with the wisdom of God and with the Word through whom God comes to us and enlightens us, provokes us, draws us out, purifies us, guides us, and inspires us anew. This is the hour to listen to God's voice. The present period in the history of consecrated life is not its best hour, but it is not its worst hour either. It is our hour, the one that we are given to form and prosper with a faith that acts through charity and makes hope possible.

57. We cannot live in an ideal kind of consecrated life which is far removed from reality. Neither can we forget about this in order to talk about a future outside of the real world, nor can we shape a future out of a paradigm that is dying. It would be good to regain the ability for a real revitalization making use of the models proposed, while accepting the necessity of trying fragile solutions without deciding everything beforehand.

PART TWO

ENLIGHTENMENT: THE SYMBOL

And when he comes, he will tell us everything. (Jn 4:25)

What is written? ...What do you read there ? (Lk 10: 26)

58. Facing the realities that challenge us and the obstacles that paralyze us, we turn to the Word ofGod for light and strength. This is what our Founders and Foundresses did. "From familiarity with God's word they draw the light needed for that individual and communal discernment which helps them to see the ways of the Lord in the signs of the times" (VC 94). The Word of God invites us to discern the will of God, what pleases God, the more perfect (Rm 12:2), to discern God's ways through the signs of the times and to act with fidelity and wisdom.

59. We want to be enlightened in our discernment, as we have said, by two biblical symbols: the narrative about the meeting of the Samaritan woman with Jesus at Jacob's well (In 4:1-42) and the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10: 29-37). Consecrated women in their contribution to the Synod of 1994 have already used the first symbol. Here we use it to affirm the passionate, spiritual searching for living water, "contemplative passion" that all of us -consecrated men and women -carry in our hearts and which only Jesus can satisfy. The second symbol is proposed as an example of active and diligent compassion towards every person, wounded in body and spirit. Both symbols can inspire our discernment and offer us new perspectives and wise direction as we begin this new century. New and unthought of horizons are opened to us and we can find direction in this new combination of elements.

SAMARITAN WOMAN, SAMARITAN MAN

60. Against all expectations -common ones of those times -that a Samaritan would behave in away conforming to the will of God, the two protagonists are involved in a process of transformation that is expressed in gestures and pa