30 May 2021
Dear Brothers,
Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire!
(St. Catherine of Siena)
Today, the Brothers General Councilor and I join you in renewing our commitment to Jesus Christ as Brothers of the Christian Schools. On this feast of the Holy Trinity, as we once again affirm our desire to be who God means us to be, let us be attentive to these words of John Baptist de La Salle: “often recall to mind the purpose of your vocation, and do your part to establish and maintain the reign of God in the students’ hearts”.[1] Brothers, let us set the world on fire with the Good News!
Former Brother Superior Álvaro gives us an insight into the mystery that we are celebrating:
The glory of the Father, who in Jesus is revealed as being kind and compassionate. The glory of the Son, who revealed in the faces of the poor, the hungry the imprisoned… (cf. Matthew 25) and who invites us to continue his mission and build the Kingdom. The glory of the Spirit, who gives us glimpses of himself in those who are different from us, which opens us to dialogue and respect.[2]
Brothers, in order to set the world on fire we are called to procure the glory of Father, Son, and Spirit by being kind and compassionate to all whom we encounter, especially those who are poor. We are called to witness to brotherhood, sisterhood and community as experiences of the Reign of God. We are called to cooperate with the Spirit in building up the one human family. We are called to remember that we can only “participate in the act of creating when we ourselves open up to being created or re-created by the power of God’s love.”[3]
To kindle the fire of God’s love in our own lives and in the lives of our sisters and brothers requires patience and time to:
- Recognize the passing of God and to discern in the texture of our lived experience the calls of the Spirit.
- Give thanks for the manifestations of life, for the victories of the forces of life over the forces of death.
- Intercede for those with who life binds us and whose needs we perceive or suspect.
- Evangelize life; to refocus oneself on the objective, the Kingdom of God….[4]
To continue setting the world on fire by helping others to live life to the fullest and in this way procure the glory of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, our ministry requires clear direction and concrete and effective strategies. In this regard, we are preparing for the 3rd International Mission Assembly (AIMEL III) and the 46th General Chapter. Let us pray that this be the time “of distinguishing the paths of the good that leads to the future from other paths that lead nowhere or backward. With clarity, we can better choose the first”.[5]
On this feast of the Holy Trinity, let us recall John Baptist de La Salle’s search for the will of God and his courageous decision “to ‘leave the cathedral of stone’ and set the world on fire by procuring ‘entry into the living cathedral,’ the Church, of young abandoned children”.[6]
Brothers, let us recommit to be who God wants us to be and set the world on fire with His love!
Fraternally,
Brother Robert Schieler, FSC
Brother Superior
[1] De La Salle. Meditations, 67.1.
[2] Echeverría Rodríguez, Álvaro, FSC. Consecrated by God the Trinity, as a community of Brothers, to make visible his gratuitous and supportive love. Pastoral Letter, 2007, p. 5.
[3] Delio, Ilia. The Hours of the Universe: Reflections on God, Science, and the Human Journey. Orbis Books, 2021, p.167.
[4] Campos, Miguel, FSC & Sauvage, Michel, FSC. Encountering God in the Depths of the Mind and Heart, p. 440.
[5] Pope Francis. Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future. Simon & Schuster, 2020, p. 51.
[6] Campos, Miguel, FSC & Sauvage, Michel, FSC. Encountering God in the Depths of the Mind and Heart, p. 385.
