CONSOLATA MISSIONARY INSTITUTE

BIENNIUM ON THE PERSON

January 29, 2021 – January 29, 2023

Module 08 - August 2021

Spiritual dimension

WE ARE CONSECRATED
AD VITAM
(…) Do not forget that, with religious profession, we do not
make a contract, but we follow a vocation. The Lord does not
like contracts. He is always generous. We gave ourselves to the
Lord, come on! Whatever it takes. (…) Yours are the vows of
missionaries. When you do them or renew them, you must also
think about the mission, manifest your desires of ardent zeal and
collaborate in evangelization. We should have a vow to serve
the mission even at the cost of our lives, happy to die in the
breach. When you make your vows or renew them, remember
that all of this is also meant. (Così Vi voglio, 103 – 104)
“We reaffirm that the centrality of Christ is the source and the
reason for our being consecrated ad vitam for the mission Ad
Gentes. Through our consecrated life (Const. 36-49) and
participation in the prayer of the Church, following the example
of the first community gathered with Mary (Const. 56-68), we
conform our life to Christ, missionary of the Father, as his
disciples, assuming his virtues and his attitudes rich in
humanity”. (XIII CG, 14)
“We must measure ourselves with the vows we have
professed. For us, people consecrated for the mission, the
holiness and integrity of our person are at stake here. A chaste
heart is a heart that expresses selfless love; a poor life is one
that is not seduced by goods, but by the One Good; an obedient
person is one who is not subjugated by others, but places his
whole life at the service of his neighbor and therefore lives the
freedom of the children of God”. (XIII CG, 17)

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Status Quaestionis
The beauty of our being Consolata Missionaries lies in
corresponding to our specific vocation in the Church, which
from the very beginning has seen us consecrated men in
religious life for the mission ad gentes. However, perhaps we
should sincerely ask ourselves: What impact do vows have on
our daily life as missionaries? Do we enjoy their beauty or is
their radicalism just a remembrance of the novitiate times?
Sometimes it seems that we do not grasp their fruitfulness,
coming almost to “suffer” them or even to feel them as a
burden, without which we would feel more “free” (!) for the
mission. In addition, here the temptation arises to flatten
ourselves on an overly functional vision of the ministry, almost
as if it were a “profession”. Life devoted to the absolute of God
and to the service of others should never allow itself to be
entangled in the mesh of calculation, in a “corporatist
mentality”.
When Pope Francis warns against the risk of clericalism, does not
this have something to say also to us? If we do not pay due
attention to our identity as men consecrated for the mission, the
gratuitousness of or vows risks to dangerously fade away, losing its
flavour. “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its
flavour, with what will it be salted? It serves no purpose other than
to be thrown away and trampled on by the people” (Mt 5, 13).
We must not hide our weaknesses. Some of us have lost the zeal
that drove them to become missionaries; we feel tired; we find it
hard to leave to go where the mission sends us. We find it
difficult to change; we give in to an easy life; we close in on
ourselves and have few meaningful relationships; the ideal of
the mission no longer fascinates us.

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This situation has convinced us that the majority of our
problems (personal, community, apostolic and other…) arise
precisely from the lack of spirituality, of depth of faith in our
life. The root of our crisis on a personal level lies in the inability
to live the radicalism of religious life in following Christ.

ENLIGHTENMENT
It is a fundamental rule of religious life to always return to one’s
own origins, to draw lymph from one’s own roots, to give again
evidence to what is essential.
Not to forget that: “The evangelical foundation of consecrated
life must be sought in the special relationship that Jesus, in his
earthly existence, established with some of his disciples, inviting
them not only to welcome the kingdom of God in their own life,
but to place their own existence at the service of this cause,
leaving everything and closely imitating his life form”.
(Consecrated Life, 14)
Pope Francis also recalled that: “Consecrated persons,
inasmuch as they strive to conform themselves more perfectly to
Christ, are, above all, those who are familiar with God. … In
this perspective, religious life can become an itinerary of
progressive rediscovery of divine mercy, facilitating the
imitation of the virtues of Christ and his attitudes rich in
humanity, and then witnessing them to all those you approach in
your pastoral service”. (Pope Francis to the participants in the
General Chapters of the Consolata Missionaries and of the
Consolata Missionary Sisters, 5 June 2017)
Our consecration in religious life actually becomes the most
radical resource of our being missionaries. A person well rooted

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in his own identity spreads fragrance, has balance, brings
harmony. Our roots are hidden in our unconditional giving of
ourselves to the love of Christ, which religious consecration
preserves and nourishes.
That is why the Blessed Joseph Allamano, from the origins and
guided by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, followed the growth
of the Institute with prayer, reflection, aware of the mission
needs and the invitations of the Church. He grew the conviction
that, to become what the Spirit inspired him, it was necessary,
useful, and advantageous that we ought to be men consecrated
in a special way in religious life. By this way, our Institute, from
a “society of diocesan priests for the missions” (a choice made
by other missionary families), became a “religious family of
consecrated people for the mission”.
Perhaps it is worth remembering that at the heart of the vows
there is a mystery of participation in the very life of Christ. St.
John Paul II confirmed this in the apostolic exhortation Vita
Consecrata, when he reiterated that “the vows before and more
than a renunciation, are a specific acceptance of the mystery of
Christ, lived within the Church. […] It is precisely from this
special grace of intimacy that the possibility and requirement
of the total gift of self in the profession of the evangelical
counsels springs up in consecrated life.” (VC 16).
Our commitment to poverty questions aspirations for
consumerism, challenging the fantasy world of wealth: we are
not only called to free ourselves from its charm and to
appreciate everything without having to own it, but also to have
a sense of gratitude towards God who gives all good things.
Through the choice of the poor and the denunciation of all kinds
of injustice, the vow of poverty is the fundamental challenge for
the awakening of religious life.

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In this world of ours where we are tempted to enclose love in
isolated and exclusive relationships, chastity invites us to be a
sign of the universal love of God, who excludes no one and
breaks down every wall of separation. Our chastity urges us to
embody a love that goes far beyond modern forms of tolerance,
which often hide the fear of differences, of the threatening
stranger or the stranger knocking on the door.
Finally, the vow of obedience, which is the invitation to share
the same life of God who calls us to his joy. We are
authentically obedient when we deal with each one with
sympathy and intelligence, seeking to know together what God
desires from us. Jesus’ perfect obedience to the Father was the
fruit of his perfect consonance with him in the Spirit.

GUIDELINES FOR LIFE

We are relaunching the objectives indicated by Pope Francis for
the year of consecrated life, so that they can guide our life and
open new paths to the Mission ad Gentes. (See Pope Francis,
Apostolic Letter to all consecrated persons on the occasion of
the Year of Consecrated Life, 28.11.14)

1. Look at the past with gratitude.

Look at the past with gratitude; it is to make memory of the
past. Telling one's story is essential to keep identity alive, as
well as to strengthen the unity of the family and the sense of
belonging of its members. It is not a question of doing
archaeology or cultivating unnecessary nostalgia, but rather of
retracing the path of past generations to grasp in it the
inspirational spark, the ideals, the projects, the values that
motivated them. It is also a way to become aware of how the
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charism has been lived throughout history, what creativity it has
unleashed, what difficulties it has had to face and how they have
been overcome.

2. Live the present with passion.

Living the present with passion means becoming “experts in
communion”. In a society of conflict, of difficult coexistence
between different cultures, of oppression of the weakest, of
inequalities, we are called to offer a concrete model of fraternal
life based on the “conviviality of differences”, that is, on the
recognition of the dignity of each person and of sharing the gift
of which each one is a bearer, allowing to live brotherly
relationships.

3. Embracing the future with hope

Embracing the future with hope, on the one hand, means
recognizing the difficulties, which consecrated life in its various
forms, is facing. The decrease in vocations and aging, especially
in the Western world, the economic problems following the
pandemic and the serious global financial crisis, the challenges
of internationality and globalization, marginalization and social
irrelevance. On the other hand, it is precisely in these
uncertainties, which we share with so many of our
contemporaries, that our hope is realized, the fruit of faith in the
Lord of history who continues to repeat to us: «Do not be
afraid ... because I am with you» (Jer. 1, 8).

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FOR COMMUNITY SHARING
An invitation to organize meetings to ask ourselves how to
respond concretely to the expectations that Pope Francis has
addressed to all religious people, and therefore also to all of us.
See “Apostolic letter to all consecrated persons on the occasion
of the Year of Consecrated Life” by Pope Francis, 28.11.14)

EXPECTATIONS FOR CONSECRATED

PEOPLE
1. I expect that “you wake up the world”, because the note
that characterizes consecrated life is prophecy: to be
prophets who testify how Jesus lived on this earth ... A
religious person must never renounce prophecy.
2. I expect that you may keep alive some “utopias”, that is,
create “other places”, where the evangelical logic of gift, of
brotherhood and acceptance of diversity and mutual love is
lived.
3. I expect that young consecrated people may know how to
dialogue with the generation that is before them. In fraternal
communion to be able to enrich yourselves with their
experience and wisdom, and at the same time you will be
able to offer the ideals, the impetus and the freshness of your
enthusiasm, so as to elaborate together new ways of living
the Gospel and increasingly adequate responses to the needs
of witness and announcement.
4. I expect gestures of consolation and hope, of closeness
and compassion, for people affected by the pandemic and
injustices. There is a whole humanity waiting: people who
have lost all hope, families in difficulty, young people who

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 are barred from any future, refugees, the sick and abandoned
old people, rich sated with goods and with emptiness in their
hearts, men and women in search of the meaning of life.
5. I await from you concrete gestures of welcoming
refugees, of closeness to the poor, of creativity in
catechesis, in the proclamation of the Gospel, in initiation
into the life of prayer. Consequently, I hope for the
streamlining of the structures, the reuse of large houses in
favour of works more responsive to the current needs of
evangelization and charity, the adaptation of our activities to
the new needs.
For this reason, do not withdraw into yourselves, do not
allow yourselves to be asphyxiated by the small quarrels of
the house, do not remain prisoners of your problems. These
will get their own solutions if you go out to help others,
solve their problems and announce the good news. You will
find life by giving life, hope by giving hope, and love by
loving.

FOR A PERSONAL REFLECTION

1. Ask yourself whether and how you allow yourself to be
challenged by the Gospel; if it is truly the “vademecum” for
everyday life and for the choices you are called to make. It is
demanding and asks to be lived with radicalness and
sincerity. It is not enough to read it (yet reading and study
remain of extreme importance), it is not enough to meditate
on it (and we do it with joy every day). Jesus asks us to
carry it out, to live his words.
2. Ask yourself whether Jesus is really the first and only love,
as you set yourself when you professed the vows. Only if it

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 is such you can and must love in truth and mercy every
person you meet on your path, because you will have
learned from Him what love is and how to love.
3. How do I live my religious consecration as a Consolata
Missionary? What do the vows that I freely professed in the
IMC represent for me?
4. The dimension of religious vows as the secret of our
apostolic fruitfulness. Do I believe it, how do I experience
it? And how does “consecration” help you to qualify the
Mission ad Gentes? How do you try to live the relationship
between Religious Life and prophecy? What more could be
done?
5. Does our choice of an obedient, poor and chaste life
represent the fixed point around which we build our
apostolic communities? Can you share at this level in our
intercultural communities?

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Simple Prayer
said to be of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me
an instrument of Your Peace:
Where there is hatred, let me bring Love,
Where there is an offense, that I may bring forgiveness,
Where there is discord, let me bring Unity,
Where there is doubt, that I may bring Faith,
Where there is wrong doing, that I may bring Truth,
Where there is despair, that I may bring Hope,
Where there is sadness, that I may bring Joy,
Where there is darkness, let me bring the Light.
Master, do not let me look so much
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love.
Since, so it is:
By giving, that one receives;
By forgiving, that one is forgiven;
By dying, that one is resurrected to Eternal Life.
Amen.

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