Dominicas de la Presentación - Capítulo General 2019

La Turena, Bucaramanga (Colombia), 07/31/2019, Sr. Clara de San José.- When I received the mission to decorate La Turena to celebrate the 55th General Chapter of the Congregation, aside from gratitude for the trust given to me and preparing myself to do it with much love, I felt that the Spirit would enlighten and be my companion to guide and give meaning to every aspect of this responsibility.

Today I want to share my reflections and invite you to live with me this experience ... it is an experience that included many people who shared their art, contributions, and knowledge. Thank you to each one. I invite you to use your imagination. After the turn from the highway, we arrive at the road that leads to the main entrance of La Turena. Some of you have done this route in the past, using the road of the "seminary", which we often use for our daily comings and goings.

Today we are going to enter "your house" again, by the main route. Groups of sisters with a sign are waiting for us: "La Turena", announcing we have arrived, we are here. The wide doors are open, to welcome us... a stream of water, the beauty of nature, on either side of the walkway, invites us to take a breath of fresh air to start the journey on foot ... let go of our luggage and move freely forward until the first bend of the walkway ...
Let's stop ... the message-prayer from Exodus, reminds us of the EGC of Santafé, in Bogotá:
"... MAKE THEM KNOW THE WAY THEY MUST WALK ..."
It is the link that unites the two General Chapters: the 54th and 55th.
Remember: "Now is the favorable time ..." and "This is the way ... FOLLOW IT..."

We move toward the House of our Elder Sisters, the Santa Ana Community; in the entrance, the prophet Isaiah resounds from the experience of life and mission of these 50 sisters who live here, the constant invitation of these days:
"... THIS IS THE WAY ... FOLLOW IT ..."

and what is the way? ...
Let us place ourselves here together... and as we do so, let us look up... and contemplate the image of Mary, seated on the first stone. She receives us and points out the way:
"TO LIVE AND DIE IN THE SERVICE OF THE CHURCH IN THE EXERCISE OF CHARITY”...
In silence, let this part of the Constitution touch our hearts... let's continue to walk ... moving towards the center of the house: The Chapel of the Holy Trinity.
Here, at the entrance, Marie Poussepin speaks ... listen to her...
"... ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT IT IS HE WHO HAS BROUGHT YOU HERE..."
To the Congregation? ... to this place? .., to the Chapter? ... to answer a call? ...
We enter the Chapel: its circular form speaks of unity and fraternity, the Tabernacle and the Crucifix, surrounded by light, constantly invite us to prayer. The Virgin and Saint Joseph, together with Saint Dominic and Marie Poussepin, are here. They show us that it is possible to live in holiness.
The elegant altar is covered simply with an altar cloth in whose center appears the Logo of the Chapter in Spanish. It was embroidered and presented for this occasion, by our Social Training Institute of Piedecuesta. It is beautifully done ...
Now ... join me near the stairs. Here you will find:
"THE OVERFLOWING WELL OF CHARITY, IT FEEDS THE WHEAT FIELDS OF THE CHARISM,
IN THE BEAUCE AND IN THE WORLD ".

It reminds us that its waters continue to water and nourish the new frontiers of our interior being, our life and mission: "To live and reveal Jesus Christ". To do this, we have to "leave our own comforts and dare to go to all the peripheries that need the light of the Gospel" (Cf. E.G. Nº 20).

Let's enter one of the two Chapter Rooms, it's only a few steps to the left; it contains a lot of vitality: the Crucifix, the Word of God, a lit Candle embossed with the Logo of the Chapter, the flags of the Church, the Order, France, Colombia and a big banner, with the logo of the Chapter in French. The main table is ready to be occupied by the President of the Chapter, and the moderators of the Assembly.
Some oil paintings surround the room: Our Lady of the Presentation, Marie Poussepin and Saint Dominic, painted by Sister Beatriz of the Eucharist, and a vellum of Pope Francis. In the background, in black and white, a panoramic view of the Mother House.

What enriches this room the most and makes it a "workshop of hope", are the desks, they are ready to share reality, desires and great challenges. This room is a place of study, debate, information, personal opinion, common search, discernment... It is the space for co-responsibility; here thoughts come together and nourish each other; each one of the Capitulants live and act on behalf of all the sisters whom they represent; individualisms are left behind to give way for something much bigger... here where the Congregation grows....

Let's continue ... let's go down on the right side and enter the dining room: "The table is ready, the bread is hot and the wine is aged" ... After an assembly, a report, or a long working day, a good coffee, milo, fruit, lunch, or food ... and in the midst of everything, they find Paul's word to the Corinthians:
"MY GRACE IS ENOUGH"...
Faced with so many challenges and realities that swarm their mind and heart, this Word, located here to be contemplated and prayed, is like rain giving more peace, serenity, and above all, the security of the presence of the Lord... Whenever I read this quote, I remember a biblical translation of it, which I cannot forget: "My Love is all you need"... Can you understood why?...
Now, we go toward one of the other directions that leads us to the third floor; there, we have many surprises prepared. But before crossing the covered patio, let's stop and look at this clay pot, surrounded by white stones and simple, humble plants ... it's here ... maybe unnoticed ... but it collects everything the capitulants talk about, their reflections, programs and sharing, in their coming and going to the dining room, etc.
Perhaps it represents you, me, each of the sisters. In this clay pot, weak and brittle, grace overflows. This clay pot baked in the fire, is a symbol of OUR COVENANT COMMITMENT TO LIFE, TO THE REVITALIZATION OF THIS LIFE IN THE FIRE OF MISSION… without this radical commitment to the following of Jesus Christ unto death in the service of Charity, every word spoken, shared, every project planned, will fail and have no life.
That is why we need to move forward on our journey... let us go up the central staircase... A bell shakes our being, vibrates in our ears... a bell from anywhere in the world, from some of our local communities, or from a single sister, rings for us... so that we do not forget:
IT IS TIME FOR THE IMPULSE OF THE SPIRIT... LET US BE OPEN TO HIM...!”
With this bell, vibrating inside our heart, we open this door ... and enter with bare feet. This is the other "CAPITULAR ROOM", prepared with much love. I say with much love, sisters, because the capitulants are the protagonists in this "hour", because you are before the room of mystery, of faith, of hope, of fruitful silence, of personal responsibility, of commitment to God, the Church and the Congregation.
This is the space where God-Spirit will meet with each one of them, to live in truth and transparency, in freedom and commitment, the right and duty to choose and decide, according to God's will, ... the historical moment of the Congregation …
The cross and life, embodied in the Crucifix, presides over the Assembly. Next to it, the logo written in English, reminds each one why and for what they are gathered. At the back of the room, the Virgin of the Presentation shows her commitment in faith. To the left, a set of keywords are the living memory of our experiences and a part of the poem "Vuelve Marie Poussepin", written by Sr. Betsabé Guevara. It invites you to discover the world, like a new Sainville, transcending borders with audacity.
For the symbol of the easel ... let your imagination fly with your interior thoughts ... now let me share with you what I wanted to express:
It is our work of art: Marie Poussepin and Santo Domingo. We have painted it during the course of these three centuries of history. Of course, it is unfinished. There are available brushes and paints, if something is missing. The richness of this group of sisters will provide it, because it is up to them to decide how to make the Mission more credible for today and define its specific features. It is vital that the person of today, in his/her encounter with each Dominican Sister of Charity of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin, may discover the face of God our Savior: loving, human, a Samaritan, a Jesus, who seeks the wounded, the despised, the ignorant, the forgotten.

It is up to them to be artists in the hands of the Artist par excellence, to design features of the revitalization of our life and mission for the impetus of a new congregational restructuring.

Give me one more minute ... I'm not finished yet. The fraternity of our sisters prepared another space to gather strength - Colombian coffee does not go bad after this tour - next door, there is a cafeteria to go there, sit down and take a break...

Wow... Look at the landscape... let us discover his call... he seems to insist again:
"THIS IS THE WAY... FOLLOW IT..."
Come on... We cannot delay... let us continue... someone appears... it is her, look at her... Marie Poussepin, Our Mother Foundress. 25 Years ago she was beatified, let's say "officially”, she waits for us... we feel her presence, she walks with us, she accompanies us and strengthens us in this
"WAY TO HOLINESS"...
Ah... and like Jesus, he wants us to be holy... "as your Heavenly Father is holy".