January 1, 2017
Dear Fathers, Brothers, and Seminarians,
The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in its document Directives on Formation in Religious Institutes upholds that “the personal life of a religious must not become dichotomized between the generic end of religious life and the specific end of the institute; between consecration to God and mission in the world; nor between religious life itself on the one hand, and apostolic activities on the other. There is no religious life existing concretely ‘by itself’ upon which is grafted the specific and the particular charism of each institute as subordinate additions.”[1]
As we all know, our own congregation obliges its members “to engage in missionary action in a special way,”[2] in accordance with the proper way of the Institute and “in keeping with the proper type of their own vocation, by means of prayer, or by apostolic ministry, so as to implant and strengthen the Kingdom of Christ in souls and to extend that kingdom to every place.”[3] This is done while avoiding falling into the error of “neglecting—dialectically—apostolic works which must be carried out, in order to ‘save’ religious life and the corresponding formation,” or the error of seeking refuge in the commodity of manual labor being “negligent in intellectual work which requires special effort,” as our Directory of Consecrated Life clearly warns us.[4]
We should not lose sight that “we must fulfill the duty of state, giving each thing its proper place in accordance with its objective hierarchy, and according to the charism of the Institute, to perfectly fulfill the will of God.”[5]
For this reason, at the beginning of this new year, I thought it opportune to dedicate this Circular Letter to reflect, even if briefly, on our specific end, an aspect which is so fundamental and so deeply rooted in the charism of our Institute.
That is, to reflect on the fact—which is so clearly marked out in our Constitutions and which we fervently repeat upon professing vows—that we, religious of the Incarnate Word, “specifically, pledge all our strength to inculturate the Gospel, that is, to extend the Incarnation ‘to all men, in the whole man, and in all of the manifestations of man,’ in accordance with the teachings of the Magisterium of the Church.”[6]
May God grant a renewed and enthusiastic missionary commitment in our souls by means of these words. For as the Spiritual Father of our Religious Family so fervently proclaimed, “I sense that the moment has come to commit all of the Church’s energies to a new evangelization and to the mission ad gentes. No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples.”[7]
In these days we see with deep pain that many congregations are declining while many others are dying, that the number of the main congregations within the Church are dropping in a deafening way, that convents are closing, religious congregations which have known days of glory are disappearing (according to the facts of the CICLSAL over three hundred congregations have closed from the Second Vatican Council until our days), and that the number of vocations is collapsing throughout the whole world.
Although this is a cause for great sorrow for us, it is also a source of hope to think that amidst this appalling reality, God’s Providence has raised up our small religious family. It is a source of hope to think that the Holy Spirit is guiding us, granting us—with our limits and miseries—the grace to grow, to have new, young, and enthusiastic vocations, to open houses (not close them) on all five continents, so our works may in general be more thriving than when they began, and that we may have a convincing witness in many places. As you all know, we have received numerous requests for foundations (over two hundred), many of which come from bishops that desperately write asking for us to help them, to send them missionaries, and to save their parishes.
Despite many calumnies and false criticism that have spread, we must say, as was seen in the recent General Chapter, that given the general circumstances, our numbers of perseverance are, by God’s grace, high, certainly higher than the level which currently exists within the Universal Church, as well as those in the country from whence we came, Argentina. We know and are conscious of the fact that all of this is an unmerited grace from God, but at the same time it represents an immense responsibility, a responsibility that can be summed up in one word: “Fidelity.” Our responsibility requires fidelity to the Holy Spirit and to the gift of our given charism; fidelity to the Holy Church, Spouse of Christ and Universal Sacrament of Salvation; fidelity to the formation that we have received (which is very much valued by bishops and ecclesial authorities); fidelity to the foundational grace, or in other words, the grace of “being in the very beginnings of a new religious family”; and fidelity to the challenge to preserve our customs, our traditions, and our principles.
All of this can be summed up in a phrase: fidelity to the specific end of our institute under which we consecrate our lives, professing that we “pledge all our strength to inculturate the Gospel.”
1. We Pledge All Our Strength.
Saint Thomas teaches in a very enlightening way that “the good of our neighbor is advanced by things pertaining to the spiritual welfare of the soul rather than by things pertaining to the supplying of bodily needs… [for they are] more pertinent to the service of God, to Whom no sacrifice is more acceptable than zeal for souls.”[8]
To be able to offer that sacrifice, which is most pleasing to God, there is a determining element, which is our very faith. The mission is born from faith in Jesus Christ, and it is only with the vision of faith that it is understood and has its foundation. It is only when the missionary is driven by faith that he can say with the Apostle: I will most gladly spend and be utterly spent.[9] Only when moved by faith will the missionary be ready to desire to be consumed for the good of the souls entrusted to him, and what is more, he will long to persevere in being consumed little by little for others even to the end. From this springs the truth that “the success of our apostolate depends on the strength of our faith.”[10]
It is in this sense that Blessed Paolo Manna wrote to his missionaries: “The missionary is by excellence a man of faith: born by faith, lives by faith, by faith works with joy, suffers with joy, suffers and dies. The missionary who does not live so is, at most, an apprentice in the apostolate, and will shortly be a hindrance to the mission, a failure of himself, and God forbid, he could be a cause of perdition for souls.”[11]
For this very reason, this pledging all our strength implies being soaked in the spirit of Christ to employ the gifts received with generosity, to do good to all, at all times, and in all places. It is spending our time and our goods, and even our physical forces, to remake the world in Christ. This may take place amidst many sacrifices, maybe even in very adverse circumstances, besieged by temptations and deep pains, but always united to Christ. I think of all of our missionaries, but in a particular way of those who are giving themselves in our most difficult missions in the midst of war, poverty and adversity.
In other words, pledging all our strength means we must be bent on saving souls as Jesus Christ saved them: dying to Himself and dying on a cross. It means not turning back in the face of difficulties. Rather, understanding “clearly that without Jesus Christ, we can do nothing,”[12] it means going forth with a magnanimous spirit to “work in supreme docility to the Holy Spirit and according to the example of the Virgin Mary, so that Jesus Christ will be the Lord of all that is truly human, even in the most difficult situations and under the most adverse conditions,”[13] as our Constitutions remind us. For, what is our missionary vocation other than loving God and our neighbor even until the sacrifice of oneself?
Convinced that there is no better program to offer to the world than Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word, we should use all our strengths, sparing neither means nor effort to evangelize all men as best as possible. This must not be carried out in “a decorative way, as if with a superficial varnish, but in a vital way, with depth, even to the very roots,”[14] with “an incisive pastoral approach, which is enthusiastic and which does not simply wait.” This must be done in such a way that the Gospel sinks its roots deep into the life and the culture of every nation. This is our mission within the Church as religious of the Institute of the Incarnate Word.
Although in many places there is much good being done—at times even heroically—this should not limit our missionary and apostolic creativity “to extend the presence of Christ in families, education, the mass media, the scholarly, and in all other legitimate manifestations of human life.”[15] Evaluating different situations, we should be capable of taking initiatives, seeking effective solutions, without fearing unheard of pastoral works, as long as they are according to God, and of carrying out pastoral projects in such a way that one achieves an effective incorporation into the environment in which one works.[16]
2. To Inculturate the Gospel.
Inculturation is a demand intrinsic to evangelization and it is nothing other than the incarnation of the divine message in the heart of culture.
In the words of St. John Paul II: “the inculturation of the Christian Good News is making the Gospel sink its roots into life and to culture so as to renew society.”[17] Our Directory of Spirituality affirms that “true inculturation is from within: it consists, ultimately, of a renewal of life under the influence of grace,”[18] for which reason it is imperative to “know and respect the cultural soul of each people, their language and traditions, their qualities and values.”[19]
“Experience has taught us that evangelization is not really possible if the Gospel does not respond to the deepest desires of the people and if the message does not assume the concepts and cultural values that are proper to them and which are not contradictory to the Gospel.”[20] Therefore, “all that refers to man, either his body or his soul, in his individual life as well as social life, can and should be purified and elevated with the grace of Christ, and consequently, we may affirm that all forms of apostolic activities are in conformity with our specific end, although in a hierarchical way.”[21] From this surges the great variety of apostolic works that we can take on and to which we should never renounce a priori, for as the Apostle says: Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel! [22]
I also wanted to mention here that in this work of inculturation we must not lose sight of the objective of salvation (which is our supreme objective), or in other words, we must place souls and cultural values face to face with the Gospel, inviting all to a conversion which divinizes and elevates that which is human. This takes place primarily by means of our personal witness, and so we must be the first ones who we should ‘inculturate’ in the spirit of the Gospel. How? By letting the power of the Gospel permeate thought patterns, standards of judgment, and norms of behavior.[23] Only in this way will we be fruitful; only in this way will we awaken the vocations necessary to carry on our work.
Living the Gospel in a radical way, it becomes possible to obtain the discernment of authentic values, and its purification, transformation, and elevation by the grace of Christ.
This is what our Founder reminds us of when he says: “it is nothing other than the Gospel, the Gospel lived in all its radicalness—as the saints did—the only means capable of positively transforming modern culture, the contemporary culture of each people.”[24]
3. In Accordance with the Teachings of the Magisterium of the Church.
Therefore, I want to encourage you to reread the Encyclical Redemptoris Missio, which should illumine our missionary work, as well as “all the directives, guidelines, and teachings of the ordinary Magisterium which deal with the specific end of our small Religious Family.”[25]
St. John Paul II said: “Today the Church must face new challenges to which she must respond from the Gospel… I exhort you, that your preaching may always be inspired by the Word of God, passed on by tradition and proposed by the authority of the Magisterium of the Church. Speak with valiance, preach with deep faith, and encouraging hope, as witnesses of the Risen Lord. Do not consider yourselves as teachers aside from Christ, but as witnesses and servants that, as the words of the Roman Pontifical remind us in the ordination of priests, ‘believe what they have read, and teach what they have believed, and practice what they have taught.’”[26] In one word: coherence of life.
There are several implications that follow: firstly, we must take full advantage of the years of formation, dedicate quality time to ongoing formation, and nourish ourselves in an interior and intellectual manner. Particular attention should be given to the study of Sacred Scripture and of St. Thomas Aquinas,[27] and along the same line, the best Thomists, such as Fr. Cornelio Fabro.[28] It is through these studies that we will have the capacity to enter into the problematic of modern culture and to establish a fruitful dialogue between faith and culture, between the Gospel and our current society.
Secondly, it is very important that our religious, in our various missions, be promoters of culture as a means of diffusing the values of the Kingdom, especially in those environments and places where culture is “made” and transmitted in a privileged way.[29] For this end we must also make use of all means possible for Christ to be known and loved: whether it be by sending missionaries to those places we refer to as “emblematic missions,” or popular missions, through the preaching of truly Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, Catholic education, apostolic works with youth and children, especially Oratories and camps, family pastoral activities, the ever valid Catholic Culture Courses, publications of Catholic books, pastoral work with university students and professionals, and by the predilection for works of mercy (especially with the disabled). Many other means could be mentioned here, as long as they are always carried out within the footsteps of Mary.
It is worth making note that our Constitutions point out “in a particular way,” the “urgent necessity for apostolic endeavors in the so-called ‘modern Areopagi,’”[30] the world of communication, of scientific investigation, and international relations.
4. Evangelizing Culture Is Redeeming It by the Cross.
Finally, I wanted to call to mind that evangelization of culture is clearly the redemption of culture. Redemption is accomplished when we fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church.[31]
Referring to this, Blessed Paolo Manna wrote to his missionaries: “When there is suffering, there is redemption.”
Our Constitutions also remind us that “pastoral work is a cross for us, not an escape.”[32] And so, if we suffer—continues the Blessed Missionary—“we have every right to hope for good in the future for our missions and our Institute, being able to say with the Apostle Peter: But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.[33] Such hope may seem like folly, yet nevertheless, this and none other is the philosophy of the Apostolate, this is the diplomacy of God. If we know how to understand it, and living as holy missionaries, we know how to collaborate with it, we will achieve the final victory.”[34]
Our crosses are, have always been, and always will be our strength.
* * * *
My dear brothers: making mine the words of the “global missionary,” our beloved John Paul the Great, I pray you to be conscious that: “Christ has chosen you and sent you to announce his word and testify to the Christian faith passed on by the Church. He sends you, as sheep among wolves, to make present the mystery of the cross in the environments where you live.
“[…] Who would not be discouraged in the face of such objective difficulties, as are the lack of laborers, old age, sickness, lack of organizational structures and even shortage of financial means? Nevertheless, I say to you: Do not lose courage! The recognition of our limits and weaknesses can be transformed into an occasion to experience the strength of God and the extraordinary richness of his grace […] Do not be afraid! [35] […] Precisely because the one who sends us is strong and is with us, we can say with St. Paul: For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Cor 12: 10).”[36]
May neither sufferings nor difficulties intimidate us, but may they be for us an occasion to show our priestly disposition. May our generosity not diminish when it comes to responding to the imperative calling to countries that await missionaries, the urgent requests for foundations -both for our active and contemplative branches—and to carry out great works for the love of God. Rather, let us be assured, even amidst our weakness, that God will do His works and will not leave us without reward for our efforts and our sacrifices. Today, the Incarnate Word repeats to us: In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.[37] I am with you always.[38]
Giving thanks to God for the abundant blessings received in what have been nearly the first six months of government, I entrust to your prayers—especially to the prayers of our coadjutor brothers, our monks, and sick religious—the concretion of the projection of the Institute in the different parts of the world. I also exhort you to continue with fidelity and boldness in the fulfillment of our charism. “Our field of action has no horizons, but rather, is the whole world, as Jesus said, Go into all the world.” [39]
“May she who was the first Missionary after her son Jesus Christ give to us souls and hearts as big as the world, which is the type of heart a missionary should have.”[40]
Fr. Gustavo Nieto, IVE
General Superior
[1] Cf. CICLSAL, Directives on Formation in Religious Institutes, 17.
[2] Directory of Consecrated Life, 270; op. cit. CIC, c 783.
[3] Directory of Consecrated Life, 24. cf. Lumen Gentium, 44.
[4] Cf. Directory of Consecrated Life, 116.
[5] Directory of Consecrated Life, 117.
[6] Constitutions, 5.
[7] Redemptoris Missio, 3.
[8] Cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, STh 2-2, 188, 4.
[9] 2 Cor 12:15.
[10] Saint John Paul II, Meeting with priests, religious and lay people gathered in the Cathedral of Arezzo, 23 May 1993.
[11] Circular Letter VI, 15 September 1926.
[12] Directory of Spirituality, 12; cf. Jn 15: 5.
[13] Constitutions, 30.
[14] Cf, Directory of Evangelization of Culture, 73.
[15] Constitutions, 31.
[16] This is what we commonly refer to as “sinking our teeth into reality” and which is one of the non-negotiable elements of the charism. Cf. Directory of the Missions Ad Gentes, 90; V General Chapter Notes, 5.
[17] Cf. Saint John Paul II, To priests, religious and other pastoral workers of Luanda, 4 June 1992.
[18] Saint John Paul II, Address to the Bishops of Zimbabwe in Ad Limina Visit, 2 July 1988.
[19] Cf. Saint John Paul II, To priests, religious and other pastoral workers of Luanda, 4 June 1992.
[20] Ibid.
[21] Directory of Evangelization of Culture, 152.
[22] Cf. 1 Cor 9:16 (NAB Version).
[23] Cf. Constitutions, 26. Op. cit. Apostolic Constitution Sapientia Christiana, 1.
[24] Fr. Carlos Buela, IVE, Evangelization of Culture.
[25] Cf. Ibid.
[26] Cf. Saint John Paul II, Mass for priests, men and women religious of Santo Domingo 10 October 1992; op. cit. Roman Pontifical, Rite for Ordination of Priests.
[27] “…practical and technical formation should also be kept in mind.” Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Apostolicam Actuositatem, 29.
See also Directory of Missions Ad Gentes, 116.
[28] V General Chapter Notes, 4.
[29] Mentioned in our Directories and Constitutions as points of inflection of culture: Cf. Directory of Evangelization of Culture, 168-174; Constitutions, 29.
[30] Constitutions, 168.
[31] Cf. Col 1: 24.
[32] Constitutions, 156.
[33] 1 Pet 4: 13-14.
[34] Circular Letter n.15, 15 April 1931.
[35] Mt 28: 10.
[36] Saint John Paul II, Homily at the Cathedral Basilica of Esztergom, Hungary, 16 August 1991.
[37] Jn 16: 33.
[38] Mt 28: 20.
[39] Directory of Spirituality, 87.
[40] Directory of Missions Ad Gentes, 175.
