Ad Honorem Immaculatae Conceptionis Mariae Oblatio

174 so-called ‘premature retirements;’ the tendency to treat the community as a ‘safe haven,’ and having demanding attitudes; a desire to strive for unique- ness, attractiveness, to build one’s life on efficiency; and to succumb to un- precedented criticism and gossip. How to respond to these signs of crisis? The Instruction Starting Afresh with Christ says: “The difficulties and the questioning which religious life is experiencing today can give rise to a new kairos, a time of grace. In these challenges, an authentic call of the Holy Spirit lies hidden to rediscover the wealth and the potentialities of this form of life.” (13). Religious Orders affected by numerical decline and the aging process should ask themselves whether they are capable of establishing bonds and truly incorporating people who come to them from different cultural backgrounds. What is the providential sign manifested in the decrease of vocations? The instruction, Starting Afresh with Christ further suggests in n. 13 that it “can be seen as a providential sign which invites them to recover their very essential tasks of being leaven, sign and prophecy. The greater the mass of dough to be raised, the greater the quality evangelical leaven called for, and the more exquisite the witness of life and charismatic service of consecrated persons.” Addressing the crisis of the consecrated life is much more than just securing the right number of vocations to guarantee the survival of a religious community; it is rather the quality of life that guarantees fidelity to the identity of the consecrated life in the Church. Reciprocity Between a Religious and the Community The beginning of the community crisis is not – after all – the numerical decrease of its membership or the breakdown of its apostolic structures. It begins with its individual member – with the collapse of his evangelical identity. This is when the newness of the spirit and the authenticity of the consecration disappear thus giving rise to a secular model of life. Therefore, the renewal of a community starts with its individual mem- bers. Neither membership numbers nor structures change a religious Or- der. Only evangelical and charismatic personalities ferment the growth. Since the early ages, the imitation of Christ has been the goal of evangeli- cal communities, and it has been inseparably connected with the personal conversion of their members. The essence of this conversion is the pursuit of becoming like Jesus Christ (J.M.R. Tollard).