A MEDITATIVE REFLECTION - JOHN PAPWORTH AUL DELEGATE

Travelling through Umbria, crossing the wide flood plains then heading up into the rolling hills towards the mountains, a colonial Australian becomes aware of being different - a foreigner in a land of a different spirit.  This sense of difference emerges gently and recognizes the subtlety of the deep sense of history and the industriousness revealed in the detailed patterns of land use for cultivation and industry.  The ancient little villages clinging tenaciously to rocky outcrops tell the story of generations who have lived in this area.ps and mountain tops

One wonders, watching kids playing soccer against the wall of  a 700 to 800 year old Basilica, why they do not get out in a field and play uninhibited by the buildings and the limiting piazzas.  But before this observation can form a corrective emphasis, one is a little overwhelmed by the cultural difference and quietly passes on to drink in all the myriad ways this difference is highlighted in the displays of beautiful crockery and artistic apparel for which the area is well known.  It is a realization that this has been the practice of generations of young people long before Australia was settled by our colonial masters, .

 To make an enquiry accentuates further the difference as language immediately throws up an impediment.   Compared with the wide-open spaces of the Riverina (a rural area in Southern Australia) and the sense of freedom they convey, one can hardly imagine how people could be as happy and free living where access to home is by a very narrow lane or steep stairway.  Pausing to take it all in one just wonders at the difference and concedes that there IS a gulf that even compassionate understanding finds it hard to bridge.

 The accumulation of experiences in the city or Rome, in Naples, in Umbria and especially in the town of Assisi, provides food for reflection in quieter moments.  Perhaps it is not so much food for reflection as a context in which to consider all that surfaces at the Chapter.   Gradually one comes to realize that there is a clearly identifiable mentality that shapes the conscious form of reflection for those whose roots are deeply set in these areas; just as there is a clearly different mentality shaping the reflections of those whose roots and spirit are normally fed from a very different land and consequently a very different culture.

 iIt s a very challenging task having to work with groups of people of various mentalities in the drafting of Documents that reflect the lived experience of Salesian Communities today and propose  ways to enrich this experience in the future. Through careful observation over a period of time one begins to distinguish the different contributions and appreciate the rich diversity that is being pooled in this exercise.  The end result of this process will not be a profound and comprehensive document but an enrichment in the lives of those who have taken part and certainly an appreciation for the world-wide impact of the charism and work of Don Bosco.

No matter what strategies, guidelines or modes of action may be recommended in the final compendium of documents, the expected outcome of the Chapter namely,  the renewal of the Salesian Spirit in every Community, is still illusive.  How will it be accomplished ?   Before the conclusion of the Chapter we hope to have some clearer insights into this vital question.  In the meantime it will be interesting to observe the different groups as they too wrestle with this challenge and try to visualise the possibility of this objective being achieved.   Some more excursions will be necessary to feed the reflection and prompt Chapter members to pull up anchor and set sail with courage in the hope that we can get beyond the port and truly ‘Duc in altum’.