Peter’s story of ‘breaking down and weeping’ after being questioned by the Temple courtyard servants, recorded by Mark’s gospel community, captures what Jesus asked of each member of his fragile ‘people movement’ – to be re-converted through an experience of a repentant broken heart.  Passionate love, blissful and exhilarating as it is, when betrayed or questioned leads to enormous grief and in some cases, utter despair.  Like Peter, shame brings pain and deep uncontrollable movements of the heart. 

As followers of Edmund Rice, there is a fundamental expectation that brotherly hearts can only become truly compassionate when broken for love.  This love is found in daring to share one’s story, life-moments, deep-presence and the loving-touch of another.  Edmund found his heart broken for love through honestly sharing his life with his wife, daughter, friends and the poor and despised at his doorstep.  He experienced ‘holy change’, re-conversion, through meeting face-to-face in the despised, the poverty of his inner-self, as Peter did, through letting go, engaging in raw experience and then being prepared to question his assumptions and values.

A recent gathering of brothers were asked to grapple with the seemingly innocent question:

‘What in your life is negotiable and what is non-negotiable?’

It was asked in the context of a group searching for some basic principles that might guide a process of province re-structuring.  The energy generated was electric, as each person expressed what he deeply loved and what he wanted uncompromisingly for his life, ministry and relationships.  These deep desires are often grounded in unconscious assumptions, desires and values.  Some group members ‘outer referenced’ their non-negotiables by referring to the precepts of the Gospels or the Constitutions, while others called on their life experience, where their hearts had been touched or indeed broken for love.  Some found the connection to Congregational re-structuring immediate and obvious while others could only focus on the wide diversity of views that were expressed in their group.  Was there any common ground at all that would allow them to move forward into a new sense of being brother with a fresh identity supported by effective, new life-giving structures?

As the various provinces within the Congregation begin to put in place new future-oriented leadership configurations and structural networks and supports, it may be opportune to ask: ‘What are the negotiables and non-negotiables for our province?’ Then explore the assumptions, values and myths that lie behind the answers to this simple question.  It may be enlightening?

Recommended: 

Law, E. (2002) Sacred Acts, Holy Change Chalice Press, Missouri.

Br Peter Harney (CRT Team)