N. 62 of “Communion and Communication” is closed, when we have already celebrated the eighth centenary of the approval of the Regula bullata and not yet that of the Greccio Nativity.
In this issue we will listen and reflect upon the first verse of the Words with melody that Francis addressed to the Sisters of San Damiano: “Audite, poverelle dal Signore vocate / ke de multe parte e provincie sete adunate.” (“Hear, poor women called by the Lord / who have gathered together from many parts and provinces.”)
We have been called by the Lord to live an evangelical Form of Life which finds one of its principal sources in the Regula bullata. As the Minister General wrote to us in the letter for the Solemnity of St. Clare: “The Rules of Francis and Clare have a common charismatic root, which refers to the initial «forma vitæ» given by Francis to Clare and her first companions sometime after landing at San Damiano.” Indeed, those who had the opportunity to follow the celebration in the Basilica of St. John Lateran this past November 29th were able to experience this gift of unity which makes us feel personally challenged by the ‘return’ of the Rule made by the Pope to the Order of Minors, stimulating us to ‘grow more and more in goodness.’
Called by the Lord, we found ourselves together forming communities with Sisters who, most of the time, we did not know before. We often repeat that “we did not choose ourselves,” but “we were chosen.”
Thus, in these pages, some Sisters tell the events that made them multicultural communities in Brazil, Italy, and Great Britain. From Uganda, however, a recent experience of ‘updating’ Words with melody comes to us.
All this has an authoritative and precious introduction in two parts: the letter of Br. Fábio Gomes, ofm, who invites us to stop and reflect on the two expressions of Francis: Dal Signore vocate (“Called by the Lord”) and Da molte parti e province (“From many parts and provinces”), and the second and final part of the study on Words with melody by Br. Carlo Paolazzi ofm.
We sincerely thank the Sisters and Brothers who made the publication of this new issue possible.
Special thanks to the Sisters of the Monastery of Novaglie , Italy, who sent images of the miniatures of the Codex with the Words with melody.
We invite everyone to send us stories and reflections for the next issue, no. 63, which will be published in June 2024. We remind you of the theme: Vivate sempre en veritate / ke en obedienzia moriate. (“Live always in truth / that you may die in obedience.”) It is the next verse of the Words with melody, which calls us to reflect on obedience to the Lord, mediated by the mother, by the community, by history..., and on living in the truth. We gratefully await your stories!
To each and every one of you, happy reading!
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The editorial team
