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1. For those people who wish
to live a concrete commitment to
the Community of the Beatitudes without living-in, the Community offers
the
statute of "Beatitudes of the Holy Family" (BHF). This means being a
member of the Beatitudes family, living in direct relationship with the
Community. The commitment as a member of the BHF is a personal one.
2. A member of the BHF may
be a family or a single person. If
several members live in close geographical proximity, they could
develop a
fraternal link. They may not form an autonomous group except in the
case of an
apostolic work shared in common, which will be a mission entrusted to
them by
the Community. In this case, an internal charter could be useful, which
will be
discussed with and approved by, the local Provincial.
3. The specific vocation of
a BHF member in the heart of the
Beatitudes family, is one of prayer, of sharing, and of service through
a
mission received from the Community or the Church (at a local or
diocesan
level). This mission is expressed in a Mission Statement, and is
lived-out in
submission to this statement in the heart of the Church and in the
world, in
the spirit of the Beatitudes. In this way, the members of affiliation
will be
an extension of the residential expression of the Community, present in
the
world. They will therefore have a heart for making the Community known
- its
spirituality and apostolates - in the area where they live.
4. Each affiliated BHF
member, the member's mission, and the
way in which it is lived-out, will be placed under the authority of a
Shepherd
of one of the Community's houses, chosen by the Provincial, or under
the
authority of another person mandated by the Provincial. The above
mentioned
people will maintain contact, if necessary, with those responsible in
the
Church affected by the mission.
5. The BHF member's vocation
and commitment to the Beatitudes
family will be discerned by the Provincial, in conjunction with the
Shepherd or
another person mandated by the Shepherd. The member will be honest and
open
with the Shepherd regarding his/her commitments in the Church and in
society.
6. BHF members will maintain
their own financial autonomy. They
will be entirely responsible for their own family, the upbringing of
their
children, and their professional life, all of which should be exercised
in the
spirit of the Gospel.
7. The BHF member's
commitment will begin with a minimum of one
year's probation. This is renewed once every year during five years,
after
which time the commitment will become permanent. The commitment will be
pronounced during a ceremony and will be accompanied by a written
commitment.
The validity of the commitment will be linked to the faithfulness in
which the
entrusted mission is carried out, or confirmed by the Community.
8. A concrete sign of the
affiliated member's commitment will
be the tithing of 10% of his/her income to the House to which they are
attached. The affiliated member will follow the Community's dress code
during
Community gatherings, whether these gatherings take place inside the
House or elsewhere.
For the first commitment, the member will receive and wear a small
wooden
cross. The final commitment will be marked by the reception of a
decade-ring,
which symbolizes the member's affiliation with the Community, as well
as the
cross.
9. Each BHF member will make
sure that they are guided in their
spiritual life. The guidance may be exercised by a member of the
Community. The
BHF member will undertake a period of formation given by the Community,
including an obligatory time spent living in the heart of a Community
house. A
specific formation program will be offered in each Province, using
books, audio
and video cassettes, etc. allowing the BHF member to deepen the
essential
elements of his/her vocation. They will be able to participate in
certain community
times organized by the House, the Province or in the Community at
large, as
well as in specific meeting times. All of these elements (spiritual and
prayer
life, formation, rhythm of life and times spent with the Community)
will be
specified for each family or individual according to their particular
circumstances, following a rule of life formulated together, using
their
current situation and a model already in place as their starting point.
10. The Shepherds and
Provincials will make sure that the BHFs
are consulted, and that they may be present at House Council Meetings
or
Province Meetings, each time this is necessary. The Provincials
concerned and
the BHF representative for the whole of the Community of the Beatitudes
will
maintain a link with the general government of the Community.
Rule of Life
(to be developed and adapted to the needs and circumstances of each BHF
member.)
Prayer Schedule:
· Three times of daily
prayer (one of which should be Mass
whenever possible): one in the morning, one at midday, and one in the evening,
using the
Breviary as well as the texts of the Community's offices or a
meditation of the
Rosary. These times may be brief in the case of those persons who do
not have
much free time.
· A time of personal prayer
(one hour).
Weekly Schedule:
· If possible, a
Eucharistic time on Thursday evenings (Mass,
Adoration…)
· An adapted "Sabbath"
office around the table on
Friday evenings (even a very simplified office).
· A prayer time centered on
the Resurrection on Saturday
evenings.
· Mass on Sunday and on
Feast Days. In this way, the weekly
schedule will resemble that of the Community: a three-day ascent toward
the
Resurrection.
Sacraments:
· Daily Mass, if possible.
· Monthly confession.
Spiritual Accompaniment:
· Indispensable, and if
possible, by someone who knows the
Community.
Visiting the House of
Affiliation, and Formation:
· The visiting schedule to
the House must de defined according
to the availability of and living space needed by the BHF member;
participation
in certain important Community times; giving a helping-hand where
necessary
without falling into an attitude of "utilitarianism"; regular meeting
with the Shepherd or his/her delegate (e.g. once every 6 months).
· The BHF member is offered
a formation by the house to which
he/she is attached, using audio and video cassettes and books, and if
the house
is able, retreats on a certain theme.
Abandonment to Providence:
· Meaning, not only tithing
(10% of income) but also living
the demands of the Gospel.
Hospitality:
· Individual and families
which close in on themselves becomes
sterile. BHF members will have a heart of being welcoming to all and,
amongst
others, to brothers and sisters of the Community who need a breather.
Evangelical Activity:
· According to each
person's gifting and the calls of the
Church and the Community.
All
these points will be noted on the written commitment which will be
signed by
the BHF member, as well as the person who receives his/her commitment,
and the
Shepherd of the House to which the BHF member is attached.
BHF Mission Letter
· Specify the type of
mission: is it entrusted by the
Community, by the Church, by the Diocese or by another source?
· Specify the place where
the mission is to be developed, and
who else is involved. - Specify its length of duration.
· Specify the community
member with whom the BHF member will
maintain contact and how often.
Formula of Commitment
for the BHF
Reader:
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles 2:36-47
Shepherd:
Declare your intention before all the brothers and sisters assembled
here.
Candidate: Lord my God, with the desire to belong to You more and to
live more
deeply the consecration of my Baptism, I want to commit myself for one
year
(or: for the rest of my life) in the Beatitudes of the Holy Family. I
ask You
to make me a disciple of Jesus, the Lamb without stain who loved me and
gave
Himself up for me, and to conform myself to Him in His offering of love.
Shepherd:
Do you wish to be like Christ, chaste and prayerful?
Candidate:
I wish to have no other preoccupation than that which is the most
important, to
love You my God and to make you loved. I want to live in watchful and
joyous
expectation of the coming of the Kingdom through unceasing prayer,
through
praise, adoration, active love of my neighbor, through the spirituality
of the
Community of the Beatitudes and all the ways it can help me to do so. I
commit
myself to a life of permanent conversion so as to allow myself to be
transformed by the fire of the Holy Spirit and to contribute to the
renewal of
the Church. Whether married or single, I will be a witness to the value
of love
and life.
Shepherd:
Do you wish to be like Jesus in His poverty?
Candidate:
I wish to live in trusting abandonment to Providence, putting all my hope,
not in the
things of this world which is passing away, but in You alone, following
the
example of the Virgin Mary and under her motherly protection. I commit
myself
to sharing my goods by diligently tithing10% of my income.
Shepherd:
Do you wish to be like Christ, servile and obedient?
Candidate:
According to my capacity, I commit myself to collaborating in the works
of
mercy and missionary activities of the Church, particularly those of
the
Community. I will openly submit my charitable, pastoral, and missionary
commitments to the Shepherd of the House to which I am affiliated with
a view
to greater communion and to making these works more fruitful. I am
fully aware
that for the duration of my commitment, I am exercising these works in
the name
of the Community.
Shepherd:
Do you wish to live in communion with the Community of the Beatitudes?
Candidate:
I commit myself to living with the Community of the Beatitudes in a
fraternal
communion of spirit, prayer and mutual assistance in a common service
of the
Church. I will live out this communion in particular with the house of
____________, to which I will be affiliated, and with all the other
members of
the Beatitudes of the Holy Family, in the humility and discretion of
unworthy
servants. I commit myself to undertaking the Church mission which has
been
entrusted to me, in communion with the Community and in submission to
the
authorities of the Church. I wish to follow the Lamb wherever He leads
me, to
have no other will than His own, to carry my cross every day in the
footsteps
of Jesus, in trust and joyful hope of living the Beatitudes, as
revealed to us
by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount. I unite myself in silent oblation
to the
Lamb of God, participating already in the definitive victory of the
Lion of
Judah, praying the words of His own prayer: "May they be One as you and
I,
Father, are One." I commit myself to living in such a way as the world
may
say: "See how they love one another."
Shepherd:
In turn, the Community commits itself to supporting you in prayer and
in
helping you undertake your commitment for which it is responsible in
relation
to the ecclesial authorities.
Prayer
(to be said by the Shepherd in the absence of a priest). |
