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Instruction on the Vows of Stability, Poverty Chastity and Obedience in the Congregation of the Mission
"We have all brought to the Company the resolution to live and die in it. We have brought it all that we are, body, soul, will, capacity industry and the rest. Why? To do what Jesus Christ did, to save the world." (XII, 98)
I. INTRODUCTION
In the midst of all the changes that occurred in St. Vincent's thoughts on the vows before 1641, one element invariably appears: the need to have a specific vow to insure a lifetime commitment to the evangelization of the poor, which would also mean "living and dying in the (Congregation of the) Mission" (II, 137). There was even a moment when he thought that the only vow necessary for strengthening the Mission would be the vow of stability (Vincent himself gives it this name) (II, 28). In effect, the vow of stability would guarantee in the lives of the missionaries two essential elements of the Mission as an institution:(1) a lifetime permanency in the Congregation and (2) a consecration of one's entire life to the evangelization of the poor.
II. THE PRESENT SITUATION
The modern world has been marked by the yearnings of millions to be free from social and political domination. The young nations struggle to move beyond the economic and cultural oppression of the colonial past.
On every continent groups and individuals have sprung up which promote solidarity with the poor, the struggle for a more just society and the defense of human rights. The Church has lent its support to these efforts through its social teaching. It has committed resources and personnel to a preferential option for the poor.
Nonetheless, while some sectors of society have become more conscious of the plight of the poor, the breach between rich and poor grows. The consumer mentality of having more and using more has become an acceptable lifestyle for many. Many modern economic structures produce more poverty. The media often depicts those who are of little use to the economy - the poor, the old, the sick - as failures, responsible for their own suffering. In this situation standing with the marginalized or making a vow of service to the poor requires “counter-cultural” courage.
There are other difficulties, of a different nature, which arise from trends in our changing society. The rapidity of change and the tendency to favor short-term solutions and rewards and , which characterizes the last decades of the Twentieth Century, call lifetime commitment into question. Exaggerated secularization casts doubt on what is essentially a religious consecration.
Within the Congregation, confreres who have given their lives generously to the service of the most abandoned by following of Jesus, the evangelizer of the poor, are an eloquent witness to the Vincentian charism. The inherent demands and difficulties of that vocation are experienced by everyone. For some the burden is excessive. In certain instances this has led to lifestyles which are of a dubious Vincentian character or to settling down comfortably in existing ministries to the detriment of the missionary vocation.
III. THE VOW OF STABILITY
The three constitutive elements of the vow of stability are clearly expressed in articles 28 and 39 of the Constitutions, as well as in the different formulas for taking vows (C 58). These three elements are:
1. Fidelity and perseverance for life 2. In the Congregation of the Mission
3. In dedication to achieving its end as defined
in the Constitutions:
FOLLOWING JESUS, THE EVANGELIZER OF THE POOR(C.1)
Concretely the vow commits us to fulfilling the end of the Congregation "performing the works assigned to us by superiors according to our Constitutions and Statutes." This last clause demands that all members be responsible for determining the Vincentian character of our works, but it places a special obligation on local and major superiors, since they have received the commission to make decisions about the creation or suppression of our works and ministries.
IV. THE VIRTUE OF FIDELITY
Today
the term "stability" might not adequately convey what St. Vincent
intended. It may therefore be best to move beyond the static tone of the
term and highlight the dynamic meaning that it had in St. Vincent's mind
from the beginning. What our
tradition has meant by "stability" might better be expressed today
by the word "fidelity":
fidelity for life to the Vincentian charism in the Congregation
of the Mission.
This fidelity to following of Jesus, the evangelizer of the poor, commits us to go beyond the juridical minimum of doing the works assigned to us by the superiors according to the Constitutions. Fidelity cannot be reduced to mere obedience, even less so if that implies something that is not active and responsible. The Evangelizer of the Poor calls us to live a life which is coherent with all the dimensions of the Vincentian charism. Consequently, fidelity, confirmed by the vow of stability, includes several elements: - It implies a personal response to Jesus. The vow confirms our fundamental decision to accept this vocation to follow the Evangelizer of the poor.
- On a psychological level the vow strengthens the missionary and enables him to overcome moments of crisis or difficulties.
- Since Vincentian consecration is in and for the mission, the vow gives a missionary sense to the other evangelical counsels (C. 28). It focuses all of the energies of the confreres on the evangelization of the poor. It moves the nature of the commitment beyond personal concerns to the dimension of service of others.
- St. Vincent called the first members to evangelize the poor together(C.19) The vow enjoins on the members a concern for the common mission of the Congregation.
- The vow performs a prophetic function in two ways: first, as a lifetime commitment, it is a sign of contradiction which questions the instability that exists in many areas of society. Second, as an option for the poor, it signifies solidarity with the weak and those who have been belittled.
V. LIVING STABILITY
In addition to well-known ordinary means, such as deep and constant prayer, the sacraments, renewal of the vows at special times of the year, retreats, community gatherings and celebrations, experience teaches fidelity is nourished by:
- The deep conviction that the Lord loves us as members of the Congregation of the Mission. "God loves those who love the poor..."(XI, 392). From that conviction flows a firm but humble determination to struggle until death with the risks, sufferings, sacrifices and crises which arise.
- Studying and knowing the tradition of the Congregation of the Mission. Since it's impossible to love what you do not know, there is an irreplaceable value in immersing oneself in the history and spirituality of the Congregation, studying its Constitutions, norms and directives and knowing the lives of great missionaries. We look to the tradition to understand how our predecessors incarnated the Vincentian charism in their time and their culture. A lively interest in present-day developments, both within and outside our own provinces, can indicate how the Vincentian spirit is lived out today.
- Fostering a spirit of dialogue and friendship as brothers. This will lead us to experience the Congregation as our family, with which we identify our lives. A dynamic spirit of community gives renewed life to the mission. It also establishes an environment which enables us to express openly to our brothers the personal difficulties that we might experience in persevering in our vocation.
- Maintaining and renewing the Vincentian character of our ministries. Our apostolates should truly respond to the end of the Congregation and the characteristics described in the Constitutions (C 12) This will be the basis for an honest evaluation of our present works (S 1).
- Direct contact with the poor. Every member of the Congregation of the Mission should have the opportunity to experience the joy of direct contact with the poor. They can teach us many gospel values and animate us to continue in this vocation (C 12:3).
- Collaboration with others committed to working with the poor such as the Daughters of Charity (C 17), Vincentian lay movements (S 7) or other groups that promote human rights and work for social justice can enrich the way we live our own commitment (S 9).
STABILITY: FIDELITY IN EVANGELIZING THE POOR
- Some Texts That May Serve for Meditation -
"It is true that your request surprised me when I first saw
it, as you guessed it would. And
anyway, Father, how could it not have done so, on my seeing the doubt you
have about your vocation now that you are eighteen or twenty years in the
Congregation? You examined this during the retreat you
made when you joined, again after the two years internal seminary, again
after vowing to God to stay in the Congregation as you did several years
ago. For, even though you did
not renew them following the Brief, these original vows do not cease to
be promises made to God, which one is bound in conscience to keep. After working so much in the Congregation,
in various positions and with success, after all this, I say, you ask me
if you have a vocation! Should
I not be surprised at such a question? I will answer it, though, because you ask me to, and I tell
you, Father, that, after all the above, God asks you to stay on till the
end. All the thoughts opposed
to this which occur to you are temptations from the evil spirit, who is
jealous of your happiness in serving God.
But (you state) there are things I do not like; the vows and customs,
as well as the spirit of the Mission, do not suit me, though I esteem them.
But, Father, is there anywhere where you could be without disliking
something? Does not every sort of lifestyle bring
problems with it? And where
can you see people who are happy about every detail of their life? Believe me, Father, that apart from the
dangers to salvation which one has in the world you would find many crosses
and unattractive things. And
even if you were to leave and join another community, do not imagine, Father,
that it would be free of problems: you would have to obey there, it would
have its customs, just as we have ours, and they might not be of any greater
appeal to you. When we think
about some different situation we think about what would be pleasant in
it, but when we are actually in it we experience what is annoying and against
the grain. So, Father, relax and continue your voyage
to heaven in the same ship in which God placed you. That is what I expect from his goodness,
and from your wish to do his will." (SV VII, 291-293)
2.
"What answer can I give, Father, to the question you ask me,
other than what God himself lets you know, what learned and virtuous people
have advised you, and what your own conscience tells you?
Yes, Father, courage! If
you give yourself readily to God he will give himself to you and fill you
with his graces and choicest blessings.
So, go ahead and do what you can and even, I will say, what you ought
to have done in some way long ago; do, Father, what so many other senior
and junior men have done, and be assured this will bring you relief. If you have stayed twenty years in the
Congregation you will stay another twenty or thirty, because things will
be no different in the future from what they were in the past. Apart from the fact that you will edify
the others. Linking yourself
to God, as they have done, our Lord will link himself to you more closely
than ever and will be your strength in your weaknesses, your joy in your
sadness, and your firmness in your wavering.
With regard
to the matters about which you say you have doubts, these are merely temptations
from the enemy of your well-being and the glory of Jesus Christ.
For this vowto spend one's whole life in the service of the rural
poor is to be understood according to the rules of obedience, so that if
the superior does not appoint one to it one is not bound to go.
How many are there who cannot do that work, yet they do not therefore
cease to be real missionaries? Bursars
in houses, teachers, even the superior general himself who clearly often
cannot do it, are they less members of the body of the Congregation, and
do they not fulfill their vow? You
have been giving missions for twenty years; will you not be able to give
them for another twenty? And
if God helped you all that time, even though you had not fully given yourself
to him, will he not certainly help you in the future when you are completely
his? But, pushing the thing to extremes, if
the superior thinks there is very obvious danger, will he not be able to
dispense you from going?" (SV Vil, 293-295)
3.
"Do you not remember the lights God has so often given you in
your prayer, causing you to take the resolution before his Divine Majesty
and to testify publicly to the whole Company that you would rather die than
leave it? And now, on the slightest pretext, when
it is a question of neither death, nor blood, nor threats, you are surrendering
without the resistance merited by such a promise made to God, who is constant
and jealous of his honor, and who wishes to be served as he wills. He has called you to the Company; you
have no doubt of that. He has
even preserved you in it despite the efforts of your own father, who wanted
to have you near him; and you preferred to follow the gospel rather than
please him. (SV III 482-483)
4.
"As for your asking me if you might remain with the Missionaries
without being a member, to work with them and still remain free, we will
not do that. We have never granted this to anyone;
it would encourage others to leave and to hope for the same thing. Naturally, everyone loves his freedom,
but we must beware of this as of a broad road that leads to perdition.
So, then, Monsieur, please do not expect that, but give yourself
to God to serve Him all your life in the manner and in the state in which
he has place you." (SV V, 106-107)
5. "On the one hand, your
letter consoled me greatly, when I saw how candidly you explained what is
going on with you. On the other
hand, it caused me the same distress St. Bernard once felt when one of his
monks, under pretext of greater regularity, wanted to leave his vocation
to transfer to another Order. That
Father told him that this was a temptation and that the evil spirit would
like nothing better than this change.
The devil was well aware that, if he could lure him away from the
first state, it would be easy for him to make him leave the second, and
then to plunge him into a disorderly life, which is exactly what happened. What I can tell you, dear Brother, is that, if you do not practice
continence in the Mission, you will not do so anywhere in the world; of
that I can assure you.
So be careful that there is no fickleness in your desire for a change. If this is the case, the remedy, after
prayer, which is necessary in all our needs, would be to consider that no
state on earth does not experience times of repugnance and sometimes of
desires to transfer to another. After
reflecting on this, consider that, since God has called you to your present
state, the grace of your salvation is attached to it, which He might deny
you in
another place where he does not want you to be."
(SV IV, 592)
6. "That
is why, Father, I most humbly beg you to act in this way and not to delay
because of this matter, nor for the proposal you received to work on the
translation of the Syriac Bible into Latin. Well do I know that the translation would be useful to the
curiosity of some preachers, but not, to my mind, to the winning of the
souls of the poor for whom the providence of God has destined you from all
eternity. It must be enough
for you, Father, that by the grace of God, you have devoted three or four
years to learning Hebrew and know enough to uphold the cause of the Son
of God in his original language and to confound his enemies in this kingdom.
Imagine then, Father, that there are millions
of souls stretching out their hands to you and speaking in this way: 'Alas!
Fr. du Coudray, you who have been chosen from all eternity by the
providence of God to be our second redeemer, have pity on us. We are wallowing
in ignorance of the things necessary for our salvation and in the sins we
have never dared to confess, and for want of your help we will certainly
be damned.' Imagine further, Father, the Company telling you that for three
or four years it has been deprived of your presence and is beginning to
miss you. You are one of the first members of the Company and, as such,
it needs your advice and example." (SV 1, 251-252)
7. "I
want to draw attention to these problems before they actually happen, because
it may turn out that they will crop up.
I cannot be around much longer; I will pass on soon; my age, the
state of my health, the abominations of my life, will not allow God to put
up with me on earth much longer. So,
it may perhaps happen that after my death troublemakers and people lacking
nerve will come along and say: 'What is the point in being saddled with
looking after these hospitals? How
can we possibly help so many people ruined by the wars, searching them out
in their own areas? What is
the use of taking on so many things and so many poor people? Why be involved with the Daughters who serve the sick, and
why waste time with madmen?' There will be some, have no doubt about it,
who will speak out against such work.
And others will say it is too much to send men to far-off places,
to India, to Barbary. But my
God, 0 Lord, did you not send St. Thomas to India and the other apostles
all over the world? Did you
not give them charge and care of all people in general, as well as many
individual persons and families? No matter, our vocation
is evangelizare pauperibus. " (SV XII, 89-90) |