Transforming Formation for Religious today
Mathew Vattamattam CMF
Introduction
Thousands of generous hearts have been attracted by different forms of consecrated Life to
embrace the way of life which Jesus chose for Himself from the moment he filled human
life with love incarnate, and today people still continue to be attracted to it. Many forms of
Consecrated Life have been created within the Church and have undergone growth and
decline, or have been refounded or disappeared, particularly at the various crossroads of
history. Today we talk about a "crisis" in the Religious Life caused by the declining numbers
of vocations and the rising age of members in places which used to be cradles of vocations in
the past; but at the same time we talk about a vocational springtime, mainly in the young
Churches in Asia and Africa. Many thinkers today view the present age as a historic time of
transition in human awareness (Cf. Beck, Ken Wilber). The ever new wine of God's love
needs new wineskins to offer it to the People of God today.
1. The changing scenario of the Religious Life
Statistics on the Religious Life show that there is a marked decline in the number of
Christian communities that have traditionally been so fruitful in the West, while there is a
continual increase in the Asian and African continents. This geographic change in the
number of vocations to the Consecrated Life can be positively interpreted when we compare
it with the fact that the vast majority of the world’s population live in these two continents.
Providing appropriate formation for the personnel in the Charism and Mission of their
respective Institutes is a major challenge. In the recent past, the Church has suffered from a
constant erosion of credibility due to the sex scandals caused by the clergy and Religious in
various countries. Today's emerging secular culture is increasingly dropping its support for
the central values of Consecrated Life. The values of Consecrated Life often stand out
prominently as a cultural benchmark in this hedonistic and consumerist world. Today's
complex context demands greater personal integrity, spiritual depth and prophetic
commitment to be able to live Religious consecration honourably. The hue and cry
following the charges and the public interest shown in the scandals caused by the clergy urge
us on to live the values of Consecrated Life authentically, and to give credibility to our
proclamation of the values of Consecrated Life.
The fragility of the Religious Life in such a tempting social environment can be seen from
the number of desertions, requests for exclaustration and secularisation submitted to the
General Curia in the majority of Congregations. Furthermore, the mediocrity of the lifestyle
and the ineffective testimony of community life are draining the strength of Religious to be a
prophetic presence and "an antidote for the evils of society". Unless Religious are firmly
underpinned by the Charism of their respective Congregations and the fundamentals of
Consecrated Life, they will be easily driven by socio-economic, cultural and media-driven
changes which are occurring in our age. The new generation emerging from the Religious
Life must be properly prepared to live the “four great fidelities” (Potissimum institutioni No.
18):




fidelity to Christ and the Gospel,
fidelity to the Church and her mission in the world,
fidelity to the Religious Life and the Charism of the Institute,
fidelity to the human person and to our age.
This demands holistic and comprehensive formation both at the beginning of the Religious
Life and subsequently.
2. The need for a comprehensive approach
Many of the Church’s documents on formation (Potissimum institutioni, 1990, Pastores
Dabo Vobis, 1992) quite rightly stress the need for a comprehensive approach to formation
paying attention to providing a solid human formation. We know that it is necessary to
incorporate all the dimensions of life in order to become authentic witnesses of God's love.
But what is often forgotten is how to become increasingly more authentic has we proceed
through the Religious Life. It is one thing to listen to a one-hour speech on meditation, but
quite another to put the mat on the floor, sit on it, and meditate for an hour. Unfortunately
the most common practice in the formation world today is to organise speeches and lectures
without complementing them with practice. A practice which will give life to the superb
ideals which we Religious proclaim.
3. Suggestions to promote transforming formation
Formation is a gradual process of transforming the whole person in Christ by internalising
the values of the vocation, incorporating every dimension of life focused on the Paschal
mystery of Christ. I would like to put to you six important aspects which require our
attention in terms of our personal formation for Consecrated Life today.
3.1 The centrality of Christ in the formation pathway
I will begin with the image of an oak tree. In nature, the oak tree begins life in the acorn and
later develops a fine root system almost one metre deep in the search of water, even when
the sapling is only thirty centimetres tall. In a nursery, however, the roots develop in a flower
pot, and are often damaged when planted out. A wise gardener treats it with care, and
transplants it in a vertical hole. Then the sapling can grow easily and become a sturdy oak
tree. The relationship between a Religious undergoing formation and Jesus is the core of the
Charism and of our Religious mission. It is this central experience which can incorporate all
the ups and downs of life.
This relationship passes through a process of maturity as the individual person awakens
spiritually. Caring about the peripheral aspects of life and being distracted as a result of the
need to study and work can often leave this central root cramped in the plastic flower pot in
the nursery of modern life. Unless the spiritual sensitivity of the Religious undergoing
formation is awakened, transformation will be impossible, but only accommodating and
adjusting ourselves for a certain period of time.
3.2. A change of approach: from "content" to "process"
The traditional approach to formation is mainly one of adaptive learning. Our lofty ideals
are put across to the Religious under formation without taking any account of how they can
be internalised in their lives. The idea that growth and transformation comes about by
means of information we are given is a mistaken one. For when the learning process is
carefully attended to, the content is better assimilated. We learn better when we learn how
to learn. This change of focus from "content" to "process" in formation shifts the main
responsibility for formation from programmes and the formator to the Religious undergoing
formation. The formator accompanies those in her care as they pass through the process of
their personal transformation.
3.3 A comprehensive and holistic approach
It is the whole person who is transformed into the likeness of Christ, the compassionate
healer. Comprehensive formation must therefore attend to the task of incorporating all the
dimensions of the spiritual, affective, moral, intellectual, charismatic, pastoral and somatic
life, around the central focus: life in Christ. "What is not integrated disintegrates" (Cencini).
A comprehensive approach tries to do justice to the mystery of the person by taking account
of what is individual and collective, what is within and what is outside which are
simultaneously present in every circumstance (Ken Wilber). This is why the interior world
of the person undergoing formation (intentions, emotions) is as important as the outer world
(habits, conduct). In this way, the individual state of the Religious undergoing formation
must be considered within the context of collective shared values and the convictions of the
community and society in general.
3.4. A movement from wishes to facts, from ideals to practice
Religious Life is often put across in idealistic terms and the evangelical counsels are
presented with pious rhetoric. For example, the ideals of consecrated chastity, poverty and
obedience usually pass by on high over the process of attaining these ideals. We have so
many theories and documents which exalt the Religious Life, but what is lacking are the
concrete resources to make them tangible. The secular world is more advanced in attaining
its objectives in a more realistic and concrete manner. We can draw on the social sciences
,such as social communications, psychological health, interpersonal relations, group
dynamics, etc… to support formation in different areas of specialisation. Religion and
science can therefore become social goods for promoting transforming formation.
3.5 Opportunities in today's intercultural world
Long before business corporations became global and intercultural, many Religious
Congregations had been multicultural and intercultural from their origins. At the present
time, many Religious Communities are becoming increasingly intercultural, bringing with
them many blessings and many challenges. Comprehensive formation requires intercultural
formation which stresses growing the unifying factor of the gift of the Charism and
appreciation of the richness which is present in cultural diversity. Without a deep sense of
being rooted in the Charism and mission of the Congregation, fraternal life in intercultural
communities will always remain fragile. We need formation programmes that cultivate
cultural understanding in the Religious under formation, in order for them to be able to
exploit the wealth of the diversity of cultures, and avoid the wastage of apostolic energy
because of cultural adjustment.
3.6. Formator formation
At meetings and Chapters, formation is often said to be the "priority of all priorities". In my
personal opinion, the selection and formation of formators is perhaps the most neglected
aspect of formation. Good souls, but with no preparation, find themselves being given the
ministry of formation overnight. This can create a situation in which the formation process is
left to the mercy of the formator’s mood swings. Accompaniment in formation requires the
formators to be in contact with their own spiritual development and to possess the ability to
foster the process of growth of those in their care. Moreover, the urgent need today is to
place competent people in the most important posts of the Congregation and this prevails
over the need to appoint appropriately competent people to the ministry of formation. In
this way, long-term objectives are sacrificed to short-term emergencies, creating a situation of
mediocrity in the formation process. In order to ensure that formation is a transforming
experience, formators have to be trained to facilitate this process in those receiving it.
Conclusion
The Christian faith gives us hope in times of difficulty in life, in both personal and
institutional life. The long history of the Church which has been marked by very difficult
times along the path reaffirms our conviction that the Lord of history does what is best to
enable us to overcome the worst of human situations. What we have to do is to adjust
ourselves to fall into line with the action of the Spirit of the Risen Lord in the modern world.
We trust that transforming formation will bring about this adjustment among our members,
enabling them to remain faithful to the Lord who has called us to serve those he sends to us.
Only formation which fans the flames of the two consuming passions in the heart of the
consecrated person can really be called transforming: passion for Christ and passion for
humanity.