#544

 The following reflection is from John Papworth, AUL delegate to GC25.  It represents that sort of head-clearing and establishing of balance that all Chapter members have to come to terms with at such a gathering as a General Chapter.  John has other reflections too which I will feed across at different intervals.

The gathering of  representatives from all Provinces of the ‘Salesian World’, brings together people from many different countries representing a wide range of languages and the associated cultural differences.   Being one in the midst of this gathering is a very sobering experience.   The differences are accentuated in the accounts of local Province experiences presented in the ‘Good Nights’ at the end of the daily celebration of vespers.Sitting in the gathering one cannot help but be impressed by the genuine effort on the part of all members who seek to rediscover the charism of Don Bosco and faithfully express it in terms appropriate to contemporary culture.   This is a challenging reminder that prompts one to consider carefully one’s own commitment to this undertaking, namely to rediscover and live faithfully the Salesian charism in our own context in these challenging times.

Having acknowledged the genuine endeavour on the part of all in the gathering, and having identified in this disposition, one recognises the challenge to reach beyond the differences.   As all strive to do this there is an evident bond that unites everyone in a spirit that is common and enables each one to transcend the differences at least to some degree.

As the gathering sub-divides into commissions and working groups to set about the task of collating the submissions received from around the world, the practical experience of trying to work together highlights the differences again.   The language differences and the quite different cultural perspectives make it difficult to come agreement on what each one would see as the authentic expression of the aspects of Don Bosco’s charism being examined within the group.  

It is in the midst of this experience that one realises that there is a rather definite gulf between the various language groups and while there is a bond that unites all, there is also a distinctive experience of the lived reality that sets various groups apart.   Subsequently, one feels suspended in a state of virtual reality while participating in the various facets of the Chapter, namely, the commissions, the Practices of Piety and especially the plenary sessions in the main aula.

However,  the over-all experience of the Chapter is itself a valuable lesson in which one comes to realise that in our own identity and living out the Salesian way of life in our specific context, there is a challenge that others also experience in their own way.  Over the period of the Chapter one will have had the opportunity to speak with people from  many different settings and will have shared experiences communicated in some way across language barriers that bring home an appreciation for the vast work of Salesians throughout the world.   This is, no doubt, an enriching experience that renews one’s salesianity and broadens one’s horizons.

In a Province such as Australia-Oceania we can easily become caught up in our own world and see things only from our point of view.  The experience of the Chapter exposes one to viewing things from other points of view and this is   certainly valuable and challenging.  Just how this relates directly to the outcomes of the Chapter and how this whole undertaking translates to the Province Community  is hard to see.   Of course the individuals who have had this experience will be sharing it with others, on returning to the Province as the opportunity arises.   Perhaps the Holy Spirit  conveys the results of Chapters to all Salesians in ways that are beyond our awareness for the moment.   Let us hope so !  That will make all this so much more worthwhile.