Wednesday, November 10, 2010

I've been really busy the last two days. But not busy in the usual American way. Busy in the Italian way. Sometimes I think the Italian way is more exhausting.

This is a picture of our meeting room one of the rare times it's almost empty. Even between sessions it is a center of activity. It's the only room in CIL with wireless access, so many people hang out here to get on the internet. But more importantly, this is one of the places where people tend to gather to talk.

This is the CIL lounge. The other place where people gather to talk. This is Br. Mark, Tina, Kane from New Zealand, and Br. Jason from Singapore. Br. Jason will be coming to Saint Mary's in the summer to begin the Lasallian Leadership program.

Of course, we eat and drink well. This is Br. John from Australia, Mary from San Fransisco and Br. David being served a little sparkling wine by my friend Stephano.

Today is the first day we really got into the meat of the meeting. Up to now it has been orientation. They have done a nice job of getting people comfortable with the surroundings and each other. The material we will be exploring is somewhat controversial in various parts of the Lasallian Family.

Today Br. Louis spoke. It was an absolutely wonderful presentation. He talked about the difference between change and transformation. He talked about the way the Church regards women and sexuality. He talked about the importance of seeing reality. Not as we think it is, or wish it is, but as it is.  I'm sure he rattled some people. I could see a few shifting uncomfortably in their chairs. I think that is good.

His message was that if we only do what De La Salle did, we will fail. A literal application of De La Salle's work will not be effective in today's society. We need to transform De La Salle's work to meet the needs of our time. In fact, De La Salle was trans-formative. To really walk in his foot steps we need to transform our current society.

It was interesting that a number of Brothers from the central community came to hear Br. Louis speak. He's writing a book on the topic and I think they wanted to get an idea of what he's thinking. I'll be interested to hear what their reactions were.

We meet in our small groups tomorrow morning to discuss Br. Louis' presentation. I'm looking forward to hearing what people have to say.

I have some pictures of Br. Louis, but the internet is extremely slow here tonight and I need to get to bed. So, just imagine Brad Pitt.

The rain is supposed to subside tomorrow. I hope so. I haven't been out of the house in two days. I need to get out from behind the walls and feel the city.

Ciao, Bellas!