|
I Am Ruined If I Do Not Preach The Gospel (1 Cor 9, 16)
Prot. N° 0000 0200/98
Rome, January 14, 1999
Feast of Blessed Peter Donders
My dear Confreres,
1. It gives me great pleasure to greet you in the name of all the members of
General Council. This second Communicanda of the present sexennium is
published on the feast of Blessed Peter Donders, Redemptorist missionary to
Surinam, whose life was not distinguished by extraordinary talents but by
limitless generosity. It is very appropriate to offer you this reflection,
which concerns the nature of a missionary spirituality, on the day when we
celebrate the life of a confrere who found holiness in a life dedicated to
preaching the Gospel among the most abandoned poor.
2. The preparation of this communicanda has involved Redemptorists beyond
the members of the General Council. During the first week of May 1998,
letters were sent to thirty-two confreres across the world. Each recipient
was asked to give his own understanding of a portion of the last General
Chapter's Final Message: "Spirituality is at once the source and fruit of
Mission. Mission that is not undertaken as an expression of a deep
commitment to Jesus is doomed to failure…" (n. 6).
3. Nearly three-quarters of those invited had answered by September. The
depth of their reflection, as well as their evident love of the
Congregation, have greatly encouraged the Council. If the content of this
Communicanda is useful to the Congregation, then credit must be given to the
wisdom of my brothers on the General Council and to the insight of these
confreres who contributed their experience, strength and hope from distant
lands.
4. On the other hand, I accept responsibility for the shortcomings of this
letter, in which I wish to offer a few simple observations about "missionary
spirituality". My own limitations and the culture that has formed me leave a
certain imprint on these words. Nevertheless, my hope is that they will
contribute to a dialogue through which we will arrive at some common vision
that will enable us to inspire each other, and give us the courage necessary
to embrace our particular vocation in the Church and world of the
twenty-first century.
Three preliminary observations
5. There are three observations that I would make at the beginning of this
letter. First, it is evident to the General Council that the theme proposed
by the last Chapter has struck a chord in the experience of most confreres.
The visitations we have made, our participation in provincial assemblies and
the correspondence we have received from the different units convince us
that there is a lively interest in spirituality in most parts of the
Congregation. Why is this so?
6. I will not attempt to repeat or amplify the arguments we proposed in the
first communicanda, except to say that the appeal of spirituality may
reflect our need to go beyond a paradigm of the consecrated life that is
proposed only in theological, pastoral, moral or liturgical language, valid
as these models may be. We also seek an ideal that is rooted in authentic
and lived experience, both personal and communal.
7. Secondly, while taking note of the generally positive response to the
proposals of the General Chapter, the members of the Council are also aware
of the difficulties connected with a deeper reflection on spirituality. It
is a constant challenge to discover some degree of precision in the language
we use when we want to speak about the subject. For example, it seems
helpful to distinguish between spirituality and ascetical practices. Of
course, the two are not unrelated; the spirituality of an individual or a
group seems to require some concrete expression, if it is not to remain
simply a collection of ideas.
8. Thirdly, beyond a technique for prayer or a cherished devotion,
spirituality is connected with basic and often unsettling questions: Who are
we? Why are we? How are we to live? These are spiritual questions and, as
such, touch upon the realities that define human existence. Humility and a
listening heart are indispensable prerequisites for this reflection. When we
attempt to define spirituality, we discover not its limitations, but our
own.
Towards a Missionary spirituality
9. It is not advantageous, in my judgement, to speak about spirituality and
Mission. The use of the conjunction is infelicitous, for it can suggest that
there could be Mission without spirituality or that spirituality, at least
as we understand it, could exist in some way divorced from Mission. In their
responses, several confreres observed that spirituality touches on our
self-understanding as Redemptorists: what Alphonsus sometimes calls the
"spirit of our Institute". Considered in this way, the spirituality of our
Congregation ought to address fundamental questions, such as those suggested
in the previous paragraph. More that a set of doctrinal principles or
ascetical practices, our spirituality should serve as a sort of vital
connective tissue that harmoniously joins all aspects of our life.
10. I find a very succinct statement of our Missionary spirituality in the
cry of Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians: I am ruined if I do not
preach the Gospel! (1 Cor 9, 16). "Preach the Gospel" means more than giving
a mission sermon, a retreat conference or a Sunday homily, more than
denouncing injustice or teaching people to pray. In fact, the reality goes
beyond any single form of pastoral activity. What does it mean and why is
its meaning so fundamental to us that, if I am right, we are "ruined" if we
do not "preach the Gospel"?
11. Do you recall which was the only one of our constitutions that found its
way into the Final Message of the last General Chapter? The capitulars took
pains to insert a goodly portion of Constitution 5 into their communication
to the Congregation (cf. Final Message, n. 8). This constitution uses
unequivocal language to demonstrate how important it is for Redemptorists to
"preach the Gospel": Preference for situations where there is pastoral need,
that is, for evangelization in the strict sense together with the choice in
favor of the poor is the very reason why the Congregation exists in the
Church and is the badge of its fidelity to the vocation it has received.
12. I will argue that two clear and connected criteria in fact respond to
the spiritual questions: Who are we? Why are we? How are we to live? These
criteria are preference for evangelization in the strict sense together with
the choice in favor of the poor. Here evangelization is understood to
include not only the explicit proclamation of the Word, but also the witness
of life by individual Redemptorists and communities. To the extent that we
do not accept evangelization and the choice for the poor as elements
constitutive of our identity and act in consonance with them, we become
unfaithful or, at least, we become something other than that which we are
called to be. Paraphrasing the words of St. Paul, we are "ruined" as
Redemptorists
13. We must always keep in mind that our spirituality is intimately related
to Mission, but not in the sense that the demands of spirituality prod us
towards pastoral work or that we "become spiritual" because of our service
to the People of God. The genius of Alphonsus, an intuition that has been
recovered in our renewed Constitutions, is his belief that Mission gives
unity to our whole life as Redemptorists. This unifying force is called the
"vita apostolica": our way of understanding what it means to be a
Redemptorist, comprising "at one and the same time a life specially
dedicated to God and a life of missionary work" (Constitution 1).
Spirituality is vitally connected to our "preference for situations of
pastoral need, that is, for evangelization in the strict sense, together
with our choice for the poor". Therefore, strictly speaking, the origin and
source of our spirituality is found precisely in our Mission, defining it
consequently as truly Missionary spirituality (cf. Ad Gentes, 23-27).
14. The principal aim of this letter is thus to consider with you what might
be some attributes of our "Missionary spirituality". My sincere hope is that
what follows does not sound like simple moralizing. It is rather an effort
to explore with you what I believe to be some important dimensions of the
vita apostolica.
Mission as vocation
15. Our Mission is not solely a personal or communal option but, first and
foremost, a vocation to which we have been called. The General Chapter
underlined the hope our particular vocation should afford us: "Our
confidence in the future is rooted in our vocation to continue the mystery
of Christ. We believe that there is no limit to His abundant redemption and
hence we are impelled to share our faith and hope with everyone" (Final
Message, 12). This affirmation of the Chapter suggests that our vocation
derives not only from the Lord's mandate to preach, teach and baptize, but
also from the profound demands of God's life within us (cf. Redemptoris
Missio, 11). That is, to the degree that we open ourselves to the abundant
redemption given in Christ Jesus, to that extent are we compelled to "share
our faith and hope with everyone". Hence, we might ask ourselves: how is
Mission an issue of faith, an accurate indicator of our belief that Jesus
Christ has called us to be sent as His "helpers, companions and ministers in
the great work of Redemption…[to preach] the Word of God to the poor"
(Constitution 2)?
16. Evangelization will never be possible without the action of the Holy
Spirit (Ad Gentes, 24; Evangelii Nuntiandi, 75). The same Spirit which
descends upon Jesus at the moment of his baptism, rests upon Him, anoints
Him and sends Him forth to "proclaim glad tidings to the poor" (Lk 4, 18).
We Redemptorists are accustomed to repeating this text from the Gospel of
Luke. We are well aware that Alphonsus makes frequent reference to this same
passage, declaring that the Mission of Christ is also the Mission of the
Congregation. Do we accept, however, the first consequence of our
self-identification with the Mission of Christ: that we welcome a life of
complete docility to the Spirit, which "conforms us to Christ, so that we
learn to view all things as Christ does" (Constitution 25)? This docility
makes it possible for us to receive the gifts of fortitude and discernment,
which are "essential elements of missionary spirituality" (cf. Redemptoris
Missio, 87).
The person of Christ at the center of our Missionary life
17. Constitution 23 notes a condition for realizing our particular vocation
in the Church: "Since the members are called to continue the presence of
Christ and his mission of redemption in the world, they choose the person of
Christ as the center of their life, and strive day by day to enter ever more
intimately into personal union with him". The Chapter echoed this
requirement, giving it universal significance as well as a certain urgency:
"Whatever the context, we believe that all Redemptorists are being called at
this time to focus on a central aspect of our spirituality, i.e., on how we
nourish and express our relationship in faith with Jesus" (Final Message,
3). There can be no doubt that for Redemptorists, an essential
characteristic of our Missionary spirituality is an intimate communion with
Christ, the first Missionary.
18. My brothers, let us allow ourselves to be infected with the great
passion of Alphonsus, for whom salvation was more than a theory or dogma but
rather a Name, a Face. Our type of evangelization depends on how God's
People come to recognize Jesus in a way that they can respond to Him.
Alphonsus employed all of his formidable gifts in the effort to help the
poor come to know Jesus. We recall how he carried his portrait of the
Crucified to the places where he would preach, how his music helped his
people experience Christ's saving love, how his words, written and spoken,
pointed to the abundant redemption to be found in Christ. With Alphonsus, we
must "emphasize in all our pastoral action the centrality of Christ as the
mystery of the Father's mercy" (John Paul II, Apostolic Letter for the
Tercentenary of the Birth of Saint Alphonsus, 4).
19. Is it possible to make Christ the center of our pastoral activity, if He
is not at the "center of our lives" and "at the heart of our community"? How
can we judge whether in fact we make these choices? The same Constitution 23
gives us one criterion by which the question may be determined: "the closer
their union with Christ, the stronger will become their union with each
other".
20. I would offer another standard that seems to be consonant with our
practical experience. The more we choose Christ as the center of our lives
and strive to enter more intimately into personal communion with him, the
less absorbed we are with our own doubt, insecurity and self-obsession. We
become more willing to empty ourselves, pick up our cross and follow the
Redeemer. Our greatest concern becomes that Jesus is not loved as He should
be.
Missionary Conversion
We believe that the Congregation is being offered a great grace of
conversion to the Redeemer (Final Message, 5)
21. Recent papal doctrine on missiology and our own Constitutions concur in
that the proclamation of the Word of God has conversion as its end (compare
Redemptoris Missio, 46 and Constitutions 11-12). The same sources agree that
we cannot preach conversion unless we ourselves are converted every day (Redemptoris
Missio, 47; Constitutions 40-42). We do not have to think too hard to
discover why conversion is an essential element in a missionary
spirituality. It springs from the very offer to enter into relationship with
the Divine. Such an invitation first tells me: "There is a God and he is not
you". The Kingdom too is something other than me, something that must be
discovered - sometimes at great sacrifice (Mt 13, 44-46); that there are
choices to be made (Jn 6, 67); that one can always "turn away sad" (Mt 20,
16-22).
22. Proclamation of the Word of God has conversion as its end: the preaching
of Jesus, that of His Church and, in a vivid way, the content and methods of
evangelization peculiar to our Congregation, all attest to this truth.
However, it is a distressing fact that more than one confrere and more than
one community live in a way that proclaims "Conversion is meant for somebody
else, perhaps everyone else. Don't disturb me/us!" Could the General Chapter
have been mistaken in its belief that "the Congregation is being offered a
great grace of conversion to the Redeemer" (Final Message, 5)?
23. Many of the confreres who helped us prepare this Communicanda spoke of
their ongoing transformation. Allow me to highlight three such responses.
One confrere writes, "Redemptorist spirituality is by no means a
'God-and-me' business but rather a 'Spirit-leading-me-to-the-poor'
enterprise". Another, speaking of his intense experience of conversion,
remarks "From that time on, I no longer speak simply because the Scriptures
say so or theological or pastoral principles are in agreement; I also speak
from the perspective of my own experience and thus proclaim before the
people: 'Jesus loved me and gave himself up for my sake'". How important is
conversion for our apostolic life? We will profit by considering this
assertion by a confrere: "In its most basic sense, spirituality is a way of
relating to God which transforms at the same time both the existence of
missionaries and that of those to whom they are sent. It is the capacity of
welcoming and then transmitting an experience of God (Jn 15, 4-5)".
24. How can we deepen a spirit of conversion in each of us? What value does
the Sacrament of Penance and spiritual direction now hold in our lives? Are
we willing and able to give conversion some sort of expression in our
communities?
The first means of evangelization is witness
Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he
does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses (Evangelii
Nuntiandi, 41)
25. Over the last years and in many parts of the Congregation there has been
a growing awareness that even before activity, Mission means witness and a
way of life that shines out to others. The members of the 1991 General
Chapter captured this conviction very well: "The Redemptorist community must
constitute the first sign of our being preachers of the Gospel. It is not
only the place from which we are sent but it is also, and above all, an
effective presence of the Reign of God in the midst of men and women, our
brothers and sisters…" (Final Document, 5.2). The Redemptorist community is
a statement of faith: "we stay together in community not because we have
chosen one another, but because we have been chosen by the Lord" (Congregavit
nos in unum Christi amor, 41).
26. Do you believe that our missionary spirituality calls for a particular
type of witness? One confrere observes that prayer and poverty are the two
outstanding features of radical spirituality in world religions. The
testimony of our life of prayer should give to our proclamation the same
force as the opening verse of the First Letter of John: "This is what we
proclaim to you: what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we
have seen with our eyes, what we have looked upon and our hands have
touched-we speak of the word of life".
27. Witness of a poor or, at the very least, a simple lifestyle is never an
easy question for us to face. But the point is that people notice the way we
live. This is the one area where we cannot help but give some kind of
witness. I suspect that as we allow our "needs" to multiply, we become less
mobile, more reluctant to take risks and finally, more distant from the
abandoned poor. Is it too pious too observe that, if our hands are busy
grasping or already full, they can never be filled by God nor reach out
towards others in disinterested love?
"Carthusians at home and Apostles abroad"?
28. I confess to having had problems with the traditional formula that calls
for us to be "Carthusians at home and apostles abroad". I would say that we
should be Redemptorists in both places and in between, as well. There is no
doubt that our communities should be places where we can pray, together as
well as individually, where we are able to study and reflect. But those
aspects of our life are part of the vita apostolica that should be
characteristic of our Congregation. Our home is not simply a place to
"charge our batteries" in order to discharge them in pastoral activity, much
less a place to hide from others or from our responsibilities. Our community
life itself is Mission and witness. It should also be the place where we
encourage each other as brothers called to continue the presence and Mission
of Christ in the world. Our vita apostolica, lived both in the community and
in our pastoral activity, is where we are missionaries and where we will
become saints.
29. While we know that evangelization demands that we are skilled in both
sacred and profane sciences, we must also admit that academic and pastoral
renewal is not enough. "A missionary is really such only if he commits
himself to the way of holiness" (Redemptoris Missio, 90). But we do not
become holy and then become missionaries. Nor does our weakness disqualify
us. Most of us, I suspect, have echoed the desperate words of Peter, "Leave
me, Lord! I am a sinful man". Let us also hear the invitation to Mission:
"Do not be afraid. From now on you will be catching men". (Luke 5, 8-10).
What we should claim is progress in the Missionary life, not perfection.
Commenting on the dramatic meeting between Jesus and Peter along the shores
of the Sea of Tiberias (Jn 21, 15-17), Alphonsus allies himself with the
exegesis of John Chrysostom, calling attention to the fact that Jesus does
not ask penance or prayers of the repentant apostle but rather pastoral
service: "Feed my lambs".
Missionary Courage
We asked ourselves in what practical ways our commitment to the poor is an
expression of our spirituality, and in what ways it helps us to develop a
more authentic spirituality (Final Message, 8).
30. When I think of how essential is our choice for the poor in order to
develop a more authentic spirituality, the great formula proposed by the
General Chapter of 1985 comes to mind: Evangelizare pauperibus et a
pauperibus evangelizari. I recall that while the theme was not easily
understood in all Regions of the Congregation, it was certainly discussed!
Some confreres found particular difficulty in comprehending the second half
of the formula: a pauperibus evangelizari. Missionaries were traditionally
those who conferred spiritual goods. The process of evangelization was a
one-way street. What could we expect to receive, especially if these gifts
were to come from the poor? Any Redemptorist missionary who has proclaimed
the Good News to the poor should be able to make an ample reply to the
question.
31. The theme of the 1985 General Chapter did have some practical
consequences. More than one province re-examined its apostolic priorities in
the light of the theme and then made some painful decisions. In some
instances, provinces turned over to the care of the local Church their most
attractive parishes in order to accept new commitments among the abandoned
poor. Other provinces accepted new missions ad gentes, even though this
decision exacted a heavy cost. These examples should encourage the whole
Congregation, since they demonstrate that it is possible for provinces to
change direction, when the change means greater fidelity to "the very reason
why the Congregation exists in the Church" (Constitution 5).
32. From the first encounters of Redemptorists with the poor of the Kingdom
of Naples, the history of our Congregation has been marked by the valor of
so many of its members. My hope is that the example of our commitment to the
poor in the past and in the present will give the Congregation courage to
face the future. Will the Congregation have the courage to expand its
proclamation of the Gospel among the abandoned poor in the teeming slums of
the mega-cities of the South, places like Mexico City, Bogotá, Lagos, São
Paulo, Manila, Johannesburg, Calcutta, Lima, etc.? Can Redemptorists be more
present among the new poor of Europe: the migrants, refugees and asylum
seekers? What sort of witness does the Congregation offer in the rapidly
changing landscape of Eastern Europe? What does it mean to proclaim the
Gospel in the affluent West, where spirituality increasingly is judged to be
incompatible with religion and where the poor find themselves ever more on
the margin of society and Church? Can Redemptorists continue to be
ambassadors for Christ and proclaim a credible message of reconciliation in
regions of Africa that are torn by civil conflict? What is the future for
our evangelization in Asia, where the Christian message confronts the other
great world religions? What does the Congregation have to say in the face of
a global culture that pays less and less attention to the saving love of God
and, consequently, is less interested in solidarity among God's daughters
and sons?
33. The common denominator among these situations is that they all demand of
Redemptorists a courageous faith. Often, this courageous faith is the
willingness to leave what is known: my culture, my language, and my
accustomed lifestyle in order to meet situations of real pastoral urgency.
At times the Spirit may be calling a province to hand over to others its
most successful and attractive pastoral commitments in order to go where the
Church cannot go. My point is that this courage is not only the source for
future missionary initiatives, it is also the fruit offered to us by the
"cloud of witnesses" that surrounds the Congregation: all the Redemptorists
of the past and present who have "emptied themselves", as well as those
provinces who have made heroic sacrifices for the sake of the Person and
Mission of Christ.
Missionary Contemplation
34. A source for and fruit of our evangelizing activity is the spirit of
contemplation. "Unless the missionary is a contemplative, he cannot proclaim
Christ in a credible way" (Redemptoris Missio, 91). How do we Redemptorists
understand the spirit of contemplation? It is a spiritual disposition that
makes it possible for us to love as Jesus does "so as to share truly in the
love of the Son for his Father and for all people" (Constitution 24).
35. Trying to evangelize without a contemplative spirit is like trying to
read this letter with the paper pressed against the end of your nose. It may
be that your eyesight requires you to hold the paper close but, for most
people, such exaggerated proximity blurs the words and makes it difficult,
even painful to read the message. It is necessary to put some distance
between the paper and us in order to read it. In contemplation we step back
from the immediacy of our world, our life and our activity. We look for God
in the people and in the events of everyday life. We try to "see God's plan
of salvation in its true light and be able to distinguish between what is
real and what is illusory". These words of Constitution 24 could provide
substance for yet another Communicanda! But, can you see how a spirit of
contemplation is more necessary today than ever, especially when we
recognize such phenomena as the rapidity of social change, the daily and
deep incursions of a global culture and the ephemeral nature of many popular
movements?
36. There is another reason for us to cultivate a spirit of contemplation.
It has to do with a particular claim of Christianity, first pronounced by
the Second Vatican Council and echoed in our Constitutions: that in the
encounter with Christ, human beings discover the meaning of the mystery of
their own life (Gaudium et Spes, 22; Constitution 19). The assertion was
reiterated most recently in the papal bull that announced the Great Jubilee
of the year 2000: "…God's friendship and grace, the supernatural life which
alone can bring fulfillment to the deepest aspirations of the human heart" (Incarnationis
Mysterium, 2). A counterclaim is made by the global phenomenon of
consumerism, namely, that what we have or consume will make us happy and
fulfilled. This declaration is radically opposed to the claims of the
Gospel, yet the message is very successful. There is a temptation to
denounce the different "ism's" of our day - secularism, materialism,
individualism, consumerism, etc. - without understanding the reasons for
their popularity. Contemplation should cultivate in us a "spirit of
brotherly concern" that would have us listen to men and women as we attempt
to "understand people's anxious questionings and try to discover in these
how God is truly revealing himself and making his plan known" (Constitution
19).
Missionary Patience
37. At the same time as the final preparation of this Communicanda, I was
also a member of the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Oceania.
One of the more memorable interventions during those three weeks of meetings
was made by a bishop from Mauritius, a special delegate to the Synod. He
referred to the scene in the Gospel when the disciples were admiring the
grandeur of the Temple and its precious ornaments (Lk 21, 5ss). You remember
that Jesus prophesized how quickly and completely the great building would
be destroyed. The bishop asked the Synod to think of problems faced by the
Church in many regions of the world; we might think of our Congregation. He
observed if things come tumbling down around me, maybe the Temple was not as
strongly built as it looked. Perhaps we should examine our conscience about
the way we build community (cf. 1 Cor 3, 10-15).
38. While building a structure is one biblical image for the work of
evangelization, perhaps a more eloquent one for our times is that of the
sower and the seed. The seed sown is the Word of God. It is prior to
doctrine, moral teaching, law and discipline. It is prior because the "Word
of God is so great that it remains the support and the energy of the Church"
(Dei Verbum, 21). The image of the sower and the seed seems to be
particularly compelling in an age that values instant success. The Word
which we carry counsels us to be patient, even if we do not see immediate
results (Jam 5:7). It is God who gives the growth (1 Cor 3, 6; Ad Gentes,
24-25).
Missionary optimism: the promotion of vocations.
39. Yet another way in which our spirituality is transformed by Mission is
the desire to invite others to share completely our way of life. Can we all
agree with the assertion of Constitution 79, that "the vitality with which
the Congregation pursues its apostolic mission depends on the number and
quality of the candidates who seek admission to the Redemptorist community"?
If we agree, then we should also accept that each of us bears a
responsibility in promoting vocations, especially through our own apostolic
zeal, the example of our life and constant prayer (Constitution 80).
40. I maintain that whether or not we promote vocations is a spiritual
question, for it touches on the depth of our belief in God's purpose for the
Congregation and its place in the Church. There are confreres of good will
who have concluded that the consecrated life, including the Congregation, is
rapidly becoming extinct. An analysis of why the Congregation fails to
attract candidates in some parts of the world is complex and is certainly
beyond the scope of this letter. What is more, the Congregation will not
retreat from our growing collaboration with the laity. However, since the
Chapter was so insistent on our focusing on a "central aspect of our
spirituality, i.e., on how we nourish and express our relationship in faith
with Jesus" (Final Message, n. 3), there may be benefit in meditating on how
the apostolic exhortation Vita Consecrata presents the challenge of vocation
promotion: "Following the example of founders and foundresses, this
[vocation promotion] aims at presenting the attraction of the person of the
Lord Jesus and the beauty of the total gift of self for the sake of the
Gospel" (n. 64).
All are Missionaries
41. The Congregation is facing a reality heretofore unknown in its history.
I refer to the great number of senior confreres of the so-called "third
age". Any reflection on our Missionary spirituality must include this group.
While it is my intention to dedicate a future letter solely to the question
of the spiritual demands particular to the "third age", we can begin now by
recalling the teaching of Constitution 55: that by our profession we all are
missionaries. This character, which is based on our share in the Mission of
Christ, continues throughout our life, whether we are able to participate in
pastoral activity or not. And, as that particular Constitution reminds us,
we do not reach the fullness of our Missionary identity until that time when
we "are suffering and dying for the salvation of the world".
Question of restructuring
42. An understanding and acceptance of "the very reason why the Congregation
exists in the Church" will provoke other questions. Some of these will touch
on our decisions to remain in a place or move on. When do Redemptorists say,
"there are other towns and villages" (Mk 1, 38)? At what point do we "shake
the dust from our feet" (Lk 9, 5)? When does "new wine" demand "new
wineskins" (Lk 5, 38)? The last question touches not only our missionary
methods but also the way we structure ourselves. We must continue to ensure
that our structures of government and administration are always at the
service of the Mission. Where this is no longer the case, the structure must
change in order that the Mission continue.
A "barren bush"… a "noisy gong"
Mission that is not undertaken as an expression of a deep commitment to
Jesus is doomed to failure (Final Message, 7)
43. A Redemptorist for whom the Mission is not undertaken as an expression
of a deep commitment to Jesus - what would he look like? What would he sound
like? He might resemble a "barren bush in the desert that enjoys no change
of season, but stands in a lava waste, a salt and empty earth" (Jer 17,
5-6). As one confrere writes to us: "burnout is not due to overwork alone,
but more to an emptiness or a lack of conviction in one's life, a lack of
the spiritual". Could "burn-out" be essentially a spiritual problem? Might
not its painful symptoms mask a thirst for "living waters" (Jn 7, 37-38)?
44. If we dare to speak about Him whom we do not know, we will eventually
sound vacant and superficial: a "noisy gong or a clanging cymbal" (1 Cor 13,
1). Being "missionary" does not simply mean being close to the people or
opting for the poor; we ought to have an experience to share with them:
"What we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked
upon and our hands have touched-we speak of the word of life" (1 Jn 1, 1).
Questions with no answer or "hearts that burn"?
45. Disconnected from the Lord, we face many questions with little hope of
an answer. "How could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place to
satisfy such a crowd?" (Mt 15, 33). "Here we have put aside everything to
follow you: what can we expect from it?" (Mt 19, 27). "Truth! What does that
mean?" (Jn 18, 38).
46. It should be obvious that our choice of the person of Christ as the
center of our lives and at the heart of communities does not insulate us
from doubt or anxiety. But, after we pour out our hearts to each other and
to Him, we listen. Then our hearts may begin to burn and we have to carry
the message to others: how He met us along the road and how we recognized
Him.
Conclusion
47. Let me try to summarize the essential points of this letter.
Spirituality is directed towards basic and often troubling questions about
our identity and purpose in life. For Redemptorists, spirituality must be
intimately connected with Mission: the "very reason why the Congregation
exists in the Church". This intimate connection means that we choose Christ
as the center of everything, that witnessing is critical and contemplation
is a sine qua non for the missionary life. It means that we strive to be
courageous, patient and hopeful to the point of inviting others to share
fully in our life. In the final analysis, our spirituality cannot remain a
theory: we must live it. It must have some practical consequences in our
life.
The Congregation and the Great Jubilee
48. It is practically a cliché to say that we are standing on the threshold
of a new millennium. As tiresome as this countdown to the new century may
be, I do not believe we should dismiss the extraordinary "sign of the times"
that is the Great Jubilee. Have you noticed the different themes proposed by
the Holy Father for this celebration? They have a familiar ring: conversion,
transformation, penance, reconciliation, redemption, the paschal mystery.
These same themes are at the very heart of our Mission.
49. Is it reasonable to expect that all the provinces and vice-provinces
undertake a special missionary project as part of the celebration of the
Great Jubilee? I am aware that some projects have already been planned, like
urban missions or special pilgrimages. It is also true that the members of
some units - especially those in leadership - are tired, discouraged and
doubtful of the cooperation of their confreres. But I would ask each unit to
inaugurate the third Christian millennium with a special project that is
consonant with "the very reason why the Congregation exists in the Church,
and the badge of its fidelity to the vocation it has received" (Constitution
5).
50. May the Immaculate Virgin Mary who, after Jesus Christ, is the principle
protector of our holy Institute because, in a special way, it was born under
her patronage, help us to love her Son and make Him to be loved.
On behalf of the General Council,
Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R.
Superior General
The original text is English
|