This understanding of the original identity of religious life is as demanding as it is illuminating. The immediate consequence is that religious life ‘functions’ only if it is authentic. If the Eucharist celebrated by a mediocre or even unworthy priest remains valid and fruitful for those who participate (without in any way detracting from the sacred insistence on the formation and holiness of the clergy), the religious life of a mediocre or unworthy religious is an absolute non-sense.
One of the main points of the SAFC of this year was the emphasis on the Salesian vocation as to be understood as primarily a vocation to consecrated life. It is not merely to be a priest or a brother. This false emphasis on priesthood (or brotherhood, which I say as swinging the pendulum to the other extreme) is really detrimental. As Salesians we are bascially called to be a consecrated person, the subsequent living out is done either as Priests or Brothers!
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