Living in the Gap: Religious Life and the Call to Communion
'Many members of religious institutes will recognize themselves in the reflection of Father Billy, who offers a clear-eyed view of our struggles over the last four or five decades. The author avoids useless polemic; preferring, instead, to situate religious life among the other vocations in the Church and indicates how religious can live their unique vocation in a spirit of communion.... The book is an excellent tool for the initial and ongoing formation of religious women and men, as well as a reliable voice for all those who want to understand better how this religious life is to be lived today.' --Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin, Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life'In an age of individualism and consumerism, what does religious life have to offer to the world? Father Dennis Billy sees the value of religious life in the call to communion. The desire to dedicate oneself to the Gospel and give witness to the Body of Christ distinguishes religious life as a model of human community. Religious life is not a naive utopia but a commitment to live in the gap between vision and reality, the already and the not-yet, the place where human relationships are deepened in the midst of human frailties. This is a well-written and thought-provoking book which will raise questions for some and provide insight for many.Living in the Gapoffers a wise and spiritual foundation for those seeking the pearl of great price.' --Sr. Ilia Delio, OSF'In his recent book,Living in the Gap: Religious Life and the Call to CommunionFather Dennis Billy, CSs.R, challenges those who live religious life and priesthood to, in a sense, mind the gap. This in no way is meant to avoid the gap or to step around it. Moreover, he encourages us to recognize and acknowledge the gap as well as acknowledge the futuristic visions that lie on the other side, and for whom those visions reside.... While the author acknowledges the struggles communities face, his book emphasizes the value of religious life, in living the call in the spirituality of communion. He reminds us that according to Pope John Paul II, inNovo Millennio Ineunte,communion is at the heart of the Christian message. Communion is also one of the main themes of this book. The spirituality of communion is 'the ability to see and know the positive in others as a gift from God, to bear each other's burdens, and to resist the temptation to selfishness.' While he focuses this theme primarily on religious life, it could be extended to anyone who is seeking 'right relationship' with God.... I am grateful for having read Father Dennis' book and have personally enjoyed the simplicity and the profound underlying depth of Father Dennis' writing. While reading, I was envisioning the variety of ways his book could be studied, reflected upon and used in communal theological reflection, choice making or discernment, especially for religious communities that know they need internal and external conversion. With an epigram at the beginning of each chapter and corresponding questions at the end of the chapters, Living in the Gap is a versatile book that could serve religious who are in formation, in leadership groups, novitiates, spirituality groups, or committees seeking conversion of heart and of spirit.' --Sister Cindy Kaye, RSM,HorizonLiving in the Gapis a profound little book that examines the role and meaning of religious life in our modern world. Those who choose to live a consecrated life are called to communion with God and to relationship with the human family. Dennis J. Billy, a Redemptorist and scholar, beautifully expresses how all men and women struggle to faithfully live the gap between vision and reality. In the six carefully written chapters Billy reflects on the essential topics of conversion, vows, --John Leonard Berg,Catholic Library WorldThere are some very searching questions, [such as], 'What would the world be like without your religious order?' ... He asserts that those living in community must keep before themselves the example of the one perfect community, which is the Holy Trinity ... There is much food for thought in this book ... Its readership should not be confined to community members, since we have here good teaching on the Christian life which is available to all. The universal call to holiness should affect us all, and this book could help us to realize its implications. --Martin SSFJ inFranciscanmagazine