A delegate poised to vote.
We are in the American political season. Wasn’t Super Tuesday a thrill? Well…maybe not.
Politics seems to be bringing out the worst in already contentious personalities as candidates for President take turns calling each other names and claiming the moral high ground while descending into the gutter.
But here at the RC Renewal Convention there are no presidential candidates. No name calling. No profanity. No bloated claims of superiority. No person claiming to be the big dog everyone else should follow.
It isn’t like the delegates don’t have important things to discuss:
- Identity, goal and spirituality of Regnum Christi
- Apostolic Activity
- Spiritual Life
- Formation
- Members, incorporation and leaving
- Structure
- Canonical Structure
All these topics and their many sub-topics will be covered in the statutes. The 94 lay delegates, working in small teams, offer suggestions, clarifications and ideas on a working document. This input is discussed – with polite, thoughtful, respectful enthusiasm – and the group votes on any proposed changes to the working document.
Get your gizmo
The voting process involves a neat little wireless gizmo assigned personally to each delegate. Each number in the working document is projected on a screen and the delegates all punch their vote on their personal gizmo. The results are projected on the screen and they can instantly see the will of the group. The number can be approved, rejected or approved with changes – and then the group has to vote up or down on the various changes.
Perhaps this sounds complicated, but that is probably because I’m not giving a clear explanation. It really works quite well; without the gizmos it would be REALLY time-consuming.
There is one more clever capability of the gizmo process; if someone doesn’t vote, the computer can tell who is holding out. (The group is really big on having everyone express their view – if they don’t want to vote one way or another they can abstain.)
The goal here isn’t so much reaching decisions, but discerning the will of the Holy Spirit through the combined joyful listening of the delegates. In fact, the product of the convention will be recommendations that will go to Rome, along with the recommendations from the other territorial conventions from around the world. At Pentecost, an international convention will receive all the recommendations, draft the statutes and submit them to the Holy See.
To me, this is all a beautiful act of faith, an expression of love. Come Holy Spirit!
