Recently on a freezing cold morning, I found myself sitting in the corner of a school cafeteria with a warm, delicious cup of coffee in my hands.
Seated near a few hundred students, I was chatting with a veteran Lasallian teacher. After we exchanged insights into modern teenage society, he quickly got on to another topic — his fellow Brothers.
He talked about the influence of the Brothers both today as well as in the past. He spoke of some as his “heroes”, one of whom hired him 30 years ago. He reminded me of the effect of diminishing numbers, advancing age, and illness on the fraternity he loved so much throughout his life.
The bell rang, the boys headed for class. — and he needed to get to his room ahead of them. I never had a chance to make my pitch for what I was convinced is hidden in plain sight around him.
Drop into any northeastern United States community of Brothers for dinner and ask the group what they do for the families of their neighborhood.
In addition to teaching, administering and counseling, answers these days will now include:
- Tutor students in danger of dropping out of school
- Coach adult learners to pass the GED
- Assist young men and women as campus minister or spiritual director
- Facilitate the Lasallian formation of teachers and parents
- Serve on Boards
- Manage the local food pantry and the like
- Volunteer teach young Brothers in Africa each summer
- Visit the shut-ins in their neighborhood
- Write grants and memoirs
You will hear them say they are practicing a ministry of presence — being available, helpful, supportive, friendly, and open. And here’s what few of us know that is hidden in plain sight — the Brothers as a whole are becoming significantly more spiritual. Many are on an inner journey of the Spirit, one that can be difficult to speak on but nonetheless obvious to a passing observer.
The Spirit is at work making the Reign of God visible.
General Chapter Clarifies Spiritual Growth
Last spring nearly 100 Brothers from over 80 countries came together in Rome for a General Chapter. Their documents and the revised Rule of the Brothers are all crystal clear about the spiritual growth throughout the entire Institute. In the Acts of the General Chapter they wrote that Brothers had “an increased interest in deepening their spirituality.” The tone of the Rule’s revisions captured the same ideas: 1) formation was no longer understood to be limited to the young, but rather spoken of as lifelong formation and 2) spirituality itself was no longer merely seen in terms of prayer but now involved lifelong spiritual growth.
In great detail, these Brothers gave voice to a monumental shift in spirituality. At a much younger overall age, they believed they were responsible for their own spiritual development. Once there were the exercises of piety, examen of conscience, and the feeling of responsibility to pursue perfection — not so today!
It’s not all up to us. Gifts and grace are given to us by the One who loves us and invites us to be our best. We are in communion with God and each other. Our model is the Triune God of three persons who enjoy equality, complementarity, diversity, and love. Often the invitations, the gifts and the graces are not exactly what we wanted. So our embrace of them is a direct reflection of our new spirituality. We are not authors of our own destiny.
“By contemplating the history of salvation being enacted in their life and in that of the Institute, they experience the grace of the paschal mystery.” — Revised Rule 2014
The inner journey also refers to how these men live together. The General Chapter in Rome said: “The Brothers are aware that their community is a prophetic but fragile sign. They welcome with gratitude the grace of reconciliation and forgiveness between its members.” The humble recognition of the fragile acknowledges what I call the spirituality of imperfection. We were meant to be imperfect — otherwise our Creator would have done differently.
During a recent trip to Bethlehem, I captured this sunrise over Jordan.
On a Local Level
For the Brothers of the District of Eastern North America, this move to deeper spirituality is likewise hidden in plain sight. As an observer at a recent series of meetings for Brothers throughout DENA, I was impressed by the general willingness of these men to merge their communities. Many believed it might help the larger group to make a greater impact. In so doing, we are realizing the call in the revised Rule that says “In educational institutions, the visibility of the Brothers’ community should be a form of bearing witness to the Gospel.”
In just a few months the fourth cohort of DENA Brothers will complete the Spiritual Direction Internship. This will bring the number of trained spiritual directors to 23 in just the past six years. At least a dozen other trained spiritual directors in recent years have graduated from other programs. All of these men value their own inner journey as a prerequisite to their helping others with spiritual direction. No other district in the world maintains such a program.
“The witness of a consecrated life lived in community is a sign and an instrument of God’s plan. It demonstrates that love is a saving reality and that, by being Brothers among themselves and with others, they make the Reign of God visible.” — Revised Rule 2014
For several years, DENA has had a small grant program for Brothers who among other things wish to deepen their spirituality by attending workshops, retreats, events and conferences. I attended Richard Rohr’s conference in Santa Fe called Intimacy: The Divine Ambush. This grant program will be expanded to include added opportunities for senior Brothers.
The Spirit is at work making the Reign of God visible.
A Dream for Our Time
Not long ago I visited the Holy Land. Early one morning I awoke from a very significant dream. I was pondering the message of life that will rise from our hearts like the sunrise over the river Jordan. The message was that a child will be born. This message was contained in the words of a woman — words that I had heard often over months but could not recall exactly. However, I was pretty sure the main word was “love.”
“Attentive to the movement of the Holy Spirit, the Institute is open to new forms of community life.” — Revised Rule 2014
This is the lifelong spiritual journey of our Brothers. We birth a child over time from our deepest selves that will be the light of the world around us. The Spirit is known throughout history as the feminine face of God — and in my dream simply as the woman — has the word for the whole incarnational process.
Love.
Brother Ed Phelan, FSC, 74, listens in conversations with Brothers for how their quiet whispers within are leading them to action on behalf of those whose dignity and human rights are not recognized. Each month he writes the story of one man for the DENA Dispatch.
Love your Blog(?), Br. Ed. It’s chock full of enlightening information about the Brothers, their missions and charisms. Your pieces always contain insights that raise very thoughtful questions for all of us on the road through our Judeas, and out of our Jerusalems of today. I look forward to each installment.