Abstract:
With the title “Discipleship in the Gospel of Marcos: contributions to the formative process of the Franciscan Sisters of Penance and Christian Charity - Province of the Immaculate Heart of Mary-RS”, this research aims to identify fundamental elements of Jesus' discipleship in the Gospel of Markin order to improve the training process at the Institute. The research is bibliographic, following the SEE, JUDGE AND ACT method. The first chapter highlights the step of the SEE methodology, investigating how Consecrated Religious Life (VRC) is understood at the ecclesial level, with emphasis on the theological aspects that constitute it, as well as identifying possible causes of its current identity crisis. This crisis was born in history because it inherited elements of monastic life that differ from active VRC. In the post-Vatican II period, there were profound and rapid social changes that prevented the renewal proposed by this same Council, which compromised the process of returning to sources preventing it from reaching its maturity. In the second chapter, the research stops at the JUDGING step, starting from the discipleship in the Gospel of Mark, highlighting that the same happens in the path that lasts all existence, between crises, doubts and continuous resumptions. The challenge for the followers of Jesus is to create a new way of understanding Jesus' messianism. They need to break paradigms assumed, historically, by the influence of the triumphalist mentality about the figure of Christ. In the third chapter, through the ACTstep, points of encounter between discipleship in Mark and the Franciscan Tradition are highlighted, as an aid to the Formative process. The Franciscan VRC consists of a permanent becoming, needing to incorporate more and more the identity that is born from the Gospel. The Gospel of Mark, in this respect, is an invitation to the VRC, to insert itself in the different realities of the world as a servant. There is a basis, therefore, to maintain that Markan discipleship is enlightening for formation, being a call for renewal in the way of thinking and living the following today.
