Sacred Mystery embraces us in unifying love and we know Communion. The heart of God—a Trinity of Relationship—holds together all that exists in a communion of relationships that constitutes the web of life. We breathe in that Communion and with it the hopes, yearnings, pains and struggles of creation, each other, the Dear Neighbor and the Church. Urgency to respond to the groaning of a disconnected world fills us. In the rhythm of breathing in and breathing out God’s unifying love—our gift, our charism, our mission—we participate in the Mystery of Transformation.
The sacredness of all of life and creation motivates our urgent concern for Earth and the survival of its life systems. Destructive aspects of globalization, the unequal distribution and use of resources and other human behaviors affect those who are economically poor and marginalized most immediately and intensely. We acknowledge our own complicity and call ourselves to radical choices in order to be just with, not abusive of, Earth’s resources. Recognizing the urgency of working to protect and restore Earth’s healthy living systems in these next years, we are challenged to express unifying love by becoming stronger leaders and joining with others in working for systemic change that will enable all to live in right relationship with Earth.
The gift of unifying love calls us to join with the People of God in keeping the mission of Jesus alive in the Church. Impelled by the urgent desire to be true to our mission, we will join with the People of God in fully assuming the priesthood of our baptismal call. Recognizing that our silence and inaction has often perpetuated injustice, we choose to be prophetic and pro-active voices and agents of healing and life-giving change. To strengthen unity in the Church and among ourselves, we will engage in honest conversations about those issues which often divide us.
Our call to unifying love impels us to manifest Jesus in our world today as we work for right relationships with and among the Dear Neighbor. We choose to act for justice and to walk with suffering people, especially in times of conflict. As a Congregation we will use the power of our collective voice for systemic change. We will join with other groups in addressing issues, especially those which demean or deny human dignity and those which force the economically poor and marginalized to bear the burden of unjust economic systems. We will view the implications of all issues from local, national, and global perspectives.
The Gospel calls us to enter into union with Jesus in the life-death-resurrection mystery of being a human community, with joys and tensions, in and for the world. Our commitment to community challenges us to share our hearts and to deepen the quality of our life together. We affirm the distinct forms through which we live the mission. Communion with each other impels us to strengthen mutuality through intra-congregational sharing, gatherings and celebrations among all who share our mission. In order to witness what we ask of the world, we will look for ways to grow in our multicultural identity, acknowledging and confronting the racism that exists among us. Together we will seek ways to integrate our diverse cultures into deeper Understanding and expression of our gift of unifying love.How are you or your group living out the Acts of Chapter? | 