Itinerary of the 'Pauline' exercises during the year
(June 2009 = YEAR OF PRIESTHOOD = June 2010)
"A priest of St. Paul is father and mother…" (Blessed Alberione)
From the Baptism of Jesus to Ash Wednesday
The priest is well convinced of his personal unworthiness
We have dedicated this tempus fortus of Advent and Christmas to reflect and live the first of the 'docu-ments' which the Founder proposed to us so as to enter into the school of Jesus: poverty. It seems opportune, as we had anticipated in the last guideline, to stay in this same perspective, to enter into the school of Jesus, we will seek therefore in this first segment of Ordinary time, to consider and seek to translate into concrete choices the second document which is humility (DF 41). As is obvious, it deals with virtues which are correlated among themselves: how can one live poverty without a just and realistic vision of oneself which is born from the virtue of humility? And how can one grow in humility without the capacity to make 'space' (this requires being poor!) to that which is outside of ourselves and which can enrich our heart and spirit? Thus, on the one hand we do not abandon the commitment to poverty, that itself is"completed"; on the other hand we can practice it in humility, an indispensable virtue for a life which is given in complete donation.We go forth this time, pausing on the example of humility given to us by the holy Cure d'Ars: "With the Word and the Sacraments of his Jesus, John Mary Vianney knew how to edify his people, even though often he shud-dered before his own inadequacy, to the point where more than once he desired to avoid the parochial responsi-bility for which he was unworthy. However, with exemplary obedience he always stayed there, because the ap-ostolic passion for the salvation of souls consumed him. ".
We can say that in Don Alberione the invitation to humility is continuous. And it could not be otherwise, from the moment in which the whole journey is oriented toward conformation to Jesus, who is defined "meek and humble of heart" (Mt 11, 29). In the first place he recommends that the priest be humble: " Humility is nec-essary because it is the same truth, the same order, the same justice. The priest must be humble if he desires that God bless his fatigue and to be able to draw souls to himself; it is necessary so that the fruit of all his work is all from God: don't steal that which belongs to God ". The whole itinerary of DF is sprinkled with humility: from the 'humility of the heart' understood as a 'general fruit' of the first meditations of the stage "Glory be to the Father' to the "three degrees of humility" (DF 28), which Fr. Alberione always sees in reference to the three Divine Persons. It is good to underline how, in the vision of the Founder, the virtue of humility, beyond being indispensable for every person, ren-ders life serene and attracts the favour of God: "The humble one has great peace, frequent and intimate communication with the Lord, gladly stays in the place assigned to him by Providence. He may appear little before men, but the gaze of the Lord falls upon him with favour; and great treasures of merits accumulate for Heaven".Therefore, the orientation with which to live the 'Pauline' exercises in this period could be to follow two indica-tions which regard the area of relationship:
¢ always praying and offering for priests, we will commit ourselves to our personal relationships and not to put ourselves forward, more so to forget ourselves, occupying the right place, in a greater rectitude of inten-tion, as the Founder suggests: "exclude from everything the vain complacency and the vain sights: "to God alone be the glory"" (DF 28). Let us renew each day this disposition with special reference to those expres-sion within our daily life where we are tempted to put ourselves forward: in our conversations, meetings, in the apostolic sector, in liturgical animation, in the roles which each one carries out within the community, etc;
¢ placing ourselves in intimate relationship with the Divine Trinity, we will commit ourselves to 'learn' this way of life, imbued with a sense of total gift and reciprocal welcoming. In the daily consecration to the Trinity, we will entrust ourselves to the three Divine Persons emptying ourselves of ourselves so as to re-ceive, in complete poverty, their infinite gift of Love. Therefore, in us the poverty and humility to let God carry out, coincides with welcoming his unending Love! The reciprocal request which allows us to remain in communion with each other could be the attitude of traditional asceticism, which the Founder invites us to take on: "On my own I can do nothing, with God I can do all things, for the love of God I wish to do all things. To God be the honour, for me paradise".
"The virtue which has the name humility is a deep root in the Divinity, in which it is implanted, so that it may have its being only in the eternal One, and not anywhere else". May the Master grant us to remain in co-mmunion with the Trinity, so as to be able to receive, astonished and emotional, the gifts which are necessary to live out in fullness our vocation and mission.
In profound communion,
Don Guido
In profound communion, don Guido.
