31. Unity of life
My food is to do the will of the one who sent me, and to complete his work.
John 4:34
Moreover, our vocation—that is, our purpose, nature and spirit—should direct the life and organization of the Congregation.
Constitutions, 9
This paragraph of our Constitutions is not only the criterion by which we should interpret our Constitutions, but it is more fundamentally a criterion for the entire life of the missionary. It is the principle which gives unity, cohesion and harmony to our lives and enables us to avoid fragmentation and division in the midst of so many and such varied works.
1. There Exists the Danger of Scattering One’s Energies
From our own experience we know that there exists the danger of scattering our energies, of outward fragmentation and disorder. Vatican II, in the document Presbyterorum Ordinis, warns us of this danger:
In today’s world, people have many obligations to fulfill. There is, too, a great diversity of problems vexing them, and, often enough, they have to attend to them hastily. As a result they are sometimes in danger of scattering their energies in many directions. For their part, priests, who are already involved in and distracted by the very numerous duties of their office, must, without anxiety, seek a way which will enable them to unify their interior lives with their program of external activities1.
Pope John Paul II warns of the same danger:
A constant danger for apostolic workers is to become so distant from the Lord in their own lives that they forget the Lord in all their activities2.
2. Strengthen the Interior Life
The advice that Presbyterorum Ordinis gives to priests who are concerned with obtaining internal harmony and unity is valid also for the Congregation of the Mission:
No merely external arrangement of the work of the ministry, no mere practice of religious exercises, can bring about this unity of life, however much these things can help foster it. But priests can truly build up this unity by imitating Christ the Lord, in the fulfillment of their ministry. His food was to do the will of him who sent him … Actually, Christ works unceasingly through his ministers to achieve in the world that same will of the Father by means of the Church. Hence, Christ forever remains the source and origin of their unity of life. Therefore, priests must work for this unity in their lives by uniting themselves with Christ in acknowledging the Father’s will and in the gift of themselves on behalf of the flock committed to them. Thus, by assuming the role of the Good Shepherd, they will find in the very exercise of pastoral love the bond of priestly perfection which will unify their lives and activities3.
3. Fidelity to the Vincentian Vocation Becomes Real in the Interior Unity and Harmony of the Missionary
Our vocation gives direction to our spirituality; we strive to follow Christ who became poor and humble so that he might proclaim the mystery of the living God.
Our vocation gives direction to our apostolic work and determines the criteria for judging whether these works really help to make the Church present in her role of Poor Servant.
Our vocation gives direction to our community life, especially as regards the use of goods, life style, and the resources for our works.
Our vocation gives direction to our spiritual and intellectual formation, and to the courses of studies we willingly pursue in the Congregation to attain the greatest competence in serving the poor and the clergy.
Our vocation gives direction to our mode of government in such a way that superiors, faithful to the Constitutions and exercising authority in the spirit of serving their brothers may indeed carry on Saint Vincent’s charism4.
- Do I feel a lack of internal unity, a lack of internal harmony? Do I feel dominated or dragged along by unforeseen events?
- Have I grown past organizing my life well, to living my life according to my discernment of the will of God?
- Is my spiritual, intellectual, and apostolic life in conformity with the demands of my missionary vocation?
Prayer:
Lord, pour out on us the spirit of understanding, truth and peace. Help us to strive with all our hearts to know what is pleasing to you, and when we know your will, make us determined to do it. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen5.