Today began as usual with a brief moment of prayer, and then we worked in groups continuing to allow ourselves to be questioned and challenged by reality and finding ways to live out our Franciscan charism.
The first theme dealt with today concerned "evangelization in the spirit of Laudato Si’.” Among the many things that emerged we asked ourselves what concrete choices we can make as friars minor to promote a new integral ecology.
We then moved from the world as a "common home" to the second theme "a world that is changing quickly", and we asked ourselves: "are we friars minor willing to change in living out our charism in an ever-dynamic way, in the light of the Gospel and guided by the Spirit?"
The third theme discussed in the morning was: "instruments of peace in the face of contemporary violence"; violence that does not only concern wars, which unfortunately continue to destroy and impoverish men, women and children in some of the countries where our friars serve. We also asked ourselves about other types of violence: domestic, language, discrimination on different levels, etc ... and we asked ourselves: "how can our being friars minor bring light into those realities of violence? How can we be instruments of peace in those realities? ".
The last theme treated in the morning concerned how our religious life fits in with the vision that Pope Francis has. We allowed ourselves to be challenged by the stimuli that our Pope is giving us, but also aware of the charismatic gift that we have, continuing to dream and to be prophetic as contemplative fraternities in mission today.
In the afternoon the councillors visited the people of one of the many shantytowns of Nairobi that is served by our friars. We had an opportunity to share and pray with those who suffer the injustice that leads to poverty every day, but who still remain joyful and desire to live a better life.
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