Card. Velasio de Paolis has clearly indicated that our most important reform is revising the constitutions. However, I am sure a few of you out there wonder what that means?
To a certain extent it is a like a family discussion, but with a family of 2000. When you have a family discussion, you don’t go telling the neighbours what everyone said, you just tell them the result.
Since our family is so big, the discussion has to be given a certain structure; it a family of 5 you can just talk until mom gives you the eye but that doesn’t work with 2000. If you have read some of the letters, the eagle’s level perspective has been laid out well; I can’t add anything there. I just want to add the ant’s level perspective.
It has been divided into many themes; I think we are on #13 now. For each theme a short booklet arrives to my door, it has a discussion of the theme, a list of relevant documents from the Church, the text of the constitutions, a 1st suggested revision, and the text of older versions of the constitutions on that theme. We have at least 2 weeks to study it. I always read through to the suggested revised text; half the time I have already read the Church documents but I often refer to them or older versions as a kind of reference.
After each of us has studied the text, we have an afternoon-long meeting with about 12 (mine is 2nd year theology students in section A). Twice we go around the table and everyone can offer general reflections on the theme. Then we go around once for each number to suggest changes or make more specific commentary on a specific number of the constitutions.
It is serious but at least my group doesn’t have a firm face all the time; sometimes someone will throw in a little joke. After one session where the erasure of some numbers was suggested because they were little more than common sense. Someone took the phrase “the supreme law is the good of souls” and said “the supreme law is common sense.”
As far as I understand the consecrated will do a similar reflection but focus more on the general reflection on each theme. I hope this helps you see the revision from the inside.
