(CURIA PRATOSIT| GENERALS 06/23 On Apostolic SOCIETATIS 1ESU in Comon TO THE WHOLE socrErY bear Brothers in Christ, P.C. 1, Occasionally 1 am asked how the Society manages to make such an casy transition from one Generalate to the next. The question is “even more pertinent when the new General was familiar with only one small pars of the Society, a complex and suffering part, to be sure, but one in no way typical of the generality of the Church or. Of religious life. I'm always happy to be able to Snswet that the. Society's spiritual and apostolic dynamism does not depend only on. superiors but on creative participation, Generous collaboration and multifarious consultation among Jesuits, It is as an apostolic body, that is, all together, that the Society incessantly scrutinizes, in and for the Church, the signs of the times. At this time the whole church is trying to be, in a torn and wounded humanity, the mystery of communion in the spirit. At this tine most of our provinces are searching, by means of apostolic planing which insolves the maximom possible partiaipatian, how fovembody in our lives and in our works the proclamation of the faith and the promotion of justice in the name of the Gospel. At this time, on the accasion of the Congregation of Procurators and the attendant Province Congregations, the Society is entering Upen a period of spiritual discernment about itself, and so, of Spiritual and apostolic renewal. For these reasons, it is’ an Opportune time for me to draw our attention once again, and in a hew way, to apostolic discernment in common. 1, THE ANNUAL LETTERS OF 1986 2. Apostolic Diszernment in Common: such was, in fact, the specific theme proposed this year for annual letters. Superiors Were invited to describe their practice in this regard and, besides, to prepare for this by means of a communal reflection With their consultors, done as a true discernment. As a result, the letters which were sent to me have made reference to, the efforts of the Society in the area of Communal Apostolic Discernment: thelr successes, their difficulties, and the obstacles encountered, This report will be an attempt ‘first Of all to synthesize the positive and negative aspects indicated fn these letters, before offering the help which many requested as an orientation in this area.1. positive aspests 3, My letter asting for reflection, on the occasion of annual letters, on the practice of apostolic discernment met. with a general reaction of readiness and hopefulness. Broadly speaking, Jesuits and Jesuit communities express openness to the recommendations along these lines made with growing insistence by the last three General Congregations. In the Society today there is widespread awareness of the’ importance of — apostolic discernment for the vitality of our communities, as well. as awareness of the demands this makes both on individuals and on communities. Sesides this general conviction, there is a growing awareness of just what apostolic discernment in common is, and what its rules are. The development of a capacity for mutual listening in communities is of great help here. Many want to have practical experience of disceranent in common, "And those who have begun to practice it, even tentatively, testify that their experience invites and helps them to proceed further with it. 4, In many places, interpersonal exchange has made great progress in recent. years. And, while the organization of periodical exchanges "is easier ‘and more frequent. in smaller Conmunities, some larger communities have managed it as well. At times, latger communities have broken’ into sub-groups to Facilitate such exchange between persons. Where such exchanges have proved difficult, there has boon, at. least an attempe. te develop some form of mutual sharing of information on’ apostolic life. Inevery case, the efforts made faithfully by a good number of communities’ in response to the orientations given by the last Genera Congregations have helped members of these communities grow in mutual respect, in attention to one another, and in trust. in this way there often arises. a deeper” unity Proper to "frignds in the word.” ‘The above indications show that the question of discernment in Common is not perceived ina narrow sense, as something which can only occur at particular times when a community faces a Problem important for its apostolic future. There is, rather, the recognition of a need for "being together," for progress toward mutual relationship lived in the communality of vocation ‘and mission. Hence, the emphasis on the role played in the area Of personal growth by the directed Rxercises, by the examination of conscience, and by spiritual direction and the account of conscience: ail privileged ways of orienting one's life in the Girection of Fidelity to God. Hence the parallel emphasis on the importance, for the growth of apostolic life in common, of faith-sharing, of "revision of life," of reflection on apostolic aework, and even of retreats made in common of retreats proposed for all. the memers of a province. Several provinces have, in fact, proposed that all their menbers make simultaneously 3 “retreat in daily life," including regular spiritual exchanges on a community level. 6. In some commnities the exchange is centered more directly on apostolic life, There are some small. communities, and occasionally sone larger ones, which meet together periodically for this purpose. Some of them join to this meeting, usually = weekly one, some special times of prayer in conmon--for example One day of retreat every three months. Tn this context too, we might note a praczice adopted by some communities of common reflection on the personal discernment made by various menbers of the community with regard to their apostolate. 7. At times these are cixcumstances or particular occasions wnicn give rise to a communal process. of discernment in the Strict sense. This might take place, for example, when there is a consultation to prepare for the naming of a future provincial, hen there is discussion of the future of an apostolic sector, oF when a province is trying to elaborate an apostolic plan. There Bre meetings of superiors or even of provinces themselves which are carried on ina real spirit of discernment. And life itself, 35 several emphasize, has brought some communities to true apostolic discernnent in common when they. have. been. presented with the need to decide on or to accept important changes. where Ours have had to deal with the closing. or the radical transformation of an apostolic work, they have often done so in Anvattitude 9f conman anarching for tha will of Goa. Ana it i Rotable how many Jesuits, despite undeniable shortcomings, have progressed in recent years along the way of indifference and true availability. Castly, today there seems to be less danger of Confusing discernnent in common with a democratic process not compatible with an Tgnatian concept of obedience. 8, So, if the experience of apostolic discernment in common in the’strict sense :s not all that frequent, nevertheless it does occur, in fact, in the ongoing life of the Society. In particular, to bé sure, it occurs in communities which are united ‘and homogeneous, in ’ certain apostolic teams, or in some fumerically more restricted groups. And it frequently enough happens that’ the province consultation, and at times house consultations and other consultative organs of government, offer their services to the government of the Society from the practice of true apostolic discernment in common. 9, A final word might be added concerning the inclusion, on a path of apostolic discernment in common, of non-Jesuits, whether Giocesan priests, other religious men or religious women’ or lay people. This kind of orientation is becoming more pronounced in retreat houses, parishes, and--at least in small groups--also in