January 6, 2005

Epiphany of the Lord

My dear young men,

The author of the First Letter of John wrote to young men not so much to encourage commitment but rather to proclaim the good news of what the Lord accomplished in their lives – thanks to their adherence to Christ Jesus.  Firstly,  I write this letter to praise and thank the Lord for the gift of your missionary vocation.  Secondly I invite you to recognize the challenges in our lives and would like to help you become the sort of missionary our Blessed Founder hoped for. 

This is probably the last letter I will write as Superior General.  I am writing to you, the 380 young men, professed and non-professed in our Congregation’s  houses of formation. You are preparing yourselves for the mission in the spirit of Blessed Allamano as Consolata Missionaries.  This is the only letter I have addressed specifically to you during my twelve years serving as Superior General.  This is not because the General Directorate was ignoring you – rather  everything I wrote to our missionaries was addressed above all to you.  You are our younger brothers, our primary concern;  we have no secrets from you.

Last year novices here in Europe asked me to write a letter to our young men before my service as Superior General came to an end.  I will tell you my principal concerns for your current and future life.  It is not really something new – merely a reaffirmation of certain convictions that will be helpful during formation and your future missionary life.  These convictions are based on my experience of and contact with the enormous diversity that exists in our Congregation.

1.  Above all:  Service to God!

“Servitium Dei” is a phrase of St. Benedict that has become part of the spiritual baggage of religious life.  It denotes the primacy of God in the life of a consecrated person; God is the wellspring of our life and work; God is the source of our missionary and apostolic zeal.  It is with these very profound and far-reaching implications that I use the expression “Service to God”.

Those of you who are older will no doubt recall the fascination and insistence on social values and specific options prevalent a few years ago.  We thought they could be a leavening force in the Congregation and would give rise to new life throughout the whole Church.  It was fashionable to contrast the “liberal” to the “traditional” version of religious life.  There were slogans – social commitment is our prayer; what is important is to become one with the people, to become a part of their world; the strength of our faith is proportionate to our openness to the poor … No one will deny the generosity and altruism of these experiments with a different form of religious and missionary life.  But it became quickly apparent that these generous efforts at renewal based on commitment often gave short shrift to contemplation and undermined our faith journey and overall progress in religious life.  All our attention focused on service to our brothers – the service of God was relegated to the sidelines.

Fortunately this sort of radicalism has declined in recent years.  It is now clear and affirmed by all that the more an individual gives to others the more he must remain faithful to serving God in meaningful and rich ways.  For us this means a return to the teaching of our Blessed Founder:  Service of God must occupy the first place in the life of a missionary.  For Allamano “Serving God” meant making the Eucharist, the Word of God and prayer the indispensable foundation of a missionary life.  Every missionary endeavor rests on this solid foundation. 

During my visits I became aware of how deep are the roots of “Saints first and then missionaries” in all our formation communities but I did not discern  meaningful expressions of spirituality that reflect the Constitutions’ explication of Allamano’s words:  “This aim should permeate our spirituality, influence our options, determine our formation and apostolic activities, and orientate our whole life” (5).  Let me reaffirm my strong conviction:  make the contemplative dimension an integral part of your life; never abandon the school of prayer; cultivate meditation and Lectio Divina.  Fidelity to personal prayer is the best guarantee of fidelity to our vocation and integrated personal growth.

2.  “There must be fire to be apostles!”

After God, the mission constitute the most precious gift our vocation gives us.  The Founder repeated this constantly: “the mission are a continuation of the mission of Our Lord Jesus Christ, of his apostles and of all the missionary saints.”  He goes on to say: “The Lord, for you missionaries, has somehow exhausted his infinite love as far as vocation goes; he cannot and will not give you anything more excellent – he has given you his very own mission.”

In this regard I would only call to your attention what the most recent General Chapter said about Allamano’s charism when it explained how we carry out our mission today.  It comes down to that threefold Ad to which every Consolata Missionary assents before profession:

-  Ad gentes:  demands our availability to go wherever the Congregation sends us – preferably among non-Christians and those other situations article 17 of the Constitutions describes as our specific “ad gentes.” How good to see that when presenting the opions for the first assignment, you explicitly ask to be sent where more evident is the “ad gentes.” It shows that you are authentic sons of Giuseppe Allamano!

-  Ad extra:  for a Consolata Missionary leaving his own country is not just an organizational tactic of the Congregation.  It is a constituent part of our vocation.  We have been called to be sent.  To be sent means we leave our own country and culture and go beyond – to other countries, cultures, peoples.

-  Ad vitam:  the missionary vocation in the two aspects described above is a life commitment.  Our religious consecration lasts our whole life long; our missionary service is forever.  When one chooses to become a Consolata Missionary he makes himself willingfully available to go wherever the Congregation sends him and he does this for life.

At this point Blessed Allamano would not fail to remind us where we find the secret strength to make these unpopular choices.  It is not enough for a missionary to be called, to make religious profession, to carry out the three Ad, he must have “fire” – passion, zeal.  The Founder despised a lukewarm attitude, a lack of enthusiasm or fervor, indifference or disinterest.  This sort of attitude was completely foreign to him.  Zeal for the mission must be ignited and fostered from the earliest years of our initial formation; it must follow a total formation process that involves concrete personal and community activities.

3.  In Mission …following Christ Jesus in the religious life

Following Christ Jesus faithfully is the firm and solid foundation for our dedication to the mission.  He is our Teacher, the model of our missionary vocation.  From the earliest days our Father Founder saw the Congregation as a family whose members were totally devoted to God and to the mission.  This is why he wanted its members to be “religious;”  so much insisting that they become “saints”, intent on following Christ.  He saw no tension, and certainly no antagonism between the missionary and the religious life.  Rather they are complementary and mutually beneficial.

To make the Founder’s wish a reality each of us must be committed to following Christ.  Besides the teachings of our Founder there is a veritable abundance of aids to help and guide us on this journey.  This abundance can be found both within the Congregation and in the Church at large.  I only hope that you will take full advantage of it!

There are certain aspects of the “following/imitation of Christ” that are especially helpful in integrating the consecrated and missionary life.  A study of the Gospels – and especially that of Mark – will reveal enormous emphasis on following Christ physically.  For the disciples the school of Jesus involved turning one’s back on the familiar world, going after Him and being constantly at His side as He trod the roads of Palestine, and Jesus was constantly on the move.  After the Resurrection physically following Jesus became impossible; the disciples understood “following” symbolically.  This symbolic understanding informs certain unmistakable elements of our own consecration.

-  The spirituality of following/imitation is based on radical faith in Jesus of Nazareth as the full revelation of God and in His sacrifice for the salvation of mankind.  This spirituality teaches us to concentrate on the Eucharist, the Word of God and to place Him, Jesus of Nazareth, at the center of our life.

-  Through following/imitation we allow ourselves to be energized by the very Spirit of Jesus.  The Spirit leads us to Tabor, where we contemplate the face of the Father; at the same time the Spirit fosters our attention to the poor and the outcast – those who will be first in the Kingdom He proclaimed.

-  To follow Jesus involves abandoning anything that hampers our ease of movement, our unconditional availability to Him and to those to whom He has sent us.

-  If we embrace this following/imitation seriously we will tread the road Jesus trod; our eyes will always be set on those who are far off, the marginalized – those privileged mission areas that are our “Samaria” and “Transjordan.”

4.  The need for study and commitment to reading

Why do I mention this?  Because even a cursory glance at our missionary personnel will reveal more darkness than light.  We see missionaries so consumed with demanding and stressful work that they devote less and less time to study or reflection.  Others admit they are little inclined to study because of the cultural/intellectual barrenness of their mission country; there is little theological activity in the local churches where they work; there is a poverty of culture or thought.

I may be mistaken but I detect little inclination among our missionaries in the field to read or pursue professional formation outside school.  In our mission communities books of quality or serious periodicals are either not found or are little read.  How many missionaries read at least five or six books of theology or other subjects that can benefit their missionary and pastoral efforts?  Certain questions come to mind:  why do missionaries ask to do further studies for degrees when they are little inclined to study or read?  Why are there so few who after ten years of basic formation have developed study habits that aid their life and missionary work and feel the need to return to school? 

I recall the Founder’s clear and strong words on missionaries’ need to develop reading and study habits.  Speaking to young men in formation he was unequivocal:  “believe me:  you will do much or little good – or even bad – in proportion to the study you have or have not done.  A missionary without knowledge is an extinguished lamp” (VS, 185).  He cited Pietro Blessense, a writer on ascetics, who compared a priest without knowledge to “an idol of sadness and bitterness” (ibid.)  An “idol of sadness and bitterness” for the mission and the Congregation, he added.  He was equally unequivocal on why we study:  for our own sanctification and for the mission.  A missionary has no other goals:  neither competitiveness, intellectual rivalry nor personal fulfillment (Cf. VS, 196).

5.  We should build communion, not exploit community

The last General Chapter declared: “To be together in fraternity and communion becomes a method and a way of presenting ourselves to the world as a true apostolic community. Communion guarantees the value of our pastoral service; it is the objective of the Kingdom of God, to which our missionary work tends. Our Founder’s conviction on the indispensability of communion in the Mission is very strong indeed because: it pools together energies, it helps support one another in fidelity, and it guides the work of all towards common objectives” (Acts of the Tenth General Chapter, 34).

I feel no need to emphasize the importance of community, the value of communion or the unity of intention that our Founder extolled and are the hallmark of any ecclesial service in today’s world.  I would only highlight three principles that are especially relevant to us as missionaries.

-  We should not expect perfect communities.  Often young people complain that the community they found in the missions was not like the seminary – it does not have the same intensity.  We must never forget that both the Christian and the religious communities are not an elite – they are made up of people with limitations and imperfections.

-  We cannot expect to find communities already established.  It is up to us to build community.  Each of us contribute and make an effort.  We must foster collaboration and be quick to forgive or ask forgiveness.  Past experience of community can be helpful but it must not become our only criterion.

-  We should foster communication.  This is the secret – too often forgotten – that weaves the fabric of genuine community.  Communication is the responsibility of us all and especially of those who preside over communities.  Beginning in the seminary we must learn to communicate – and not just engage in small talk.  We must speak of our real life, the things that are close to our heart, how we experience God, our dreams for the mission, the most beautiful discoveries of our school days.

6.  Let us love the culture of others as we love our own

In our third millennium society globalization is creating a melting pot and multiculturalism is a fact.  This is true in every corner of the world.

It is not just contemporary society that is moving quickly towards a pluralist world where races and cultures live side by side – our Congregation is experiencing the same phenomenon.  Rather than a “melting pot” we hope to become the community of Pentecost – where although everyone spoke a different language but everyone listened to and understood each other.  Even less we do  want the differing ethnicities, cultures, languages and backgrounds to make our communities hotbeds of tension and antagonism.  We only hope that the Founder’s fond dream of Family can become a reality in our Congregation on all continents.  A multi-color, multicultural family, yes, but a family all the same.

In the next decades the Congregation will face several questions:  What do we want our missionary family to become?  What can we do to ensure that “unity of intention” Allamano saw as the basis of our relations?  How can we avoid the insidious temptation of xenophobia in our mutual relations?  How can we be credible witnesses in today’s world of life in common with openness, mutual respect: a harmonious coexistence of diverse cultures and races?

I don’t have answers to these questions, I can only point out elements that promote the spirit of that Pentecost community in our Congregation.

-  First we must believe that the path to follow is the one set out in our Constitutions:  “Our Congregation is international and includes members from different countries.  A missionary must learn to live and work with confreres from different cultures, and strive for unity in those aspects which are characteristic of our family” (23).

-  We must cultivate a spirituality that is not only open to others in their individuality and diversity but will foster a genuine process of conversion in each of us.  This conversion will increase trust in ourselves and in others; it will help us recognize our own limitations and reveal the dynamic of the Cross.

-  We must seek concrete means to promote – however gradually – life in community.  Making this “intercultural community” a reality may take a long time.  We must be patient, determined and full of faith.

-  Each of us must learn to love the culture of others as we do our own.  We must be committed to evangelizing not just the individual but his culture too – especially in its fragile and weak aspects.  We must not absolutize it – not even in its more positive aspects.

7.  Being a religious and a missionary is not a “personal advantage”

Only a strong faith that withstands every trial can sustain our vocation as Consolata Missionaries.  Faith does not involve only our prayer life – it includes our efforts to live always and everywhere “as God wills” according to the “logic of the Gospel.”

Even religious profession cannot protect us from being led astray by false values that run counter to the life we have embraced.  We must confront these false values one by one lest we risk “running or having run in vain.”  There is a general and universal temptation that I would call “personal advantage.”  Jesus had much to say about this to his disciples:  “Whoever seeks to save his own life will lose it; whoever is willing to sacrifice his life for me will find it.  What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his life?  What can a man give to get his own life back?”  (Mt 16,25-26).

When we said “yes” to the Lord’s call we knew the radical nature of our vocation.  We placed our lives and ourselves in his hands.  As time goes by the desire may arise to take back  what we have given; “self-fulfillment” and “narcissism” grow apace and we become ever less generous.  We may continue to cultivate our relationship with God but we push it to the periphery of our lives – God has less and less to say about the work we do.  We may even cease to live out our consecration according to the logic of the Cross – rather we seek our own self-interest and advantage:  greater comfort, power, applause, serenity, an academic career, benefits for our own family.

The chapter on vocation motivation is especially important for authentic vocation growth.  With the help of formation personnel we must study this chapter dutifully lest false, ambiguous, doomed-to-failure motivation leads us astray.  True growth in vocation motivation has three goals:  acquiring values and transforming them into life attitudes; cultivating the ability to discern and work on those things that temper our conduct;  realizing the centrality of the person of Christ; I must be committed to know and love him if I am to live as he lived.

8.  Affectivity must be confronted seriously and lived honestly

To respond to a vocation – any vocation – one must learn to love.  Developing the ability to love is indispensable for those like us, missionaries, who consecrate their lives to God on behalf of their brothers.  Without this ability an individual’s life is based on desires and ideas that may be helpful but cannot constitute the  foundation of a vocation lived well and joyfully.  Facing up to this formative dimension decisively and honestly is of capital importance.  The General Directorate’s experience in handling crises confirms our belief that too often – possibly out of false shame or harmful silence – scant attention is paid to young people’s affectivity during formation.

There are various obstacles a young person must overcome to achieve emotional maturity.

-  Although not identical, sexuality and affectivity are closely related.  The reticence about sexual matters inherent in certain cultures can seriously hinder the process of emotional growth.

-  The ubiquitous references to sex and the search for pleasure in today’s society have trivialized sexuality.  The current climate is not conducive to respect or the serious discussion of affectivity.

-  The problems an individual encounters with introspection, especially in the area of affectivity, are not insignificant.  Rather than submit to this type of “surgery” in the depths of his ego the individual denies or conceals his weaknesses.

-  Formation in love has its own rhythms which may not correspond to our impatience or the deadlines imposed on phases of formation.  We want to burn our bridges and too often this leads to unpleasant surprises and bitter regrets.

Given the nature of this letter I cannot really get into the subject of affectivity formation.  I will confine myself to a fraternal appeal:  be honest with yourselves and with your future; do not take decisive steps in your lives without being sure of your emotional maturity.  In this area be open with formation personnel and with those who are responsible for you.  Be willing to face even therapy if this is suggested and ask for it yourselves if you think it necessary.

9.  Poor so that we may be one with the poor

Two years ago the General Government sent a letter to the whole Congregation.  It was entitled “Poverty, Finances and Mission” to point out the path we must follow as disciples of Jesus, the Poor Man, today.  The invitation was addressed to all Consolata Missionaries.  They were to review all their actual life priorities and give an unmistakable example of poverty and greater identification with the poor.  I am certain that you too on an individual and community level joined in the study and discussion of this subject.

Both contemporary society and globalization force us to review the way we live continually.  Our message is only believable if we reject consumerism and the race to acquire ever more possessions.  We must demonstrate our ability to resist the urge to satisfy our whims.  Personal detachment from possessions, the courage to do without what is not needed, the desire to achieve greater coherence in our lives – all of these are the necessary predispositions for reaching the poor.

Each time I read the parable of the Good Samaritan I make the same examination of conscience – as an individual and as a member of the Congregation.  Spontaneously I think of our very full days planned to the minute and of ever  approaching deadlines.  I often see myself in the figure of the priest who hurried by or the Levite who passed without glancing at the wounded man at the side of the road.  We too run the risk of not noticing the poor, not recognizing them – not having time for them.  But attention to and love for the poor represent our qualifications for being missionaries, our raison d’ętre.   A missionary who is remote from the poor makes no sense.  Drawing close to the poor is the only way we can establish our future and that of the Congregation on a rock.  It is the only way to lay a strong, Gospel foundation for our vocation.  The poor will teach us to relish proclaiming the Gospel.  They will teach us the meaning of solidarity and generosity.  They will make us more ecumenical and universal.

I am happy that you have been able to combine pastoral ministry with service to the poor during your years in the seminary.  Their presence in your life – or rather your presence in their midst must become something logical and normal.  Through contact with the poor who are your neighbors you will learn to sympathize with the great “poverties” that beset peoples and continents.  We must not become inured to the many tragedies we see and read in the media daily.  We must seek to understand, discuss and comprehend what is happening.  While have no instant solutions for all these many enormous problems, we cannot live without seeking solutions. We cannot live without dreams especially when we are young.  The missionary dreams of a just world where solidarity and fraternity reign.

10.  Nazareth teaches us the importance of daily life

This final point is prompted by the document “Starting Afresh from Christ” where we read: “It is precisely in the simple day-to-day living that consecrated life progressively matures to become the proclamation of an alternative way of living to that of the world and the dominant culture” (6). In the Gospel we find three stages in the life of Jesus:  Nazareth, the public life, the passion.  The part of his life most likely to be overlooked is the first one.  We may ask: why thirty years?  What purpose did they serve? Apparently it is a mystery but it can tell us many things.

-  We must not liken the thirty years in Nazareth to our own initial formation. Those thirty years represent a dimension that is intrinsic to the entire human life.  Daily routine exists in every time and place.  Routine, repetition, the simplicity of our activities … To live this daily life with the spirit of Nazareth implies living fully and lovingly, conscious of the fact that this is how we build the Kingdom of God.

-  To attach importance to every action, even the least significant, to every encounter with the common people among whom we live; to be willing to “waste time” giving ourselves to others and serving them.  We must value those little acts of friendship that create better relations with others.

-  Whatever our age this spirit can help us grow and mature through repeated examples of love freely given in daily life.  This is the “monotonous” charity with which we approach those the Lord has placed at our side.  We must never forget that God gives us the “brothers” with whom we live out the mission and become saints.  It is easy to love those who are far away but difficult to put up with those who share our daily lives.

-  Nazareth teaches us the practice of poverty in that decisions about projects, plans, means to employ, people with whom we collaborate are not our own …  Jesus accepted all these things from his Father.  For us as disciples of Jesus poverty involves accepting the limitations of the world in which we live, the lack of means, the discomfort.

-  The ability to push ahead with our daily, calm and clear witness, is an integral element of the missionary spirituality we learn from the mystery of Nazareth.  Generosity, fidelity to duty, prayer and service are all part of this witness.  The missionary’s life consists of all these elements!

-  Finally Nazareth shows us the importance of human mediation.   Jesus “grew in age and grace” cherishing the teachings of his mother, Mary; submitting to Joseph’s paternal authority.  The community and its leaders play this role for us.  In the words of Qohelet:

“Two are better than one;

Working together produces more.

If one falls the other will help him

But if one is alone and falls

There is no one to help him get up”  (Qo 4,9-10).

Conclusion

This letter is longer than I anticipated – but there are still so many things I would like to share with you!  However I do not think it important to list here everything that may contribute to the growth of your missionary vocation – the many documents provided by the Congregation during your formation meet that need.  My purpose in writing was to tell you how much present you have been to the General Government and to the whole Congregation. You were in our daily prayers and whenever we were reflecting on formation, but especially when we had to confirm the admissions to Perpetual Vows or Sacred Ordination.  We were doing this duty of ours with joy when there were no problems. And when the decision was not so easy to be taken, we would approach it with “fear and trembling.”  In difficult cases we would rely on prayer to the Holy Spirit, and find comfort in the knowledge that we were seeking only the good of the individual, the Congregation and the mission.

I close with the wish that you will always be free and happy living out your vocation within our Congregation.  Freedom is indispensable for disciples of the Teacher from Nazareth.  Concentrate on what is essential and make it your own.  Be happy in the knowledge that there is no other vocation that can bring more satisfaction.

I entrust you to Mary, the Consolata, our Mother, with the assurance that as a mother she will help you through every difficulty you encounter in formation.  She will be your companion in following Christ, her Son.  I pray that what was said of the Apostle John may be said of each of you: “And the disciple took her into his home” (Jn 19,27).

With the Blessed Founder I bless and greet you with affection.

Father Piero Trabucco, IMC

(Father General)