Rome, Italy, November 1st, 2018.
Solemnity of All Saints
“Charity is indispensable for the evangelization of the culture”
Constitutions, 174
Dear Fathers, Brothers, Seminarians and Novices:
In accordance with our charism to make “Jesus Christ … the Lord of all that is truly human,” our apostolate must be to devote ourselves “to preaching the Word of God, sharper than any two-edged sword, in all its forms.” And among the numerous examples that our proper law affords us as means by which we must accomplish our mission – teaching and study, popular missions, spiritual exercises, the Christian education of children and youth – “works of charity especially in the service of the most needy (abandoned children, the handicapped, the sick, the elderly)” stand out sublimely. Therefore, we can also say that charity, especially towards the most needy, is our preaching.
In a society in which science and technology – with all their applications – advance dramatically, and despite social and industrial development which reach large sectors of society, poverty, pain, sickness, physical and moral suffering, lack of meaning, and loneliness still remain, begetting a new type of poor, who suffer as much or perhaps more than the rural and urban populations of past centuries. Hence, works of charity become a very fitting and efficacious means of evangelization.
This is why “we must give privileged attention to the poor, sick and all those in need: the love of Christ impels us, practicing concrete charity, [as] testimony,” in such a way that our works of mercy, especially with the disabled, become one of the non-negotiable elements of the charism of our Institute. We must not lose sight of this.
We are certain that, as Saint Louis Orione said, “Today, the Church and society need great souls, who love God and their neighbor without measure, and who consecrate themselves as victims of charity, which can still make men return to the faith.” This is because “it is charity which opens the eyes of faith and arouses hearts to love of God.” And so our Constitutions urge us with great force to take on these apostolates, saying, “charity, and only charity, will save the world.”
Therefore I would like to dedicate these lines, as an expression of heartfelt appreciation and sincere satisfaction, to our religious who dedicate themselves with great generosity to the difficult and demanding mission of tending to “Christ’s beloved” – the disabled, orphans, the sick, the elderly, the hungry, immigrants, the afflicted of all kinds – giving in this way splendid witness to God’s love towards men, “in imitation of the Incarnate Word, the Father’s Missionary, sent to the poor.”
I would also like this circular letter to inspire all the religious of the Institute – novices, seminarians, brothers, priests – who, moved by the love and sublime example of Christ who loved us to the end, want to dedicate themselves to the royal task of faithfully bearing witness to the divine Samaritan in tangible service to the poorest, abandoned, elderly, disabled, orphans, etc. in the different missions of our Institute and in the many more that await us.
1. Key Elements
Our proper law holds religious who dedicate themselves to works of mercy in great esteem, calling them “cornerstones of the apostolic endeavor of our Institute” “for their greater participation in and imitation of the radicality of the self-emptying of the Word of God,” The Fathers of the last General Chapter, echoing this great esteem, recognized that “being able to dedicate ourselves to works of mercy is a great good for our Institute and for its members.”
While it is true that the spiritual works of mercy are more in tune with our specific purpose of evangelizing the culture, and are those which especially propagate the good; it is not less certain that we also dedicate ourselves to the practice of the corporal works of mercy, because our Redeemer did so, demonstrating his doctrine by taking pity on suffering humanity. In this sense, both “should be a concern of each member of the Institute of the Incarnate Word,” and we must be convinced that this “continues to be the high road for evangelization”.
It will help us to understand why religious dedicated to works of mercy are considered cornerstones in the apostolic endeavor of the Institute and that these are “in the heart of the Institute” if we contemplate some of the innumerable benefits that works of charity bring:
a) Regarding the implementation of our charism: works of mercy are exceptional for their testimony in all cultures and circumstances. In countries where the explicit proclamation of the Gospel is prohibited and the only way to do so is through the silent witness of religious, the advantages of works of mercy are clear. In fact, how striking is the testimony of our religious who, for example, care for and assist in a thousand ways orphaned and handicapped children in Muslim majority places like Egypt, Bethlehem, and Jordan. But in countries where we can preach as well, works of mercy are the works which corroborate what we announce. Modern man, though conditioned by the many charms of an often opulent and selfish society – and perhaps precisely because of this –, is more sensitive than ever to acts of disinterested love. Those who visit, and even those live who in, the ten homes run by our religious, have attested to this.
b) For the religious themselves, and therefore, for the whole Institute: because in them [works of mercy], Jesus’ preference for the poor and little ones is lived out, they are schools of faith for religious, there the presence and action of Divine Providence is learned, in the material and above all in the spiritual. From them, an incalculable wealth of spiritual goods for the entire Religious Family springs, since “the ministry which is always carried out in living faith and charity fosters one’s own sanctification,” and, therefore, the religious destined there are the guardians of this deposit.
That is why it is a serious abuse and an offense to divine Goodness to consider the work there as a “lesser placement,” or even as a “punishment.” On the contrary: the dedication of religious to persons who suffer makes the priesthood and religious life believable and attractive. And it is always a source of conversions, because the love of God, when it is visible in the one who serves the suffering, draws more attention than the suffering itself. What is more, this apostolate is a bountiful source of vocations, because God always has to send persons to care for his poor and neediest, provided that they care for them as He wishes.
In addition to these benefits, we must mention the beautiful opportunity to collaborate and work together with the sisters Servants of the Lord in several homes, which allows us to solidify our union as a Religious Family and give silent witness to the supernatural love which animates us.
Consequently, all the religious of our dear Institute must keep the works of mercy well anchored in their minds and hearts. This should express itself in the tangible collaboration that we can offer, by means of visits to help out, and by making the most of the intense spiritual experience that results from dedicating oneself more intensely to them for determined lengths of time, for example, during sabbatical periods.
Certainly, the best place to carry out these works of mercy is in the Homes (Hogarcitos), but the practice of charity cannot be reduced to work in these houses of mercy. Practicing the corporal and spiritual works of mercy ought to be a constant concern for every religious. He ought to think of how he can carry them out in his own mission, what new works to take on, and to what new scourges and poverties God asks him to respond, without claiming to tend to one particular form of poverty to the exclusion of the others.
We always have to bear in mind that “serving the poor is an act of evangelization and, at the same time, a seal of Gospel authenticity and a catalyst for permanent conversion in the consecrated life, since, as Saint Gregory the Great says, ‘when charity lovingly stoops to provide even for the smallest needs of our neighbor, then does it suddenly surge upwards to the highest peaks. And when in great kindness it bends to the most extreme needs, then with much vigor does it resume its soaring to the heights’”.
“This is why we recommend that all religious jurisdictions prepare their members for this type of work, to confirm with concrete examples what is proclaimed by the word, since, as Benedict XVI teaches, charitable activity is an essential part of the mission of the Church.”
Therefore, especially our seminarians – as we were taught in the beginnings –, but also our brothers and novices, “must cultivate a preferential love for the poor, in whom Christ is present in a special way, and a merciful and compassionate love for sinners”. On the other hand, those responsible for formation ought to foresee specific and varied opportunities for these to experience such a precious ministry in a “personal way.” Given the Apostolic nature of our Institute, it is not unreasonable to think that perhaps in many places works of mercy will be the principal, and sometimes the only, apostolic work that can be undertaken.
On the other hand, let us all be convinced that works of mercy, so essential to our mission, require and afford us a vast field for the practice of many virtues. Among them, on this occasion, I only want to highlight three: faith, charity, and abandonment to Divine Providence. These are the ones that I believe must stand out in our charitable labor.
a) Faith: the apostolate of the works of mercy, like any other apostolate, requires a large dose of faith. A faith that, following the logic of the Incarnation, makes us discover “in each man, the Word Himself who became flesh for us.”
Indeed, who can deny the faith of religious who leave everything and, without ever turning back, treat purulent wounds; who spend entire nights keeping watch over a non-Christian child; who receive as sons and daughters those who have been wounded by life in order to show them God’s love; who, with great supernatural spirit, take on works in favor of the forgotten of society without distinction of age or condition (“We do not ask where they are from, but if they are in pain”); who spare no means in order to give them the best possible instruction and attention and make sure that nothing is lacking to them, either in medicine or in shelter, or candy or a caress. And all for the unshakeable faith in Him who said, “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me,” because for them (as for us), to serve the needy is to serve Christ in his flesh. “This is the mystical and evangelical motive that transfigures the countenance of a poor and hungry person, of a sick child, of a leper or a dying person, into the mysterious countenance of Christ.” We can never lose sight of this.
Therefore, in the whole suffering body of a sick person, in the sad eyes of an abandoned child, in the outstretched hands of the poor or hungry, in the tears of the widow or in the hardships that immigrants undergo, in the elderly person’s fear of loneliness, in the men who travel, disconcerted and heavy-hearted, through the streets of big cities, we have to know how to see the Ecce Homo presented before Pilate, and with the light of faith, be able to say: Ecce Christus!
Saint Joseph Cottolengo called his homes “houses of the faith,” and the same should be said of all our homes of mercy.
I make my own the words that Saint Louis Orione directed to his followers: “[we need] faith-filled missionary priests who make their lives a fervent apostolate in favor of the miserable and oppressed, like the whole life and Gospel of Jesus Christ… [who, full of] that divine, practical, and social faith of the Gospel, give God’s life to the people, as well as bread. If today we want to work usefully for the world to return to light and civilization and to the renovation of public and private life, faith must revive in us and wake us from this dream ‘that is almost more than death.’ A great rebirth of faith is necessary; and may new and humble disciples of Christ come out from the heart of the Church, souls vibrant with faith, porters of Christ, sowers of the faith! And this faith must be applied to life. We need the spirit of faith, ardor of faith, impetus of faith; faith of love, charity of faith, yes, faith; sacrifice of faith!” Who among us, reading these words, does not feel them especially directed to him?
b) Charity: since “the Gospel is made effective through charity, which is the Church’s glory and the sign of her faithfulness to the Lord,” our proper law teaches us that “the poor are Christ: ‘they represent the role of the Son of God’; the pilgrims are Christ: ‘receive them like Christ Himself’; children are Christ and he who receives them receives Me; in every man, there is ‘Jesus, hidden in the depths of his soul.’”
For us, as it cannot be in any other way, “the love of God and love of neighbor are inseparable: they are one sole commandment. But both live on the love that comes from God, who has loved us first. In such a way that if – though it is impossible – in our life we were to omit all attention to others, wanting to be only ‘pious’ and fulfil our ‘religious obligations,’ our relationship with God would also wither. It would only be a ‘correct’ relationship, but without love. Only the availability to help our neighbor, to show him love, makes us sensitive to God as well.”
Therefore, we must “love God by showing tangible love towards our brothers, since it is the only possible way to love God, according to what Jesus Christ taught us and as the apostle also states: If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar.”
“To do this, Don Orione recalls, ‘It is necessary to be full of the sweetest charity of Our Lord’ through an authentic and holy life.” Consequently, our works of charity must never be a mere philanthropic gesture, nor “a purely mechanical work of distribution,” and much less “a kind of welfare activity,” but rather, today and always, they must be the tangible expression of God’s provident love. This is because “‘works without God’s charity, which gives them value in his eyes, are worth nothing.’” We recall here the wise counsel of the Magisterium of the Church that our proper law makes its own: “It is not enough to give to the poor, one must give one’s very self” in order to be a legible sign of God who is love and who gave Himself up for us.
I would like to emphasize something else that is of prime importance for those who serve as missionaries devoted to the works of mercy, and it is our proper law’s paternal exhortation to cultivate a maternal love towards our neighbor, so that “body and soul can be served with true love. Indeed, with God’s grace we want to serve the sick with the affection that a loving mother is wont to show her sick only child.” We ought to have the same aspiration toward every soul in need, because all “works of charity must be performed with charity,” that is, with cordial tenderness, sensitivity, and without delay.
However, it must be well understood that “caring for the needs of men does not imply abandoning or neglecting service to God through prayer. It is precisely prayer which will allow us to turn better to the service of men; because prayer allows us to discover God in our neighbor.”
Lastly, regarding charity in the practice of the works of mercy, I strongly recommend the reading or rereading – prayerfully and conscientiously – of the second part of the Encyclical Deus caritas est by His Holiness Benedict XVI. It is the carta magna for those who work in corporal works of mercy; our proper law makes its doctrine our own, developing it extensively in points 39-67 in the Directory of Works of Mercy.
c) Confidence in Divine Providence: The apostolic vision with which our Institute undertakes the marvelous apostolate of works of mercy anywhere in the world should encourage us to embrace it with great confidence in Divine Providence which, when sending His apostles, said, Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep. Accordingly, it is God who will always take care of His poor.
Let us remember that our life as consecrated and missionaries is characterized by “infinitely trusting in His Providence,” which “becomes endless worship of Divine Providence,” because that Father full of goodness who cares for the birds and the flowers of the field will not abandon those who confidently surrender their lives to Him. For this reason, in all of our homes “the Queen is [and must always be] Divine Providence which provides for all of our necessities and more, so much so that we can even give alms.”
On this point, it will be sufficient to repeat the teaching of Fr. Luis Smiriglio, FDP, founder of the Homes (Hogarcitos) in Argentina, who in some way recounts our own experience in each of our homes: “We are witnesses of this: we do not become poor by giving to Christ; on the contrary, may it be said for the greater honor and glory of God that, when we give more, we have more to give. And this proves true in any one of our Homes, because it is not something that happens in one place or another, but everywhere; and not because God has been generous with us in times of abundance, but rather always, constantly: God is always generous. God is never outdone in generosity. […] Is it wrong for me to repeat for the nth time that in our Homes we must guard against riches as against the plague? Would it be wrong for me to repeat that, if one day our Homes were to fail, it wouldn’t be due to poverty, but to riches? Yes, just as it sounds: to riches, not to poverty. God save us from accumulating riches in our Homes; it would be our death: Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth. The Lord has assigned us the mission to give, that is, He has given us the better part, because it is better to give than to receive. Let us give, therefore, with all liberality. […] May we have the courage to live day to day as Jesus Christ commands: Do not worry about tomorrow. I know it takes great confidence in Divine Providence to practice this. But if we do not have this confidence, tell me, who will?”
As a consequence of these three virtues, a great supernatural joy must shine in all of our works of charity. First of all, in the religious working in them, because there is more joy in giving that in receiving and he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness, as a “joyful […] sacrifice to obtain union with God.” And also in those who benefit, by experiencing through the religious who helps them, assists them, listens to them and keeps them company that they are loved by God; because feeling loved always produces comfort and joy. May our Homes always be beacons which radiate joy!
2. Our Benefactors
As we just said, all our works are founded on unlimited confidence in Divine Providence, which involves, among other things, begging for alms. This spirit has been handed on to us and we want to continue to follow it, because the witness of poverty is of great apostolic value, and because it helps us religious to live totally dependent upon Diving Providence and to pray specifically for those who assist us.
This has allowed us to come into contact with countless souls who have generously contributed and contribute to our works of charity in a thousand ways. For us, they are truly “the bank and the generous hands of Divine Providence.”
Therefore, we cannot speak about the works of mercy of our Institute without mentioning their benefactors. Divine Providence has blessed us throughout the world with a great number of souls who, bearing witness to the joy of giving, have been and continue to be very generous with the beloved of Jesus’ Heart: the poor and religious. We must be very grateful to all of them, in time and in eternity, for such great charity.
However, today I want briefly mention an aspect of the works of mercy that is perhaps little considered, and this is the great benefit that alms given to the poor out of love for God brings to the person who gives them.
Our beloved Saint John Paul II wrote, “In reciprocal relationships between persons merciful love is never a unilateral act or process. Even in the cases in which everything would seem to indicate that only one party is giving and offering, and the other only receiving and taking (for example, in the case of a physician giving treatment, a teacher teaching, parents supporting and bringing up their children, a benefactor helping the needy), in reality the one who gives is always also a beneficiary.” This is because the one who gives alms (or who carries out a work of mercy) at the same time experiences the mercy of those who accept them.
“Since God surely loves the poor,” said Saint Vincent de Paul, “he also loves those who love the poor. For when one person holds another dear, he also includes in his affection anyone who loves or serves the one he loves.” This is why the one who is merciful towards the poor ought to have a firm hope that God will be merciful towards him, in consideration of the poor. Therefore, the works of mercy are the second resort for those who have sinned after baptism, since works of mercy, done for the love of God, remove sins and cleanse the soul.
This is why Saint John Baptist of the Conception said that “a piece of bread [given to the poor] is worth no less than heaven, and it is paid with heaven in this life and in the next.” And acting in this way, our Good God makes “the poor agents of his heaven and of his home.” After that the saint argues, “God wants this and for this he put them [his goods and the Kingdom of Heaven itself] in needy hands, so that they would give them cheaply and throw them into the streets and into the houses of the rich and powerful.”
Our life of poverty and the fact that our works of mercy are poor and depend entirely on Divine Providence is a great benefit for the rich, since in us and in our works of charity they can find the means to bring them to the possession of the greatest Good that is God our Lord. This is why Sacred Scripture says: Kindly people benefit themselves, but the merciless harm themselves.
This is the supernatural vision that we must teach our benefactors and volunteers, and about which we ourselves must be convinced, so that we do not let pass by, or much less discard the precious opportunity to help the poor, no matter the need.
This demands that, moved by great apostolic charity, we learn to associate many more souls with the designs of Providence, giving them the opportunity to practice almsgiving. “Charity counts on reserves that human calculations know nothing of,” said Don Orione. So, our objective is also to open more and more the doors to those who need it, and consequently, to employ many hands and to turn to many more generous souls who would give their time, talents, and assets to collaborate with the charitable works of the Institute.
Many of you have observed the immense good that is done to youth, to professionals, and to the wealthy, when in some way they can participate in such splendid works of mercy as our homes. It is already a great apostolate that, thanks to the relationship that is formed with the benefactors, many opportunities come up to bring them closer to God, to instruct them, to obtain spiritual good for them. There are many cases of persons who, through direct or indirect (i.e. through donations) collaboration with our works of charity, have been able to recover from profound sadness, convert to the faith, discover their vocation, and, in many cases, repair some fault and come back to the right road.
The Incarnate Word told us: the poor you will always have with you. Therefore, works of charity will always be necessary. So, let us strive to give to many more souls the opportunity to be those persons through whom the Lord releases the poor man from affliction and lavishly gives to the poor.
On our part, it will always be our obligation to “considerately attend to our benefactors, pray for them, and let them know about the work that is carried out with their cooperation.” And whatever their contribution be, we must fervently thank all of them, without ever being tributary.
* * * * *
Dear brothers, I want to encourage you to continue with great zeal and magnanimity the precious works of charity you carry out.
Truly, the situation of so many men, women, youth, and children who suffer pain, hunger, loneliness, material and spiritual poverty, etc. cannot leave us indifferent, nor can it be neglected, nor much less considered tiresome or above our possibilities of solicitous assistance. We must be like the Good Samaritan, who stops to help the suffering of the other man, no matter who he is, and to be compassionate, not only when it is emotionally rewarding or convenient, but also when it is demanding and inconvenient.
Let us never diminish or interrupt our efforts to work for man’s overall well-being by showing him his nature, dignity, vocation, inalienable rights, freedom, and eternal destiny and thus achieve the goal of faith, which is the salvation of souls.
Courage! “To work, with humility, simplicity and faith, and then, onward in the Lord, without ever worrying. Only God knows the hours and moments of his works and has everything and everyone in his hands! Continue with lively faith, with total and filial trust in the Lord and in the Church.”
Paraphrasing what the Saint of Providence said to a friend, I want to say to you, “Keep up your good spirits, be always in good spirits. Because heaven helps the cheerful man.” Many goods could be lacking to us in this life, but within ourselves we have a good that surpasses all possible goods: God, and it is he who can give us an incalculable joy. All depends on faith, on acts of living faith, on solid hope, on ardent charity.
May the Blessed Virgin, Mother of Divine Providence, take care of you, and make you experience – even sensibly – her maternal love that arranges and foresees everything with thoughtful affection for the good of her beloved sons.
Ave Maria and onward!
Happy Feast of All Saints!
A big hug to all, in the Incarnate Word,
Fr. Gustavo Nieto, IVE
General Superior
