This was the theme of the Regional Assembly of the Conference of Religious of Brazil which took place in São Paulo on 8 August, 2015.
Carmem Lucia, a laywoman, addressed the topic. She spoke knowledgeably and, as a layperson speaking to religious, gave us an outsider’s view of consecrated religious life. Carmem is a teacher of sociology. She began by saying that a vocation is a choice, a decision, and that there is no prophetism without mysticism and no mysticism without prophetism.
Taking Pope Francis’s encyclical “On Care for our Common Home” (Laudato si), she emphasised that mission is everyone’s task and not just the concern of a few people or a group. All religious women must form a group with a plan of action for the Pastoral Care of Vocations. They must re-think community life as shared formation. Young people are looking for something that will give meaning to their lives.
Carmem showed us a video to let us see the socio-political and economic situation before continuing her talk and helping the assembly to understand and be aware of the differences between the social classes where wealth is in the hands of a few while the great majority have nothing. It is in the latter class that we find young people.
We need to identify “the margins” where the VRC is called to be at the service of transformation. Very often, the pastoral care of vocations is more concerned with getting vocations for an Institute than with the transformation of society. Transformation requires us to go forth, to go out to the margins where young people are. This presupposes that we lose our fear of young people and leave the UTI (The Intensive Therapy Unit).
How do we get close to young people? By using our preconceptions and acquired structured mind-sets? Or by looking at things from the point of view of young people and their needs? Is our work for vocations focused on transforming society or on looking for vocations in order to maintain our institutions? Are we looking at young people from the stance of the communications media or from the stance of the Gospel?
Some ideas never change. Where have we heard similar opinions?
“Present-day adolescents love luxury. They are bad-mannered, have no respect for authority and spend their time on the streets. They often offend their parents and monopolise the conversation when they are with older people. They gobble up their food and tyrannise their teachers. (Socrates, 500 B. C.)
“I see no hope for our people if we are depending on today’s frivolous young people and all young people today are definitely frivolous...When I was a child, we were taught to be quiet and to respect our elders. But today’s young people know everything and will not tolerate any constraints.” (Hesiod, 800 B. C.)
Getting more vocations is a slow process, taking three to five years. It requires continuity and the accompaniment of young people. We need to know the world we are living in and how we wish to be of service to that world. We must review our structures. That’s what Jesus did.
We live in an “adultcentric” world. Sometimes we are afraid of young people’s questions because when young people ask questions they want to know what is best for themselves. If we wish to transform and form thinking young people, we must change our mind-set, move out of our frameworks, see things from their point of view, overcome fear and preconceived ideas and have a plan of action.
Elements necessary for a plan of action.
- Listening to young people in order to make the necessary changes
- Forming groups of young people
- Knowing who young people are today
- Taking young people seriously
- Letting them see what we have to offer
- Being clear about our objectives.
Sr. Vanda
Latin American Network