COMMENTARY
ON
PART ONE
The purpose of the Institute and its members. (Nos. 1-7)
Articles 1 – 3 The theology of the
consecrated life
Articles 4-7 The Josephite identity of our religious
consecration.
The purpose of the Institute and its members. (Articles 1-7)
Introduction to Part 1.
These first seven articles are a theological introduction to our religious life as Josephites. They lay the foundations on which the rest of the Constitutions are built.
Articles 1 – 3 deal with the theology
of the consecrated life. In fact we have a triple vocation (Baptismal, Religious, and Josephite). This triple vocation is used as the basis of
the noviciate formation programme in general use in the Institute.
Cfr Constitutions No 41.
Artricles 4-7 deal with the Josephite identity of our
religious consecration.
Article 1.
The
Christological basis of the Christian life. The universal call to holiness.
Text.
1. Christ in his own person, has revealed to us the
love of the Father and at the same time, the calling of all men. Moved by the
Holy Spirit, all Christians are bound
by their baptismal calling to tend towards the same ideal of holiness, each in
his own state of life. Christians follow Christ in his life of poverty and
humility; they shoulder his cross so that they can share in his glory.
Summary
Christ reveals to us both the love of the Father and the vocation of all men and women. (To love the Father and others as the Father loves them)
The Spirit we received at baptism empowers us to live out this universal vocation to holiness according to our state of life. (Married, unmarried, ordained, consecrated by the vows etc.)
All Christians share in Christ’s poverty and humility, they share his death and resurrection. (Romans 6.)
Commentary
Our Constitutions begin with Christ
revealing the Father’s love to all mankind and calling all men and women to
holiness. It is within this universal call that our vocation as religious and
as Josephites will be situated.
Baptismal consecration is a call to follow Christ in his poverty,
obedience and chastity. These are not the preserve of a few religious.
Lumen Gentium teaches
“All the
faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status are called to the fullness of the
Christian life and to the perfection of charity.” (No 40)
“In the various types and duties of life one and the
same holiness is cultivated by all who are moved by the Spirit of God, and who
obey the voice of the Father, worshipping God the Father in spirit and in
truth. These souls follow the poor Christ, the humble and cross bearing Christ,
in order to be made worthy partakers in His glory.” ( No 41)
At the time of Vatican II there was a great emphasis on the universal call to holiness and an unwillingness to suggest that a vocation to the religious life was superior to a vocation to the married life.
All those baptised into Christ are called to live the radicalism of the Gospel by following Christ. Lay men and women structure their lives according to the world in which we live but within those structures they are called to live the gospel. There may be times when there is conflict between the values on which they have built their lives and the values of the Gospel. In such circumstances they are called to take the radical decision of putting gospel values first.
Religious consecrate themselves to Christ through the evangelical counsels in order to structure their lives by the very radicalism of the gospel.
More recently the Papal document Vita Consecrata has developed this
teaching of Vatican II. Religious consecration is now described as a new and special consecration.
“For the mission of the lay faithful, whose proper
task is to “seek the Kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by
ordering them according to the plan of God, the consecration of Baptism and
Confirmation common to all members of the People of God is a sufficient
foundation.”
“Consecrated persons, who embrace the evangelical
counsels, receive a new and special consecration which, without being sacramental,
commits them to making their own – in chastity, poverty and obedience – the way
of life practised personally by Jesus and proposed by him to his disciples.
Although these different categories are a manifestation of the one mystery of
Christ, the lay faithful have as their specific but not exclusive
characteristic, activity in the world; the clergy, ministry; consecrated men
and women, special conformity to Christ, chaste, poor and obedient.” (Vita. Consecrata. No 31)
The papal document even refers to the objective superiority of the consecrated life.
The evangelical counsels, by which Christ invites some people to share his experience as the chaste, poor and obedient one, call for and make manifest in those who accept them an explicit desire to be totally conformed to him. Living "in obedience, with nothing of one's own and in chastity," consecrated persons profess that Jesus is the model in whom every virtue comes to perfection. His way of living in chastity, poverty and obedience appears as the most radical way of living the Gospel on this earth, a way which may be called divine, for it was embraced by him, God and man, as the expression of his relationship as the Only Begotten Son with the Father and with the Holy Spirit. This is why Christian tradition has always spoken of the objective superiority of the consecrated life. (Vita Consecrata 18).
The work of the Holy Spirit is placed at the beginning of our Constitutions. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that we attain holiness. In the past some spiritual books gave the impression that we carved out our own holiness by our efforts in prayer and the apostolate.
All Christians are empowered by the Holy Spirit to strive for holiness. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring us to the fullness of grace. Our effort is to open ourselves to the power of the Spirit.
“And that we might live no longer for ourselves but
for him,
He sent the Holy Spirit from you, Father, as his first gift to those who believe, to complete his work on earth and bring us the fullness of grace.” 4th Eucharistic Prayer.
The last sentence in this article refers to the theology of baptism according to St Paul Romans 6.1-11. Through our baptism we have been plunged into the death and resurrection of Christ. All Christians are called to live out their baptismal consecration by following him is his life of poverty and humility. We all share in his cross so as to share in his glory. We are a Good Friday People and an Easter People.
The 1983 Code of Canon Law makes the same point very clearly (Canon 204 §1) A good commentary on Canon Law is a valuable asset.
Article 1.
References
Lumen Gentium 41. Canon 204§1. Redemptionis Donum 7.
Vita Consecrata 18, 31 and 35.
Article 2.
The vocation to the
religious life.
Text.
2. Right from the very beginning
of the Church, many men and women have consecrated themselves to the Lord. They did
their best to follow Christ according to the
different gifts they had received, by imitating his virginity, his poverty and
his obedience even to accepting death on a cross. In this way they shared in a
special manner in his work of redeeming and sanctifying.
This is what religious life is: a
close imitation of the Lord Jesus Christ who prays, who preaches the Kingdom of
God, who heals and forgives, who blesses children, who passed among us doing
good, always conforming himself closely to the will of the Father who sent him.
It is to him that religious must give witness to believers and non-believers
alike. Now, the force of this witness will depend on the fervour of their
consecrated life.
Summary.
Men and women have consecrated themselves to following Christ by imitating his virginity, poverty and obedience. They do this according to the gifts they have received.
This consecrated life is a sharing in a special manner in Christ’s work of redemption and sanctification.
Religious life is a close imitation of Christ.
The Christ who prays,preaches, heals, forgives, loves children, always does good, always does the will of his Father.
Religious life is a witness of Christ to all.
Force of this witness depends on fervour of consecrated life.
Commentary
This article defines religious life according to the teaching of Vatican II. It is a consecration to the Lord, a following of Christ, a close imitation not only of his virginity, poverty and obedience but also his life of prayer and his apostolate to bring God’s kingdom into the world.
This article seeks to unite the prayer life and the apostolic life of a religious in the person of Christ. Consecration to Christ involves both. This is an important point. See Explanatory Note No 1.
Article 2.
References
Perfectae Caritatis 1. Lumen Gentium 42-44.46.
Canon 207 §2. Canon 573 §2. Redemptionis Donum 7.
Vita Consecrata 35.
EXPLANATORY NOTE No 1.
Apostolic life and Prayer life.
Some religious experience a tension between the demands of the apostolate and the desire to develop their life of prayer and contemplation. (See also Constitutions Art. 29)
Our Constitutions follow the teaching of Perfectae Caritatis and teach that contemplation and apostolic love should be combined.
“The members of each community should combine
contemplation with apostolic love. By the former they adhere to God in mind and
heart; by the latter they strive to associate themselves the work of redemption
and to spread the Kingdom of God.”
(Perfectae Caritatis. No 5)
This teaching is reiterated
by Pope Paul VI in Evamgelica Testificatio.
When your vocation destines you for
other tasks in the service of men – pastoral life, missions, teaching, works of
charity and so on – is it not above all the intensity of your union with the
Lord that will make them fruitful, in proportion to that union "in
secret"? In order to be faithful to the teaching of the Council, must not
"the members of each community who are seeking God before all else combine
contemplation with apostolic love? (Evangelica Testificatio 10).
Vita
Consecrata.
The more consecrated persons allow themselves to be
conformed to Christ, the more Christ is made present and active in the world
for the salvation of all.” (Vita
Consecrata 72)
Article 3.
The charism of the Founder
Text
3.
With his eyes fixed on this model, the Christ of the Gospels, and at the same
time spurred on by the ever-changing circumstances and needs which faced him
throughout his life, Canon C. G. Van Crombrugghe founded in 1817 a congregation
of religious which he was ever afterwards adapting. These religious were at
first called the Brothers of Mary and Joseph, and then the Josephites.
The Commentary
The Founder was inspired by the example of Christ described in article
No 2. He was also prepared to adapt his foundation as the needs of the changing
times. The Founder lived in a period of great change both politically and
economically.
The Josephites live their religious vows in fidelity to their founding
spirit and the subsequent spiritual heritage of the Congregation. Recent
documents of the Magisterium place great importance on the founding charism of
an Congregation and fidelity to it. (Cf Evangelica
Testificatio No. 11)
Vita Consecrata gives a very
clear and precise teaching on the importance of the spirit of the Founder.
“In
the first place, there is the need for fidelity to the founding charism and
subsequent spiritual heritage of each Institute. It is precisely in this
fidelity to the inspiration of the founders and foundresses, an inspiration
which is itself a gift of the Holy Spirit, that the essential elements of the
consecrated life can be more readily discerned and more fervently put into
practice.” (Vita Consecrata No 36)
The
General Chapter of 1996 called for a renewed interest in the founding charism
of the Institute.
Article 3
References
Perfectae
Caritatis 2b
Evangelica Testificatio No 11.
Congregavit nos No.46.
Vita Consecrata Nos 12, 36, 49,
61, 62, 72, 73, 80, 81, 97.
Article 4.
Josephite style of religious life. Three important
themes
Text
4. By following the evangelical
counsels and observing their
Constitutions, the members of
this Institute try their best to
conform themselves to the spirit
of the gospel, which remains the chief guiding principle of their life.
But, in perpetuating the spirit
of their Founder, they apply themselves in a particular way to rediscovering
the sense of family such as Jesus lived it on earth: by his loving obedience to
his Father, and by proclaiming that God is our Father; by his loving obedience
to Mary and Joseph; by his service and his love towards the family that his
disciples formed. Josephites are to do everything they can to cultivate among
themselves and to share with others, a spirit of charity which is attractive.
In this way they will draw all hearts towards the One who was the most lovable
of men.
Summary
Josephites
do their best to conform their lives to the spirit of the Gospel by living
their vows and following the Constitutions. (Cf the Gospels and the
Constitutions page 5.)
Josephites
devote themselves in a special way
to rediscover the sense of family as Jesus lived in on earth
- by
his loving obedience the the Father.
- by
proclaiming God is our Father.
- by
his loving obedience to Mary and Joseph.
- by
his love and service towards the family of his disciples.
Josephites
do all they can to cultivate an attractive spirit of charity among themselves
and among those around them.
The
aim of this attractive charity is the draw all those they come into contact
with to Christ, the most lovable of men.
Commentary
This
article contains some important themes that run through the Constitutions.
i)
The Gospel is the chief
guiding principle of our religious life.
Cfr Constitutions Nos 4 ,8, 17, 20-2 ,29-6, 30-1, 58.
Cfr Evangelica Testificatio No 4.
Vita Consecrata No 94.
ii)
The sense of family in the
Congregation. This key theme is developed in a variety of ways throughout the
Constitutions.
Cfr Constitutions Articles 4, 5, 6,
10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 25, 27-1,
33 -1,
34-2, 37, 38, 51-3.
Cfr Letters of the Founder. E.g.
1850-12-16. The expression
« religious family» appears constantly in the letters.
iii)
The importance of the
Fatherhood of God.
Cfr Constitutions Articles 4, 9, 20-1, 22, 30-1, 33-1.
Cfr
La
règle de la paternité in Jacques Jorrissen : Constant Van
Crombrugghe d’après sa correspodence. Part II, chapter VI. and Le
principe de la paternité. in Le visage idéal. No 5.
Article 4.
References
Evangelica Testificatio 12. Vita Consecrata 14.
Article 5.
The Apostolate.
Text
5.In
such a spirit, Josephites share among themselves as brothers the good works and
the duties of the religious family, in accordance with their abilities and the
requirements of the common good. The Christian instruction and education of
children and young people is the focal point about which the assignments are
assigned, and from which, more or less directly, originate the good works of
the Institute.
Commentary
The 1968 text was written at a time when education was the principle apostolic activity of the Congregation. Priestly ministry and mission ad gentes have been relegated to sub sections.
The Josephites have a triple apostolate.
*Education.
*Priestly work.
*Mission ad gentes.
These three apostolates will be developed in Part II, Chapter III of the Constitutions.
Just as the Founder was constantly adapting the Congregation to meet the needs of the Church and the country in his own time, so this work of adaptation has to go on today.
In some regions education has passed almost entirely into the hands of the laity. The Congregation needs to reassess its role in education in these regions.
The “Mission ad gentes” has also changed since the Constitutions were first drafted in 1968. The Congregation will need to reflect on its role in this great apostolate of the Church.
Vita Consecrata No 63 deals with the difficult question of
reassessing apostolates.
"This task which is difficult and often painful requires study and
discernment in the light of certain criteria. For example it is necessary to
safeguard the significance of an Institute's own charism, to foster community
life, to be attentive to the needs of both the universal and particular Church,
to show concern for what the world neglects..." (Vita Consecrata No 63)
The
General Chapter of 1996 discussed the apostolate of the Congregation at great
length and came to this conclusion.
Whatever their field of apostolate, the
Josephite’ essential mission is the evangelisation of young people and their
Christian education.
The school is a special place in which to carry
out this mission. However, the Congregation is open to other ways of meeting
young people, especially those who are abandoned or marginalised.
Confreres will always do their apostolic work in
the name of the Congregation and with its agreement, preferably living in
community.
(Acts of the 1996 Chapter No 2.)
Article
5-1.
Priestly ministry and the mission ad gentes are also our apostolate.
Text
5-1 Apart from the instruction and education of
young people, the aim of the Institute includes the whole priestly ministry,
especially apostolic work in missionary countries, and in regions which are
short of priests.
Commentary
In 1968
the majority of confreres were directly involved in the life of our schools and
colleges. The situation was beginning to change and this article emphasised the
fact that our apostolate was not limited to education but included the priestly
ministry and the mission ad gentes.
This was
an important point to make in 1968. In
2003 it is taken for granted.
Article 5-2
Alienation of schools.Handing over of our schools.
Text
5-2 The Institute can continue its apostolate
even if its own schools are transferred to others.
Commentary
Another
article which was very important in the context of 1968. It needed to be said
that the congregation could continue its apostolate even if its own schools are
transferred to others. While it is true that the African province continues to
run, staff and even found schools in the D.R.Congo, elsewhere in the
Congregation our schools are run and almost entirely staffed by our lay
collaborators.
The
official French text of our Constitutions uses the words aliénés.
It raises
the question as to whether this number really refers to the alienation of our
schools. This happened in the 1970’s in the D.R. Congo (Zaire) with the
nationalisation of our schools. Perhaps what is envisaged here is the handing
over of our schools to lay control.
In the
latter case the word alienation is not appropriate. We are handing over the
baton to our lay collaborators.
It is for
this reason that the latest edition of the English text uses the word
“transferred” rather than alienated.
The task
today is to explore how we can continue to instruct and educate young people in
regions where we are no longer, for the most part, directly involved in the
everyday life of our schools.
Article 6.
The Constitutions remain a sure guide in our own day.
Text
6. Regularity in
observance and religious discipline
both constitute important elements of the founding spirit. In their
consecration to the Lord and in setting aside their own will in favour of the
common good of the religious family, Josephites have the duty of submitting
carefully to the common rule, and this also
provides an effective means of progressing in the way of perfection.
Moreover, the organisation of their schools on a solid footing, as well as the
intellectual, moral and religious education of their students, mean that teamwork is needed. In
this team the divsion and assignment of work and its level of performance, as
well as the exemplary quality of co-operation, fellowship and dedication, are
to be of the highest order
Summary
There are
2 important ways of submitting carefully to the common rule which are at the
same time 2 effective ways of progressing in the way of perfection.
-
1.
Regularity and observance in religious discipline. Regularity and observance are part of our
founding spirit.
2.
Consecration to the Lord and putting the
good of the religious family before personal interests.
A high
level of co-operation, team work and dedication are needed both for the proper
organisation of our schools and for the
intellectual and moral education of pupils.
Commentary
The four
qualities listed in this article provide an effective means of progressing in
the way of perfection.
The first
two are described as important elements of the founding spirit.
* Regularity.
* Religious
discipline
The second two are closely connected with the common good and observation of the Constitutions.
* Consecration to the Lord
* Effacement of own will
Co-operation, teamwork and dedication of the highest order are required for the success of our schools.
When it comes to discerning suitable candidates for our religious family, the ability to work in a team will be an important factor.
All these qualities are as important today as they were when the Constitutions were written.
The qualities listed here represent the attitude of mind and heart we need to bring to the observance of our Constitutions which continue to provide us with a sure guide on how to live our religious life today. Cf Constitutions Art. 97-1.
Article 6
References
Canons 578, 607 §1
Article 7.
A
clerical institute of pontifical right.
Text
7. The
Institute of the Josephites is a clerical institute
of pontifical right. Members who desire it, and who are found suitable, may
become priests. Josephite priests and brothers constitute a single class.
However, the Superior General and his Vicar, regional and local superiors, as
well as first assistants and novice masters, must be priests.
Commentary
This last article of Part 1 of the Constitutions needs to be understood in the light both of the past history of the Congregation and recent developments in the Church and the Congregation.
The struggle to become a clerical institute lasted from 1863 until 1897. Although it took place over a hundred years ago the Congregation has been marked by the struggle.
Today the Church is faced with many new forms of religious life. Few, if any, have been officially recognised since the new code of Canon Law was promulgated in 1983.
Vita Consecrata No 61 deals with the question of mixed Congregations of brothers and priests. The Holy See has set up a commission to deal with these developments.
Our Congregation needs to follow these developments closely.
There is also an evolution within our Congregation today. What is the future for members of our religious family who are not ordained priests?
Article 7.
References
Canons 588 §2, 598, 593. Vita Consecrata No 61.
Article 7-1.
Regionalisation.
Text
7-1
The Institute is divided into regions under the authority of regional superiors
appointed by the Superior General with the consent of his council, and having
the status of major superiors.
Commentary
The regionalisation of the Congregation took place formally in 1969. As major religious superiors, the superiors of a region exercise many of the powers once exercised by the Superior General alone. The regionalisation of the Congregation means that henceforth government has to be collegial rather than monarchical as in the pre Vatican II era. (See also the commentary on articles 52-1, 56).The Chapter of 2001 agreed to the use of the term “Province” to describe the Josephites in Africa. This is only a change of name. The juridical status remains exactly the same as before.
Article 7-1
References
Canons 581, 621, 620.
Article No 7-2.
The religious habit.
Text
7-2 The religious dress of the Josephites is the
same as that
of the secular clergy of the region.
Commentary
The history of the habit in our Congregation is very interesting. Early on in the history of the Conngregation the Founder tried, without success, to impose a blue scapular for choir dress on the brothers.
Article 7-2
References
Canon 669. Founder’s letters. No 51. 1833-05-16.
Article 7-3.
Future mergers.
Text
.
7-3. Any future merger or union with another
Institute, as well as the different forms this might take, belong to the
competence of the General Chapter
Commentary
This article written in 1968 became a matter for serious consideration during the preparation of the 1996 Chapter. Members of the Congregation made it clear that they did not favour a merger with another Congregation and the Chapter of 1996 started to lay the foundations for new life within our religious family. This process was continued during the Chapter of 2001.
Article 7-3.
References
Canon 580.
COMMENTARY ON
PART TWO.
Community life considered as a response to God’s
call.
(Articles 8-37)
Article 8
Introduction
Articles 9 – 15.
Chapter 1.
Community Life.
Articles 16 – 26.
Chapter 2.
The vows.
Articles 27 – 29.
Chapter 3.
Liturgy and
Prayer.
Articles 30 – 37.
Chapter 4.
The Apostolate.
PART 2.
COMMUNITY LIFE CONSIDERED
AS A RESPONSE TO GOD’S CALL.
Part 2 is the very heart of our Constitutions. It explains how the vows, liturgy and prayer life and the apostolate are all lived out in a community dimension.
Part 2 takes us to the heart not only of our religious consecration but also of our Josephite identity.
A study of the general plan of the Constitutions reveals the rich and unique character of this section.
Chapter
1. Community Life. (Articles 9-15)
With Christ among them, Josephites meet God in their brothers
as they would in a family. This is community life, which is fundamentally a
community of love, and it goes as far as including the ordinary details of
everyday life.
Chapter 2. The Vows. (Articles 16-26)
In Christ, they are consecrated to
God by the three vows.
Chapter 3. The Liturgy and
life of prayer. (Articles 27-29)
Through Christ, they give thanks to God in the liturgy and their life
of
prayer.
Chapter 4. The
Apostolate. (Articles 30-37)
With
Christ and like him they make God known by word and action. This is the
work of the apostolate.
The whole of Part 2 of our Constitutions needs to be read in the light of “Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor.” (“Fraternal life in community”) This Roman document develops a rich theology of community life and many of the themes in this part of our Constitutions are explored in depth.
Article 8
A theological introduction
to Part 2.
Text
8. In the midst of a world in
which they are involved, Josephites are to be witnesses of God. More precisely
they are to challenge the world with their witness that Christ is the Alpha and
the Omega of the whole of human history. This witness will be
that of their life consecrated by the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience;
but it will be a witness lived out and given in common. Confreres are to be
especially dedicated to a spirit of prayer; they should prefer to draw from the
most trustworthy sources of christian spirituality, the primary source being
Holy Scripture. They should celebrate the
sacred liturgy, and specially the mystery of the Holy Eucharist, with their
lips and in their hearts in accordance with the mind of the Church. They will
work together in the field of education and in the priestly ministry, and in
this way they will complement each other as brothers. It is only by using these
means personally and in community, and by forming one heart and soul, that
the Josephites, while carrying out their
role of witnesses, will be able to seek out and love above all things God who
has loved them first. This is to advance along the way of sanctification.
Summary
Josephites are to be a witness that Christ gives sense and purpose to individual human lives as well as the whole of human destiny. (The Alpha and Omega of human history).
This witness is that of the vows lived in common.
This witness will be that of
- their prayer life based above all on Holy Scripture
- their celebration of the sacred liturgy with lips and hearts according to the
mind of the Church.
This witness will be through their
- working together,
- complementing each other as brothers in the apostolate. (Education,
Priestly ministry, and mission ad gentes)
Only by using the means listed above as individuals and as a community, only by forming one heart and one soul can the Josephites carry out this role as witnesses to Christ.
Only by using these means will they be able to seek and love God above all things.
This is the path to sanctification.
Commentary
In order to appreciate fully the theology of community and family life, which is central to Part II of our Constitutions, this article of our Constitutions ought to be studied with care.
Throughout this article there is an emphasis on community life.
It is in community life that our conformity to Christ takes on an inter-personal dimension. It is the community, which is a sign in the world.
Our worship of God is chiefly a community activity.
Our apostolic activity emanates from our community life.
There are 3 important elements in this article.
1. Witness.
Josephites are to be witnesses of God.
Josephites are to witness that Christ is the Alpha ands the Omega of the whole of human history.
We give this witness through living our vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. However this witness of the vows has a community dimension to it. It is lived out and given in common.
An effort has been made to go beyond an individualistic understanding of the quest for holiness by living the vows.
This witness confronts the world. In other words it is a challenge to a way of life based on the values of this world.
In Vita Consecrata the Holy Father takes up this theme of challenge and confrontation The vows present a challenge not only to the world but also to the Church herself. (Cf Vita Consecrata 87)
2. Prayer life.
Central to the common witness of the vows is a prayer life based on Holy Scripture and the celebration of the liturgy. This prayer life has an individual and a community dimension to it.
Note the reminder that the liturgy is to be celebrated according to the mind of the Church.
The Liturgical changes made by Vatican II were far reaching and presented a real challenge for many older confreres who had difficulty in adapting to them.
3. The apostolate.
Our Constitutions emphasize the family spirit in the common apostolate. Confreres are to work together and complement each other as brothers.
Conclusion.
This article introduces the whole of Part II in which the community dimension inspires everything.
No 8
References
I John 4,10. Revelation 22,13. Perfectae Caritatis 6
Vita Consecrata 87. Canon 607.
Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor.
CHAPTER 1.
(Community life)
The religious family around Christ seeking to meet
God.
Article 9.
Theology. The Trinitarian, Christological and Ecclesial dimension of
our community life.
Text
9. In his Son, the Father wishes to establish a
communion of
love among mankind. This
communion is a translation into human deeds of the deep and mysterious
communion which
each one has with the life of the
Father in Jesus. The Church, being a union of brothers who share the one life,
is the sign that Christ has come, and the proclamation that he will come again.
Religious profession creates in the Church communities which, by their
brotherly spirit and their common life, strive to develop this ecclesial
witness to its fullest. At the same time they strive to make the mystery of
their communion with Christ, grafted by baptism and deeply rooted through the
Eucharist, a reality in their own lives.
Summary
The
Trinitarian Dimension.
The Father’s plan to establish on earth the communion of love that exists between the three persons of the Trinity.
Christology.
Christ through his Spirit living in us empowers us to live in a human way the communion He has with the Father.
Ecclesiology.
The Church being a union of men and women in Christ is a sign that Christ has come and established this communion of love. This communion of love, as yet imperfect will be perfected when Christ will come again.
Religious
Communities.
Religious communities by their common life and the love their members have for each other are a permanent expression of this communion of love.
This communion of love can only become a reality when religious live out their baptismal communion with Christ ever more deeply especially be celebrating the Eucharist.
Commentary
This is another important article of our Constitutions which requires careful study.
Our Constitutions root our community life, our family spirit, in the “communion” of the Holy Undivided Trinity and in the Church which is the sign of this communion.
This Trinitarian communion has been established on earth through the Incarnation.
Christ came to make us one, as He and the Father are one. (John 17.21). Christ came to break down the enmity between men (Ephesians 2.13-16).
This communion which Jesus came to establish on earth has a Trinitarian dimension since it is a translation into human terms of the deep and mysterious communion which each person has with the life of the Father in Jesus.
The Church “shines forth as a people made one with the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. (Lumen Gentium No. 4)
Vita Consecrata reiterates this teaching.
The Church is essentially a mystery of communion, "a people made one with the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." The fraternal life seeks to reflect the depth and richness of this mystery, taking shape as a human community in which the Trinity dwells, in order to extend in history the gifts of communion proper to the three divine Persons. (Vita Consecrata 41)
Our Constitutions explain (Art. 10) that it is in this “mystery” of the Church as communion that we live out our family spirit. It is our special charism to be both a visible sign and a witness that the Church is a mystery of communion. (koinonia = κοινωνια)
This word koinonia is explained more fully in EXPLANATORY NOTE No 2.
Article No 9 of our Constitutions teaches us that Religious life and in particular the “family spirit” of the Josephites has to be understood as part of the “Mystery” of the Church which is the sign of the communion (“koinonia”) of charity.
Before leaving this important number of our Constitutions it is worth reading Fr Jacques’ explanation of Trinitarian communion which is to be found his commentary.
Fr Jacques wrote as
follows about Chapter 2 of our Constitutions.
God has revealed himself as a holy and undivided Trinity of persons. Therefore Christianity has an inter- personal understanding of God. The Son came to reveal the Father, the God of love, to the world. The Father is “Our Father” (Mt 6,9) and we are to love God and one another as God loves us.
This love is something more than the greatest commandment, it the very life of the Trinity poured out on the Church which has Christ as its Head.
Wherever people live together in love, in the Christian sense of the word, we find both the effect and therefore the proof of the presence of the Kingdom of God in our midst. This Kingdom has been present ever since the advent of Christ and is the first fruits of its eventual realisation when Christ will come again.
The Kingdom is a Mystery; that is to say it is not just an obscure vision of eternal life in the next world but a reality in which we are involved in this life.
Eternal life is in the process of becoming a reality in our world.
Through our religious consecration and our quest for sanctification we are called to be both the witnesses and the sign of this reality.
Acts 4.32.
The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed for his own use anything that he had, as everything they owned was held in common.
Develops into
John 13:35
By this love you
have for one another, everyone will know that you are my disciples.
The Church’s vocation is to be the visible sign of the love disciples of Jesus have for one another. Each religious community should be both a sign of this love and a witness to its reality.
Because a religious community is founded on the word of God and the Eucharist, it cannot become a mere agglomeration of Christians seeking their own personal perfection.
The fraternal charity, which ought to exist within a religious community, is the sign and the witness of that great communion (koinonia) which the Son came to establish amongst mankind.
The religious community seeks to make that universal koinonia a reality in the world.
This theology of community life and the “family spirit” which Fr Jacques’ explained in his Commentrary 1669 appears again 26 years later in Vita Consecrata.
The long commentary on article 9 is an attempt to fully understand the theology of communion which is so central to our Josephite identity.
This theology of community life will help us understand the richness of the Founder’s understanding of the Josephites as a “Religious family.”
Article 9.
References
1 John 17,3. Ephesians 2,13-16. Canon 602. Lumen Gentium 4. Vita Consecrata 41, 42.
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EXPLANATORY NOTE No. 2
Communion: (κοινωνια) in our Constitutions.
An important word in ecclesiology since Vatican II is “communion”.
This is the word used to translate the
N.T. Greek word κοινωνια
(koinonia)
Two articles in our Constitutions (Articles 9 & 16) develop a theology of “communion” which is central to the understanding of our Josephite identity.
The word communion as it is used in the official French text translates the New Testament word κοινωνια. Although the Greek word does not appear in the French text it is used once in the English translation (Art. 16).
A.
Κοινωνια (communion/fellowship)
in the New Testament.
1. In the Christian life there is κοινωνια with God (1.John 1.3).
2. In the Christian life there is κοινωνια with Christ. Christians are called to the κοινωνια of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (1 Corinthians 1.9)
The communion, this κοινωνια is brought about especially through the Eucharist ( 1 Corinthians 10.16).
The suffering of Christians is a communion, a κοινωνια, with the sufferings of Christ.
3. In the Christian life there is κοινωνια in the Spirit (II Corinthians. 13.14, Philippians. 2.1).
4. In the Christian life there is κοινωνια in the faith. (Ephesians 3.9)
5. In the Christian life there is a κοινωνια which is a partnership in the work of Christ (Philippians. 1.5).
6. In the Christian life there is a κοινωνια which means a practical sharing with the poor. Paul uses the word three times in connection with the collection he took from his churches for the poor saints in Jerusalem. (Romans. 15.26; II Corinthians. 8.4; II Corinthians.9.13).
7. In the Christian life there is a κοινωνια which means a sharing of friendship and an abiding in the company of others (Acts 2.42; II Corinthians. 6.14).
All these seven different images of κοινωνια – communion/fellowship are the human living out of the κοινωνια – fellowship – communion – unity of the Trinity.
It is this κοινωνια that Jesus came to establish on earth.
B.
“Communion”– κοινωνια in our Constitutions.
Art. 9. 1st of all there is a Trinitarian dimension to our life as a Religious family.
In his
Son. The Father wishes to establish a communion of love
among men.
“The communion of love “ referred to here is the communion of love which exists in the Trinity.
This communion is a translation into human deeds of the deep and mysterious communion which each person has with the life of the Father in Jesus (through the power of the Holy Spirit Cf EXPLANATORY NOTE No. 3).
This Trinitarian communion of love takes human form in Jesus Christ and is communicated to us through the sacraments (Baptism, Holy Communion).
There is an ecclesiological dimension to our life as a religious family.
The Church, being a union
of brothers (and sisters) who share in the one life, is
the sign that Christ has come, and the proclamation that he will come again.
Our family spirit is rooted in the theology of the Church as the Body of Christ. By living the Trinitarian communion of love, the Church is a sign that Christ has come. This communion of love is as yet imperfect, so the Church looks forward to its perfection when Christ will come again.
It is this Trinitarian communion of love, lived out in the Church, the Body of Christ, which is the theological foundation of our Josephite family spirit. Article 10 clearly spells this out for us.
Article No 16 returns to this “communion of charity,” revealed to us in the Gospel in the context of the vows.
B.
“Communion”– κοινωνια
in our Constitutions.
The theology of our Constitutions on community life and the Trinity is to be found in a recent document of the Magisterium on fraternal life in community.
Religious community is not simply a collection of Christians in search of personal perfection. Much more deeply, it is a participation in and qualified witness of the Church-Mystery, since it is a living expression and privileged fulfilment of its own particular "communion", of the great Trinitarian "koinonia", in which the Father has willed that men and women have part in the Son and in the Holy Spirit. (Congregavit nos No 2a).
Article 10.
The Founder. Religious
family. (Family Spirit.)
Text
10.
The Josephites' own vocation and their particular charism is to live out this
mystery of the Church and of all religious communities by emphasizing that they
constitute a religious family. This religious family is not confined to the
particular community they currently belong to, but extends to the whole
Congregation.
Commentary
The Founder had an intuitive understanding of the importance of fraternal charity within the Church. Today the Church speaks of fraternity (Vita Consecrata, Chapter 2. Signum Fraternitatis. Religious life as a sign of communion in the Church.) whereas the Founder spoke about the religious family.
In order to appreciate the extent, to which our Constitutions reflect the mind of the Church today in the year 2003, we need to read attentively Vita Consecrata Nos. 41, 42, 45, 51
By religious family the Founder understood a family that was not based on blood relationships but on the gift Christ gave us when he chose us and on the gift given to us by the Congregation when we were accepted into it.
This means that our
particular gift to the universal Church is to live our religious life in a
« family spirit ». The
Founder wrote at the top of the first constitutions which he drew up for the
Josephites. « La charité fraternelle
doit être le caractère distinctif de cette pieuse famille. ».
The
Chapter of 1996 discussed « Family Spirit ». Cfr Acts of the Chapter 1996
.
It is
worth noting that during the Synod on the Church in Africa the fathers noted
that the expression « Church. Family
of God » was particularly apt
for Africa and needed to be explored further by theologians.
Cfr
« «L’Eglise Famille de Dieu ».
Les Pères du Synode Ecclesia in Africa, y ont vu une expression
particulièrement appropriée de la nature de l,Eglise pour l,Afrique. » Jean
Paul II Exhortation post-synodale.
In the context of the religious family, a theme dear to the Founder, two other Josephite characteristics stressed by the Founder need to be considered.
1. Fatherhood.
Superiors and especially the Superior general are not just those with responsibility for the congregation. They are not just organisers and administrators, they are fathers. It is their task to pass on the love of the Father for each confrere by loving their confreres as the father loves them. On the basis of this confreres, for their part, owe their superiors a religious respect and an openness of heart. Confreres are also expected to have a special concern for all their confreres. This concern is perhaps emphasised in a lesser way in other congregations.
This theme of Fatherhood was developed by Fr General (Fr Richard Lear) in his pastoral letter of 1988 and discussed again at the Enlarged General Council Meeting in California in 1999.
These documents have been gathered together and published in Josephite Studies No 1. Of particular interest is the conference given by Fr Jean Lefebvre CICM on Fatherhood.
We will return to the theme of fatherhood when we study the articles on government.
2. A
special affection.
There ought to exist amongst confreres in our communities a real affection for one another but one, which is characterised by mutual respect and a sensitivity towards others, which our Founder often called “Politesse” Politeness. There should exist in our communities a spirit of mutual help, mutual support and a willingness to be at the service of one another, in a nutshell everything that makes being together a joyous experience.
The family spirit should also extend to those relationships which are forged through the apostolate. The existence of this extended religious family spirit has always been seen as a special trait of the Josephites.
Fatherhood
/ Paternalism.
There is a danger that the Rule of Fatherhood as understood by the Founder could swiftly descend into an unhealthy paternalism.
The rule of fatherhood is none other than the relationship between the first and second persons of the Blessed Trinity. The Father loves the Son and the Son expresses his love for the Father in a total obedience to his will. This is not a relationship of submission. Father and Son are equal.
Within our religious family we have to maintain the balance between the concept of spiritual fatherhood (Gal 4,19; 1Thessalonians. 2, 7-8 and 11) and the mature co-responsibility required of all adult Christians.
This is not the only aspect of our spiritual lives where a balance has to be kept between seemingly opposite values.
We have to balance spiritual childhood (Mt 18,3) with the spiritual maturity to which we are all called.
We have to balance the humility of the crucified Christ which implies obedience even to death on a cross, with the liberty of the children of God which is the mystery of the Resurrection.
The
Holy Family at Nazareth.
While our theological understanding of family spirit is not based on the Holy family, nonetheless our special devotion to Mary and Joseph draws our attention to Jesus in the family and Nazareth.
Article 11.
The theology of community
life.
Text
11.
They live, then, in a community that ought to reveal the face of Christ. The
community has as its foundation the same faith, professed and lived in common;
this leads to good works in the common apostolate, and is reinforced every day
by the mutual support that religious are for one another. The community is
united in the same hope and the same love centered on God as their object.
These virtues are the source of joy and strength and also of patience, not only
whenever one has to cope with personal weakness, but also in dealing with inevitable imperfections of
the community. Community living based on the theological virtues is what
Josephites live out day by day until they die, and so they bear witness to the
modern world that men still have the supernatural power to arrange their lives
around the expectation of rising with Christ. And, to live fully their
baptismal vocation, which consists in gradually bringing about here on earth
the kingdom of love.
Commentary
This article returns to a theological reflection on the nature of community life. A theology which is central to our understanding of our Josephite identity.
There are 2 parts to this reflection.
1) Community life as a revelation of the face of Christ.
2) The apostolate of community life.
1) Community
life as a revelation of the face of Christ.
We are not just a group of bachelors who have established a cosy club of our own with its unwritten customs and tribal rites.
We live in community to reveal the face of Christ to the world in which we live. Christ came to re-establish our relationship with God and with one another. The spirit which exists within a community is a sign of relationship established by Christ. It is a foretaste of our relationship in heaven.
Community life is built on faith, hope and charity.
Vita Consecrata makes an appeal to today’s religious to make this revelation of Christ a reality.
“If the Church is to reveal her true face to today’s
world, she urgently needs such fraternal communities, which by their very
existence, contribute ro the new evangelization, inasmuch as they disclose in a
concrete way the fruitfulness of the “new commandment”. ( Vita Consecrata 45).
The constitutions strike a note of realism when they insist that this revelation of the face of Christ takes place inspite of personal and community imperfections.
The same note of realism about community life is to be found in Pope Paul VI’s exhortation to religious, Evangelica Testificatio.
Even if–like every Christian–you are imperfect, you nevertheless intend to create surroundings which are favourable to the spiritual progress of each member of the community. How can this result be attained, unless you deepen in the Lord your relationships, even the most ordinary ones, with each of your brethren? Let us not forget that charity must be as it were an active hope for what others can become with the help of our fraternal support. The mark of its genuineness is found in a joyful simplicity, whereby all strive to understand what each one has at heart. (Evangelica Testificatio No. 39)
2) The apostolate of community life.
This community life is not inward looking but also reaches out to others. Christ came so that we might have life and have it to the full (John 10.10.) Community life must lead to good works. Our vocation is “to complete the work of Christ on earth” (IVth Eucharistic Prayer) To gradually bring about here on earth the kingdom of love.
Community life is by its very nature apostolic. Our community life, our “family spirit” is at the service of the unity of mankind.
“The sense of ecclesial communion, developing into a spirituality of communion, promotes a way of thinking, speaking and acting which enables the Church to grow in depth and extension. The life of communion in fact becomes a sign for all the world and a compelling force that leads people to faith in Christ.” (Vita Consecrata 46).
Consecrated persons help the Church to reveal ever
more deeply her nature as the sacrament of intimate union with God, and of the
unity of all mankind.
(Vita Consecrata 46)
This apostolate is developed elsewhere in the Constitutions as a triple
apostolate. (Cf. Article 5. Education. Priestly work. Mission ad gentes.)
Article 11
References
Evangelica Testificatio 39 Vita Consecrata 45. 4
Congregavit Nos 2a
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EXPLANATORY NOTE No. 3
The Holy Spirit and
community life.
(Vita Consecrata No. 42)
The articles in our Constitutions which deal specifically with community life empasize the Christological dimension (Nos. 9 –15-1) but make virtually no mention of the role of the Holy Spirit.
Vita Consecrata contains a very rich teaching on the role of the Holy Spirit in the consecrated life.
The importance and the power of the Holy
Spirit in fraternal life are explained in Vita
Consecrata No 42.
These points need to be kept in mind when reading articles 9 to 15 in our Constitutions.
1. Community
life is an eloquent sign of ecclesial communion.
Our Community life is not meant to be a cosy existence for a group of bachelors.
Our Constitutions insist that by our fraternal spirit and our common life we desire to develop the Church’s mystery of communion to the fullest. (Art. 9).
2. Community
life is a life shared in love.
Our community life is an attempt to live together in a true unity built on unconditional love. The love which Jesus revealed to mankind and we in turn must reveal to one another. (Constitutions Art.11)
3.
Love is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
This ideal of a community of one heart and soul living together in unity is not just a vague dream.
It becomes a reality through the power of love, which has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. (Cf. Romans 5.5.Titus 3.5).
The love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us. Romans 5.5.
..renewing us with the Holy Spirit which he has so generously poured over us through Jesus Christ, our saviour. Titus 3.5.
The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love, which unites the Trinity, the Spirit of the Risen Christ, lives in us and empowers us to love one another.
4. The
Spirit empowers us to share.
In community life, the power of the Holy Spirit at work in one individual passes at the same time to all.
The Spirit empowers each and every one
of us with gifts but not only do we enjoy our own gift, the Spirit enables us
to share our gifts with others. In this way in community life each one enjoys
the fruits of the others gifts as if they were his own. (cf. Saint Basil, Long
Rule, Question 7)
4. The
Spirit is that power of communion which is the source of fraternal life.
It is the Holy Spirit who cries out “Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4.6-7.)
It is the Holy Spirit who leads us to experience in the depth of our being communion with the father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
It is this communion, given through the Spirit, which is the source of fraternal life.
It is the Spirit himself who leads the soul to the
experience of communion with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ (cf. 1
Jn. 1:3), a communion which is the source of fraternal life. (Vita Consecrata 42).
Article 12.
Order and discipline of
community life.
Text
12.
Community life presupposes order and discipline, for the basis of any society
is the harmony which creates a unity from all its elements, that is to say, all
of the persons and activities which make it up. Religious life, lived in a
family spirit around a superior, can be pracrised very well in the daily round
of duties. Such fidelity to a common apostolate is not just a sign, but is also
a means of sanctification for the community and for everyone in it.
Commentary
After the lofty theology of Article 11 this article of our Constitutions starts to take us back to reality. Order discipline and the daily round of duties are the concrete realities of community life and the family spirit.
For any group of human beings to live together in harmony there has to be order and discipline. This is equally true of religious life.
Josephites live their community life in a family spirit around a superior who is at the service of this order and discipline. (Constitutions Art. 25 develops the concept of authority at the service if the community) This community life is a sign for others and a means of sanctification for us.
Article 12.
References
Letter of the Founder to his religious 1849-04-15
Article 13.
The religious house.
Text
13. Religious are to live in their religious house.
There they live the common life and should not absent themselves without the
permission of their superior. Every house should have at least an oratory where
the Holy Eucharist is celebrated and reserved in such a way that it is truly
the centre of the community.
Commentary
The law of the Church requires religious to live in or be attached to a house under the direction of a Superior.
This article needs to be read in conjunction with article 87.
It is important to understand the notion of “Religious House” as defined in Canon Law.
In the American and African regions there were no religious houses because each region was considered as one community with a Regional Superior. After the Chapter of 1996 the regional statutes of these two regions were changed to allow for the erection of individual houses. In fact several small communities were grouped together under one superior. (Cf. commentary on Art 87.)
Article 13
References
Canon 608 Canon 665
Article 13-1.
Establishment of a new
religious house.
Text
13-1 At the request of the regional superior,
with the permission of his council and the written agreement of the diocesan
bishop, the Superior General, with the consent of his council, is empowered to
establish a new religious house.
Commentary
A Regional superior needs the consent of the Superior General and his council to open a new house.
No 13-1.
References
Canons 609-611
Article No 14.
The
practical details of common life.
Text
14. Every member should guard
against upsetting the harmony of the community by giving way to jealousy, or to
the tendency to cut himself off; by looking for prestige or for special
favours; by his pettiness and lack of co-operation; by his inclination to seek
ease and comfort; by being unfair or ungrateful.
Rather,
all should work towards building up and consolidating a community united in
heart and soul:
‑ by the care they take to be present at community exercises in the chapel, in the refectory, at recreation together;
‑ by their special attention to the sick;
‑ by their faithfulness in fulfilling the prescribed masses
and prayers for deceased confreres;
‑ by their conscientious performance of their daily
duties which, however, the superior
should try to assign
as fairly as possible;
‑ by their mutual help in every area, and by sharing
together their joys and trials;
‑ by
living out the obligations of their vows in the community setting, by
celebrating the liturgy together, and carrying out the apostolate together.
Commentary
Community
life is a challenge.
This
article enters into practical details.It lists types of behaviour which damage
community life and then goes on to list patterns of behaviour which build up
community.
1. Behaviour which damages community life.
This
paragraph is very straightforward and down to earth. We can all recognise
something of ourselves in these patterns of behaviour.
2.Behaviour which strengthens and builds up community.
Another
very down to earth list.
This
article is a valuable guide for those who have to discern the suitability of a candidate for community life.
For community life to prosper there has to be
attention to these practical details of the common life.
In the early Constitutions written by the Founder we find this text
.
“ Just
as in the natural order every organ of the body hasn’t the same function, so it
is in this Institute that every member must carry out his own task, working
with others for the good of all, without becoming jealous of anybody.
This
collaboration gives birth to a force which can do great things because those
who unite themselves with the Lord Jesus to build up the Kingdom of the
heavenly Father receive many blessings.”
Article 14-1
.Absences from community.
Text
14-1. With regard to absences from a house, the
universal law of the Church is to be followed. In particular, in order to keep
their affections concentrated on their religious family, confreres should avoid
leaving the house, or having outside appointments without the superior's
knowing it.
There should always be a part of the religious house
reserved for the confreres.
The spirit of silence remains an essential element in
religious life. Furthermore, this silence – you might call it a courtesy - will ensure that confreres are not disturbed
by radios or recordings especially at study times or while they are resting.
In their use of the media, confreres should use
necessary discretion and avoid anything that could harm their vocation or
endanger the chastity of someone consecrated to God.
Commentary
A superior of a community ought to know of absences of his confreres from community. This had an important practical aspect in the days when communities were involved directly in the running of schools. It is also important today to know who is in a house at a given moment.
Absences also have a pastoral dimension if a confrere’s affections are being centred on persons outside the community to the detriment of the mewmbers of his own religious family.
Article 14-1
References
Canon 665
Articles 14-2.
A confreres right to
privacy.
Text
14.2 The privacy of every confrere must nonetheless be respected and enough latitude allowed him for his particular interests and group activities. Otherwise, community life could become a source of stress and friction whereas it should be a sign of joy and growth in brotherly love.
Commentary
There has to be a harmony between the community dimension and the private dimension of a confrere’s life. This article wisely insists on individual confrere’s need for their own space and time to pursue their own interests.
The joy of living even in the midst of difficulties
along the human and spiritual path and in the midst of daily annoyances is
already part of the Kingdom. This joy is the fruit of the Spirit and embraces
the simplicity of existence and the monotonous texture of daily life. A joyless
fraternity is one that is dying..
(Congregavit nos. 28).
Article 14-3
Community meetings.
Text
14-3. Josephites, with their superior, are to meet
at regular intervals to reflect on the life of the community, so as to allow
the real participation of everyone in building up of the religious family and
the common work. These community meetings should be governed above all else by
fraternal charity, but there should also be complete frankness, willingness to accept personal responsibility, and a loyal
commitment to do one's part in the tasks and obligations which arise from any
decisions taken.
Commentary
Community life presupposes input from everyone into discussions about the common life. Community meetings to discuss community matters were not common before 1968. This article was written at a time when community life was dominated by school life and therefore problems in the life of the school would need to be discussed. Today local community meetings or regional community meetings are more concerned with the life of the community or the region.
Article 15.
The penitential character
of religious observance.
Text
15.
The penitential character of religious observance should not be undervalued or
neglected. It has its full effect only when it is lived with a sufficient
degree of exactness, and if it corresponds to an inner detachment and a gift of
oneself which is humble and full of charity. The rhythm of life in our
communities and the obligations which this places on everyone emphasize this
duty of regularity. For this reason a daily schedule that is not overloaded
should regulate religious discipline.
Commentary
In any sort of communal life there is still a need for regularity and punctuality. These are but a form of “politesse du coeur” (Cfr page 82).
Article 15-1.
Daily timetable.
Text
15-1 The timetable regulating daily life ans
occupations are under the control of the major superiors.
Commentary
This article is a development of Article 12. “Community life presupposes order and discipline”. A daily timetable is essential for the good order of a community life.
The daily timetable is under the control of major religious superiors.
Presumably this means that Regional Superiors are responsbile for seeing that there is a proper daily timetable operating in each of the communities in the region. A timetable which on the one hand follows the directives of the Constitutions concerning the life of prayer of a community while on the other respecting the demands of the apostolate on a small community.
The chapter on the liturgical life and prayer life of a community also pre-supposes the existence of a daily time table.
In small communities fidelity to a daily time table is important if community life is not to evaporate altogether.
EXPLANATORY NOTE No. 4.
Apostolate and Community
Life.
It is important to note the changes that have taken place in the Congregation since the Constitutions were written over 30 years ago.
In 1968 nearly all our communities were numerically large and based in our schools and colleges. The apostolate of most of the members of these communities was in the schools.
In the year 2000 many of our communities are much smaller, sometimes two or three members and their apostolate is often no longer directly concerned with the running of schools and colleges.
There can be a tension between community life and apostolate. It is not always possible to link an apostolate with a community.
The question is which comes first. The need to live in a community or the importance of the apostolate which might require living apart from a community?
Canon 665 deals with the question of extended absences from a religious community and cites the needs of the apostolate as one of two reasons why an extended absence might be required.
When discussing the question of apostolate and community life Congregavit nos states; If it is dangerous to oppose these two aspects it is also difficult to harmionise them. This too is a fruitful tension.” (Congregavit nos. 59c).
However it is important to note that since 1968 our Congregation has moved from a monastic model of religious life to one which is shaped by the needs of the apostolate. Schools, Parishes, Chaplaincies etc.
CHAPTER II.
(The vows)
Consecration to God in Christ
through the Evangelical Counsels.
The documents of Vatican II refer to the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience as Evangelical counsels. That is to say they are counsels to be found in the gospel narratives.
For the sake of clarity it is easier to
simply refer to these counsels as the
vows
This chapter is devoted to the study of the vows in the context of community life as a response the Christ’s call.
This is a rather unique way of considering the vows. Since Josephites are to devote themselves to rediscovering the sense of family such as Jesus lived it on earth, it is important to understand the community dimension of the vows.
At the time the documents of Vatican II were written the Church was trying to move religious away from a purely juridical understanding of their vows to one which was based on the values of the gospel lived out in imitation of Christ.
Our Constitutions reflect this change of
understanding. The theology of the vows presented in this chapter is the
theology of Vatican II (1962 – 1965) as it is presented in Lumen Gentium and Perfectae
Caritatis. This theology was developed in later documents in the aftermath
of the Council. Ecclesiae Sanctae II.
1966, Renovationis Causam, 1969, Evangelica Testificatio, 1971.
Today this Vatican II theology of the vows needs to be up-dated by reference to Vita Consecrata, which develops new perspectives in the theology of the vows. Most important of these are the Trinitarian perspective and the even greater emphasis on the role of the Holy Spirit.
Article 16.
Theology of the vows.
Text
16. By the vows the religious binds and commits
himself to practise the evangelical counsels. Even though these counsels are
addressed to every Christian, the religious has received from God a call to
bring into existence the koinonia of
charity which has been revealed to us in
the Gospel, and he is to do this within the conditions specifically set up for
this mystical communion. Vows are a consecration to God in Christ. They are a
strikingly clear sign of the Kingdom of God to come, and already progressively
begun on earth. Furthermore, they allow freedom from the obstacles that are
opposed to fervent charity and to the perfect worship that is to be given to
God, and in this way they are a means of tending towards perfection in charity
and union with God. So it is that by chastity, which concentrates the
affections of a religious on his religious family given him by God, and by
poverty, through which all the family goods are held in common, and by
obedience, which through the common work places the religious at the service of
God's plan, Josephites receive God right into the heart of their brotherhood. This
is where he gives himself to them in the same individual
way that he gives himself to all men, which is by giving them his Son.
Summary
Religious bind and commit themselves by vows to live out the chastity,
poverty and obedience of Christ. (The Evangelical counsels)
This life of chastity, poverty and obedience is addressed to every Christian but religious are called to structure their lives on the radical demands of these counsels.
The aim of the radical living of these counsels is to bring into existence the koinonia (communion) of charity revealed in the gospel. (The Trinitarian love of the Three Persons, revealed in Jesus Christ, God made man).
Vows.
Vows are a consecration to God in Christ.
Vows are a strikingly clear sign of the Kingdom to come but already begun here on earth.
Vows free us so that we can love (God and neighbour) more fervently.
Vows free us so that we can worship God more perfectly.
Vows are a means of tending towards perfection in love and union with God.
Vows enable us to receive God, through the gift of his Son, Jesus, right into the heart of our brotherhood.
How?
By chastity which concentrates our affections on our religious family which has been given to us by God.
By poverty through which all our family goods are held in common.
By obedience which places us at the service of God’s plan. (Instruments of Mercy).
Commentary
This article serves as a theological introduction to the theology of the vows.
Fr Jacques in his commentary on this article notes there are 5 different aspects to the vows. It is interesting to note how Fr Jacques’ commentary is repeated and updated by the recent teaching of the Church.
1. A personal dimension. The vows lead us to a personal holiness. In the past there was an almost total emphasis on this dimension. Today the vows are understood in a wider theological context as follows.
2. A
Christological dimension. The vows are a sequela Christi – a
following of Christ. (Note that today the vows are seen as a gift of the
Trinity. Vita Consecrata 20. and 21.)
3. An Ecclesiological dimension. The vows consecrate us in the Church and for the Church. (Vita Consecrata 16. “The counsels, more than a simple renunciation, are a specific acceptance of the mystery of Christ, lived within the Church.”)
4. The
vows are signs. A sign that, in Christ, the Kingdom of God is already
present in our midst and is travelling towards its fulfilment at the end of
time, when Christ will come again. (Vita
Consecrata 26. In fact it has been constantly taught that the consecrated life
is a foreshadowing of the future Kingdom.”
Also Vita Consecrata 32. “The
consecrated life proclaims and in a certain way anticipates the future age,
when the fullness of the Kingdom of heaven, already in its first fruits and in
mystery, will be achieved.”)
5. The vows have a practical dimension. They empower us to complete the work of Christ on earth – the apostolate.
The anthropological significance of the vows.
A new development in the theology of the vows is to be found in Vita Consecrata which sees the vows not only as sign and a witness but also as a challenge – a challenge to our contemporary world.
(Vita Consecrata . 87-91.)
Article 16
References
Lumen Gentium 44 Perfectae Caritatis 1, 2, 5.
Vita Consecrata 16. 20. 26. 32. 21. 87-91.
Canon
598
Canon207
§2
Article 16-1.
Simple vows.
Text
16-1. In the
Institute, the vows are simple.
Commentary
Canon 1192 deals with the difference between simple and solemn vows. This article of our Constitutions was based on the CIC No 579. In the old law a simple vow made acts contrary to the vows illicit but not invalid, solemns vows made such acts invalid. This distinction has been dropped by the revised Code.
Article 18-3 allows a confrere to give up all his possessions. This amounts to taking a solemn vow of poverty.
§I. CHASTITY.
After the general introduction to the theology of the vows in article 16 our Constitutions examine each of the three vows in turn starting with Chastity.
Why Chastity first?
The classic order of the vows was poverty, chastity and obedience. It used to be said that they were in ascending order of difficulty.
The documents of Vatican II abandoned the classical order for Chastity, Poverty and Obedience.
Fr Jacques explained the reason abandoning the classical order.
“Since all the baptised faithful are called, each according to his own way, to be poor, chaste and obedient like Christ, there is a tendency nowadays (1968) to characterise religious life in terms of celibacy- community. Consecrated celibacy, lived in community is a way to holiness and a sign in the Church.”
This link celibacy-community is questioned today when groups of married Christians are living together in community and pioneering new forms of consecrated life.
Article 17.
The vow of chastity
.Text
17. For the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven the
religious freely commits himself to celibacy, which he must appreciate as a
call to grace. By freely choosing and observing perfect continence, he gives
witness on earth to the risen life to come. Indeed, consecrated celibacy when
it is lived with an undivided heart, establishes relationships between people
on a spiritual level through the grace of God. These must culminate in love.
And while they remain relationships that are fully human, they must not include
any of a genital nature. The final purpose is to love all men in Christ. The
immediate area of application is the religious family, which, at the same time
as being an eschatological sign given to the world, is also the surest
guarantee of fidelity to the vow of chastity.
Summary
The vow of chastity is
-a choice of celibacy made for the sake of the Kingdom (Mt 19.11)
- call to grace.
- a witness of the risen life to come.
Celibacy is a vocation to love by establishing interpersonal relationships on a spiritual level, which are fully human but not genital.
Final purpose of consecrated celibacy is to love all men and women in Christ starting with one’s religious family.
This fraternal love is a sign to the
world and a support and safeguard for one’s vow of chastity.
Commentary
Our Constitutions have only 1 article on the vow of Chastity compared with 3 for poverty and 5 for obedience.
The gospel
The vow of chastity is for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven, a direct reference to the gospel text in Matthew 19. 10-12.
The disciples
said to him, 'If that is how things are between husband and wife, it is not
advisable to marry'.
But he replied, 'It is not everyone who can accept what I have said, but only those to whom it is granted.
There are
eunuchs born that way from their mother's womb, there are eunuchs made so by
men and there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way for the sake of
the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.
A call of grace.
This vow, like all the vows, is freely undertaken. It is a call of grace. That is to say that in a real sense Christ has called and chosen us, we have not chosen Christ.
Without the constant help of God’s grace, a human being could not hope to undertake such a radical renunciation of the basic instincts of nature.
A sign of the life to come.
It is a witness to the life of those who have risen from the dead. This is another reference to the gospel text, Luke 20.35- 37.
Jesus replied,
'The children of this world take wives and husbands,
But those who are judged worthy of a place in
the other world and in the resurrection from the dead do not marry because they
can no longer die, for they are the same as the angels, and being children of
the resurrection they are sons of God.
Consecrated celibacy strives to embody the life of those who have risen from dead and have no body. It is a call to love as one loves in heaven.
That is why a life of consecrated celibacy is not a loveless existence. It is a call to establish interpersonal relationships on spiritual level, which culminate in love. First of all to love the members of our religious family and even to strive to love everyone in Christ.
Pope Paul VI made the same point
Only the love of God–it must be repeated–calls in a decisive way to religious chastity. This love moreover makes so uncompromising a demand for fraternal charity that the religious will live more profoundly with his contemporaries in the heart of Christ. Evangelica Testificatio 13.
Article 17 together with 17-1 and 17-2 indicate the important link between religious family and consecrated celibacy.
1. The religious family is the surest guarantee of fidelity to the vow
of chastity.
2. Therefore the perfection of brotherly love is important. Everyone, especially superiors are to make the perfection of brotherly love their concern. (Art. 17-2)
Article 17
References
Matthew 19.10-12. Luke 20.25. Perfectae Caritatis 12
Evangelica Testificatio 13. Redemptionis Donum 11. Canon 599
Congregavit nos No 37.
Article 17-1
Obligations undertaken by
the vow of chastity
Text
17-1. By the vow of chastity the religious commits
himself to observe perfect continence in the celibate state.
Commentary
This simple statement of the obligations
of the vow of chastity contains the word perfect.
It makes us realise just how much we need the help of God’s grace. Vows are not
just observed or kept, they are also lived. The next article deals with ways of
obtaining the help and support we need in living this vow.
Article 17-2.
Practical measures to help
us safeguard and live our vow of chastity
Text
17-2. Confreres will confidently turn to God's
word and to His help; they are not to rely on their own strength; they should
resort to prayer and to the other sources of grace; they are to do their utmost
to curb sensuality. They should not neglect those means which are good for the
health of soul and body, and they should avoid everything that could jeopardize
their chastity. Everyone, especially the superiors, are to make the perfection of
brotherly love their concern. This requires openness of heart with superiors
and confreres, and must be accompanied by genuine humility.
Commentary
After the article on the theology of the vow of chastity, our Constitutions offer some practical down to earth advice of how to remain faithful to this vow.
Love for confreres has already been given as the surest guarantee of fidelity to the vow of chastity (Art. 17).
Other supports are;
1. Reliance on God’s Word.
2. Prayer and the other sources of grace (Sacraments…)
There is a vital connection between union with God and the vow of chastity.
Since it is the love of God that calls decisively to chastity, we must develop our loving relationship with the Father, in the name of Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
As well as the above we will have to curb sensuality. There is a penitential element here. There us no escaping the fact that we have to curb our lust.
As well as taking care of our spiritual life we must also take care of our physical health. There was a time when severe fasting and corporal mortification were considered to be powerful aids in curbing sensuality. The body was considered to be the enemy of the spiritual life.
The Founder never favoured acts of extreme penance.. There are frequent warnings in his letters not to fast too much, or even in some cases he tells a brother not to fast at all.
Rather than acts of penance which damaged physical health the Founder encouraged his brothers to use acts of humiliation, gentleness, fraternal charity etc. (These are aspects of “Politesse du coeur”).
Two letters written by the Founder on the same day during Lent 1847 reveal his concern that the brothers do not indulge in excessive Lenten mortifications. The letters are addressed to two superiors.
Here we are on the eve of that holy time when the
Church calls us to penitence. Prepare all those for whom you are responsible
for this process which is not in our nature. Ask for dispensations from fasting
if you think it for the best.Impose mortifications which are not harmful to
health; prescribe acts of humiliation, of fraternal charity, of gentleness in
actions, of generosity, of devotion to God etc. Demand a redoubling of efforts
to obey minutely what is prescribed by the Rule and by obedience.
Letter dated 1847-02-12. To the superior in Brussels.
.
Be careful to practise humiliation and mortification
of the senses more than usual. Consider to what degree fasting may be permitted
to your teachers.
Letter 369 dated 1847-02-12. To the superior in Grammont.
In the last paragraph of this article our Constitutions once again make the point that brotherly love (fraternal charity) is a powerful help in living out our vow of chastity.
The vow of chastity is not intended to make us retreat within ourselves. It is intended to empower us the love more widely and freely and Jesus loved. It is our own brothers who are the immediate object of this love.
Superiors are to take care that the spirit of brotherly love exists within their communities.
Article17-2
References
The Founder’s letters. 1834-02-13.
1837-03-1. 1847-02-12
Canon 630 §5
§2. POVERTY.
Articles. 18-21.
The structure of this section on poverty is much the same as the one on chastity. Theological articles followed by practical applications and directives.
No. 18. A theological introduction.
No 19. The ecclesial dimension. The Church is the Church of the poor.
No. 20. The Josephite dimension of living this vow.
No. 21. A real love for the poor.
These articles on poverty were inspired by the theology of Vatican II but also by the great encyclical letter of Pope Paul VI, Populorum Progressio (March 1967). This encyclical letter ought to be read alongside these articles. Also the sections of Evangelica Testificatio (Nos. 16-19) devoted to poverty which are very inspiring.
Article 18.
Theology of the vow of
poverty.
Text
18. Christ, rich as he was,
became poor so that we could become rich through
his poverty. By the vow of poverty, confreres seek above all, as individuals
and as a community, perfect conformity to the life of Christ.
He founded his Church to set up on earth the Kingdom of Heaven, and not to
acquire temporal power.
He calls religious to
poverty so that in their turn they can enrich others. And he prefers to lead
them to those brothers of theirs who are in need, and in whom they recognize
and serve Christ. Because they have their treasure in heaven religious must be
poor in fact as well as in spirit.
Summary
Christ’s poverty was for the enrichment of others. 2. Corinthians 8.9.
Vow of poverty is to enable us as individuals and as a community to conform our lives to the life of Christ.
Jesus emptied himself of his divinity, He became poor, so as to establish the kingdom of God on earth. Matthew 20.28.
Vow of poverty enables us like Christ to enrich others.
Vow of poverty entails a special love of the poor in whom Christ is seen. Matthew 25.35-40.
Poverty means having our treasure in heaven and being poor in fact and in spirit.
Commentary
This article follows the theology of Vatican II on the vow of poverty as found in Perfectae Caritatis No 13.
Christology. This article explains the Scriptural basis of the vow and virtue of poverty. Our vow of poverty has to be understood and lived in the context of the mystery of Christ’s poverty.
The following of Christ is the main reason for taking a vow of poverty.
There are two important Pauline texts, which we need to meditate upon.
1. Philippians 2.6-8.
His state was divine, yet
he did not cling to his equality with God
but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave, and became as men are; and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross. is the following of Christ . (Philippians 2.6-8.)
2. 2 Corinthians 8.9.
Remember how generous the Lord Jesus was: he
was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his
poverty. (2 Corinthians.8.9.)
Our vow of poverty enables us to enter into this mystery of Christ’s self emptying. It is only by meditating on this mystery that we can deepen our understanding of the sense and significance of our vow of poverty. Our vow enables us to imitate Christ by enriching others.
Our vow of poverty has a spiritual and a practical dimension.
Spiritual. Conformity with Christ who founded his Church to establish the kingdom of God.
Practical. Our spiritual poverty is dynamic and requires us to live in a simple and sober was so as to be able to help the poor as much as we can. We have to be poor in fact as well as in spirit.
Our Constitutions remind us that we must have a concern for our brothers in need.
Pope Paul VI in Evangelica Testificatio sent a very powerful message to religious on this very subject. A message we need to hear again and again.
You hear
rising up, more pressing than ever, from their personal distress and collective
misery, "the cry of the poor."
Was it not in order to respond to their appeal as God's privileged ones
that Christ came, even going as far as to identify Himself with them? In a
world experiencing the full flood of development this persistence of
poverty-stricken masses and individuals constitutes a pressing call for "a conversion of minds and attitudes,"
especially for you who follow Christ more closely in this earthly condition of
self-emptying. …………Evangelica Testificatio. 17.
……Finally, it
enjoins on you a use of goods limited to what is required for the fulfilment of
the functions to which you are called. It is necessary that in your daily lives
you should give proof, even externally, of authentic poverty. Evangelica Testificatio.18.
Populorum Progressio 13 Evangelica Testificatio 16-19. Redemptionis Donum 12
Articles 18-1. a) - e)
The
1983 Code of Canon Law on some aspects of religious poverty
These articles were hastily
added to the 1968 text of the Constitutions after the publication of the new
Code of Canon Law in January 1983.
This explains the peculiar
numbering. These articles simply incorporate the directives of the new Code
into our Constitutions.
These changes had to be made
before the Constitutions could be approved in 1983.
This hasty addition of
Canons accounts for the slight lack of coherence in the articles on poverty in
our Constitutions
Article 18-1.
a)
Renunciation of
administration of personal wealth.
Text
18-1. a) Every professed religious may retain the
ownership of his inherited goods and the right to acquire others. All the same,
before his first profession, or after he acquires new goods, he is to give up
the administration of these goods, and
is freely to make arrangements for the use and usufruct of them.
Commentary
Our Constitutions follow the law of the Church on how the vow of poverty is to be lived out in practice.
A good commentary on Canon 668 needs to be read in conjunction with this article.
The simple vow of poverty, unlike a solemn vow of poverty does not involve giving up all ownership of goods. Religious in simple vows are allowed to retain their possessions and even acquire others through inheritance etc.
If the possessions involved are of a substantial nature then the administration of these possessions is given up and arrangements must be made for someone else to administer them.
The use of personal possessions and wealth can only be used with the permission of the superior.
As already noted, a confrere may renounce the right to possess wealth or goods.
Cf. Constitutions Art. 18-3.
Article No 18-1. a)
References
Canon 668
Article 18-1. b)
A valid will to be made
before 1st profession.
Text
18-1. b) Before final
profession he is to make a will and leave his goods to whomever he pleases by a
deed that is also to be valid in civil law.
Commentary
This article follows Canon Law. It is important that it is followed. It is also important that a copy of the will is lodged with the superior or some competent authority so that in case of death the will can be immediately located.
It has been known for families of a deceased confrere to make claims on his possessions.
In one case a will was found some six months after the death of a confrere. By this time his possessions had been disposed of.
The will must be valid in law. In the past confreres made a will before first profession but very often because of their age at the time the will was not valid in civil law.
Article 18-1. c)
Permission needed to change
administration of personal wealth.
Text
18-1. c) In order to change these arrangements,
for a just cause, and in order to perform any act whatever in connection with
his temporal goods, every religious needs the permission of the regional
superior, or in emergency, of the local superior.
Commentary
This article simply repeats the text of Canon 668 §2. It needs to be read together with a commentary.
Article 18-1. c)
References
Canon 668 §3
Article No 18-1. d)
Permission of superiors
needed before use of material goods.
Text
18-1. d) By the vow, confreres give up the right
to dispose of and to use lawfully their material goods without the
authorization of the legitimate superiors.
Commentary
Permission must be
obtained before a confrere can use his personal wealth in a substantial way.
This is to prevent inequality of life style amongst confreres. This article
ought to have been integrated in article 18-2.
It is the task of the Superior to ensure that no
distinctions of life style based on wealth appear amongst confreres.
In this context article 24-1 becomes important.
Article 18-1. e)
What a confrere earns belongs
to the Congregation.
Text
18-1. e) What a confrere acquires by his work, or
receives as pension, or as mass stipends, or as a subsidy, or as any kind of
insurance whatever, is acquired by the Institute and must be handed to the
superior of the house.
Commentary
Another article borrowed directly from the new Code of 1983.
This article repeats the text of Canon 668 §3. It needs to be read with a commentary on the Code.
Article 18-1 e)
References
Canons 668 668 §2 668 §3 Evangelica Testificatio 21.
Article No 18-2
The spirit of poverty
Text
18-2.
It is not enough that confreres ask
permission from their superior for the use of material goods; they should not
keep or use material goods for their intrinsic value; they are to avoid any
appearances of worldliness, love of gain, or hoarding. Along with their
superiors, they are to be watchful that no differences in the standard of
living arise inside the community. They must be sufficiently detached from the
goods of this world that they can accept even harsh privations.
Commentary
With this article (No 18-2.) we return to the original text of 1968. This article takes us back to the heart of the gospel.
The vow of poverty is not just about keeping the canons listed above. It is not to be reduced to asking permissions (Cf. Perfectae Caritatis 13. Insists on this point.)
It is a radical living of the gospel.
This article is really a meditation on the texts of the gospel dealing with wealth and hoarding possessions.
The parable of the rich man in Luke 12.13-21.
The words of Jesus “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” Luke 12.36.
Article 18-3
A solemn vow of poverty
Text
18-3. With the authorization of the Superior
General, and after mature reflection, confreres may, no sooner than five years
after their final profession, give up some or all their goods in a deed which
is as far as is possible valid in civil law. But the Superior General will give
his authorization only after exercising great prudence and with the consent of
his council.
Commentary
This article implements the directives of Vatican II.
Religious congregations may, in their constitutions,
permit their members to renounce their inheritances, both those, which have
already been acquired, and those which may be acquired in the future. Perfectae Caritatis No 13.
Article 19.
The ecclesiological
significance of our vow of poverty
Text
19.
It is partly through the religious institutes that the Church is to appear as
the Church of the poor. And so the Congregation as a whole, and each of its
communities, is to witness to this poverty. Furthermore, the poverty is to be a
truly family poverty: the common life, as well as providing genuine fulfilment
for the confreres, will free them from the pride of possession and the
inordinate love of material goods.
Commentary
Ecclesiology. This
article explains the value of our vow of poverty as a sign in the Church.
The Church is the Body of Christ and must be a sign to the world of the mystery of the self-emptying of Christ. She must be a Church of the Poor and a Church for the Poor. Religious Institutes are a powerful sign within the Church of the mystery of Christ’s poverty.
The Josephites have their role to play in making this sign visible within the Church. The family nature of poverty is the special way we live out this vow in the Church.
This family nature of poverty is spelt out in the sub sections of this article. 19-1 to 19-3. This is in accordance with Ecclesiae Sanctae II . 23.
Article 19-1
Simplicity in community
furnishings.
Text
19-1. Although
the furnishings in our places of work, and the books, office machines
etc. required for our apostolate should be of the best, all appearance of
luxury, excessive comfort and wealth on the part of an individual or a
community are strictly forbidden.
Commentary
The spirit of this article is clear. How it should be implemented is not. Exactly what constitutes an appearance of luxury, excessive comfort and wealth will vary from region to region.
Nevertheless there ought to be a constant appraisal to ensure that the spirit of this article is kept.
Article 19-1
References.
Perfectae Caritatis 13. Ecclesiae Sanctae II 23.
Evangelica Testificatio 22 Vita Consecrata 82. Canon 634 §2.
Article 19-2
Allowances for confreres.
Text
19-2. The community is to provide each confrere,
in one form or another, and in accordance with the directives of the
general council, the necessary money for
certain personal expenses, which may be incurred without permission. What is
not spent of this allowance will enable confreres to practise the poverty of
sharing, either among themselves or among those who have the greatest need of
their generosity. Besides this, in their use of this pocket money, confreres
are invited to show a greater sense of responsibility and economy in keeping with
their vow of poverty. In any event, the use of this money remains under the
control of the local superior.
Commentary
Before 1968 confreres were not given pocket
money. There was a danger that they became detached from the realities of the
world and lost a sense of the value of money or a sense of the cost of
living. This was hardly treating
confreres as adults.
Furthermore, confreres were unable to come to
the aid of the poor. The present system of pocket money, holiday money etc also
has its dangers but it does invite confreres to live their vow of poverty in a
very practical way and use some of their pocket money to help the poor.
Article 20.
Detachment and the spirit
of the Founder.
Politesse du coeur
Text
20.
Detachment from the goods of this world is to go as far as the complete gift of
oneself. Confreres should be able to sacrifice their time and personal preferences
to serve the Congregation and the Church. According to the mind of the Founder,
the penitential spirit proper to the Josephites does not primarily consist in
performing acts of mortification. Rather it consists in continually being
watchful so as not to annoy, or shock, or hurt, or disedify anyone. This is what the Founder called “politesse
du coeur” (Christian courtesy or
good manners) which is no different
from the love described by St Paul in I Corinthians 13,4 - 7.
Commentary
Poverty is not just about wealth and possessions. There is also poverty of heart, detachment. Poverty has a penitential dimension it involves renunciation.
Poverty, together with the other vows of chastity and obedience, involves a total gift of self in the service of the Church and the Congregation.
In his letters to his religious, the Founder constantly urges them not fast or practice severe mortification.
One way in which Josephites live out the self-emptying of Christ within their religious family is by the practice of politesse du coeur (politeness of heart). This politeness of heart is in reality the living out, especially in community life, of the love which is described by St Paul in 1 Corinthians 13, verses 4 – 7.
Love is always
patient and kind; it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited; it
is never rude or selfish; it does not take offence, and is not resentful. Love
takes no pleasure in other people's sins but delights in the truth; it is
always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes.
The perfection of brotherly love mentioned in Article 17-2 invloves living out this virtue of politeness.
Article 20
References
Evangelica Testificatio 21 Reglement des professeurs chapter 2.
Letters of the Founder 1847-02-12.
EXPLANATORY NOTE No 5.
The Founder’s teaching on
Politeness.
This is an important characteristic of the Josephite identity and needs to be properly understood. This lengthy explanatory note serves as an introduction to further study.
We must not neglect the Founder’s teaching on Politesse (Politeness) it is a central feature of his teaching on education as well as his understanding of life in community.
A
problem.
It cannot be denied that in our own day politeness appears to have more to do with behaviour in polite society than any religious values. Because the English word “Politeness” is usually limited to external behaviour in “Polite” society it is better to retain the French word “Politesse” and explain what the Founder meant by it.
Two important Manuals.
While he was Principal of the College of Alost (1814-1825) the Founder wrote two important little manuals. Manuel de la Jeunesse Chrétienne and Manuel de Politesse . (Manual of Christian Youth and Manual of Politeness.)
These two little Manuals provide us with a clear understanding both of the Founder’s teaching on Politesse and the importance he attached to it in the work of education.
These two Manuals became buried in the archives for a number of years. Recently they have been published by Br Michael Powell C.J.
In his thesis on the Founder and Education (June 1997) Br Michael has made a careful study of the origins of the notion of Politesse and its role in education.
A reading of certain pages in thesis is indispensable to a correct understanding of Politesse and education in the thought and teaching of the Founder.
In his Manual on Politesse the Founder lists three types of Politeness.
Politesse of Body, Politesse of the mind, Politesse of the heart (Politesse du coeur)
Politesse of the Body. This concerns external movements and attitudes. These movements or attitudes of the body can be signs of consideration. But there is a certain manner of standing or gesticulating which can express contempt, animosity, arrogance etc. The rules of politeness indicate ways of using our body to express consideration and concern for others.
Politeness of the Mind. This concerns the way we speak. Politeness dictates that we would not speak disparagingly or insensitively of a person’s deformity or handicap either their presence, or even elsewhere. It means not speaking in a way that would cause another to become over anxious or frightened.
Politeness of mind purifies the language and modifies the tone etc. Language and tone are very important when dealing with young people.
Politesse of the Heart. This politeness teaches one to avoid pride, pretension and brashness, to control one’s mood, to train one’s character to respect others and to respect oneself even more, to forget one’s own comfort for the sake of others.
Politesse of the mind and of the body are in a sense, the polish of society: politeness of the heart is its soul.
Cf. Manual de Politesse translated by Br Michael Powell C.J.
Scriptural basis for Politesse. It would be wrong to think that the Founder’s teaching on Politesse was derived solely form the rule of behaviour in the polite middle class society in which he grew up.
In his Manuel de Politesse the Founder wrote.
Religion does
not content itself with imposing general duties towards God and towards
society; rather it prescribes specific duties towards our superior, our equals,
and even towards our inferiors.
To convince
ourselves of this we have only to look at Scripture. Consider in particular the
letters of the Apostles, full as they are of charity and consideration; on
their own they would form a perfect code of politesse. In particular read the
admirable letter of St Paul to the Romans; you will be struck by the
recommendations he makes to them to care for one another……… The first letter to
the Corinthians Chapter XIII, is a précis of Christian urbanity. Cf. Manuel de
Politesse. Translated by Br Michael Powell C.J.
Practical
applications of the Founder’s thinking and teaching on Politesse.
1. Education.
Br Michael Powell wrote in his M. Phil thesis:
…it could fairly be said that for Van Crombrugghe everything leads to and is rooted in this concept (Politesse) of total respect for the other. Michael Powell Constant Van Crombrugghe and Education. Pages 96-98.
To see how the Founder applied his concept of politeness to teaching we must turn to his Règlement des Professeurs, and his Directoire des Surveillants, as well as the Guide Pédagogique of the first Josephites.
The English Translation of these documents on education is to be found in Br Michael Powell. Constant Van Crombrugghe and Education. June 1997 also in M. Powell Documents for Educators in the Josephite tradition.
These documents show how politesse in all its forms but especially Politesse of the Heart was to become an integral part of teaching and dealing with young people inside and outside of the class room.
Your politeness and gentleness in particular will dispose the pupils to respect and affection for you. Pedagogical Guide No. 75
Speak quite loudly, without shouting, adapting your volume to the room and to the number of pupils. Pedagogical Guide No. 96.
In his letters to his religious brothers the Founder constantly urged them to be polite towards the boys in their care.
Both of us (The Founder and the Superior General) encourage you to be happy and generous, becoming accustomed to those polite and gentle manners which make one so attractive to the children and to others with whom one has to deal. These qualities underline all others. Letter 128 1835-01-08 to Br Ambrose and all the brothers at Hal.
2. Life in Community.
Politesse was not just for the classroom and the school. It was also the heart of living together in the family spirit.
In his letters to his religious brothers the Founder does not use the phrase “politesse du coeur” but he constantly refers to the importance of the values of politesse in everyday community life.
Take care that the Rules of politeness are followed at all times everywhere in our Convent of Our Lady. Align everything with religious aims. Letter 88. 1834-10-05 to the Superior at Hal.
You are right, my dear Brother; in the same way that
the Lord only prohibited the abuse of an oath by these words: All you need
say is “yes” if you mean yes, “No” if you mean no; anything more than this
comes from the evil one (Matt. 5:37), in the same way he only forbade in
our talks and conversations those excesses which are condemned by charity,
gentleness and Christian modesty.
Just like an
oath, an animated, even forceful, expression can be permitted. Nevertheless,
with very few exceptions we would do well to hold literally to the tenets of
the Gospel.
Let us the
avoid those turgid expressions which contain exaggeration and emphasis, and
which show only too clearly a lack of mortification of the passions. Let us
avoid especially that bantering or acerbic tone which is so alien to the
character we try to acquire, and which, besides, does not lie well with the air
of politeness of which you must give a constant example
Letter 111. 1835-06-21 to the Superior of Hal. N.B. This letter is fine example of the Founder at work teaching the elements of politesse to his religious brothers.
Our
Constitutions and Politesse.
It will now be obvious from what has been written above that our Constitutions, especially in this section on life in community is embued with the teaching of the Founder on concern and sensitivity for others which is nothing else than the living out of 1 Corinthians 13.
In our Constitutions Articles. 14. 14-1. 15. and 20. are particularly concerned with the spirit of “politesse”.
References.
Documents.
Manuel de la Jeunesse Chrétienne. Translated by M. Powell.
Manuelle de la Politesse. Translated by M. Powell.
Powell. M. Documents for Educators in the Josephite tradition.
Studies.
Jorissen. J. Le visage idéale de la Congrégation des Pères Joséphites. Politesse.
Powell. M. Constant Van Crombrugghe and Education. June 1997.
Article 20-1
Each confrere bound by the
law of work.
Text
20-1. For the religious, one method of actually
bringing about the spirit of detachment is to give of themselves totally, and
to use every available means of fulfilling their call to love. Each confrere
must feel personally bound by the law of work.
Commentary
It is possible to become extremely indolent in religious and community life.
Pope Paul VI
wrote about the importance of work in Evangelica
Testificatio.
It will therefore be an essential aspect of your poverty to bear witness to the human meaning of work which is carried out in liberty of spirit and restored to its true nature as the source of sustenance and of service. (Evangelica Testificatio. 20.)
Article 20-1
References
Gaudium et Spes 67 Evangelica Testificatio 20
Article 20-2
Detachment/Scripture.
Text
20-2. In a constantly changing world,religious
are to keep turning back to Christ's Gospel, and must allow themselves to be
guided by the Holy Spirit, without attaching too much importance to life
styles, fashions, theories, and so on, which change with the times. Many are
the difficulties, frustrations, and misunderstandings which will remind them
that they are merely servants who, by their sufferings, make up for what is
lacking in the sufferings of Christ, and who, with joyful and confident hearts,
entrust themselves completely to their
Father in Heaven.
Commentary
This article continues the reflection on renunciation and detachment.
We must be detached from life-styles, fashions theories which are ever changing. The same point is emphasised by Pope Paul VI in Evangelica Testificatio 19.
The Holy Spirit and the gospel must be our guide. Two passages from the New Testament have inspired this article.
Luke 17.10.
So with you: when you have done all you have
been told to do, say, "We are merely servants: we have done no more than
our duty".'
Colossians 1.24
It makes me happy to suffer for you, as I am
suffering now, and in my own body to do what I can to make up all that has
still to be undergone by Christ for the sake of his body, the Church.
Article 21.
A real preference for the
poor.
Text
21.
"If a man who is rich enough in this world's goods saw that one of his
brothers was in need, but closed his heart to him, how could the love of God be
living in him?" Confreres must show a real preference for the poor and
also for those who suffer from poverty of culture, or of intelligence, or of
virtue.
Commentary
This final article on poverty repeats a theme found in Perfectae Caritatis
Religious poverty requires more than the limiting of
the use of possessions to the consent of superiors; members of a community
ought to be poor both in fact and spirit, and have their treasures in
heaven. (Perfectae Caritatis No 13)
Our Constitutions quote 1 John 3.17. Mention could also be made of Mt 25, 34-36 and James 2.15-16.
Imitation of Christ means identifying with his love for the poor. This love will be the proof and the witness of the authenticity of our love for Christ.
Pope Paul VI in Evangelica Testificatio makes a powerful appeal to the Church and especially to religious to heed the cry of the poor.
Article 21
References
1 John 3.17 Evangelica Testificatio 17-18.
Vita Consecrata 82. 90.
Article 21-1
Communities must help the
poor.
Text
21-1. Our communitities will respond to the social
and material needs which come to their attention, according to their resources.
Commentary
This article should be read alongside article 18-2. In that article confreres are encouraged to help those in need. In this article the community must also give a witness to a real love for the poor by coming to their help.
The General Chapter of 2002 re-wrote this article. The phrase “which come to their attention “ adds a note of gospel radicalism. There is to be no walking by on the other side.
Article 21-2.
The wider Josephite family
and love for the poor.
Text
21-2. It may be that the confreres will not come
across those in real need amongst young people or the elderly in places where
they work. But with the help of those with whom they are in contact, and whom
they have to educate in the charity of sharing, they will look for ways of
sharing their wealth with the poor and needy, in the spirit of their
foundation.
Commentary
The Josephites will instil in their pupils and all the members of the wider Josephite family the same love and concern for the poor.
A recommended way of doing this is to try and twin various parts of the extended Josephite family so that those who are well off are empowered to come to the aid of those who are in real need.
Teachers in our schools in Europe and America could be invited to share with teachers in the Josephite schools in the Kasai.
Parents of pupils of our schools in Europe and America could be invited to help parents in the Kasai educate their children.
This
would be an excellent way of sharing with the poor and building up the
Josephite extended family.
All
this is done in the spirit of our foundation. This article assumes a knowledge
of the early history of the Josephites.
§3. OBEDIENCE.
Article No 22.
The Christological
dimension of the vow of obedience.
Text
22. Following the example of
Christ, who came to fulfil the will of his Father and complete his work,
religious, by their vow of obedience, consecrate their entire person to God as
an offering of themselves. By using their qualities of intelligence and will,
and their gifts of nature and grace,
they are to unite themselves to the saving will of God.
Summary
The vow of obedience is a following of Christ who:
- came to do the will of the Father
- came to complete the Father’s work of salvation.
The vow of obedience is:
- a consecration of the entire person to God
- an offering of oneself to God
By the vow of obedience a religious places all the God given gifts of nature and grace at the service of the Divine plan of salvation.
Commentary
Our religious obedience follows the example of Christ. In fact our religious obedience is “in Christ”. Our vows unite us to the mystery of Christ and the mystery of the Church. By our vow of obedience we are united with Christ the Servant of God.
This union with Christ in his obedience to the Father is a union with the salvific will of God.
In his commentary on this article Fr Jacques explained the Trinitarian dimension of our vow of obedience and emphasised our personal responsibility in living it out.
This is what he wrote:
“The obedience of Christ predates the incarnation. It is rooted in the eternal and mysterious acceptance by the Son of the Father’s decision that the word should become flesh. This acceptance is from all time, before the Incarnation, even before the Creation. This obedience is part of the eternal plan for salvation, hidden from all eternity on the bosom of the Father. It is an obedience on which the salvation of the world depends (Ephesians 1.3-23).
The vow of obedience in not a human act but one that is at the heart of the life of the Trinity. Its deepest and ultimate motive is love.
The soul of Jesus is shaped by this communion of his will and that of the Father. His food is to do the will of the one who sent him. The life of Jesus is consumed by this desire to do the will of the Father, to carry out the Father’s plan of salvation. This is the obedience of Christ which is love and which makes him the Saviour of mankind.
Our obedience, is obedience in Christ. It is a consecration of self. A consecration of all our gifts and talents, freely given. It is an active and dynamic obedience which leads us to maturity and to the liberty of a child of God.
To obey is to accept the order that has been given with all one’s being so that the order given by another becomes one’s own will.
There can never be too much emphasis on this personal responsibility of the one who obeys.” (Fr Jacques Jorrissen C.J. Commentary on the 1968 Constitutions)
Almost three decades later Vita Consecrata would take up exactly the same point and emphasises both the Trinitarian dimension of the vow and the deep sense of responsibility.
The deepest meaning of the evangelical counsels is
revealed when they are viewed in relation to the Holy Trinity, the source of
holiness. They are in fact an expression of the love of the Son for the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit. By practising the evangelical counsels, the
consecrated person lives with particular intensity the Trinitarian and
Christological dimension which marks the whole of Christian life……………Obedience, practised in imitation of Christ, whose food was to do the
Father's will (cf. John. 4:34), shows the liberating beauty of a dependence
which is not servile but filial, marked by a deep sense of responsibility and
animated by mutual trust, which is a reflection in history of the loving
harmony between the three Divine Persons. (Vita Consecrata No 21)
Personal responsibility: A historical note.
A traditional theology of the practice of the vow of obedience had exalted the virtue of “blind” obedience.
During the Nuremburg trials which took place after World War II many of those on trial for carrying out appalling crimes against humanity said in their defence that they were only carrying out orders and therefore not responsible.
The concept of blind obedience carries with it the possibility of irresponsibility. It is no longer considered an appropriate way of understanding religious obedience.
Article 22
References
Perfectae Caritatis 14. Evangelica Testificatio 23-28
Redemptionis Donum 13. Vita Consecrata 21. 91.
Article 23
The Josephite dimension of
our vow of obedience.
Text
23.
Josephites are to make this offering of themselves a reality by carrying out in
a religious spirit the work for which they have been founded. Indeed, in the
Institute obedience consists above all in confreres actively collaborating in
the common work, unconcerned about special preferences and attachments, with
filial respect for their superiors, and respect for the personality of others.
And so it is that through their superiors and their common apostolate, their
will converges with the saving will of God.
Summary
The reality of uniting oneself to the saving will of God means carrying out in a religious spirit the apostolate of the Congregation (Education.Priestly Ministry. Mission ad gentes)
Obedience for Josephites means
- collaborating in the common apostolate
* without self interest
* with filial respect for superiors
* with respect for the personality of others. (Politesse)
The saving will of God is discovered through directives of superiors and carrying out the common apostolate.
Note. (Although not mentioned here, the saving will of God is also discovered through the fraternal life.)
Vita Consecrata.
“The fraternal life is the privileged place in which to discern and accept God’s will, and to walk together with one mind and heart.” (Vita Consecrata 92.)
Commentary
This article shows how the theology of the vow of obedience outlined in article 22 is lived out in the day to day life of a confrere.
The vow of obedience involves faithful collaboration in the triple apostolate of the Congregation. This collaboration has two important Josephite characteristics –
1. filial respect for superiors (The rule of Fatherhood)
2. respect for the personality of others (Politesse du coeur)
The vow of obedience also has an element of renunciation. This article is also concerned with making real the theology outlined in Article 22.
1. Josephites are to make this offering of themselves a reality by carrying out in a religious spirit the work for which they have been founded. (Constitutions Article 23)
Our vow of
obedience unites us through Christ with the Father’s plan of salvation. We are
totally at the service of one another and God’s plan to save the world. In the
words of the IVth Eucharistic
prayer we are called, together with all those who have been baptised, to
complete the work of Christ on earth.
We are called to love everything which comes from God and to strive to make the saving will of the Father a reality through the apostolate of the Congregation.
2.In the Institute obedience consists above all in confreres actively collaborating in the common work..
We are all conscious of our faults and our limitations. That is why we seek the help of others, a family of brothers under the guidance of a superior to help us live out our desire to live for God alone and spend our lives making his plan of salvation a reality.
That is why through our vow of obedience we bind ourselves to follow a common rule of life which emphasises those values of the gospel which correspond to our inner longing to serve God and our fellow men and women.
The Josephite religious family is a group of brothers who all have their individual character, who all have different talents, but are united by a common rule, a common ideal and a common desire to build their lives on the gospel. Our vow of obedience involves an active collaboration in the common work.
3. Filial respect.
Obedience is not “blind” but filial, that is to say that it is obedience “in Christ.” The superior is an ordinary human being whose task is to help his confreres to remain faithful to their commitment to Christ and his gospel and to fulfilling God’s plan of salvation.
Obedience is
not just a human action, it is also divine since it unites us with Christ in
his obedience to the Father by which the world was saved.
Article
23-1
The legal obligation of the vow of obedience.
Text
23-1. The proper object of the vow of obedience
consists in submission to the directions of legitimate superiors in accordance
with the Constitutions of the Congregation.
Commentary
This article spells out the juridical bottom line of all that has been said about the Josephite nature of obedience in article 23.
In the final count obedience means obeying the directions of legitimate superiors.
Article 24
More Josephite characteristics of our vow of
obedience.
Text
24. In a spirit of
renunciation, the religious commits himself, by a fidelity which is to last for
life, to responding with his very best to every invitation of love which would
take him towards God and towards his fellows. At every moment of the day this
call of love is presented to him as a fresh task: by the Constitutions and the
Customary whose purpose it is to spell out more precisely the one commandment
in its different applications; and by the community which already had its own
inner dynamism at the time when it made the religious welcome, and which
supports him by its own life and impetus; and lastly, by the directives of the
superiors.
Summary
The vow of obedience includes a life long fidelity to the task of responding to every invitation of love. (i.e. a daily fidelity to the great commandment to love God and love one’s neighbour.)
This call of love is presented in 3 ways.
1. By Constitutions, Customary, (Regional Statutes) which spell out the daily application of the great commandment.
2. By the community which already lives out the great commandment in a dynamic way and invites each new member to make their own contribution.
3. By the directives of superiors.
Commentary
This article stresses the element of self-denial and renunciation, which is involved in living out the vow of obedience.
The radicalism of the vow lies in the effort to respond to every invitation of love. By the vow we aim to love God and our neighbour to the best of our ability every time we have the opportunity to do so.
Obedience is not just about keeping rules and following orders; it is about loving God and our neighbour.
However, this daily call of love is spelt out for us in a practical and concrete way by our Constitutions and Customary. The Regional; Statutes are not mentioned because they did not exist when this article was written. Mention ought to be made of them since they too help define this vocation to love day by day.
The one commandment is the great commandment, which Jesus explained to the Scribe in Mark 12.28-34.
One of the
scribes who had listened to them debating and had observed how well Jesus had
answered them, now came up and put a question to him, 'Which is the first of
all the commandments?'
Jesus replied,
'This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you
must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all
your mind and with all your strength.
The second is
this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater
than these.'
The scribe said
to him, 'Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and
there is no other.
To love him with
all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your
neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or
sacrifice.'
Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God' (Mark 12.28-34. Cf Mt 22.34-40 and Lk. 10.25-28)
The whole of this 2nd Part of our Constitutions is a consideration of community.
In this article the community is presented as the place where we are presented with the invitation and the opportunity to live the one great commandment day by day.
The article mentions the inner dynamism of the community. That is to say there is already a rich tradition of love and service within the community when we join it. As well as making our own contribution to this tradition we are inspired and carried along by it.
Vita Consecrata stresses the same point.
The fraternal life is the privileged place in which to
discern and accept God's will, and to walk together with one mind and heart.
Vita Consecrata 92.
The directives of superiors are also a way of hearing the invitation to love.
In the past the directives of superiors were often presented as the only way of hearing God’s call to love Him and one another.
Article 24-1
Permissions.
Text
24-1. Not only should
the religious to have recourse to the superior to ask for an authorization or
an exceptional privilege which is not attached to the job they do, or which is
not of long-standing custom, but they are also to make it a rule of conduct not
to ask for authorizations except when they are reasonable and genuinely
justifiable.