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Our Common Life
That all may be one as you, Father, are in me
and I in You, that they also may be one in us
so that the world may believe that you sent me.
John 17:21 6. Called by Christ, the source of our unity, we choose to live in community according to the Rule and the spirit of Saint Augustine, in view of the Kingdom.
The coming of the Reign of Jesus Christ for us and our neighbor is already taking place in our common life.
Dispersed though we may be for apostolic reasons, we continue to share in the life and mission of the community.
7. Fraternal life has to be built every day. Welcomed as a gift from God, it requires of each religious a daily conversion that strengthens his own fidelity and that of his brothers.
Our love for God and man is tested and manifested in the genuineness of our relationships. No one can experience the joy of this life unless he commits himself to it totally.
8. We accept one another with our differences because he who unites us is stronger than that which separates us. We must constantly transcend our divisions and limitations so that we can live in openness to each other and in mutual forgiveness. If we put attentiveness to and respect for the person before divergencies of opinion and differences of background, age, mentality or health, our diversity will become enrichment.
9. Fraternal life requires periodic meetings. The local chapter is an event of paramount importance in the life of each community. In prayer, especially in the Eucharistic celebration, the community renews its vitality and its unity.
Through frank and cordial exchanges, nurtured by community meetings, the community seeks a religious life which is more faithful and an apostolate which is more open due to the needs of the Church and the world.
In keeping with the traditional family spirit of Assumption, joys and trials, reactions and meals are opportunities for us to cement, in all simplicity, the bonds that unite us.
W show particular consideration for our brothers who are sick or old.
10. It is important that the community be hospitable while at the same time respecting those parts of the house that are reserved to the community, in order to safeguard the privacy which is necessary.
The Community fosters solidarity with the other communities and keeps alive its sense of the Church where all fraternal communion is built.
11. Our responsibilities and roles differ. They must all be undertaken in a spirit of service and charity.
The Superior seeks to animate the community; he is particulary attentive to each person; he ensures the freedom of each and unity among all.
12. Lived in this way, our common life fosters the fulfillment of each one’s vocation. In a divided world, it bears witness that Christ is alive among us and uniting us for the proclamation of the Gospel.
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