photo 2005

 

july 8 2006

Am 9:11-15 Thus says the LORD: On that day I will raise up the fallen hut of David; I will wall up its breaches, raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old,That they may conquer what is left of Edom and all the nations that shall bear my name, say I, the LORD, who will do this. Yes, days are coming, says the LORD, When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the vintager, him who sows the seed; The juice of grapes shall drip down the mountains, and all the hills shall run with it. I will bring about the restoration of my people Israel; they shall rebuild and inhabit their ruined cities, Plant vineyards and drink the wine, set out gardens and eat the fruits. I will plant them upon their own ground; never again shall they be plucked From the land I have given them, say I, the LORD, your God.


Ps 85:9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14R. (see 9b) The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
I will hear what God proclaims;the LORD—for he proclaims peace to his people. Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land.
R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
Kindness and truth shall meet;justice and peace shall kiss.Truth shall spring out of the earth,and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;our land shall yield its increase.Justice shall walk before him,and salvation, along the way of his steps.R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.

Mt 9:14-17 The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mournas long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

No one puts new wine in old wineskins. Our times have changed dramatically in Religious Life (consecrated life) and yet we in many respects are still trying to pour new wine into old wineskins or patch an old cloth with a new cloth. The books about this have been written for the last thiry years now.

There is a time that the entire system framework needs to be reviewed A time for a paradigm shift because what we always did does not work anymore. There are very few new vocations. To me it is a message that it is time for changes in Religious life or acceptance that it will continue to diminsh. It is all well and good for me to say something should be done, but what and how?

It is not as clear to me what Jesus is calling us to. This does not mean a loss of dedication, evangelical fervor, hope and mission. To me it means there is a call to discern a new path, a new direction. The new path choices include acceptance of the reality of increased ages in communities and decreased sizes overall with willingness to combine with other communities for practical purposes. This is an enormous shift for some but seems a logical point for many now and in the distant future.