Contemplation and Witness
Directory of Consecrated Life, 234
It is necessary to affirm that the current crisis of religious life is preponderantly and principally rooted in the deviation, lack, or simple abandoning of an authentic and profound life of prayer.
The Holy Father himself said: “We are facing a ‘hemorrhage’ that is weakening consecrated life and the very life of the Church.”[1] If this is the case, something is not right in the souls of these religious, and it is very clear that this deeply affects these souls’ relationship with God.
It is certain that there are many factors that contribute to this painful situation. To give some examples: the ineptitude and ‘unscrupulous’ irresponsibility of many in roles of authority, together with the lack of formation and discernment of religious leaders who induce their communities to embrace practices of prayer that lead to inadequate and at times even syncretistic spiritualities – thus we hear of priests who practice tai chi,[2] religious women who offer yoga classes, and a few members of the hierarchy of the Church who equate Catholic catechesis with Zen lessons. Nonetheless, the fundamental, profound and primary problem of religious life in our times is the lack of the contemplative life, in the sense of an authentic life of prayer and union with Our Lord. It is sad to observe, for example, that in the houses of formation of many religious congregations the names of the great mystics of Catholic spirituality, such as Saint John of the Cross, Saint Teresa of Jesus, Saint Edith Stein and Saint Thomas Aquinas (to name a few) are unknown. They are not studied, let alone studied in depth and even less assimilated.
Upon seeing today that so many religious (and religious communities) wander aimlessly through different techniques of prayer, doctrine and empty spiritualities under the pretext of an ‘alleged modernization,’ a complaint of Saint Teresa of Jesus comes to mind. She said, when faced with a situation of some of the religious of her time: “I cannot bear the idea that we must withdraw ourselves entirely from Christ.”[3]
This cry rings true upon seeing so many Christians, and moreover so many religious and priests, who end up prisoners of empty and closed, immanentistic spiritualities that are incapable of a liberating openness to the transcendent God and which propose ‘contemplation’ as a vague engulfment in the divinity[4] or as ‘not thinking of anything’[5] or in banalities, and run the grave risk of closing in on oneself or in the horizontal society in which one works. Thus, forgetting what is essential, they distance themselves from the Incarnate Word and risk understanding these practices as autonomous methods of ‘redemption,’[6] to such a degree that it becomes equivalent to not praying at all. So much nonsense can be seen in many of the practices embraced by some ecclesiastics of our day – practices that seem more akin to paganism than to genuine prayer. Therefore, it is no wonder that these practices have led us to observe a good number of these religious communities in a state of ‘free fall’ and even some to be very near their demise. It is a kind of ‘self-destructive process;’ they forget the essentials, disregard the advice of their founders, and neglect the saints and mystics who forged the sublime history of Catholic spirituality, replacing them with stupidities. Indeed, they have excluded the cross of Christ, thus choosing opposing paths that lead away from God.
Therefore, it is clear that if there is something the Church needs in these times marked by confusion, it is the authentic life of contemplative prayer—above all in Her consecrated—for if prayer is authentic, it will be transforming. In other words, the Church needs prayer that consists in a personal encounter with Him who is the only way to the Father, a prayer that is born from faith and fosters faith. This is the primary problem, perhaps the most fundamental problem and the root of the vast majority of grave problems that confront us today. Only a serious, responsible and authentic life of prayer can form the leaders and pastors that the Church needs, since true prayer gives us discernment, light and strength to do God’s will.
Already in 1982, Saint John Paul II warned against “certain techniques of prayer that are not inspired by the Gospel and that practically speaking eliminate Christ, in favor of a mental vacuum that does not have any sense within Christianity. Every technique of prayer is valid in so far is it is inspired by Christ and leads to Christ, the way the truth and the life.”[7]
Thus, since “this is the true greatness of the Christian and religious vocation: union with God,”[8] the members of our Institute are not only called but even compelled “to seek the future city… perfect union with Christ, holiness.”[9] It is therefore rightly pointed out to us that “the first and foremost duty of all religious is to be the contemplation of divine things and assiduous union with God in prayer.”[10] This seeking of Christ in the contemplation of his mysteries encapsulates “an ardent desire to know and love Him in prayer; to practice heroic virtues to become more like Him who did all things well;[11] and a tender love of souls, for whom Christ shed His blood.”[12] Consequently, “contemplative Christian prayer always leads to love of neighbor, to action and to the acceptance of trials, and precisely because of this it draws one close to God.”[13]
Thanks to a serious and radically Christocentric spirituality, all the members of the Institute have been instructed to live the spiritual life “as a relationship and communion with God”[14] and have been formed in the school of the great masters of the spiritual life of all times, something that we must never set aside (everyone remembers that since the first steps of the novitiate and in the seminary, the names of Saint John of the Cross, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Teresa of Jesus, Saint Ignatius of Loyola and Saint Louis de Montfort – to name just a few – were already part of our daily life). Moreover, if we pay attention, all of our proper law is nothing other than provisions and directives ordered to putting into practice what these great mystic saints teach.
Hence, the danger of straying into impersonal or self-centered prayer techniques is perhaps less of a threat to us (which is not to say, of course, that we should neglect vigilance). But abandoning prayer, or the lack of recollection, is still a temptation and a real test for the soul, which results in a lack of protection of our consecrated life. This produces a weakening of our initial fervor, leading to superficiality and mediocrity of life, which in turn brings with it a lack of discernment and all the disastrous effects that this produces in both us and in those around us.
For this reason, we must be very conscientious that the following of Christ in our beloved Institute implies the demands of conversion and the holiness of a transfigured existence, of contemplating and giving witness to the transfigured face of Christ.[15] Therefore, we must highlight the irreplaceable importance[16] of a life of authentic prayer for our consecrated life, as well as the preponderance this has in discerning the signs of the times and effectively achieving the noble task of evangelization of the culture to which we have been called.
The crisis that we are living through in the Church is fundamentally a crisis of authentic prayer.
1. Contemplation
May these words and considerations be an incentive that leads us all to be men of prayer, and even masters of prayer, as our priestly mission[17] requires of us – always in keeping with the great mystics of the Catholic Tradition; may they always be our ‘north star.’
All throughout our proper law, we are exhorted many times to contemplate the mysteries of the life of Our Lord, among which is the mystery of the Incarnation;[18] this is of capital importance for everyone, but particularly for us. This contemplation must be carried out, as our proper law indicates, “with patient and fervent perseverance until… the very face of Christ is imprinted”[19] on our souls. “This was the exhortation of Jesus Christ Himself to His disciples: pray always and never to lose heart[20] and that of Saint Paul: pray without ceasing.[21]”[22] Another Directory paternally adds: “live in the presence of God so that one’s existence may be living in a state of petition and immersion in God.”[23]
This contemplation obviously should not be understood as reserved for only our contemplative members or for the mystics, since all the members of the Institute are called to “a familiarity with the Word made flesh”[24] until the “equality of friendship”[25] be produced in our souls. This is why Saint John of the Cross, who was deeply familiar with souls, aptly warned us: “One should not think it impossible that the soul be capable of so sublime an activity as this breathing in God through participation […] for […] He created her in his image and likeness[26] that she might attain such resemblance.”[27]
Furthermore, the perfect state of contemplation and union that we say we would like to reach is not only a theory. It is life![28] And like all life, it must be nurtured, grow and expand through divine grace and prayer. Thus, one of our directories realistically and accurately states “holiness is attainable because it is, above all, a work of God.”[29] In this regard, it is important to point out that it is God who is pleased to place a soul in the state of contemplation,[30] thus the Mystic of Fontiveros says that “pure contemplation consists in receiving”[31] for it is then that God’s action in the soul becomes evident even without discursive meditation or the natural activity of the soul’s potencies. Thus, the Mystical Doctor says that “the faculties are at rest and are working, not actively, but passively, by receiving that which God works in them,”[32] so that the potencies “are actualized,”[33] that “the soul is occupied.”[34] Thus it is not uncommon for the one praying to experience that they are “doing nothing”[35] and “wasting time.”[36] We must be aware that these trials are not spared anyone who takes prayer seriously and that to accept them with patience is to allow God to decide the way in which he wishes to have us participate in his love.[37] Let us realize that it is at these very moments marked with dryness when we must make the effort to maintain our prayer, because this is exactly when prayer is an expression of our fidelity to God, in whose presence we wish to remain even when we are not ‘rewarded’ with any subjective consolation.[38] To walk these dark and secure paths is to walk the way of the only true contemplation.
It is then that “God begins to wean the soul, as they say, and place it in the state of contemplation […] and pass on to the spirit their activity [of the potencies], God thus working in them.”[39] Saint Teresa of Jesus, for her part, says that God takes the first place as a friend who speaks “without the noise of words.”[40] Along the same lines, Saint John of the Cross affirms that “God is the principal agent”[41] or simply, “God alone is the agent,”[42] or “the supernatural artificer,”[43] in order to later distinguish between two moments or stages: first in suffering, afterward in the delight of love.[44]
This is how Saint John Paul II, the great student of John of the Cross of our times, understood contemplation. He remarked that “Christ crosses the path of prayer from its beginning to its end, from the first steps to the summit of perfect communion with God. Christ is the door through which the soul enters the true mystical state.[45] Christ introduces it into the Trinitarian mystery.[46] His presence in the unfolding of this ‘friendly intercourse’ which is prayer is obligatory and necessary: He initiates and generates it. And He is also the object of it. He is the ‘living book,’[47] the Word of the Father. Man learns to remain in profound silence when Christ teaches him interiorly ‘without the noise of words;’[48] he empties himself within by ‘looking at the Crucified One.’[49] Contemplation is not a search for hidden inner powers by means of refined techniques of interior purification, but opening oneself in humility to Christ and to his Mystical Body, which is the Church.”[50] In this way, our prayer is a generous path following the One who has loved us so much.
Likewise, let it be clearly understood that “divine contemplation is not simply philosophical speculation; rather, according to the Gospel message, it corresponds to an intimate union with Christ, considered as the ‘Spouse’ of the soul and the ‘Spouse’ of the Church.”[51] Hence, when one prays well, one “lives and works in the presence of God and with trust in Him.”[52] When in prayer one experiences the living God and surrenders oneself to Him, then one can, with the help of grace, understand more deeply the Church in which Christ continues His presence. We must be convinced that in our prayers, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the whole Church prays. From this it follows that any supernatural contemplation, prompted by faith and charity – whether in the celebration of the liturgy, the interior savoring of the word of God, or in silent adoration – is communion with Jesus Christ and at the same time “helps as much as possible this Lord of mine”[53] in the Church, as Teresa of Jesus, the holy virgin and teacher, affirmed.
To underline the necessity and importance of contemplation, to which a serious spirituality leads, “means, therefore, to subordinate every interest, every activity to the conquest of friendship with the Lord, from which arises the commitment of fraternal charity, which tends to lead men to the same spiritual experience. Therefore, the purpose of love of neighbor is to make known to the brethren, by word and action, the goodness of the Lord – his wonders, his grace, his truth, his gifts – which is experienced both before and during contemplation.”[54] Note that we emphasize during to corroborate what the proper law states when it says that “the missionary must be a ‘contemplative in action.’”[55] That is why the great Doctor of the Spanish Church considered the life of prayer as the supreme manifestation of the theological life of the faithful who, believing in divine love, divest themselves of all things in order to obtain totally this full presence of love.
I must insist that the experience of God – which is like a new name for contemplation[56] – is communion with God, in which the soul opens itself entirely to his action and tastes wisdom, infused by the Holy Spirit, while the mind and heart adhere to the Incarnate Word as the ‘door’ through which one goes to the Father and through which the Father extends a familial intimacy. It is faith, united to charity and hope, that produces that intimate and saving knowledge which we call the experience of God, Christian contemplation. For this reason, it is something that goes beyond theological or philosophical reflection.
For this reason, Saint John Paul II once affirmed that “God does not deny anyone the water of contemplation” and quoting Saint Teresa he added, “rather, He calls us publicly, crying aloud. But since He is so good, He does not force us; on the contrary, in many ways He gives drink to those who wish to follow Him so that no one will go without consolation or die of thirst.’”[57].[58] In fact, the Great Pope later wrote, “many simple and dedicated souls receive it from God through the Spirit.”[59] And in this sense we can quote Saint John of the Cross, who in dedicating the Spiritual Canticle to Anne of Jesus, tells her: “Although Your Reverence lacks the exercise of scholastic theology with which the divine truths are understood, it does not lack that of mysticism which is known by love in which, not only are they known, but they are loved together.”[60] So we can argue that the experience of God is a gift linked to fidelity to authentic prayer. For God, who is always faithful, upon seeing that souls are prepared, desires nothing more than to fill them with gifts.[61]
Now, as we said earlier, of all the mysteries of the life of Christ, the Incarnation is the center of the mysteries of the Christian life and is “central to our spirituality.”[62] “He is the ‘Way’ to go to the Father and no one goes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6),”[63] affirms our proper law. To which the Spanish Mystical Doctor adds with her usual firmness: “it is by this door that we must enter if we wish His Sovereign Majesty to show us great secrets. Therefore, even if you reach the summit of contemplation [you] must seek no other way: that way alone is safe. It is through this Lord of ours that all blessings come.”[64]
For this reason, our proper law encourages us very paternally but firmly in the “contemplation of the mystery of the Incarnation [which] nurtures love for the Holy Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – who was the actual author of the Incarnation. This contemplation also ignites in us an ardent love for the Word who ‘for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven.’”[65] Because as Saint John of the Cross says, “the works of God, the incarnation of the Word, and the mysteries of the faith… being the greatest works of God, and involving a greater love than those of creation, produce a greater effect of love in the soul.”[66]
Of course, no truly spiritual person would deny that the whole life and work of the “Son of God become man”[67] was ordained for our salvation; however, it is his Passion, voluntary death and the cross which represent the culmination of Christ’s saving work. Therefore, “only Jesus Christ, the definitive Word of the Father, can reveal to men the mystery of suffering and illuminate the Christian’s darkest nights with the light of his glorious cross.”[68] Consequently, the great mystics of the Church, and especially Saint John of the Cross, focus on the contemplation of the cross as the key to the path of union with God in and through Christ. He always insists on this point. There is no other way to live in union and love with Him. “The Incarnate Word teaches us to love the Cross: And he said to all…let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. [69]”[70] We should be very clear about this. That is why in the next paragraph our proper law encourages us to contemplate Christ Crucified, saying, “We should not want to know anything except Jesus Christ and him crucified[71].”[72] So that when we are burdened by some cross, we may know how to unite ourselves supernaturally with our Redeemer and, as Saint Paul said, to glory in our cross.
One author affirmed that “the death of Christ was efficacious in itself, not properly because of the sufferings, but as an expression of his obedient and loving surrender to the will of the Father, and this makes our own crosses valuable in following him. […] For the Saint of Fontiveros, the cross is valuable insofar as it is a surrender of the person and the being, of the will, of love and of life. He does not place primary importance on pain and blood.”[73] In this sense, the Directory of Spirituality teaches us that “The co-redemptive efficacy of our sufferings depends on their union with the Cross, and on the measure and degree of that union… If we do not learn how to be victims with the Victim, all our sufferings are useless.”[74] To turn away from the spirituality of the cross is to choose the path opposite of the one that leads to this union. Whoever accepts Jesus Christ accepts that the way is the way of the cross, and there is no other way.
In all of this, let us be convinced of one truth: the cross belongs “to the very essence of the religious vocation.”[75] It is as if on the day of our profession Jesus Christ had said to us: “Courage! I am waiting for you on Calvary!”[76] It is the cross, which comes to us day after day in different ways, that “enkindles the fire of divine love; keeping this love alive and intensifying it; as wood is the food of flames. And it is the soundest proof that we love God. The Cross was the proof God gave us of his love for us; and it is also the proof which God requires to show our love for him.”[77] Therefore, “the Cross is the most beautiful gift of God.”[78] This is what Jesus told Saint Gemma, the virgin of Lucca: “See, My daughter, the greatest gift that I can make to a soul that is dear to Me is the gift of suffering.”[79] Embracing the cross with patience and humility helps us to divest us of the old man and to clothe ourselves with the purity, disposition and will of our Divine Savior and to bear clear witness to the transfigured face of Christ.
We must always remember that “true apostolate consists in participating in the salvific work of Christ, something that cannot be done without an intense spirit of prayer and sacrifice […] This spirit of prayer, and particularly the sacrifice of oneself after the example of Christ and united to him, is most effective in the order of cooperation in the redemption of the human race.”[80] In reality, we believe we are not mistaken in saying that while the Church needs missionary religious to evangelize, she has as much and more need of religious who seek, cultivate and witness to the presence and intimacy of God, with the intention of obtaining the sanctification of all men.
When the missionary, moved by the impulse of divine love, witnesses to a close friendship with God – that is cultivated in prayer and sustained in the trials of daily life – to the point of melding into a single integrated relationship of love, when he submits himself totally to the Will of God, without hesitation, then this friendship becomes an apostolic leaven, a cause of joy for the Church and for others; it is like a mighty voice that penetrates the divine heart and redounds to the good of all.[81]
For this reason, the contemplation of which we have been speaking and the union with our Lord, although always necessary, becomes an irrepressible longing in the soul especially in times of trial. When tribulations become more painful, in those dark moments of life, when it seems that the night of confusion and suffering closes in, there arises in the soul the need for a prolonged colloquy of hope, that the sweetest presence of the Lord not be interrupted. How many times in our missionary life we experience failure, lack of support, aridity, indifference, bewilderment, incomprehension, ungratefulness even on the part of those who were our beneficiaries! Aware that our help comes from the Lord,[82] that He alone is our support and help, it is important not only to have an authentic spirit of prayer but also to persevere in it, because prayer helps us to recover when we get tired and to remember the beauty and grandeur of the goal we are called to pursue. Only in Christ, the Good Shepherd, do we find our primary strength and true rest,[83] and only with his help can we face the burden and heat of the day[84] with joy. Likewise, when the darkness and difficulties become more severe for our Institute, it is important to pray – communally and individually – in order to join forces to defend and strengthen each other.
It happens many times in our life as missionaries that we can “get caught up measuring the value of our apostolic works by the standards of efficiency, good management and outward success which govern the business world. Not that these things are unimportant! We have been entrusted with a great responsibility, and God’s people rightly expect accountability from us. But the true worth of our apostolate is measured by the value it has in God’s eyes… The cross shows us a different way of measuring success. Ours is to plant the seeds: God sees to the fruits of our labors. And if at times our efforts and works seem to fail and produce no fruit, we need to remember that we are followers of Jesus… and his life, humanly speaking, ended in failure, in the failure of the cross”[85] and we must know how to unite ‘our failures and frustrations’ with those of Christ. What we say about apostolic endeavors applies also to those in our Institute who exercise the sacred office of governance and who sacrifice themselves courageously and silently to “suffer the weaknesses of many,”[86] and to whom our proper law reminds especially that “they should not devote themselves exclusively to the active life, since they also must be outstanding in the contemplative life. That is why Saint Gregory says: let the superior be the first in action and to give himself over more than anyone else to contemplation”[87] in order to “rise above the vicissitudes of fortune and failure.”[88]
As a corollary to what we have been saying, it should be emphasized that since our Institute is fully committed to missionary activity, silence and interior recollection are two bulwarks for authentic prayer. That is why our proper law emphasizes that “The soul needs silence as a way to achieve union with God, and therefore it should bring one to the summit of prayer.”[89] To remain zealous in our ministry, to refrain from falling into the absurdities of an empty spirituality, we need to welcome the divine inspirations within us, and this is only possible if we are able to spend some time with the Divine Master. Being with Jesus is an indispensable condition for any authentic and credible evangelization. Moreover, we could say that the missionary commitment is preceded and prepared by moments of contemplation, otherwise, everything becomes a beating of the air.
“Contemplation in this world,” as Saint John Paul II used to say, “allows us a foretaste of heaven; but no one in this life, not even the contemplative, can be allowed to rest in contemplation alone. It is necessary, without a doubt, to keep our eyes fixed on the transcendent goal, so as to know how to give the proper direction to our work, so that we do not tire ourselves in vain or stray from the right path, in short, for spiritual discernment. The contemplative experience, when it is authentic, that is, when it is based on the sacramental life, on the word of God and on a rigorous moral commitment, allows us to really know what the will of God is and what we must do to attain eternal life, for eternal life consists precisely, as the Apostle John teaches us, in the contemplation of the one true God, and of the one whom he sent, Jesus Christ.”[90]
This brings us to the second point we wish to address.
2. Discernment of the signs of the times
Our Constitutions point out that “the priest should make his ministry acceptable and believable from a human standpoint.”[91] Which is why “the Second Vatican Council teaches: ‘all clerics, particularly
priests of Christ and others who, as deacons or catechists, are officially engaged in the ministry of the Word, should immerse themselves in the Scriptures by constant sacred reading and diligent study. For it must not happen that anyone becomes an empty preacher of the Word of God to others, not being a hearer of the Word in his own heart.’[92]”[93] Thus the Constitutions continue to say, “Because… ‘The priest is the man of God, the one who belongs to God and makes people think about God.’ […] therefore, ‘the priest needs to be trained to have a deep intimacy with God.’”[94]
This demands of all of us – as essentially missionary religious[95] – to be willing to live in a permanent state of conversion.[96] The true missionary is the one who resolutely commits himself to following the paths of holiness.[97] Unless the missionary is a contemplative, he cannot proclaim Christ in a credible way. For “the missionary is a witness to the experience of God, and must be able to say with the Apostles: that which we have looked upon … concerning the word of life, … we proclaim also to you (1 Jn. 1:1-3).”[98]
Here is the heart of the message that we want to address to all the members of the Institute and to the generations to come: we have been called to “seek God solely and before everything else”[99] for which it is necessary to join contemplation, through which we unite ourselves to God, to apostolic love.[100] If there is not a perfect balance between our life with God and the activities carried out in the service of our neighbor, not only will our work of evangelization be compromised, but also our own state as evangelized persons. The life of prayer is the soul of our work for the Kingdom: liturgical prayer, centered on the Eucharist, received and lived out with the purity of conscience that recourse to the sacrament of Confession entails; the Liturgy of the Hours, which marks the rhythm of continuous adoration, in spirit and in truth; along with the beloved presence of the Blessed Virgin Mary, model of the missionary and contemplative. There will always be an opportunity to sow the good seed; but this can only be fruitful if it is rooted in the solid practice of prayer and contemplation and the study of Sacred Scripture according to the authentic Magisterium of the Church and confirmed by a life of sacrifice.
On this point, we think it is important to comment that countless times our proper law mentions both explicitly and implicitly that the apostolate is a supernatural reality whose fruitfulness depends “on union with God and with the Church.”[101] Therefore, “it is not simply a matter of a science or a technique, but of having the charity and sentiments of Christ who went about doing good[102] to the point of giving his life for the sheep.[103]”[104] And is a reality of no small importance to us when it comes to evangelization. Our task is not to offer technical solutions to the various problems of the realities we face, but to offer the truth about Christ, about his Church and about man himself,[105] so as to be applied to these concrete situations.
For this reason, since the proclamation of the Gospel is an essential part of our mission, we must bear in mind that it is carried out in very concrete circumstances that include and must take into account all the events of our times: the difficult social, moral, economic and political problems; the problems of modern culture in different countries; all the sufferings of men, their doubts, their worries; the rapidity of change and the acceleration of history to the point that it is hardly possible to keep up with it;[106] the new ways of determining values; Christophobia and persecution, etc. All this demands a spirit that is at the same time close to God and closer to men, a spirit attentive to the voice of the Spirit that speaks in the depths of consciences as through the signs of the times, committed to resolve difficulties in an evangelical fashion. “The gaze we turn to the realities of the contemporary world, which we would like always to be filled with the compassion and mercy that our Lord Jesus Christ taught us, does not pause to identify errors and dangers. Of course, it cannot ignore the negative and problematic aspects but is immediately directed to identifying ways of hope and pointing out prospects of fervent commitment for the person’s integral advancement, liberation and full happiness,”[107] said Saint John Paul II. But to do this, “evangelical discernment and supernatural prudence”[108] is necessary. Trustful and constant prayer, faithful and docile attention to the Word of God and to the Church, and recourse to a wise and loving spiritual guide permit us to form a Christian evaluation of the historical phenomena in which we are living today. Since only intimate union with Christ provides the ultimate, crucial key to the interpretation of the human condition today and to the choice of priorities.[109]
This prayerful discernment will help us not to confuse Regnum Dei with Regnum hominis, which has caused and continues to cause so much damage to many religious and even to entire congregations in our days. The Gospel is definitive and does not pass away. Its criteria are forever. It is not possible to reinterpret the Gospel according to the times, as some do, adapting it to whatever the world demands. On the contrary, it is necessary to read the signs of the times and the problems of today’s world in the unfailing light of the Gospel.[110]
In this regard, we must always remember that “Loving and serving the people of our day certainly means working for the development and progress of society and for the achievement of more just and dignified human conditions; but it also means never deluding anyone about the true meaning of this earthly pilgrimage, whose ultimate goal transcends time and cannot be achieved without the exercise of an enlightened detachment from material goods and without the practice of charity.”[111]
It is not in vain that our proper law explains that when Saint Paul wrote to Timothy: I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus […] proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage […] always be steady […] fulfill your ministry,[112] that this insisting “does not refer to a lack of ‘charitable discretion’ that discerns, but rather not to tend to a purely natural prudence, not to conform oneself to the world and what the world considers ‘opportune’ or convenient. The Word of God must be ‘inopportune’ for the fashions, ideologies and currents of the world, it must inconvenience and contradict the world.”[113]
“The missionary must be very attentive to the ‘signs of the times’ in order to enlighten souls in the time and moment that they need it, attentive to the moments of grace, to the dispositions of men, nations and peoples, to the human vicissitudes that Providence disposes or permits, always ordered to the preaching of the Gospel and the salvation of the elect, to the need to illuminate others with those points of Sacred Doctrine that are the most urgent, convenient and necessary, those that are most contradicted by worldly fashions. The missionary must be up to date with information on the temporal reality and on contemporary Magisterium, especially the works of the Pope and his pronouncements regarding current problems.”[114] For this reason, we would fall short or our actions would be remiss if, along with the importance of prayer, we did not mention the importance of ongoing formation, in its double aspect of conversion and continually staying culturally informed, in order to achieve a fuller and more coherent fidelity to our proper vocation.[115]
Today as much as yesterday we must keep in mind that it is our duty to “begin great works in the service of God and to persevere until their completion,”[116] as so many men and women of prayer who have accomplished great works in the Church have done. Think for example of Saint Padre Pio, who spent so many years without ever leaving Pietrelcina and founded the beautiful work of the House of Relief from Suffering; let us think of Saint Teresa of Calcutta who in the most arduous spiritual aridity continued to smile and to found houses to care for the poorest of the poor. Think of Saint John of the Cross himself, who being a contemplative with only 28 years of religious life, was prodigious in his works for his Order. He formed and continues to form legions of Christians and today is venerated as a Doctor of the Church. Think of Saint John Paul II, a mystic who spent long hours in prayer, to which he knew how to unite an indefatigable pastoral ministry… the list is endless. All of them, by “familiarity with God’s word they draw the light needed for that individual and communal discernment which helps them to seek the ways of the Lord in the signs of the times. In this way they acquire a kind of supernatural intuition, which allows them to avoid being conformed to the mentality of this world, but rather to be renewed in their own mind, in order to discern God’s will about what is good, perfect and pleasing to him[117]”[118] They are our guides – not yoga, the new-age, nor any other deformation of the absolute that has been presented or may be presented or imposed in these days, or will be presented to us in the future.
Similarly, we who are destined to live in a changing world where injustice and unheard-of suffering persist and worsen, where disorientation and perplexity are growing and scandals are the order of the day, we must be bearers of light and Christian hope. It is true that “The challenge to the faith of contemporary culture seems precisely this: giving up the facile tendency to paint dark and negative scenes, in order to mark out possible paths that are not deceptive, of redemption, liberation and hope,”[119] but we should neither be discouraged nor err in our resolve. Moreover, we have the maternal and wise help of our heavenly Mother and Spouse of the Holy Spirit, from whom we can obtain that ‘superior’ advice, which is discernment and wisdom in our decisions. Above all, she helps us to identify the growing spiritual needs of our times, with a vision of social and human realities in the light of the Gospel, and consequently gives us courage to provide adequate answers to those perceived needs, which is nothing else than ‘biting into reality.’
All of these current problems should not make us lose sight of the fact that it is the Holy Spirit who “Guides the course of history with admirable providence and renews the face of the earth.”[120] And the Holy Spirit Himself should guide our discernment, precisely because the Spirit must be the hidden strength behind all of our missionary labor, bringing us to the depths of contemplation, from which will spring our “witness to him who came not to be served but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many,[121] and who gave his life freely.[122]”[123]
*****
“Our world is one of speed in which intensity of movement is a substitute for lack of purpose; where noise is invoked to drown out the whisperings of conscience; where talk, talk, talk gives the impression that we are doing something when really we are not; where activity kills self-knowledge won by contemplatio…”[124], said Venerable Fulton Sheen.
For this reason, we have to understand that “there can be no convincing and persevering evangelization without contact with the Lord”[125] and that while apostolic works are very necessary, prayer is even more necessary.
We have the challenge and the immense grace of participating in the glorious adventure of evangelizing the culture and thus participating in the sufferings of Christ in the midst of a godless world. In fact, we must immerse ourselves in the life of this godless world, without trying to disguise wickedness with a veneer of religion or with so-called ‘evangelization,’ but rather creating cultures mastered by and for Christ. This is achieved by relying on God’s grace, by silent and hidden sacrifice, by abandonment to God’s holy will, by serene fidelity even in the face of one’s own declining strength and influence, i.e., by uniting oneself to the Cross of our Lord, which presupposes a great spirit of prayer.
“There is no love for Christ if this love does not impel one to give oneself to the Church, and there is no filial obedience to the Church if this obedience is not translated into works carried out with fervor, to which prayer brings its strength and solidity.”[126] Let us always consider ourselves beginners and never cease to aspire to a holier and more perfect life.[127]
May the sublime example of the Mother of God stimulate us to be men of prayer capable of transforming every encounter with others into an invitation to communion with God. Let us go to the mission with a determined spirit, preserving that unity of life which keeps us faithful to contemplation in such a way that what Saint Teresa said can be said of us: “the more they advance in this kind of prayer […] the more attention they pay to the needs of their neighbor, especially to the needs of their neighbors’ souls. For to draw one soul away from mortal sin it seems such persons would give many lives.”[128]
In times of trial and tension such as these through which our Institute is passing, let us resolutely choose the radical path of following Christ, of building up the Church with living stones of holiness, and let us always lift high the banner of the Incarnation of the Word.
[1] Pope Francis, Address to Participants of the Plenary Assembly of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, January 28, 2017.
[2] Tai Chi derives from Taoism, which denies the absolute morality of right and wrong. ‘Chi’ itself means ‘energy’ or ‘breath,’ a cosmic or self-energy, which includes the exclusion of God because it is thought that one can control this energy in people and things by oneself.
[3] Cf. Saint Teresa of Jesus, Life, 22, 1.
[4] Ibidem.
[5] Cf. Saint Teresa of Jesus, Interior Castle, IV, 3, 6.
[6] Cf. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Interview done at EWTN, “The World Over,” published by the magazine 30Giorni, Number 9, March 1999.
[7] Saint John Paul II, Homily on the IV centenary of the death of Saint Teresa of Jesus, November 1, 1982. [Translation from the Spanish]
[8] Directory of Spirituality, 117.
[9] Directory of Spirituality, 256; op. Cit. Lumen Gentium, 50.
[10] CIC, can. 663, §1. qtd. in Directory of Consecrated Life, 261.
[11] Mark 7:37.
[12] Directory of Consecrated Life, 12.
[13] Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on some aspects of Christian Meditation, 13.
[14] Constitutions, 202. Op.cit. PDV, 45.
[15] Cf. Directory of Consecrated Life, 234.
[16] Cf. Constitutions, 40.
[17] Cf. Constitutions, 203.
[18] Cf. Directory de Spirituality, 7.
[19] Cf. 2 Corinthians 3:18.
[20] Luke 18:1b.
[21] 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
[22] Directory of Contemplative Life, 44.
[23] Directory of Spiritual Direction, 72.
[24] Constitutions, 231.
[25] Cf. Spiritual Canticle B, stanza 28, 1.
[26] Cf. Genesis 1:26.
[27] Cf. Spiritual Canticle B, stanza 39, 4.
[28] Cf. Saint John Paul II, Homily during the inauguration of the Synod of Bishops on the Consecrated Life, October 2, 1994.
[29] Directory of Minor Seminaries, 35.
[30] Cf. Saint John of the Cross, Ascent of Mount Carmel, book 2, chap. 7, 3.
[31] Saint John of the Cross, Living Flame of Love B, stanza 3, 36.
[32] Saint John of the Cross, Ascent of Mount Carmel, book 2, chap. 12, 8.
[33] Ibidem, chap. 14, 2.
[34] Ibidem, chap. 14, 7.
[35] Ibidem, chap. 14, 11.13; chap.15, 5.
[36] Ibidem, chap. 14, 4.
[37] Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on some aspects of Christian Meditation, 30 and 31.
[38] Cf. Ibidem.
[39] Saint John of the Cross, Living Flame of Love, stanza 3, 32.
[40] Saint Teresa of Jesus, The Way of Perfection, 25, 2.
[41] Saint John of the Cross, Flame of Living Love, stanza 3, 29.
[42] Ibidem, 44.
[43] Ibidem, 47.
[44] Ibidem, 34.
[45] Cf. Saint Teresa of Jesus, Life, 10, 1.
[46] Ibidem, 27, 2-9.
[47] Ibidem, 26, 5.
[48] Saint Teresa of Jesus, The Way of Perfection, 25, 2.
[49] Cf. Saint Teresa of Jesus, The Interior Castle, VII, 4, 9.
[50] Saint John Paul II, Homily on the IV centenary of the death of Saint Teresa de Jesus, November 1, 1982. [Translation from the Spanish]
[51] Saint John Paul II, To the Cistercian and Trappist orders at Castelgandolfo, September 14, 1990. [Translation from the Italian]
[52] Directory of Novitiates, 111.
[53] Saint Teresa of Jesus, Way of Perfection, 1, 2.
[54] Saint John Paul II, To the Cistercian and Trappist orders at Castelgandolfo, September 14, 1990. [Translation from the Italian]
[55] Directory of Missions Ad Gentes, 168.
[56] Cf. Saint John Paul II, Apostolic Letter to the men and women religious of Latin America on the occasion of the Fifth Centenary of the Evangelization of the New World (6/29/1990).
[57] Saint Teresa of Jesus, Way of Perfection, 20, 2.
[58] Saint John Paul II, Letter of general purpose to the Discalced Carmelites, October 14, 1981.
[59] Maestro en la Fe: Apostolic letter on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the death of Saint John of the Cross, 10 [translation from the Spanish]; cf. Spiritual Canticle B, prologue, 3.
[60] Prologue, 3.
[61] Cf. Saint Teresa of Jesus, Conceptos del amor de Dios, 5, 1.
[62] Directory of Spirituality, 20.
[63] Constitutions, 40.
[64] Saint Teresa of Jesus, Life, 22, 6-7.
[65] Directory of Spirituality, 7.
[66] Saint John of the Cross, Spiritual Canticle B, stanza 7, 3.
[67] Procesos de Beatificación y Canonización, Declaration of María de la Cruz, in the Carmelite Mystic Library, XIV, Burgos, 1931, p. 121. [Translated from the Spanish]
[68] Saint John Paul II, Maestro en la Fe, 16. [Translation from the Spanish]
[69] Lk 9:23.
[70] Directory of Spirituality, 139.
[71] 1 Cor 2:2.
[72] Directory of Spirituality, 140.
[73] Gabriel Castro, Diccionario de San Juan de la Cruz, p. 629. [Translation from the Spanish]
[74] Cf. Directory of Spirituality, 168.
[75] Saint John Paul II, Redemptionis Donum, 10.
[76] Words of Jesus spoken to Saint Gemma Galgani on the day of her First Communion.
[77] Cf. Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, Love of Eternal Wisdom, 176.
[78] Fr. Carlos Buela, IVE, Servidoras II.
[79] Biography of Saint Gemma Galgani.
[80] Cf. Directory of Consecrated Life, 285-286.
[81] Cf. Saint Teresa Jesus, Way of Perfection, 32, 12.
[82] Psalm 120:2.
[83] Cf. Matthew 11:29.
[84] Cf. Matthew 20:12.
[85] Pope Francis, Vespers with priests and religious in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, New York, September 24, 2015.
[86] Constitutions, 113.
[87] Directory of Consecrated Life, 383; op. cit. Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, II-II, 182, 1.
[88] Constitutions, 113.
[89] Cf. Directory of Spirituality, 92.
[90] Saint John Paul II, To the priests, religious and laity dedicated to the Cathedral Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, January 27, 1990.
[91] Constitutions, 197.
[92] Saint Augustine, Sermon 179, 1; DV 25.
[93] Cf. Constitutions, 203.
[94] Pastores Dabo Vobis, 47, qtd. In Constitutions, 203.
[95] Constitutions, 31.
[96] Cf. Directory of Spirituality, 42.
[97] Cf. Ibidem.
[98] Saint John Paul II, Address to the Missionaries of our Lady of La Salette, May 4, 2000.
[99] Perfectae Caritatis, 5.
[100] Cf. Ibidem.
[101] Directory of Consecrated Life, 258.
[102] Acts 10:38.
[103] Cf. John 10:15.
[104] Directory of Consecrated Life, 261.]
[105] Cf. Directory of Mission Ad Gentes, 105.
[106] Cf. Gaudium et spes, 5.
[107] Cf. Saint John Paul II, To the World Congress of Secular Institutes in Rome, August 28, 2000.
[108] Directory of the Preaching of the Word of God, 125.
[109] Cf. Saint John Paul II, To the World Congress of Secular Institutes in Rome, August 28, 2000.
[110] Cf. Saint John Paul II, To Consecrated in Madrid, November 2, 1982.
[111] Saint John Paul II, Discourse to the General Chapter of the Order of Friars Minor, June 22, 1985. [Translation from the Italian]
[112] 2 Timothy 4:1-5.
[113] Directory of Preaching the Word of God, 125.
[114] Ibidem, 126.
[115] Cf. Saint John Paul II, To the Provincial Superiors of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchins, in Rome, March 1, 1984.
[116] Constitutions, 113.
[117] Rom 12:2.
[118] Vita Consecrata, 94. Qtd. in Directory for Religious Brothers, 55.
[119] Saint John Paul II, Address to the Participants in the World Congress of Secular Institutes. August 28, 2000.
[120] Directory of the Missions Ad Gentes, 65.
[121] Cf. Matthew 20:28.
[122] Cf. John 10:17-18.
[123] Directory of Consecrated Life, 279.
[124] Ven. Fulton Sheen, Those Mysterious Priests, chap. 12.
[125] “…sin el contacto con el Señor, no se da una Evangelización convincente y perseverante.” Document of Puebla, 726.
[126] Saint John Paul II, Letter to the Superior General of the Discalced Carmelites, October 14, 1981. [Translation from the Spanish]
[127] Cf. Directory of Spirituality, 41.
[128] Meditations on the Song of Songs, chapter 7, 8.
