General Chapter of Diffinitors
5th day
Tultenango, July 20, 2022
The capitular friars began Wednesday with lauds in French and the celebration of the Eucharist, presided over by Friar Patrik Lens, OP, of the Province of Saint Thomas of Belgium, with the homily by Friar Maximilliano Cappabianca, OP, of the Province of Teutonia, who, mentioning yesterday’s preacher, took up the theme of prophetism from a question: “Who establishes what is a true or a false prophet?” To which he replied: “I believe that everything is based on discernment in medio Ecclesiae.”
Speaking of such discernment, in his homily, Friar Maximillian recalled: “This discernment is not done alone, but only in a communitarian way. Only in the exchange among brothers and sisters, and in contact with those who have the task of guiding the flock, it is discovered whether a preaching is truly prophetic or a private occurrence. Naturally, there is the tradition, the doctrine of the Magisterium, but at the same time there are current challenges that call for a new response inspired by the Gospel”.
Today is a day of work in commissions. Each commission has a President, who, after hearing the vote of the others, appoints a Secretary to carefully write down the topics to be discussed and approved. The General Chapter of Definitors in Tultenango has six commissions:
- The preaching: the mission for our culture/s
- Communion and mission
- Call to the mission: vocations, initial and permanent formation
- Mission of study
- Resources for the mission: financing
- Structures for the mission: book of Constitutions and Ordinances (LCO).
Those who form the Commissions have the adequate material and translators (in the three official languages of the Order, Spanish, English and French) to be able to understand the depth of the topics to be discussed. Today they have a lot of hard work to do in order to present their conclusions during the plenary session on July 22.
