Spirituality
Itinerary
of the "Pauline" exercises during the Year
Towards the First Centenary of the foundation of the Pauline Family
September 2011 - August 2012: Taking on a RELIGIOUS MENTALITY
From the Baptism of Jesus
to Ash Wednesday
Jesus said to him: "If you wish to be perfect…"
This first period of Ordinary Time, which connects the Seasons of Advent-Christmas
and Lent - is for us a new opportunity to continue our commitment to understand
and take on a religious mentality. We will do this by drawing from the reflections
of Father Alberione on the episode in Matthew's Gospel of the rich young
man (Mt. 19:17-30).
While not ignoring Father Alberione's wise considerations concerning the
opening lines of this passage, the points on which we wish to focus our
reflections, prayer, and applications are his comments on Jesus' words,
"If you want to be perfect…"
With the divine invitation "If you want" the Founder highlights
this initiative as one of love on Jesus' part and a response of love on
ours. From this comes forth his definition of the religious life, one of
real beauty: "The religious life is a gift of God and an act of perfect,
continual, and eternal love. It is a love that comes di-rectly from God,
with no intermediaries." We note with admiration how habitual it is
for Father Alberione to as-sociate the religious life with love: "This
is the religious profession: the desire for a love of Jesus that is purer,
holier, and more ardent, and that reserves for Jesus all the powers of mind,
will, heart, and body".(1)
And
again: "Every Christian is aiming for this, but religious profession
is the profession of eternal and perfect love for Jesus Christ so that the
intelligence, strength and sentiments will be always and only directed to
God. Virginity of the mind, virginity of the will, virginity of the heart…
was not this the counsel that the apostle Paul gave in his let-ters, in
his preaching?" (2)
The invitation to "be perfect" rings throughout the comments of
Father Alberione as the highest expression of love for Jesus, who, when
he met the rich young man "Looked at him, and loved him" (Mk.
10:21); "at that moment, grace flowed upon grace". In fact only
grace can make every religious able to carry out "the work that is
first [in importance], that of progress, of perfection." The Founder
calls this a work, and more precisely, "from the moment of profession
this work is obligatory and continuous as long as the state of profession
lasts".(3) But what do we mean by the word perfection? "Perfection,
in principle, consists of love. The spirit of faith re-veals God to us,
and God, the highest Good and summit of happiness, is desired and hoped
for: this is hope. And union with God brings happiness…"(4) "What
does the religious life require in the first place? Perfection, tending
toward perfection, toward sanctity… This is a religious' first and
principle duty" . (5)
Our journey begins, therefore, with the love of the Father who reaches out
to us, and is carried forward by our response of love. A true love, sincere,
consisting of deeds, transformative, a love that leads us to the heights
of apostolic sanctity!
¢ So, the orientation with which we can live the "Pauline"
exercises during this period could be: we can try to recall frequently that
our Founder considered our way of responding to the love of God as the commitment
to conformity: " ...this conformity which is love…"(DF 35).
In concrete, this is lived out by daily renewing the Pact with care. We
can pause to reflect during the day on those expressions that manifest the
call to sanctity and perfection:
- " correspond to your sublime will" (this can accompany our time
of meditation);
- "to arrive at the degree of perfection and heavenly glory to which
you have destined us" (at the offertory of the Mass);
- "carry out the apostolate in a holy manner" (as we begin our
apostolate);
- "We promise and commit ourselves to seeking wholeheartedly in all
things, in life and in the apostolate, only and always, your glory and peace
to all people." (as a guide for our evening examination of conscience).
"'Seek ardently the more perfect gifts; I will show you an even more
prefect way.' The more perfect gifts are worth nothing without love…
I understood that love embraces all vocations, that love is everything,
that it reaches to all times and places; in a word, that love is eternal…
Jesus, my love, I have finally found my vocation: my vocation is love! I
found my place in the Church, a place you have given to me. In the heart
of Mother Church, I will be love. Thus, I will be all…" (6)
To be love: may this be our desire and our prayer!
In profound communion, Don Guido.
1. To the Daughters of St. Paul 1940-45
pg. 386
2. Per un rinnovamento spirituale pg. 272
3. Animo e corpo per il Vangelo pgs. 57, 58
4. To the FSP: Explanation of the Constitutions (1961) pg. 204
5. To the PDDM, 1964 pg. 274
6. St. Therese of Lisieux, Story of a Soul pgs. 253, 254
