Community July 9
Sharing life with our brothers means to be willing to hear one another, to be open in our dealings with one another, to be ready to lay aside individual preferences (Const. 14.5).
Communication is the fraternal bridge to the other. The maintenance of this bridge comes from dialogue, which makes demands. Initiative: we don’t wait passively for the approach of the other but make the effort to initiate contact. A person does not just stay on his or her own side of the bridge. Transparency: what is said in words should conform to what is inside the person. We do put up obstacles on the bridge. Humility: the other person has value and that person’s communication can have more value than mine. One does not play the tyrant on the bridge. Patience: everybody is weak, afraid and inept and needs time and courage. We do not despair on the bridge. Skill: we learn little by little the effective techniques of communication. We are not careless in crossing the bridge. Confidence: one must have a strong sense of identity and respect for the good will of the other person. A person does not weaken the bridge. Courage: we discover our own limitations and see those of others. We do not flee the bridge. Responsibility: we leave the dialogue with revelations about the other in our hands. One does not destroy the bridge.
A family matures through conversation. (Bayombe)
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