The Augustinian Recollect Family is preparing to celebrate the 436th anniversary of the Augustinian Recollection on December 5. On the occasion of this commemoration, the Prior General, Fr. Miguel Ángel Hernández Domínguez, has shared a message in which he reflects on the profound meaning of the Recollection in the context of the approaching Jubilee Year of 2025, whose motto is “Pilgrims of Hope”. 
This motto, the Prior General affirms, connects deeply with the charism of the Recollection, a journey towards fullness in God and towards the interior of each person.
Fr. Michelangelo describes the Recollect as a pilgrim, not only on the external road to God, but also on the road to the interior of the soul, an “active pilgrimage by which man, disintegrated and scattered by the wound of sin, moved by grace, enters within himself, where God is already waiting for him”. 
This call is an invitation to question our surroundings and seek the truth, not to be satisfied with superficiality, and to always keep alive the flame of a creative dissatisfaction that drives us to spiritual growth.
The Prior General also reflects on the importance of silence, solitude and prayer as pillars of Recollect life, since they allow us to enter into the depths of our being and establish a true encounter with God. 
“Solitude is not a flight or a way of escaping from people; on the contrary, it is the creation of a unique space that allows us to encounter ourselves and, in turn, God. Solitude implies courageously facing one’s own mystery, which is often difficult to accept. This mystery, Friar Michelangelo reminds us, “can only be accepted with the heart. Silence, far from being the absence of words, is “the capacity to acquire the sensitivity necessary to listen to the voice of God” and to know our own heart better.
“Many so-called pilgrims, in reality, are no more than mere tourists.”
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n this 436th anniversary, the Prior General invites us to remember that we are not “tourists” in our spiritual life, and adds: “Many misnamed pilgrims, in reality, do not go beyond mere tourists”. True recollection does not settle for the comfort of an uncompromising life; on the contrary, it is a call to be “pilgrims of hope,” those who constantly seek God and who share love and mercy with their brothers.
The Recollection is a reminder that the search for God is not limited to the transcendental, but must also embrace our human relationships, always seeking a more fraternal heart and willing to build a more just and compassionate society.
Pope Francis, quoted by Fr. Miguel Ángel, urges the whole Church to be a Church that stands, not a Church that sits; a Church that listens to the cry of humanity and acts, a Church that “walks with the Lord along the paths of the world” carrying the light of the Gospel. 
In this line, the Prior convokes the whole Augustinian Recollect family to be weavers of hope, a hope that is manifested in concrete actions and in the attention to the most needy.
“Let us long for a society capable of compassion, forgiveness and mercy; a society that has as its driving force of life the God who became man and passed through this world sowing hope in the heart of every man.”
On this anniversary, let us celebrate the richness of our identity as Recollects: a community that does not conform, that lives the faith intensely and shares hope. The Recollection, today more than ever, is a call to build a path within, to find the peace of God and share it with others.
You can read the full text of the message, in English, Spanish and Portuguese, by clicking HERE.