The Most High and the Supreme Good, in fact, has placed in our hands the gift of the Capuchin-Franciscancharism; He has entrusted its care to us, inviting us to bear abundant fruit: that is, to shape our lives by following in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Rb I:1), in the manner of Saint Francis of Assisi and all the Capuchin saints. To make this existential transformation possible, we must deepen our knowledge of ourselves and learn to subdue—as the Saint exhorts in his Admonitions—the enemy: that is, ourselves, with our vices and sins (cf. Adm X:2).
The resource we present here, Personality and Charism, stems from a reflection that emerged during the General Council’s assemblies; in fact, behind every conflict or scandal involving our religious family, there are individual brothers, each with his own personality. The reflections that follow are intended to remind us that every charism (and ours in particular), is understood as God’s action in a person’s life, and contains within itself the power necessary to transform that person’s life, as Francis attests in his Testament (cf. Test 1-2). For this to be possible, there is no doubt that the person’s complete commitment and a deep and vital relationship with the Most High are necessary.
We invite you to reflect on these considerations in silence, to ponder them personally and/or in community, allowing yourselves to be challenged by the Spirit of the Lord, who always urges us to change our lives. To the extent that each of us cherishes the charism we have received and allows ourselves to be transformed by the Lord, the flame of our charism will be rekindled throughout the Order.
