Naming the Moment and

Embracing the Future

Second step: Seeking inspiration and hope.

“Disciples of Jesus, with the heart of Mary Immaculate, sons and daughters of Eugene de Mazenod, we are called to be Oblate missionaries in this time and place.”

The missionary situation of recent years.

?As Oblates and as a Province:

can we look beyond our own perspectives and gain a broader understanding of our identity?

What can inspire us and give us hope?

What does it suggest, to help us find inspiration and hope?

for the first step in your process,

helpful

essential

they become in the second one.

passing from the reality to the situation.

“objective” subjective

Holy Saturday

emptiness

the drama of Sri Lanka

a public murder

descent to hell

a glorious past

There are different ways of reacting to Holy Saturday situations:

walking away “Let us be realistic,

it is over”

The Jesus of Nazareth of the days before will

never come back!

Are there things in our Oblate history

that are over?

There are different ways of reacting to Holy Saturday situations:

establishing scepticism as our

philosophy

voices coming from certain women –

“fantasies”, “wishful thinking”

Have we heard any voices and dismissed

them?

Have we already made scepticism our

ideology?

Moving on to another

page in history

We do need to close

houses and works...

resist the forces of nostalgia

“Oh, how foolish you

are!”

They are still clinging to their past concept...

- the idea of a Messiah-

King

“Was it not necessary?”

an injunction -

“Was it not necessary” in Canada20 million Catholics -

2,300 Oblates

“How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!”

their concept of Messiah did not correspond to

God’s plans.

Scripture can reveal to them God’s true plans

“Then beginning with Moses and all the

prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures.”

Can we see the events of the

past in the light of faith?

another injunction -

How do we take authority?

Have we really listened to the

Gospel?

“Were not our hearts burning within us

while he spoke to us on the way and

opened the scriptures to us?”

metanoia

“Then beginning with Moses and all the

prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures.”

They make the passage

from Holy Saturday to Easter

They experience new life.

The source of hope...

With burning hearts “that same hour” they undertook their journey again, this time to a different destination...

“If you want to build a ship, don’t summon people to buy wood, prepare tools, distribute jobs, and organize the work.  Rather teach people the yearning for the wide boundless ocean.”

Antoine Saint-Exupery

“Through the eyes of our crucified Saviour we see the world which he redeemed with his blood, desiring that those in whom he continues to suffer, will know also the power of his resurrection (cf. Phil 3:

10).” (Constitution  4)

Notre Dame du Cap and Lacombe rank 3 and 4 in terms of numbers in the Congregation.

Average age is the 4th highest

70.9 years Average age of the Congregation

55.3 years

There are small numbers of young people joining.

Need to prepare for a rather reduced missionary presence and new structures early enough…

chance: a pool of about 70 people under 65 - tackle the opportunities.

“Disciples of Jesus, with the heart of Mary Immaculate, sons and daughters of Eugene de Mazenod, we are called to be Oblate missionaries in this time and place.”

“While we recognize our diminishment, we are also seeing the tremendous gifts we have for ministry. …we have been left in awe of the incredible ministry that is being provided by our Province.”

tread new ways of mission:

the indigenous the poor the secularized person

Essential for the Oblates!

Constitution 1. The call of Jesus Christ, heard within the Church through people's need for salvation, draws us together.

Constitution 37. We fulfil our mission in and through the community to which we belong.

Constitution 41. Our communities seek to radiate the warmth of the Gospel to those around us.

Constitution 37a. In order to live more intensely the mission of evangelization according to the Oblate charism, some lay people gather in associations.

“Do we earnestly consider community life as constitutive of our Oblate charism?”

Vowed Oblates, Lay Associates and

vocations

Oblate religious and Lay Associates:

Both called to live the charism through different lifestyles

Inculturate the Gospel - be countercultural

Keep your mission to the poor

Be broad minded – overcome any splitting up

the Word of God, the local churches, our Constitutions and Rules, the ministry of Peter = the common ground

Mary, mother of Jesus and mother of John

Avoid being scattered - build (house) communities

Continue to take leadership in strengthening Lay Association

Present your life and mission to young people – it is the greatest thing in the world

Play the internationality / interculturality card: invite non-Canadians

Show world-wide solidarity with the poor and with all

persecuted

I cannot make you look at your reality through the eyes of Jesus crucified…

I cannot give you hope…