We experience our life as brothers to be pure gift. It is a unique call in the Church that provides for a full life of radical clinging to Christ and service for His Kingdom. As we strive to live our call in the Brotherhood of Hope, we have come to understand the nature of our life as brothers more deeply, which can be described through the following elements:
An Intensification of Baptismal Consecration
A religious brother’s consecration is a fuller manifestation of baptismal consecration (PC 5). Although a brother shares with all Christians the common dignity of baptism whereby one is joined to Christ and summoned to holiness and the Church’s mission, his consecration joins him in a special and spousal manner to Jesus (RD 4, 7; VC 93).
A Total Self-Gift to God through the Evangelical Counsels
The evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty, and obedience are a brother’s means of radical self-donation to the Lord, and they foster the perfection of the love of God and neighbor in an outstanding manner (LG 45). Through this total gift of self, a brother’s relationship with the Lord is deepened through prayer, and his whole life becomes a continuous worship of God in love (CIC 607.1). The counsels are “a triple expression of a single ‘yes’ to the one relationship of total consecration” (EE 14).
A Fraternal Life in Common
As a sign of the Trinity’s unity, brothers share a communal life in charity. This fraternity, a visible manifestation of the Church’s communion, “has always appeared as a radical expression” of Christian unity, and is a prophecy of heaven’s unity (CN 10). We foster brotherhood through daily liturgy and prayer, shared household life, common missions, and fraternal groups.
Separation from the World
In order to effect both deeper attachment to Jesus and greater public witness, a brother’s life requires some separation from the world (CIC 607.3). It includes wearing a habit and sharing a pattern governing the whole of life. But attitudes and lifestyle must also be part of the public witness, such as restraint in forms of relaxation, entertainment, and comfort (ES 1.2; CD 33-35; EE 34). Beyond the canonical specifics of vowed poverty, the Brotherhood attempts to live a frugal, sparing-sharing lifestyle. In contrast to the materialism of the day, we live in personal and communal simplicity. Some examples include our common ascetical practices, simple meals, no personal incomes, no personal ownership, and a yearly review so as to simplify our possessions.
A Life of Prophetic Witness to the Kingdom of God
The virtue of hope enables a brother to reveal the mystery of God’s kingdom – present already but ultimately fulfilled in heaven. He strives “to live now what will be in the afterlife” (EE 8). He witnesses to this passing world about the future resurrection and ecstatic union with God Himself (RD 11). Consecrated chastity gives particular eloquence to this foretaste of glory (VC 26). Our community’s prophetic dimension is first seen in our name, the Brotherhood of Hope. This deepens as our personal relationship with Jesus deepens: our hope in Him sustains us now and increases our longing for heaven.
A Life of Service to the Church
Through evangelical consecration a brother devotes himself “wholly to mission” (VC 72). His life itself is a mission, following the example of his Lord (VC 72). This service is sacrificial, for it is “a life of self-giving love, of practical and generous service,” imitating the Son who came to serve others (VC 75). The Brotherhood’s specific mission is the New Evangelization. We serve in college outreach, youth and young adult work, men’s ministry, and retreats/conferences. We engage in any task – great or small – in order “to help others come to have the best thing possible, the Lord Jesus Himself forever” (Ideal 10, 21).
A Mission Undertaken in Common
Brothers serve a common mission which flows from and nourishes their common fraternal life. This gives us mutual encouragement and a clear witness to our fraternal unity (Directory 5). It also manifests a fusion of personal gifts to bring about a more fruitful outreach. We want to serve together and “become so perfectly one that the world will see” the Father’s love (Ideal 47).
An Identity and Spirituality as Brothers
Brothers “are called to be brothers of Christ, deeply united with Him, ‘the firstborn among many brothers’ (Rom 8:29), brothers to one another, in mutual love and working together in the Church; brothers to everyone, in their witness to Christ’s love for all” (John Paul II general audience 2/22/95). Our Brotherhood reflects this brother identity/spirituality in our relational evangelization. As evangelists we seek to accompany others in faith and lead them toward Christ, our eldest Brother. We do this not only in our apostolates and in non-Church arenas, but also in our ordinary encounters with others in daily life.
A Complete Vocation Encouraged by the Church
Brothers manifest the Church’s teaching that the profession of the evangelical counsels is complete in itself (PC 10). “Consequently, both for the individual and for the Church, it is a value in itself, apart from the sacred ministry” (VC 60). The Brotherhood’s founder clearly intended that the community be comprised principally of brothers. In this way our community reflects our fundamental call - to be a brother.
