News
AA-Info n.3 - January 2024
It is not naive optimism
Roma
Editorial
Fr. Ngoa Ya Tshihemba
Superior General of the Augustinians of the Assumption
After almost four months in Rome, I decided to begin fraternal and canonical visits. I have started with the Netherlands, where I had the joy of meeting all our brothers there together. One of them, Fr. Leo van der Klaauw, aged 93, used to write a Christmas letter for his brothers religious and a few friends. At the very beginning of the meeting, he gave me a copy. I was deeply touched by this statement: “And there is a future for the Assumption in the Netherlands. » Those who know the reality of the local Church, and of religious life in particular, can understand why this statement cannot leave anyone indifferent, especially since it comes from a 93-year-old religious man.
I am writing this editorial on Christmas Day, just upon my arrival at the community of Leuven in Belgium, after having celebrated the Eucharist of the Nativity of Our Lord with our brothers from the community of Woluwe. Since my meeting with Fr. Leo van der Klaauw until today, one question keeps coming up in my mind: if a 93-year-old religious can still raise his head and look to the future with confidence, why not me ? So I celebrated Christmas with that in mind, and I spoke about it in my homilies. Christmas is a time to grow in hope. It is not naive optimism to still hope when even, from morning to evening, the news seems to push us towards discouragement.
Learning to let yourself be surprised by the mercy and grace of God is not a bedtime story. How do we surrender and accept God’s will? If faith were simply about being reasonable, that is to say, to adjust the future to our forecasts, however logical they may be, it would not be worth the effort embark on this adventure. One of the signs that show that we are in a kind of spiritual fatigue is precisely the loss of sense of wonder. This could be due to many things. Often this is due to our very attitude calculator, which nourishes the illusion that we already know what is going to happen: no centimeter is then given to Providence.
In the Notre-Dame de l’Assomption church, run by our brothers from the community of Woluwe, I celebrated the Christmas night mass with more than 400 people. A lively community, which seems determined to continue his march and that our Assumptionist brothers are always ready to accompany. I saw the same thing in The Hague, Netherlands, where a new mission is beginning.
I am aware of the fragile situation we are going through and the importance of discernment which must be done at all levels. The desire to walk with others is coming true. The General Plenary Council continues to be a place that promotes unity. The PGC was created precisely to “ensure the good of the entire body of the Congregation” (RC 194). This is why it is up to it to study the problems of adaptation posed to our Congregation by the evolution of the world and the Church. It must also, in this same mission, accordingly establish the needs of the Congregation in terms of adequate formation, specialization linked to the mission of the congregation, without forgetting news from foundations. I am particularly satisfied with the work that has been done in this direction. The PGC that we had in December clearly demonstrated the desire to consolidate the achievements and to continue to find alternatives for collaboration for the life and mission of our Congregation.
Why not imagine this kind of collaboration at the level of the large Assumption family? Think nor is the possibility of such collaboration a naive optimism. Maybe we shouldn’t wait for reality to push us into it without having been well prepared. In some countries, this collaboration is underway, but in others it still needs to be motivated.
Our Founder, returning to Jesus’ prayer for his disciples, underlines the different levels where we can practice this spirit of unity: “Unity, this is the supreme good that he wishes for them, the last word of teachings of his Gospel. It is also the one that I propose for your meditations. Our divine Master asked for his disciples unity with his sacred person, unity in the Catholic Church of which they were the first nucleus, the unity between them, the unity in their apostolic works. » (ES p. 701) Yes, that is possible. The start of the year is always a good time for new resolutions, here is one: to be optimist, to think that it is still possible.
To read the whole AA-Info #3 click here...