Transcript 2011

Letter for the Feast of
the Sacred Heart 2011
SOLIDARITY
AND FREEDOM
IN THE
ADMINISTRATION
OF GOODS
Solidarity and Freedom in the Administration of Goods
Letter for the Feast of the Sacred Heart 2011
INTRODUCTION
God gives us the means necessary for
living and carrying out our mission
 The economy is a basic dimension of
the life of every person
 In our life as consecrated persons too
 After the summons and example of
Jesus, who being rich, made himself
poor for us, so that we might be
enriched by his poverty (2 Cor. 8:9)

FREELY HAVE YOU RECEIVED ...
ATTENTIVE TO THE CRY OF THE POOR
Solidarity and Freedom in the Administration of Goods
Letter for the Feast of the Sacred Heart 2011
1. FREELY HAVE YOU RECEIVED ...
ATTENTIVE TO THE CRY OF THE POOR
1.1. Participants in the hopes and drama of
our times
The divine economy is very different from
the human economy
 The catastrophic results for billions of
people when detached from principles of
ethics and solidarity
 We are especially called to be in solidarity
with those who have been excluded from
the goods God created for all

Solidarity and Freedom in the Administration of Goods
Letter for the Feast of the Sacred Heart 2011
1. FREELY HAVE YOU RECEIVED ...
ATTENTIVE TO THE CRY OF THE POOR
1.2. Faithful to our Charismatic Roots
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We have a structural dimension of our
vocation in the Church when we consider the
social consequences of economic activity
“It is necessary that the worship of the Heart
of Jesus begin with the mystical life of a soul
so that it can then flow out and penetrate the
social life of peoples” (OSC, vol. I, pg. 3)
The economy of man cannot be maintained
apart from the economy of God
Solidarity and Freedom in the Administration of Goods
Letter for the Feast of the Sacred Heart 2011
2. DO NOT GATHER UP RICHES ...
THE HEART OF A POOR PERSON
2.1. Open to the Treasure of the Father’s Love
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Jesus himself made such examination of this
reality essential to the life of human beings
Jesus always sees the goods of this world in their
relationship with persons and the Father’s plan
The beatitude of the poor in spirit, who
deliberately understand and accept into their lives
the power and love of the heavenly Father
Without the presence of the true Lord of the
universe, other lords intervene: a beatitude of
possession, pleasure, and dominion
Consecrated life seeks to respond to this invitation
to live this freeing, human, and joyful rapport with
the goods of creation
Solidarity and Freedom in the Administration of Goods
Letter for the Feast of the Sacred Heart 2011
2. DO NOT GATHER UP RICHES ...
THE HEART OF A POOR PERSON
2.2. Called to the freedom and joy of a heartfelt
solidarity
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The beatitude of the poor/children of God is
the source of a great freedom and existential
joy
This joyful freedom grows in the measure in
which one is able to shed dependence upon
things and power in a renunciation that goes
so far even as one’s own life
In consecrated life, we are called to live this
invitation. We are not speaking about a
thoughtless and reckless attitude, what is a
denial of the gospel imperative
Solidarity and Freedom in the Administration of Goods
Letter for the Feast of the Sacred Heart 2011
2. DO NOT GATHER UP RICHES ...
THE HEART OF A POOR PERSON
2.3. Industrious Administrators of God’s Gifts
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Freedom before the goods of earth is at the
service of sharing
The option for evangelical poverty in
consecrated life does not dispense anyone
from the duty to contribute according to
one’s abilities to the needs of the
community and of those with need
God expects each one to develop and make
fruitful what he has received by not thinking
about things as exclusively his own
Solidarity and Freedom in the Administration of Goods
Letter for the Feast of the Sacred Heart 2011
3.THEY HELD EVERYTHING IN COMMON …
SHARING OF GOODS IN COMMUNITY
3.1. Ready to pass from I to We and from Mine to Ours (I)
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The Congregation follows the model of the first Christian
communities in their sharing of goods (Acts. 4:32ff). We
put everything at the disposition of the community:
material goods, time, talent, and plans are not only mine
but ours
The deceit in the management of material goods in the
community is a radical denial of the gospel option
expressed in religious profession
The sharing material goods is concretely expressed by: a
simple and temperate lifestyle; turning over to community
use all that we possess; depending on the community for
all that we need to live on and work for; Actively
collaborating in obtaining and managing the goods
Solidarity and Freedom in the Administration of Goods
Letter for the Feast of the Sacred Heart 2011
3.THEY HELD EVERYTHING IN COMMON …
SHARING OF GOODS IN COMMUNITY
3.1. Ready to pass from I to We and from Mine to Ours (II)
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The common burse is one of the essential pillars of
the Religious Life of our Institute. In it we turn over
absolutely everything and from the same common
burse we receive what we require according to each
one’s needs and the demands of the ministry
The common burse is practiced at various levels: at
the level of each local community, in the various
communities belonging to each entity, in the entire
Congregation
Knowledge and observance of the Norms for the
Administration of Goods (NAB) is everyone’s duty
Solidarity and Freedom in the Administration of Goods
Letter for the Feast of the Sacred Heart 2011
3.THEY HELD EVERYTHING IN COMMON …
SHARING OF GOODS IN COMMUNITY
3.2. Co-responsibility in the Pursuit and
Management of Material Goods
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The matter of material goods and economic
activity always has a relational dimension that
ought to involve the entire community
We are co-responsible:
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by a conscious effort of each one to find the
resources necessary and responsibly to care for and
use the means made available for each one’s use,
by giving the community accurate accounts of one’s
revenues and expenses,
by participating with the entire community in the
financial discernment and planning process,
local and entity counselor require being heard
before any financial decisions are made
Solidarity and Freedom in the Administration of Goods
Letter for the Feast of the Sacred Heart 2011
3.THEY HELD EVERYTHING IN COMMON …
SHARING OF GOODS IN COMMUNITY
3.3. Careful Administrators of Community Goods
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Management of materialities are given to
Treasurers under the direction of the
Superiors. They are the complimentary roles
and functions
The service of Treasurer is an essential
element in the life and mission of every
community
It requires ever greater competence and
specific preparation (cf. the course for
treasurers scheduled for 2012)
The training challenge has special significance
in the field of finances
Solidarity and Freedom in the Administration of Goods
Letter for the Feast of the Sacred Heart 2011
CONCLUSION
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We wish to learn from Him the love he had
in solidarity with mankind
“Rich as he was, he made himself poor for
your sake, in order to make you rich by his
poverty” (2Cor. 8:9)
It is from him that we learn the free and
simple lifestyle, which lead to communion
and brotherhood among us
We put all our gifts from God together and
we place ourselves in solidarity
WE WISH YOU A
VERY HAPPY
FEAST OF THE
HEART OF JESUS!
Fr. José Ornelas Carvalho
SCJ Superior General
And his Council