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Instruction on the Vows of
Stability, Poverty Chastity and Obedience
in the Congregation of the Mission
V. OBEDIENCE: DISCERNMENT FOR MISSION
"There is something great, something divine in this
virtue, since Our Lord loved it so much from his birth
Until his death, since he performed all the actions of his life
out of obedience."(XII, 426)
INTRODUCTION
St. Vincent
wanted his missionaries to be obedient like Jesus who always did the will
of his Father. Our obedience,then, is a constant search to formulate
decisions about our personal goals and community plans within the light
of God's salvific plans. As members of a community that professes to dedicate
itself to God for the evangelization of the poor, discernment of God's
will is one of the hallmarks of our lives. It profoundly influences
our relationship with God, but also brings us into close contact with
other people as we try to listen to the voice of the Lord together.
II THE PRESENT SITUATION
The complexity
of modern life gives rise to a new context for living evangelical obedience.
There is a growing awareness of the value of the human person and the rights
of individuals. We are more and more conscious of the importance of
self-expression and the need to participate in the decisions that affect
our lives. Everywhere people demand respect for different opinions, ideas,
cultures and practices and expect the right to question or criticize authority.
The principle of subsidiarity, recognizing the legitimate autonomy of individuals
and of institutions, has taken on new strength as autocratic methods give
way to democratic styles of governing in society. Even though these ideas
are frequently honored more in theory than in practice, they still form
the basis of the current mentality.
There
is, however, a negative side to this reality. A distorted sense of personal
liberty, which highlights rights and downplays responsibilities, fosters
egoism and an environment of exagerated individualism. The abuses
of power, expressed in the betrayal of public trust or, more seriously,
in a lack of respect for human rights and direct oppression, has led
some to view authority with suspicion and others to adopt a
lifeless passivity before authority.
The Congregation
has not remained unaffected by contemporary developments in society.
Many steps have been taken for promoting dialogue and participation
in community decisions. Our Constitutions explicitly call us to a
spirit of mutual responsibility(C 96 & 97). There are at times, however,
problems in living this outl. Some local comunities still encounter difficulties
in finding the means to foster communication. Greater personal freedom
has, at times, led some to the search for personal security and
to choose ministries based on personal preference rather than on the
communal call of the mission.
With
the expansion of the Congregation into parts of the world where there are
very distinct cultures(e.g. Asia and in the nations of the southern hemisphere),different
concepts of authority have begun to confront us. This produces
some tension between western notions of obedience and the way other
cultural traditions come to decisions. Much sensitivity will be needed to
discover how to understand the essential meaning of obedience in these new
situations.
III THE VOW OF OBEDIENCE
.
In the Congregation, we dedicate ourselves to Jesus' mission of evangelization.
This central inspiration is the foundation for our vow of obedience. Following
Christ, the evangelizer of the poor, carries with it the commitment "to
be obedient to the will of the Father manifested to us in many ways"
(C 36). Rather than adding on something optional, the vow makes explicit
an essential element in our vocation.
Our new
Constitutions highlight the communal orientation of Vincentian obedience
and its missionary end. "To participate in this mystery of
the obedient Christ requires us all to seek, as a community, the will
of the Father."(C 37) Obedience involves a conscious search for
the meaning of our mission and the specific ways of carrying it out.
This kind of discernment is the responsibility of every member of the Congregation(C
96).
Because
the Spirit of God speaks through all, authority in the Congregation, which
is a function of seeking and acting on God's will, is undertaken in a spirit
of dialogue and consultation (C 97). Superiors have the delicate task of
promoting the discernment of God's will and the ultimate responsibility
for decision-making. "They should engage in dialogue,"
but they "retain the authority to decide and command what is to
be done."(C97:2) "By reason of our vow we are
obliged to obey the pope, the superior general, the provincial, the local
superior and their substitutes when they give us a command in accordance
with our Constitutions and Statutes"(C38:1) This means that the
members will “strive to obey superiors as promptly, joyfully and
perseveringly as they can.” (C 37:2)
IV The Virtue of Obedience
At the
core of Jesus’ redemptive mission lies his unconditional obedience
to the Father. This filial obedience is the immediate consecuence
of alife totally given over to the Kingdom of God. Christ's obedience
is passive in the sense that he submits to the human condition and accepts
suffering and death. But, it is, above all, active because
he consistently offers himself to do his Father’ will.
St. Vincent
saw in Jesus not only a model to admire, but also an example to follow.
The following of Christ means entering into the mystery of his
life and to taking on his mission. Faced with the Master's example, the
missionary is challenged to completely identify his life with the the reign
of God. Convinced that the kingdom is God's work and gift, St. Vincent recommended
that we never move ahead of Providence(I,68-69). But, he also wanted the
Congregation to cooperate actively with the Father's will in historic
situations: "When it comes to doing a good work, say to the Son of
God: O Lord, What would you do if you were in my place?"(XI,348).
Missionary
obedience is the gift of oneself in total availability for the evangelization
of the poor. This option makes God's reign and its in-breaking
in the lives of the poor the primary point of reference for our life. Obedience
moves the missionary to be less attached to his own desires and frees him
to be more concerned with God's liberating will for the poor. The freedom
that comes from identifying ourselves with God's point of view makes obedience
prophetic. When fidelity to God becomes our principal motivation,
all other motives and plans become subordinate. Obedience challenges
not only our own personal desires and goals, but those of the larger society
as well.
Since
ordinarily we know God's will through human mediation, obedience demands
a process of discernment. The missionary needs to listen to God's voice
not only in his own heart; he must, at the same time, pay attention
to how God speaks through the needs of the poor,the signs of the times,
the world, the Church, the community and legitimate authority. Attentive
listening is a community project which summons us to dialogue
in sincerity as brothers and to search together for God's will. Obedience
also demands that, after dialogue, we implement through concrete projects
and actions, what we perceive as God’ will.
As
part of the communal dimension of our obedience, some members are entrusted
with positions of authority in order to promote and implement our mission.
The responsible exercise of this authority obliges the superiors to discern
the will of God along with the other confreres. Neither superiors nor other
members should readily identify their personal will with God's will or substitute
private plans for the community mission. All missionaries have to take into
account the community and its judgments when making personal decisions.
While we try to achieve consensus on decisions that affect our life and
ministry, for many reasons that is not always possible. Even when
we arenot fully in agreement, obedience means a willingness to accept and
support the decisions of the community and those in authority. It also implies
our taking responsibility for the commitments and decisions made in community.
V. LIVING OBEDIENCE
RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS
Jesus,
ever obedient to the Father, is the inspiration for our obedience.
An intimate union with Christ in prayer and attentiveness to his word
play a key role in obedience to God's will. He calls us to listen
with docility to the impulses of the Spirit. We must constantly confront
our own ideas, opinions and actions with the values of the Kingdom.
ATTENTION TO THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES
Since
God’ presence is manifested in concrete life situations, it is
imperative that we understand the world and especially the situation of
the poor. Close contact with the poor enables us to listen to God with them,
who is present in in the midst of their suffering. Study and social analysis
are indispensible means for discovering the signs of the times.
SIMPLE DIALOGUE
Since
God's will is rarely self-evident, dialogue is neccessary for living obedience.
Honest communication among all the members of the community, especially
with superiors, makes true discernment possible. Members of the Congregation
should take advantage of the structures which already exist, such as: provincial
and local plans, meetings, consultations, visitations, etc.
Moreover, other means for promoting communication and discernment
should be created.
RESPONSIBLE INITIATIVE
Creativity
and initiative are part of a creative response to God's call in history.
Even from the time of initial formation the spirit of personal responsibility
and respect for legitimate differences needs to be fostered. At the
same time, the obedient missionary has to know how to submit his creativity
and initiative to the needs of the poor, the good of the community and the
decisions of the superiors. Mutual responsibility for the local community
plan will be a sign of our solidarity and obedience.
HUMILITY
Obedience
is born of humility. Only those who are humble, like the poor, can
put aside their own opinions in order to listen to the wisdom of others.
Only humility keeps prophecy from falling into self-righteousness.
Humility reminds us that the search for God's will is an on-going enterprise
in which no one can claim always to have the correct response.
Mortification
Obedience
to God's will sometimes demands renunciation. On occasion God interrupts
our plans and asks us to put aside our personal priorities for the sake
of the Kingdom. The wilingness to sacrifice one's own desires for the good
of the mission and the needs of the poor makes obedience both difficult
and meaningful. Ironically, one of the areas in which it can be most difficult
to be obedient is the willingness to assume the mantle of leadership.
FORMATION FOR LEADERSHIP
Since
superiors bear a special responsibility for promoting discernment, and not
simply good order, they need to be prepared for this ministry. The
provinces also should provide resources to prepare local superiors for their
service to the confreres.
OBEDIIENCE: DISCERNMENT FOR MISSION
- Some Texts That May Serve for Meditation -
1. "Our Lord, Jesus Christ, taught us obedience
by word and example. He wished to be submissive to the Most Blessed
Virgin, St. Joseph, and other people in positions of authority, whether
good or disagreeable. For this reason we should be completely obedient
to every one of our superiors, seeing the Lord in them and them in the Lord.
In the first place we should faithfully and sincerely reverence and obey
our Holy Father, the pope. We should also humbly and consistently
obey the most reverend bishops of the dioceses where the Congregation has
houses. Furthermore we should not take on anything in parish churches
without the approval of the parish priests." (CR V, 1)
2. "What are we to do, then, so as not to waste
time and effort? The answer is, never to act from self- interest or
by mere whim, but to get into the habit of doing God's will in everything;
in everything, mind you, not just in some things. It is this sanctifying
grace which makes both the act and the person acceptable to God. How
consoling it is to think that when I keep my rules, when I do my job, when
I obey superiors and when I turn to God to offer him all these things, that
is how I make myself constantly acceptable to God. That means that
we must ask for sanctifying grace, receive it and put it to use; otherwise,
all is lost.
, Many will say to me,' Jesus Christ
said, and I was talking to you about this recently, 'Lord, Lord, did we
not prophesy, expel demons, and practice virtues in your name?,' and he
will answer: 'I never knew you; away with you, evil-doers. ' 'But,
Lord, the prophecies, the miracles, done in your name, do you call those
evil deeds?' 'Away from me, you evil men, I do not know you.' 'Well who,
then, will get into the kingdom of heaven?' 'Those who will do the will
of my Father who is in heaven' (Mt 7:21-23).
Our Lord, then, will never say to someone
who has tried always to follow God's good pleasure 'I do not know you.
Quite the contrary, that is whom he will bring into his glory. 0 Savior,
grant us the grace to fill ourselves with this desire, never to bear wild
fruit, but that all we do may be done for you and by you, so that they are
acceptable to your Father; please move us to make this fidelity our own
and to carry out all our work according to your will.
Let us give ourselves to God, my brothers,
paying attention and remaining firm in this, for in doing so, what reason
will we not have for praising God? What a look he will direct towards
the Congregation as a whole and to each individual member? Anyway,
in noyiiine Domini. That is plenty on the motives which urge us to
make a habit of the practice of doing God's will in all things, and to make
us resolve to follow our Lord's maxim: 'Cibus meusestutfaciamvoluntatemejusquimisitme,'
'Myfoodistodothewillofhimwhosent me. "' (SV XII, 156-157).
3 . "We must give ourselves to him without delay at this very moment,
holding nothing back,
sothat he will be pleased to draw us to this life of his chosen ones,
to strip us of so much self-will and self-centeredness which prevent God
from taking undisturbed and total possession of us. What is to prevent
us all, here and now, from making a joint declaration of surrender to his
divine goodness? So, let us say to him: 'King of our hearts and souls,
here we are, humbly prostrate at your feet, surrendering completely to you
in obedience and love. Once more we dedicate ourselves, totally and
for ever, to the glory of your Majesty. We beg you with all our hearts
to bring about your reign in the Congregation and to give it the grace of
putting its management into your hands, with no one deviating from this,
so that all of us are guided by the way Our Lord and his followers lived.'"
(SV XII, 134)
4. "I-et us ask him, my brothers, to grant us the grace
to get ourselves into that frame of mind in which we are always guided by
God, with him leading us by the hand into the presence of His Majesty. 0
my Savior, free us from having any preferences, like a beast of burden who
does not care whether he carries one load or another, whether he is with
a wealthy owner or a poor one, whether he is in this country or that; it
is all the same to him; he waits, he moves on, he suffers, he works night
and day; nothing takes him by surprise.
My God! That appeals to me, I would love to do the same, but I see
clearly that I am a prisoner; I have difficulty in detaching myself from
the things I like; for example, if I am not named to preach, if I am not
assigned work, if my opinion is not taken, if people do not think well of
me; I would have great difficulty in giving in to certain persons.
However, with your grace, my God, I can do anything. I am not asking
to be an angel nor like an apostle; in a certain sense I am that already.
What I want, my God, is merely the flexible approach you give to animals,
the courage to suffer which you give to soldiers and their fidelity to military
order. 0 my brothers, how embarrassed we would be if we were left behind
by ordinary soldiers and lowly beasts in matters which are so pleasing to
God, matters which his own Son was pleased to experience personally.
Embarrassment, Fathers! Do not heed this wretch talking to you; of
all people he is least worthy of hoping for such a happy state, because
of the poor use I have made of my freedom and the graces given me by God
when I have loved things other than him. Fathers, let us hand ourselves
over to his infinite goodness, confident that he will rid us of this earthly
preference in which we have steeped ourselves. It is a question of
trying to eliminate preferences, letting go of our own opinion, our own
will, our own inclinations, and everything which is not God; it is an active
virtue; if it is not in action it does not exist. We have got to work
at this, my brothers, we have got to get down to it often and always, and
tomorrow at prayer; why not?" (SV XII 236-237)
5. "'But,' someone will say, 'I am an
old man.' You are an old man! So what! Should
you, for that reason, be less free of preferences, less virtuous?
'But I am a highly qualified
man.' Wait a moment. He is highly qualified!
And because he is, he does not need to be free of preferences, does not
need to be ready to do what the superior or office-holder asks of him.
I ask you, is that objection reasonable? Should it come from the mouth
of someone who has undertaken to serve God?
'But, Father, he is a holy man.' I am glad he is a holy man! Well,
is that a reason for
exempting him from doing what is wanted of him, what he is ordered
to do, from obeying this superior who is, if you like, less perfect than
he, less qualified and, even, if you like, someone in whom there are obvious
defects? Once again, is that a valid objection? Obviously not
at all. And it should not in any way exempt him from having no preferences
with regard to work: to go out into the country, if he is sent; to stay
at home, if that is what is wanted; to be part of a seminary staff or to
give a mission; to stay in this house or that other one; to go to far-off
countries or not; to obey this superior or another one, since God wants
him and he has been judged suitable for leadership and authority.
" (SV XII 48-49)
6. "Learning is not absolutely necessary for being
in authority, but when learning and leadership skills and sound judgement
go hand in hand in the same person, 0 God, what a treasure!
Seniority is not always to be taken
into account in the appointing of superiors, since one sees many young men
who have more talent for leadership than many older and more senior men.
David is an example of that; he was chosen by God to lead his people although
he was younger than all his brothers. Look, a man who has sound judgement
and great humility is able to exercise authority well, and I have had experience
of men who are the opposite of this and who thirst for power - they achieve
nothing worthwhile.
Experience has also shown me that a
man who has been in authority and has held on to that mentality and wishes
to be in charge was never either a good community member or a good superior."
(SV XII, 49-50)
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