Going with God

1
Going with Gods FlowThe Charity of Christ
Impels Us

• by Regina Bechtle, SC

2
Introduction

• Energy of Gods love
• Overview
• Gods energy impels us toward
• Relationship, connection, collaboration,
  partnership
• Ways we resist energy
• Resistance is an invitation to go with the flow
• Resource to harness energy of resistance
• Wisdom of our Vincentian founders
• Great Vincentian word and

3
Gods Energy Impels Us

• Reign of God new way of being in relationship
• Jesus dream - belonging
• Vincent and Louises vision
• Poor have a claim on us
• We belong to one another
• Elizabeth Setons vision
• Relationships of belonging impel to lives of
  service
• Frederic, Rosalies vision
• Bring Christs love to a cold world,
• make it a place where all belong

4
Creation

• Fundamental direction of creation
• From I to We
• Grace of knowing we belong, especially to those
  in need
• Called to break boundaries

5
Breaking Boundaries

• Rich and poor
• Between
• Our groups
• Our Congregations
• Our Provinces
• We are food and drink for one another. We are
  one anothers body and blood. We are one
  anothers salvation. (Ivone Gebara)

6
Resistance

• A Look at resistance
• Impel or repel?
• All living things resist threats to survival
• Institutions resist change
• Resistance as a teacher
• Usually in the place where we are afraid
• Resistance has a positive face
• Resistance is the dragon guarding precious
  treasure

7
Resistance

• Plays key role in transformation
• Our wounds are doorways into conversion
• We must be so careful to meet our grace.
  (Elizabeth)
• Go to the places that scare you. (Buddhist
  Saying)
• What if, at least occasionally, we came together
  in order to change our mind? (Margaret Wheatley)

8
Motivation to Transformation

• What moves us to conversion and transformation?
• Opening to the needs of others
• Place of resistance is a holy place where God is
  very active

9
Wisdom of Our Founders

• The Vincentian and
• The way to God is the way of both/and
• Love God AND love the neighbor
• Rich AND Poor
• Action AND Prayer
• Solitude AND community
• Head AND Heart
• Now AND not-yet
• Charity AND justice
• Service that is material AND spiritual

10
The Grace of AND

• And is the place of grace for us in the
  Vincentian Family
• Who else needs to be part of this conversation,
  this planning?
• Whose wisdom are we missing?
• What if we invited xxxxx to join us?

11
Let Us Pray

• God of relationship, deepen in us the conviction
  that we are one anothers food and drink, one
  anothers salvation.
• God of the AND, turn our self-sufficiency into
  a deep desire to be about Your mission together.
• Make us pliable in Your hands, ever-creating God,
  
• And unrestricted in our readiness to
• serve Your energy,

12
Let Us Pray

• To go with Your flow,
• To be re-shaped and refashioned in Your image of
  collaborative community,
• Wherever You lead us.
• AMEN