Passion for Mission
121. Even sacrificing one’s life. St. Augustine tells us that apostolic zeal is the result of love and in fact is the same thing. Not any love but an intense and burning love. Apostolic zeal is the defining characteristic of a missionary. We do not go to the missions on a whim or as a tourist but out of love for God and this love is inseparable from love of neighbor. As missionaries – more even than as Christians – we are committed to promoting God’s glory through our work to save souls.[1] This is the purpose of our own special vocation. We must have so much love that we are even willing to sacrifice our lives. Without this sort of love you may well have the name “missionary” but you do not have the reality or the substance.
Dionysius the Areopagite wrote that collaborating in the salvation of souls is the most divine of
God’s works. God uses us: St. Paul says, “we are in fact collaborators with God” (I Corinthians 3,9). Think of it: co-workers with God for the salvation of mankind! It is almost as if God needed our help. The Church entrusts us with the great mission it received from the Risen Lord: to proclaim the Gospel. This is the supreme work.
Creation, Incarnation, Redemption, descent of the Holy Spirit – all of these events have one goal: the salvation of mankind. “Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (II Timothy 2,10). God Himself asks us to be part of this endeavor – who can reject His invitation? Is there anyone of us who does not think of his vocation as a blessing?
“I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide” (John 15,16). This call is a great gift Jesus gives us but it implies an obligation on our part. “Woe is me if I do not preach the Gospel! (I Corinthians 9,16). Remember it is not enough that we preach – we must devote ourselves to all the work and sacrifice the life of an apostle requires whatever the cost. “We must work and work,” St. Joseph Cafasso always said, “we will have time enough to rest in heaven.” We should have no regrets if our missionary commitment wears us out. Like St. Francis Xavier we must devote ourselves to prayer.
122. To be apostles we need fire. Seeking the peace of a monastery as a means to avoid work is not love of God. This is the time of work and sacrifice! Let us make our own the words of Paul: “I do everything for the Gospel” (I Corinthians 9,23). Everything! I will wear myself out, I will sacrifice myself. We must present the Lord not vague intentions or desires but genuine apostolic work.
St. Bernard says an apostle must be enflamed with charity, filled with knowledge and constant. The genuine apostle is enflamed with charity, with the passion to know and make Our Lord known; he seeks not his own good but that of others. Jesus said, “I came to bring fire to the earth and how I would like to see it spread!” (Luke 12,49). An apostle must have fire. If we are neither hot nor cold, if we are only lukewarm we will never succeed in anything. A human being is alive to the extent that he works for love of God. We can maintain intimacy with the Lord and work at the same time. If there is love, there is zeal: this means that we will never be reluctant nor will we place any limit on our devotion to the missions. What we can do today must never be put off until tomorrow. Those who do not burn with this divine fire will never be missionaries!
Our apostolic commitment must be supported and perfected by knowledge. I have already spoken to you about this. We must be knowledgeable and therefore we must study; we must begin right now to learn all that is necessary and not expect a later miraculous infusion of knowledge. A parish priest wrote to me: “There is a cleric here that isn’t very intelligent – but good enough to be a missionary.” This is outrageous! Not ‘good enough to be a missionary’ – keep him yourself. The missions need knowledgeable people.
Finally, the genuine apostle is stable – he is both patient and constant. Constancy means not getting discouraged when results are disappointing. St. Bernard tells us “God expects you to treat an illness – not cure it.” In other words we must proclaim the Gospel and God will work the conversions. We are eager to do good and long for the day we can accomplish something. To long for the day we will leave for the missions is a good thing as long as our goal is to proclaim the Gospel. We need not worry there is room and work for everyone. Let us take courage! The Lord thirsts for souls and it’s up to us to quench that thirst. He wants everyone to know the truth and achieve salvation and He wants us to be the instrument to accomplish this. If we could only understand God’s will in this. We must cultivate these feelings beginning right now; we must prepare for mission with prayer, study and work; we must do this preparation conscientiously because one day it will help us do good.
During Eucharistic Adoration we sing Psalm 116 which has special meaning for missionaries. It is almost a duet between evangelizers and those being evangelized. In the first verse the people are called to give glory to God: “Praise the Lord, all you peoples; give him glory all you nations” (v. 1). The second verse expresses our gratitude for the Lord’s mercy: “because his love for us is great and his faithfulness endures forever” (v. 2). All of us together – we and they – are united joyously in a song of praise and thanksgiving to God for calling people to the faith.
Gentleness
123. Jesus is our model. The importance of gentleness is clear in the teachings and example of
Jesus: “Learn of me for I am meek and humble of heart” (Matthew 11,29). One need only read the Gospel to discover how Jesus loved and practiced gentleness. When the Jews accused Him of being possessed by the devil He replied simply: “I have no devil” (John 8,49). All through His passion He remains silent – and when He does happen to say something His words are gentle: “Why do you strike me?” (John 18,23). And how very gentle He is with the apostles! To Judas in Gethsemane He says: “Friend, have you come here for this?” (Matthew 26,50). According to St. Paul gentleness was Jesus’ defining characteristic. “I entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ” ( II Corinthians 10,1). St. Peter too emphasizes this virtue of Jesus: “When he was reviled he did not revile in return” (I Peter 2,23). Isaiah too presented the Messiah as a gentle lamb: “He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth” (Isaiah 53,7). Jesus reveals Himself to us as a model of meekness – something to be embraced and imitated. Believe me missionaries have much need of this virtue.
124. Necessary in mission. In the missions we will find gentleness of extraordinary importance. We may think it necessary to be gentle now but what will happen in the missions? If we are easygoing we may think we are already gentle. But this is not enough – we must possess the virtue of gentleness. Violent episodes in the past have alienated people. Allow me to say – with genuine sorrow – how much I disapprove of missionaries who in spite of my advice have used harsh words and have even struck local people. I wept when I heard this and I prayed that the Lord would make the victim overlook this awful conduct. Another missionary noted in his diary: “People still recall how harsh that priest was.” We must not deceive ourselves: our anger is not apostolic zeal. We may think anger is sometimes justified – it is not. I am very attached to gentleness. Experience teaches us that missionaries will accomplish good to the extent they are gentle. Never forget how very important I think this virtue is.
125. Work on our heart. Gentleness is a moral virtue that is absolutely necessary in our relations with others if we hope to achieve any good. The Lord tells us: “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5,5). This means that the meek will be masters of their own hearts and eventually masters of the hearts of others and of God Himself. Ask the Lord to make you well acquainted with this virtue; ask Him to make you recognize its importance.
Anger is the opposite of gentleness. St. Thomas defines gentleness as “the virtue that controls anger according to right reason” – it keeps anger within limits: not excessive and not at the wrong time or place. It is not an easily acquired virtue; it takes time, effort and violence. To acquire this virtue we must struggle and face or at least not avoid things that upset us. St. Basil thinks gentleness the most elevated of virtues; it is the most important virtue for those who must deal with others.
Let us listen to Paul’s words to Titus: “Remember … be not contentious, be gentle and show meekness toward all men” (Titus 3,2). We must be as gentle as possible in our speech and actions on every occasion. We must be gentle when we are in a good or bad mood, when we are happy or suffering. We must be gentle with everyone – even the most difficult people. Paul goes on to say: “We also were once foolish” (Titus 3,3) – in other words we too have our shortcomings. If today we are no longer afflicted with anger we must have patience with others. This is the long-term, intense and formative commitment to which you are called and which you must embrace from this very moment if you want to be missionaries for all seasons. Learn self-control in the minor contretemps that arise now and you will be successful in the much more difficult problems to be encountered in the missions.
Energy and Constancy
126. Forge ahead with full determination. Mountain roads are full of curves; this makes them easier to navigate but it makes the journey longer. If we avoid the curves and go up directly the climb will be more strenuous but we will reach the top sooner. This holds true for our journey to holiness. We must not let ourselves be bogged down; we must straighten up and forge ahead with full determination.
Sometime we complain that we do not really enjoy what we do. This is easy to understand – we are unenthusiastic and less than generous. We would like the Lord to make us saints without any effort on our part – this is certainly not spiritual enthusiasm. This is how we are made: we begin with good intentions but cannot always sustain our enthusiasm.
Our life has value to the extent that we are working for ourselves and others. We would so like to spend hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament but alas can only spare a few minutes and then must go off and work. I always smile when I hear someone say there is so much work. The more work there is the more we accomplish if we work enthusiastically. This is the hallmark of a missionary. A genuine missionary knows how to double his efforts. If we are active we will have time for everything – and even time left over.
127. Value time. We must so respect and value time that we waste not a minute of it. St. Bernard tells us there is nothing more precious than time and adds there is nothing so little respected. Unfortunately we do not value time enough; we do not realize that every minute has enormous value for eternity. The saints held this gift – time – in great esteem.
There are so many ways we can waste time. We must examine ourselves closely. We can waste time by doing something wrong: being lazy, not doing the good we ought or not doing it as God would wish it. This must be our common determination: we must value time. If we do this we will one day reap the reward.
Cottolengo was a Canon at Corpus Domini Church. He could have led a peaceful life: praying the Office, taking walks, going to dinner without worry … But you know what he accomplished. I too could have led a life of ease: praying the office, dinner, reading the newspaper, taking a siesta … and then … and then die of boredom! Is this the life I should be leading? We are destined to love the Lord and we must do good – all the good possible. Act, act – our time is short. The Lord distributes His grace in direct proportion to the energy we expend. Do things well but do them with ease. Take a good look at what you accomplish and what you could do.
128. A high degree of strength. Missionaries must have a high degree of strength – this will serve them well in the struggles they encounter. Without strength of character it is easy to succumb to melancholy. Virtue should not be easily upset by cold, heat or discomfort. If you do not possess strength of character here you will not find it in the missions. Sometimes the smallest problem, something really trivial, can stifle our ability to do good and we drown in a sea of troubles. We must overcome those trifles and setbacks before they become serious. I do not want you to fantasize about future crosses like those who say “Oh, I will do this and I will do that …” and then they do nothing. It’s a bad thing for a community to fall into a rut; we must shake ourselves up and work with enthusiasm. Holy missionaries are not wishy-washy. The goal of our Congregation is to form heroic missionaries! There is no greater unhappiness than to live in community without enthusiasm. The Lord does not bless laziness. We should not drag ourselves lifelessly along the road to holiness – but rather move forward by pushing ourselves!
Our greatest mistake is to think we have given ourselves totally to the Lord. We are virtuous as long as we are not put to the test – but at the slightest setback our holiness evaporates. Each of us must be willing to affirm: whatever the cost I will respond totally to God – not my will but His be done! I have already mentioned St. Francis de Sales’ words: “If I discovered a single thread in my heart that did not belong to the Lord I would rip it out mercilessly!” How many such threads are there in our hearts? The threads of pride, gluttony, jealousy, uncharitableness. We must strive to eliminate all these shortcomings. Energy, enthusiasm is a gift the Lord gives to those He loves. Don’t lose courage.
129. Constancy. There must be stability in missionary work. A small good work carried through to completion is worth more than grandiose projects left half finished. Constancy is a missionary’s endowment. St. Paul urges us to run the race and reach the finish line (Cf. I Corinthians 9,24). Sometimes we spend one day running and then we grow tired and slow down. We must be even tempered. One day running and the next doing nothing – this is not good enough. When we know something should be done we must carry it through to completion. We must know how to exercise self-control and be always even-tempered.
We can apply the parable of the mustard seed (Cf. Matthew 13,31-35) to those little things we do in community that are valuable in God’s eyes because they are done for love of Him. We must be constant in doing these small tasks – not do them one day and then omit them the next. We are ready to do the big things but grow easily bored with small daily tasks. Today we do everything we should … perfect obedience … heartfelt charity … but then tomorrow … we are not constant! But this is precisely what constitutes holiness – to do the little things well and always. Cardinal Gaetano Bisleti was a fan of Cafasso and used to say: “I have never seen a saint like him.” The heroism of his virtue consisted in constancy. Heroism was not found in miracles but in his ongoing commitment – he was always there ready to do good and not waste time. Many want to become saints but those who want it constantly, every single day, are few. Remember, holiness requires constancy and determination. Whoever wants to become a saint must correspond to God’s grace day by day, hour by hour, from morning to evening and never give in to moodiness or whim. We must serve the Lord with ongoing and enthusiastic fidelity. A genuine missionary must have spirit, determination, unfailing constancy and an even temper.
Love like a family
130. A big heart. Love of God and love of our neighbor are so closely connected that we could call them a single love. Love of our neighbor must be supernatural – that is it must come from God and return to Him. Whoever loves his neighbor loves him in God and through God. It follows that whoever loves God must necessarily love his neighbor. We do not genuinely love our neighbor if we do so only because we like him, we hope to get something from him or there is some passion involved. Love of neighbor is a commandment the Lord refers to as “His own” and “new”: “This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15,12). “I am giving you a new commandment: that you love one another as I have loved you so you must love each other” (John 13,34).
St. Gregory the Great says that if we do not love our neighbor we should not proclaim the Gospel. St. Laurence Giustiniani agrees saying evangelization is essentially an act of charity and how can one communicate the fire if one does not have it? Missionaries must have a big heart overflowing with compassion for their brethren. Were they not led to become missionaries out of the desire to do good for their neighbors and save souls?
For a priest especially – everything reinforces this love of neighbor: at the altar he, like the sacrificial victim, offers himself to the Lord for the remission of his sins and the sins of the people; the sacrament of reconciliation where he exercises charity, patience and compassion; this holds true for all of his services. The priest and more especially the missionary is the man of charity.
“Charity thinks no evil” (I Corinthians 13,5). I am not talking about those fleeting thoughts or judgments that pass through our mind and which we forget or ignore. I am referring to voluntary and consensual rash judgments. We ignore our neighbor’s many good qualities and focus on his small defects. Not infrequently we judge his intentions – something only God can do. “Man looks at appearances and God sees the heart” (I Samuel 16,7). Even when we see something that is clearly wrong we must excuse the intention involved – ignorance or inadvertence. Our Lord has warned us: “Judge not lest you be judged, condemn not and you will not be condemned” (Luke 6,27). In the Imitation of Christ we read: “Look at yourself and do not rush to judge the actions of others.” St. Francis de Sales tells us “If an action has a hundred interpretations look at the best one.” How often we see the speck in our brother’s eye and ignore the beam in our own. “The measure with which you measure unto others will be measured out to you” (Luke 6,38).
Above all do not grumble about your neighbor. It is easy enough to speak ill of others but repairing the damage done is not so easy. We will never regret not having spoken less; we will always regret having said too much. There are so many good things we can say without including bad things. We can always give good advice, a word of comfort or encouragement and above all good example and prayer.
Sometimes we repeat things we have heard inaccurately and this can cause problems. This can happen so easily! Often this occurs without any malice on our part but it is a fact that what we have said is not accurate – we either say something that is not true or we exaggerate. How much damage can occur in a community if one or two tell inaccurate stories. Our speech should be prudent. Not everything that is true need be said. Above all our conversations should be charitable: it is so very easy to be uncharitable when speaking about others.
131. Love each other like brothers and sisters. To speak about charity amongst ourselves seems almost offensive. And yet Our Lord so often repeated his command of fraternal charity. St. John did little else but recommend mutual charity – so much so that he was called the Apostle of Charity. In the last years of his life he repeated over and over “My sons, love each other.” And when his followers complained about hearing the same thing over and over again he would say: “This is the Lord’s command – if you do this you are doing everything.” Speaking about this St. John Chrysostom commented: “A brief sentence but it is great and conclusive!” I, like St. John, will continue to repeat the same thing hoping you will remember it when you are in the missions.
Especially towards the end of their lives the founders of religious congregations urged their sons and daughters to practice mutual charity. I will do the same thing: these are my last words to missionaries leaving for the missions. If they came here to ask “Is there charity?” We would answer, “Yes, perfect charity.” One day I put this question to the superior of our sisters. She almost seemed offended … but I am a skeptical man, always doubting. I want to be able to say: “Many other virtues may be lacking but there is charity.” I will send down lightning from heaven if I see that you are not being charitable.
There are always problems when people live in community but we must be careful not to break the spell of charity. We must not deceive ourselves: if we do not have charity here we will not have it in the missions. If we do not cultivate genuine and perfect charity now our witness later will be counterproductive. I want to see charity flourishing. We cannot love our far-off neighbors if we do not have charity for those we see every day here and now. Unless we are rooted in fraternal charity we will encounter problems we cannot handle and will ask for a new assignment or that one or another of our colleagues to be transferred. This should never be the case! We must change ourselves and remain on the job. We must examine ourselves closely on the subject of our fraternal charity here and now among our present companions and not on the charity we will practice in some future situation with as yet unmet colleagues.
A parish priest once went to Don Cafasso to ask for an assistant – but he wanted a specific type of assistant. Cafasso listened to all the good qualities the priest wanted his assistant to possess and then said to him: “Listen, my dear Pastor, just outside the residence here there is a maker of statues in the square. Go there and have him make you an assistant that fits your specifications.” What about us? We must take people as they are. Because someone has shortcomings does this mean he should be transferred? If a missionary were willing to do only and always what pleased him how could he possibly get along with his co-workers? We must have patience and the ability to overlook certain things; we must see if our charity is the sort described by St. Paul – is it without ambition, not seeking its own way, etc. I do not want there to be even a trace of uncharitableness amongst us. We must love everyone equally and be willing to give our lives for our brothers and sisters.
The first Christians were of one heart and mind. When they shared the possessions they brought to the apostles they did not give a fixed amount to each but to each according to his need. Acting in this fashion guaranteed equality. Absolute equality would have been a mistake.
132. Signs of fraternal charity. There are four signs that determine if we have genuine fraternal charity: to rejoice at others’ joys and good fortune; to suffer with those who suffer; to correct our defects out of love for others and put up with the shortcomings of others; forgive offences and be kind to those who have offended us.
“Be happy with those who are joyful” (Romans 12,15). Do we do this? Do we rejoice at the good fortune of our brothers and sisters? Yes, if the good fortune of others prompts us to say “Whether it is me or them does not matter as long as God is served.” It can be difficult to feel real joy when someone else succeeds in some endeavor. Envy makes it difficult to take pleasure in someone else’s success as if it were our own. It is difficult to share someone else’s joy. We must rejoice at the good fortune of our brothers and sisters; we must be pleased if someone in our congregation is more learned or holier than we are. We should never utter words that detract from another’s reputation nor should we be among those who never say an admiring word of others. Let it be understood, I’m not saying we should flatter the successful but a word of congratulation or sharing in their happiness is not out of place.
“Weep with those who are weeping” (Romans 12,15). We should not intrude upon their grief but should share in it respectfully: a prayer, a favor, etc. There are so many little gestures that are not showy but can comfort or console a brother or sister in pain. If our finger hurts our whole body is in pain – this is how it should be in our community. If we see a brother or sister suffering we should come immediately to his assistance. We should be willing to sit up all night with a sick brother or sister. If a confrère’s parent dies we should feel the grief he is enduring. How ugly it is when we do not share others’ suffering. Is it not often the case that a word of cheer can break the spell of melancholy or difficulty?
“Bear each other’s burdens” (Galatians 6,2). Strive to eliminate the shortcomings that bother our neighbors. These are the first defects we must work on; they may derive from our personality or our way of speaking and acting. At the same time we must bear with the defects of others. We must try to correct these defects fraternally or otherwise learn to bear with them patiently. Who is without defects? Charity puts up with everything: the insensitivity of one, the contrariness of another, the comfortableness of those who cause us discomfort, etc. A little charity can adjust and even things out. Without charity common life would be unbearable. We are like so many fragile vessels placed side by side that annoy one another. The Imitation of Christ puts it well: “If you want to keep peace and harmony with all your brothers you must practice self-control in so many things.” We must bear patiently with the shortcomings of others whether they are physical, moral or intellectual. If we do not become accustomed to putting up with each other we will find ourselves moving from one assignment to another in the missions. It’s painful to think a missionary who has made so many sacrifices – leaving home and family, bearing with criticism and mockery – is unable to bear with his or her co-workers!
“Be ye angry and sin not; do not let the sun set on your anger” (Ephesians 4,26). Talking about forgiving offences to missionaries may seem absurd since we repeat so many times each day “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” (Matthew 6,12). We must forgive all the small offences that deliberately or otherwise occur. If we cannot excuse ourselves (sometimes it is not even necessary) we must approach and speak with the person concerned. What a dreadful thing it is when two people are not speaking to each other. How can we preach forgiveness of our enemies if we do not provide the example. We may think this does not apply to us. It applies to all of us. Never let evening fall before all is made up. Do you know what the Gospel says about this? “If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave there your gift before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5,23-24). The Gospel does not say “if you have wronged your brother” but rather “if your brother has something against you go and be reconciled with him.” Who is holy that he does not on occasion say something that might be offensive? These are things the Lord allows for the sake of our humility. Why then should we be offended? Why should we be resentful? We must have a big heart. Did Our Lord not provide us with a wondrous example by asking His Father to forgive the men who were crucifying Him. And are we incapable of forgiving the small things that offend us?
In a circular letter I sent to missionaries in Africa I wrote that even saints can have differences of opinions and on occasion they can defend these differences somewhat aggressively. I quoted St. Paul, “Do not let the sun set on your anger” (Ephesians 4,26). Whether we are right or wrong we must reconcile immediately. Do not wait a day, an hour or even five minutes – reconcile immediately. Then people will say “look how the missionaries love each other.” And this love will spread to others. One sign that we have really forgiven an offence is to pray for and wish well to whoever may have offended us. Again let us listen to St. Paul: “Love one another with brotherly love” (Romans 12,10). We must really love each other with brotherly love. I can only hope that you will never forget these words of mine.
133. “Esprit de corps”. The Apostle Paul explains why Christians should preserve their unity: “There is but one body, one spirit and you were called in the one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all” (Ephesians 4,4-6). What St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians is even more applicable to us who form a moral body; through our religious, priestly and missionary vocation we form a spiritual union. This union is necessary for all of us if we are to have genuine peace in the community. How often I have spoken of this! St. Paul never tired of urging Christians to be united and neither shall I let up saying something that is for the good of each and all of us. This unity is something beautiful and holy – one might call it the community’s greatest possession.
For true charity there must be unity – a unity that embraces everyone. One for all and all for one. I repeat: this is absolutely necessary in a community. Where this unity does not exist there is only ruin. Whatever the cost we must do all we can to create this unity. We form a single moral body and there ought to exist amongst us the same unity that prevails among the members of a physical body. This unity is necessary if we are to be strong and live in peace. Unity makes us strong. Unity turns us into a strong and well-equipped army (Cf. Canticle 6.5) capable of overcoming all enemies and obstacles. Disunity, on the other hand, destroys community.
Every congregation has its own particular purpose which requires the cooperation of all to achieve it. In this fashion are working the members of well organized congregations who, without thinking they are superior to others, prefer their own and strive to improve it constantly. We may think of ourselves as lowly, the most recently arrived on the scene but at the same time we are happy to belong to our congregation and we cultivate the notion that the Lord has blessed us by calling us to this family. We must love our community as we love our vocation. In this way we will establish a like-mindedness that leads us forward in unity. A community in which this unity exists cannot fail to do good. Therefore strive to achieve and maintain it. Unity is the essence of charity.
134. Family spirit. St. Peter wrote: “Above all preserve great charity amongst you” (I Peter 4,8). Charity is the defining characteristic of the true disciples of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We know what was said about the early Christians: “Look how they love one another.” I know that we practice brotherly love but still we must be watchful and examine ourselves often to see if our charity is total. We may at times be charitable but not with everyone and not in every situation. At times we follow our own instincts and forge ahead paying no attention to others; at times we are selfish. Others are afraid to approach us, afraid of how we will react. This is not good; this does not constitute a family spirit. None of us should ever say: what do I care? We should care – all of us – if we are to become holy and learned missionaries.
Our charity must not be just spiritual, it must be material charity. We must help each other, share our burdens and lend a hand when there is work to be done. How beautiful it is when the members a community compete in helping each other. That is genuine charity. Is not this how things are done in a family? We must have the same practical love brothers and sisters exhibit: we must treat each other with kindness and do those little things affection dictates. We are not statues with no connection to each other. Each of us must feel and be interested in the good of the community; we must be vital and likeminded members. I want there to be – and there ought to be – brotherly love. I want each of us to do good too and rejoice and suffer with our brothers and sisters. We must help each other in every way we can. We must practice the kindness, helpfulness and affection of those who really love one another. Remember our Congregation is not a school or a seminary – it is a family. We are all brothers; we must live together, prepare together and then work together all our life long. In our Congregation our unity must be such that we are willing to lay down our lives for one another. “No man has greater love than this – to lay down his life for his friends” (John 15,13). We must love each other as brothers: if one suffers we all suffer; what is good for one is good for all of us. If all of us in the community tried to please each other what an ideal community it would be! “Behold how good and sweet it is for brothers to live together” (Psalm 132,1). How beautiful it is when we are all together – not like statues in a museum or prisoners in jail but like brothers and sisters in the same house – one big family!
135. Fraternal Promotion.[2] “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently” (Galatians 6,1). Fraternal promotion is an aspect of family spirit. We should be happy if others correct us and we should return this act of charity to them. Sometimes our shortcomings are apparent to everyone except ourselves. How helpful a word from a brother or sister would be! And yet we find this kind of charity difficult. We should not judge but when a fault is evident we should correct it. Is this not an obligation of charity?
Fraternal promotion must be done well, with discretion, in the appropriate way and at the right time – but it should be done. It should always be prompted by charity and charity must be done well. Do not be confrontational. We must be charitable with each other and then our community will be a community of spirit. “But,” you may object “doesn’t this contradict what you have said so many times – that we must put up with one another?” No, on the contrary. We must imitate the virtues and correct the defects with holy liberty. The one being corrected should accept the correction as if it came from God. If we want to create a sensitive and fraternal community we must help each other to overcome our shortcomings with sensitivity and charity.
Love of the Cross and a spirit of sacrifice
136. Especially as missionaries. Near the end of His earthly life Jesus said to His Apostles: “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be turned over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him.” The Gospel continues: “The disciples did not understand any of this” and then as if it was still not clear the Gospel says: “Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about” (Luke 18,31-34). This is a lesson for us: after so many hours spent meditating on the passion of Our Lord and our duty to follow Him to Calvary we still have not understood this spirit in practice. We must love and embrace sacrifice as sinners, as Christians and even more so as missionaries.
Ask the Lord for a love of suffering. Speaking about St. Paul, Our Lord said to Ananias: “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name” (Acts 9,16). The Lord did not say that He would reveal sweetness and consolation but rather suffering. He did the same thing with the Apostles: He predicted what they would have to suffer for love of Him. This is how it will be for us. Therefore we must begin now to accustom ourselves to little setbacks so that we will be generous when even greater sufferings come. We must ask the Lord for the light and grace to understand His suffering as well as the strength to endure our own suffering. Without a spirit of sacrifice we will never be holy missionaries. When we first thought of becoming a missionary we may have even thought of martyrdom. But that was a fantasy – in reality we bristle before even little sacrifices. We must struggle against ourselves and against our nature which abhors suffering. We must conquer ourselves! We cannot expect the Lord to make us saints without our cooperation.
The Lord has given us an example of suffering in His body and His soul. The Letter to the Hebrews tells us this: “who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame” (Hebrews 12,2). All the saints followed in the footsteps of the Lord. St. Paul says, “Be imitators of me as I am of Christ” (I Corinthians 11,1). How many great physical and moral sufferings the great apostle endured! Bodily suffering: flogging, stoning, shipwreck; internal suffering in his ministry as he said “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches” (II Corinthians 11,28). The apostle’s example is a reproof to us and our scant tolerance of hardship, our quick discouragement in the apostolate especially when we do not see any response.
We must love the Cross – but not just poetically. It is easy to long for suffering when we are not actually enduring it – it is only when we are really in pain that we must demonstrate our strength.
To love the Cross is perfection but we must begin by learning to carry it.
We must all be convinced of the need for sacrifice if we are to be true disciples of Our Lord. Never forget that you are apostles and that souls are saved through sacrifice. There will be roses in the life of an apostle – but there will also be thorns, both physical and spiritual thorns. We may imagine ourselves ideal missionaries (all poetry) but we must never forget that souls are saved through and from the Cross: this is what Jesus did. God’s grace will never fail us and if we are generous in bearing the trials the Lord sends us we will be able to say with St. Paul: “I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds” (II Corinthians 7,4). Troubles should not stop us in our tracks, on the contrary they should prompt us to act like apostles.
We must learn the true spirit of sacrifice, even spiritual sacrifice. We must love suffering and learn how to suffer without letting everyone know about it. I want you to be strong! Then the Lord will bless us. One missionary with good will and a spirit of sacrifice can do the work of many. We must live a life of sacrifice from sunrise to sunset. True, to do everything for love of God, to surrender our own will and judgment, to carry our cross daily – this is a slow and prolonged martyrdom. A bloody martyrdom is probably more showy but this slow martyrdom is more valuable.
137. Mortification is not old fashioned. A missionary who has not acquired the habit and spirit of mortification can accomplish nothing. St. Paul tells us “Every athlete goes through training” (I Corinthians 9,25). In our day no one wants to talk about external, bodily mortification. We think it is good enough to mortify the spirit and that bodily mortification is not appropriate for our weaker constitutions – it is something only hermits should practice. You should not think like this.
Should we mortify our spirit? Certainly – no one denies this. Spiritual mortification is of primary importance. But spiritual mortification should be accompanied by bodily mortification. There are so many forms of bodily mortification that do no harm to our health – some even confer physical benefits. Should only hermits engage in physical mortification? No, even today there are so many people eager to be saints who fast, keep vigils and do penance.
External mortification is as necessary as internal mortifications. The Word of God and the example of the saints tell us this. The Lord Jesus fasted for forty days (Cf. Matthew 4,1-11). St. Paul chastised his body to gain mastery over it (Cf. I Corinthians 9,25). St. Vincent de Paul used to say: “Anyone who discounts external mortification practices neither internal nor external mortification.” Remember this, especially when you are in the missions. We must pray and practice mortification to obtain grace. I will always talk about internal mortification but never forget that external mortification is equally important.
138. The little sacrifices no one sees. I do not expect you to perform the great penances the saints practiced – although this would not be a bad thing. You can however make the little, daily sacrifices that make it possible to face up to the greater, more heroic sacrifices your later apostolic life may require. Unless you learn to practice self-control and virtue you will never be strong. If you want to sacrifice yourself you must pay attention to details. The Lord wants you to make small but continual sacrifices. Starting now you must mortify your senses: sight – do not seek to see everything even what is legitimate; hearing – do not be curious and try to hear everything; taste – eat with moderation and be satisfied with what the community provides; touch – respect your body which has been made holy by baptism, confirmation and the many communions you have received. You must get up quickly in the morning. This may seem unimportant but I believe being quick to rise we will foster a good spirit. It is such an ugly thing to start the day with laziness. The Lord wants this morning sacrifice – it will bring blessings down upon the whole day. If you do these things now you will be more generous in the missions. The greatest obstacle to becoming saints is a lack of constancy in making these sacrifices.
We must especially mortify our tongue. There is a time to speak and a time to keep silence. In his oh so beautiful epistle St. James speaks at length about the good and evil one can do with the tongue. It is a small member, he writes, but boasts of so many things. With our tongue we can speak well and edify others; we can pray and sing the praise of the Lord. We can also use our tongue to say vane things – useless and inappropriate words. We can offend charity with criticism, grumbling and calumny. We can speak untruthfully, exaggerate, boast or show off, etc. (Cf. James 3,5). Do you think Jesus would say these things? How thoughtless and offensive are the words of one who cannot control his tongue and this vice is widespread. Who can calculate the damage or offense caused by a thoughtless word – especially when this word belittles the honor or reputation of our neighbor? It is so very easy to sin with the tongue! St. James writes: “If anyone is never at fault with what he says, he is a perfect man” (James 3,2). Ben Sirach says: “Blessed is the man who does not sin with his tongue” (Sirach 25,8).
You might think, “It is better to be silent and never speak again!” If you were to remain here, within these walls, I might agree with you. But you are neither Carthusians nor Trappists. You cannot remain forever silent – but you must think before you speak. St. Ambrose asked himself: “Maybe it would be better to remain forever mute” but then he answered “No.” A rule of thumb might be: either keep silent or say things that are better than silence. St. Francis de Sales develops this thought: “Our speech should be infrequent and good, infrequent and sweet, infrequent and simple, infrequent and charitable, infrequent and agreeable.” We must speak with moderation, prudence, charity and piety.
Patience
139. Indispensable in mission. Patience is a great virtue all must practice but it is absolutely indispensable for missionaries. Speaking of the virtues an apostle must exhibit St. Paul patience coupled with strength in first place. “Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger” (II Corinthians 6,4-5). The necessity and importance of patience is evident. Experience teaches us that the extent of a missionary’s patience will have a direct bearing on the conversion of souls. We can never be patient enough. We all need this virtue because we must practice it at all times.
The excellence of this virtue Is a”pare’t from the Word of God. During His passion the Lord showed the greatest patience and endured every sort of suffering; he displayed the greatest gentleness with Judas, with those who flogged Him and with those who crucified Him. St. James writes that we must have patience if we are to achieve perfection: “Patience must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1,4). St. Cyprian who was himself a strong spirit speaks well of patience: “Patience makes us dear to God, it controls our anger, bridles our tongue, rules our mind, keeps the peace, orders discipline, blocks the onrush of lust …” He goes on to praise this virtue in the most extravagant way. Patience is the underpinning of all the other virtues – without patience they would fail.
Patience is the virtue that moderates our sadness at misfortune; it controls our impulses; it withstands adversity and keeps us even-tempered; it helps us bear hardship with serenity. We will encounter two types of misfortune in this life: internal and external. External misfortunes would be: loss of property or relatives, malice directed at us, disrespect, illness or some other sort of discomfort. The internal misfortunes are: boredom, interior darkness, spiritual aridity, disgust, scruples. All of these phenomena sadden the heart and require patience to be endured. The Lord suffered these things in Gethsemane but He did not lose courage. We must learn how to endure these trials without being overwhelmed by sadness. A glance at the crucifix can put everything in perspective.
140. Ongoing effort. There are degrees in the practice of patience. Those who endure bad things without rebelling practice the first degree; they may complain or seek consolation and comfort in their moment of need. This is virtuous if we bear with our trials out of love of God – but it is the least we can do. Those who endure everything, resign themselves to the will of God and neither complain nor seek comfort are practicing the second degree of patience. Those who accept trials not just with resignation but with joy are practicing the third degree of patience. They so love God that they almost do not feel the discomfort. This was the case with the martyrs – they so wanted to become one with Jesus Crucified that they overcame pain.
This is the degree of patience Jesus proposes and for which we must strive. We do not so much enjoy the bad things that happen as relish the chance to become more like the Suffering Jesus – to cooperate more effectively in saving souls. The apostles were beaten and dragged before tribunals for the love and name of Jesus – but they were happy to experience this (Cf. Acts 5,41) as was St. Paul. His only boast was in the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Cf. Galatians 6.14). St. Peter urged Christians “But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (I Peter 4,13).
We must begin with at least the second degree of patience: we must not complain nor want people to feel sorry for us. This should be the case whether our sufferings are physical, moral or spiritual. Things will never go the way we want them to. We will always have some problem or suffering to endure. We must, therefore, forearm ourselves with patience and be committed to achieving the third degree of that virtue – that is accepting joyfully whatever setbacks we encounter. Without patience we will never have peace of mind, peace in the community or peace in the world.
There are many ways to achieve patience: we can ask the Lord for this virtue in prayer; we can overcome the little problems we encounter so that when really serious setbacks occur we meet them with courage. God allows these problems to arise – they are not the product of human malice. We must accept these crosses not just as coming from the Lord but sent because He loves us. When we are being tried we must look at the crucifix – this explains everything. Make frequent acts of surrender to God’s will and think of heaven.
You must exercise patience during your time of formation if you hope to have it later during your life in the missions. Sometimes our patience is so short! We are like glass – the slightest blow and we break. We must show ourselves superior to this weakness; we must be energetic in our efforts to overcome impatience. We must be patient in everything. If a missionary allows himself to be discouraged, if he does not react against sadness, what will he accomplish in mission? When we encounter some slight suffering it is a sign that the Lord loves us. We can never understand the mystery of tribulation clearly enough! Let us commit ourselves to the practice of this virtue. In this way we will achieve peace with ourselves and with others.
Humility
141. Jesus was the only truly humble one. The Lord Jesus declared, “Learn of me for I am meek and humble of heart” (Matthew 11,9). St. Augustine notes that He does not urge us to imitate Him as creator of the world, creator of all that is seen and unseen, worker of miracles, one who raises the dead – but as one who is meek and humble of heart. This is how He wants us to imitate Him. If He had asked us to imitate His extreme poverty or His total self-sacrifice – even to death on the cross – we could have pled that we were too weak. To imitate His humility is something everyone can achieve since this is natural to our human condition whereas for Jesus it was an “annihilation.” He was the only genuinely humble one. For this reason the Fathers called humility the “virtue of Christ.”
If we peruse the Gospel we discover that Jesus’ whole life is an example of humility. Jesus declared that His teaching was not His own but His Father’s: “My teaching is not my own but His who sent me” (John 7,16). When one addressed Him as good Master he replied, “No one is good – but God alone” (Mark 10,18). Had not the Father said of Him: “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3,17). Even though He was the Lord of the universe He did not hesitate to serve the Apostles – even to wash their feet. The greatest miracle of humility was His death with all the ignominy that accompanied it and which He fully accepted. “He humbled Himself becoming obedient unto death, even to death on the cross” (Philippians 2,8).
Jesus became humble of His own free will. Even though He could have avoided humiliation He accepted it. As was written about Him: “ill-treated he allowed himself to be humiliated and did not open his mouth” (Isaiah 53,7). He was not humiliated – He allowed Himself to be humiliated: “He humbled Himself” (Philippians 2,8).
142. Humble perforce. We are humble because it is our nature to be so – we are weak and defective. To be humble in words is no great accomplishment; we can do this and still retain a subtle pride. It is more difficulty to remain humble when we are being showered with praise. Out of prudence we are reluctant to reveal our real selves but in our heart we relish human glory although we feign nonchalance when we receive praise we have earned. This is not how Jesus was humble – He had a genuine love of humility.
Why do we talk so much about humility? Here is why: no other virtue no matter how splendid is solid unless it is accompanied by humility. St. Augustine was asked what was the first virtue and answered: “The first virtue is humility and the second is humility and the third is humility.” St. Jerome called it the virtue of Christians precisely because it is involved in every other virtue. Without humility even good things go bad.
To pray well we must have humility. Only the prayers of the humble reach heaven; the prayers of the proud do not, e.g. the Pharisee (Cf. Luke 18,10-14). The Lord takes into account the humility of a prayer. So too without humility there is no faith. How can a proud person submit his intelligence and reason to the authority of the Church? The proud person does not believe. Without humility there is no hope. How can we leave everything in God’s hands when we only trust ourselves. And what can we say about charity? The proud man loves himself and not the Lord. St. Augustine tells us “Where there is humility there is charity.” And the opposite of this is also true: where there is no humility there is no charity.
143. To serve with humility. Our status as missionaries is one of service – hence humility is absolutely necessary. Servants must be humble. Jesus said to His disciples: “The greatest among you will become the smallest, and the one who rules will be the one who serves” (Luke 22,26). Ben Sirach teaches us: “The greater you are the more humble you will be made” (Sirach 3,18). This is how Our Lady acted when she responded to the Angel’s message that she would become the Mother of God: “Behold the handmaiden of the Lord!” (Luke 1,38). St. Isidore calls our ministry a “ministry of humility.”
The virtue of humility is so very necessary for missionaries that without it they can accomplish nothing worthwhile. Do you want to become saints – you ought to – become as holy as possible? Commit yourselves to humility. Humility will help you practice all the other virtues. If anyone should be humble – it is certainly us.
Consolata Men and Women Missionaries must live with a vital spirit of faith, sacrifice, fraternal charity but above all deepest humility. We must convince ourselves of the need for this virtue; we should not fear humbling ourselves too much. If we are humble – collectively as a Congregation as well – the Lord will raise us up. I want our motto to be: “I shall protect him because he acknowledges my name” (Cf. Psalm 90,14).
144. Humility is truth. Humility involves a genuine understanding of ourselves. We know ourselves as we really are. This does not mean that humility requires that we think ourselves worse than we really are – no humility is a virtue and as such is based on truth not falsehood. Humility does not mean we go around saying “I’m good for nothing!” Often we say things like this while fishing for compliments. Some think it is humility to disdain their successes. No – virtue is always linked to truth. When we do something we do it as best we can. We should perhaps be slow to claim many talents but if we genuinely are gifted we should recognize this; all talents come from God and all success is His. Humility should be simple; do not do foolish things to avoid praise. Humility must be based on a genuine and appropriate understanding of our condition and our talents – both in the natural and supernatural order.
Let us look at ourselves. Naturally speaking what are we? Ashes and dust. What do we have that is really our own? Just as God gave us existence and keeps us alive so too all our gifts and talents come from Him. Therefore our body, soul, health, good looks and intelligence all come from God. “What do you possess that you have not been given? And if it has been given to you why do you boast about it as if you had not received it?” (II Corinthians 4,7). These same considerations are both true and valid and can be applied to the supernatural order. If we are Christians it is through God’s grace. We have been called to this house through no merit of our own. Rather the Lord has led us here. Good will itself is a gift of God. In the supernatural order everything comes from God. This helps us understand how the saints – even though they worked miracles – could remain humble. St. Paul says: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners— of whom I am the worst” (I Timothy 1,15). If we are to know, understand and be happy with ourselves as we really are we must ask God for humility every day.
145. Humility is not infused. Humility is not ordinarily given to us we must work for it. We acquire this virtue through repeated acts. Every time prideful thoughts pass through our mind we must repeat over and over: “God alone, God alone!” These interior acts will help us but are not enough. We need external acts, manifestations of our internal humility, as well. St. Thomas teaches us that interior humility will produce external signs, words and gestures. We should not boast nor should we belittle ourselves. When we are reprimanded or corrected we should control ourselves and not make excuses. We should do nothing to attract the attention of others, we should do nothing that feeds our pride. Above all we should accept willingly those humiliations the Lord sends our way. In this way we will be genuinely humble and it is only if we are humble that we will become saints.
To acquire a spirit of humility we must not be too attached to ourselves, to our opinions, knowledge, talents or the respect of others – all of these things can lead to pride. If we can convince ourselves that our heads are small, our intelligence limited and our ideas frequently wrong we can more easily accept the opinions of those who may be more experienced than we are. Remember, ask God for humility; be mindful of our own weakness and accept the humiliations God sends us.
As Sirach suggests we should be careful with our good name: “Take care of your name” (Sirach 41,12); or as Jesus said: “Let your light shine before men so that they see your good works and give praise to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5,16). However we must always work for supernatural goals and not to win the respect of others or advance our career – rather our goal must be to please God. Sometimes our self-absorption deceives us and we see the glory of God or the good of souls where there is really nothing else but our own advantage. Titles, positions, etc. all of these things are bagatelles – they are worth nothing. The Lord does not pay attention to titles.
I have been a superior for forty years now and it’s about time that I brought this to an end. I would be more than willing to leave the Consolata Sanctuary, the Ecclesiastical Residence, the Chapter of Canons … I don’t mean leave you but … For this reason I would like to repeat something I have said in the past. You kiss my hand and I have always let you do this but not any longer. I know that you love me but this is too much. Let’s stop this – you can kiss my hand when I am dead if you like. I am grateful for these demonstrations of respect but I do not want you to exaggerate. Moreover I no longer want to see myself referred to as “the very venerable.” I counted at least eight such references in the pages of Da Casa Madre – this is too much. If Cafasso is just a venerable should I be a “very venerable?” Only the Lord knows if I merit such distinction … don’t use this expression any more; I think it is an exaggeration. Let us imitate Our Lady and claim only our weaknesses – the honor and glory belongs to God (Cf. Luke 1,47-48).
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[1] Allamano used the expression “save souls” to describe the specific work of an apostle. We do not want to distort his thought but we regularly use the expression “work/collaborate to save souls.” This is in line with what Paul says in I Corinthians 3,9 – a text Allamano cited – where the apostles are described as “collaborators with God” for salvation.
[2] Allamano frequently used the expression “fraternal correction”. In these pages we have preferred the expression “fraternal promotion” which more closely reflects the language of current psychology. The content of what Allamano had to say about this practice however remains unchanged.