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A Founding Charism

D McLaughlin
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The “experience” of Edmund Rice (lives on in our HEARTS).

“A founding Charism has been described as a three-fold gift by its very nature.

It involves:

  • A unique faith vision – for Edmund Rice this was presence

  • A unique form of living; the call to wholeness that is attractive and dynamic – for Edmund Rice this was compassion

  • A unique response – for Edmund Rice this was liberation

Presence. For Edmund life was about apprehending or being present to an already existing relationship with God, and then responding to this relationship by being present to and loving that which Jesus loves. This presence becomes a radical humanising process for the invitation to be present to and examine our current humanity and decide what kind of human we might be. The reality is we are defined by the quality of our relationships.

Compassion. For Jesus the quality of our human life is dependent upon our nurturing of compassion: “….to be compassionate is to be ‘womb-like’: life-giving, nourishing, embracing. As God is, so we are to be.” (Borg)

Liberation. Compassion by definition demands action to address tyranny and oppression. Justice is the social manifestation of compassion. It is about providing a critical education and deliberately provoking consciousness-raising in learning about the way systems control and limit authentic growth.”

D. McLaughlin - The Price of Freedom, p 250-252