Religious life and bitterness

I returned home yesterday from a visit to a few of our communities in the Vijayawada-Guntur region.  Add to that my daily quota of phone calls from confreres expressing their difficulties and issues.  All this makes me wonder, if only we are able to find and celebrate those reasons that bind and unite us than thrive in meticulously finding reasons to fight and differ from one another.  

In each community there are SO MANY factors and possibilities that can bring us together.  Yet time and again, we choose to see the few frailties and shortcomings of one another and harp on them to such an extent that neither do I do anything worthwhile nor do I let others do any good.  Together we spend our time, energy and passion in tearing down one another!  

I know there is no magical formula to better the situation.  But I truly wonder, if after years of formation and training, this is what we end up as, then there is something wrong in our priorities or methodology.  

This image truly expresses my present feeling and experience!