Between the Nest and the Road

A few days ago, I asked a young friar what he thought the meaning of religious life was today. After a brief pause for reflection, he replied: “Knowing that I have a place, a place where I can find myself”. I thought about how I would have answered, in the same situation as him, more than thirty years ago... Perhaps I would have said that I wanted to live the Gospel, to do something for others. Different ways of feeling religious life, and Franciscan life in particular, which prompted me to a series of reflections. There was a time when some certainties seemed clear and individual needs were less conspicuous. A sense of meaning, a direction, an orientation for the journey could be found. Some questions were asked in the past — who am I? What is the world...? For whom and for what do I want to spend myself? Such questions were still ...