“From Structures of Communion to Spirituality of Communion”

Bishop Jimmy shared his words saying “Believe it or not I am a Canon Lawyer. When the New Code of the Canon Law was promulgated in 1983, decades ago, I was actually a student of Canon Law in Rome, and then at that time, we learned all about the New Structures of Communion incorporated into the Law of the Church in accordance of the New Ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council and so from then yes, from the Universal to the Diocesan and to the Parish Structures of Communion. We learned about the Synod of Bishops, Conferences of Bishops, Diocesan synods, Parish Pastoral Councils and including and many temporal goods in the Spirit of Communion etc., all of these brothers and sisters, we put into Church Law to establish the Structures of Communion. By the time we already had, we were in the beginning already of another structure which is not in the Canon Law, a New Structure in the level of the small community, the BECs and later touted to be a New Way of being church. Indeed it was a non juridical institution of the canonical church. Indeed, it were just becoming in reality, beginning with the couple of the local church particularly here in Mindanao and spread eventually and so in PCP II, BEC as the New way of being church is vigorously promoted but however, as you and I know, it is not easy to make these structures of communion work. It was continued to be resisted, it is understood, set aside or at times even rejected not even the Force of Law, not even PCP II can make it work. Why is this so? Why is this so? You know what, I found the answer only in 2001, excuse me for I am a slow learner, Pope John Paul II, “NOVO MILLENNIO INEUNTE”, January 6, 2001. After the Great Jubilee of the celebration of the year 2000 and the Beginning of 3rd millennium, wrote this letter for all of us. I believe that it continues to have so much relevance even today and in the years to come. What did he say in that letter?”

Bishop further explained saying, “In number 42, I quote, he said “Love is truly the heart of the church, as well as understood by St. Therese of the Child Jesus whom I proclaimed Doctor of the Church, precisely because she is an expert in “SCIENTIA AMORIS” the Science of Love. I understood that the church had a heart then this heart was inflamed with Love. Love alone stirred the members of the church, to act not in the law, the heart enflamed with Love. I understood that all vocations that love was everything. He comes in number 43, and for me captivated my mind and heart, this quote spirituality of communion, and he said “To make the church the home and school of communion, that is the great challenge facing us in the millennium which is now beginning. If we wish to be faithful to God’s plan and respond to the world’s deepest yearnings, he continues, before making practical plans as we are often tempted to to do, he said. We need to promote a spirituality of communion making it the guiding principle of education whenever individuals and Christians are formed, wherever ministers of the altar, consecrated persons and pastoral workers are trained, wherever families and communities are being built out and then he described the four (4) expressions and requirements of the Spirituality.”

Bishop has read them several times already but still quite having difficulty in understanding much more to explain so he asked them all to leave it as their homework. He also added, “St. John Paul II, in describing the Spirituality of Communion, he is using mystical language, the language of the heart and then he ends that in number 43, let us have no illusion unless we follow the spiritual path external structures of communion when served very little purpose they will become mechanisms without a soul mass of communion rather than it being a way of expression and growth and so we can say that the new Commandment of Jesus Reciprocal Love is the focal point is of this new spirituality of communion. It is characteristic of true followers of Christ, we see this in chapter 13, 34-35 of the Gospel of St. John, “So Brothers and sisters and all Christians and responsibility of building the masterpiece of love and unity that every parish, every movement, every part of the church should be all called to become instruments of communion in this common undertaking each one’s contribution is irreplaceable. And so I tell you “You are the heart of the BEC”.

Drawing near to his third and last note, he further imparted, “The key is to love, that means to serve concretely, every neighbor wherever they are and to do so with joy that are Ecclesial community may become real and true families. As we come to the threshold of the beginning of another pastoral year in this Era of New Evangelization, the upcoming year of Ecumenism, the Inter-religious Dialogue, and Indigenous Peoples Apostolate, I have no doubt the spirituality of communions serves as the foundational principle and dynamism of our continued quest for a genuine human fraternity among the divergent peoples and religions in the Philippines and in the world.” (Rhizter Rafaela | SocCom Padada)