The Paschal Mystery and the Eucharist.
On April 9, 1589, the Second Sunday after Easter (called at that time Dominica in albis), the Founders Augustine Adorno and Francis Caracciolo, making the religious Profession, assumed as a program for their life and for the Order’s the motto Ad Majorem Resurgentis Gloriam. The contemplation of the paschal mystery inspired and illumined the life and the mission of the Clerics Regular Minor so that the resurrection of Christ would be the dynamic force in the journey of the human person of every time and place. The actualization of the paschal mystery is the Eucharist. In fact the paschal mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ is realized in the Eucharist: “Our Savior at the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his body and his blood, thereby perpetuating through the centuries, until his return, the sacrifice of the cross, and entrusting to his Church the memorial of his death and his resurrection”[1]. The life and the spirit of the Founders and our entire tradition show that the Eucharist celebrated, continuously adored and lived, is the charism willed and inculcated from the beginning, center and form of our spirituality, of our common life and of every apostolate of ours[2].
The Religious Vows
In our daily participation in the Eucharist, which marks for us the highlight of each day, we are assimilated always in a more profound way to Christ and we learn what it means to offer our life as a spiritual sacrifice to God for the salvation of men. Called to holiness, like all the Disciples of Christ, through a new and special consecration derived from the Profession of the evangelical counsels, we are constituted as living memory of Christ and we assume the form of life practiced by Him[3]. Our Founders willed that the Clerics Regular Minor, besides the three vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, would express an additional and more profound assimilation of the humble Christ through the vow of not seeking ecclesiastical dignities “…and with the other vows the same Congregation will vow that no profess of the same Congregation will ever seek or pretend to have any prelature or dignity outside of the Order, nor will he accept his election unless obliged to do so by obedience to the Roman Pontiff at the time”[4]; “Besides the three solemn vows, as in all other institutes, of poverty, chastity and obedience they added also a fourth vow of not being able to accept dignities or prelature outside of the Order except by the particular will of the Supreme Pontiff” [5]. Besides, in the same spirit of consecrated humility, the Clerics will pledge not to maneuver for important posts and responsibilities for themselves within our religious Family. In his death and resurrection Jesus lives in full “his hour”, he is truly himself: on the cross his virginal love for the Father and for all men reaches its greatest expression, his poverty arrives to the total spoliation of himself, his obedience to the total gift of his life[6], his humiliation to the
annihilation of his death. For this reason, the Father has exalted him in glory and has given him a name which is above every other name. The mystery accomplished on Calvary is celebrated in the Eucharist and is the paradigm of our religious life. The generous and joyful fidelity to our Profession is the peculiar way in which we have been called to live the paschal and Eucharistic dimension of our religious life.
The Spiritual Life
“To the continuous mental prayer must be united other acts of mortification and mercy …and all these works together with the continuous prayers must be so ordered that the Congregation will always be in the presence of the Lord with all these virtuous acts” [7]; the spirituality itself of every cleric minor has a strong community connotation. The Clerics Regular Minor lives their proper consecration to the Lord in the experience of the divine intimacy especially through:
– hearing and meditating on the Word of God: “It is appropriate that men consecrated to the divine worship, even if still on earth, lift their spirit above so that their heart will be intimately united to the Source and meditate continuously on Jesus Christ and his virtues” [8].
– prayer and Eucharistic adoration, personal and around-the-clock: “Therefore, it will be our Institute’s particular task and distinction to always and effectively be in the presence of God, not only with the holiness of life, according to the word of God ‘it is necessary to pray always without ceasing’, but also with the continuity of prayer, as Blessed Basilius teaches us when he says: ‘make all your life a continuous time of prayer’. Because this would be impossible for each single person, we direct that in every house of our Institute the hours of the day and night be so distributed that we could do this at least by taking turns”[9]; With this, our Institute, like a burning flame, will always shine before God and enlighten all men” [10].
– the Liturgy of the Hours celebrated in common at least Lauds and Vespers [11]: “Among the principal tasks in which all religious must participate is the Divine Office, therefore, let us recite it always with utmost care and in common” [12].
– a generous asceticism, necessary for a permanent conversion of the heart, practiced individually and in common. Our Founders willed “…that to the prayer must also be added corporal mortification as ordinary and common exercises done every day and by turns so that, except Sundays and certain feast days, there may be someone in our house who would be doing penance” [13]. The contemplation of the divine humanity of Christ, humiliated and offended by the passion, has been a characteristic element of the spirituality of St. Francis Caracciolo [14] and a precious heredity left to us so that we could understand that the cross is for us as it was for Christ, the proof of a deeper love and we could witness the mysterious rapport between renunciation and joy, sacrifice and the opening of the heart, discipline and spiritual liberty[15]
– a particular devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Grateful for her maternal protection, promised to the Order in the person of Ven. Augustine Adorno, we express this veneration by imitating her virtues “celebrating her feasts with particular solemnity and practicing and spreading the devotion of the Holy Rosary”[16].
United in the love of the Lord: the common life
Called to holiness with the religious consecration “for the glory of the Almighty and for the salvation of souls” [17] the Clerics Regular Minor carry out the journey of perfection in community where “common is God, common the commitment to perfection, common the difficulties, common the work, common the salvation, common in the end will be the glory”[18].
The religious community is first of all a mystery, which must be contemplated, accepted and lived with faith and grateful hearts. Source of our common life is the spirit of the Risen Lord, who, when present in us, transforms gradually our hearts and renders possible staying together in charity[19]. Model of every religious community is the first community of Jerusalem in which “the multitude of the faithful had one heart and one soul”[20]. Foundation of our common life is prayer: “they devoted themselves with one accord to prayer”[21]. It is above all the Eucharist, sacrament of love, sign of unity and bond of charity, which builds up the community: “in their homes they broke bread, they ate their meals with joy and sincerity of heart praising God”[22]
Called to be sent: the apostolate
The apostolate of the Cleric Minor springs from his consecration to God and is characterized by the centrality of the paschal mystery realized in the Eucharist. “What you contemplate in prayer, preach to the people”[23]. The Word of God and the Eucharist are the two tables which the Clerics Regular Minor must offer to humanity, hungry and thirsty for truth and life. The Founders did not leave us a specific field for the apostolate. “…there must also be in our Order those who hear confessions, preach, teach and engage in other spiritual exercises for their own sanctification and that of their fellow man”[24]. They themselves and their followers were busy in various fields of pastoral ministry: from preaching to parochial service, from liturgical worship to missions, from teaching to spiritual assistance to the sick and those in jail, with particular attention to the poor and marginated. For these, their promotion and their spiritual needs, we must also show special preference. “Those who fast in bread and water have an additional responsibility while giving their portion to the poor at the door, that is, to teach them our Christian faith”[25].
For the greater glory of the Risen Lord, the Clerics Regular Minor work in the Church without a preference for any particular activity and respond to the needs of the people of God as circumstances dictates. However, they have to approach all types of apostolate in a specific way: everything must flow from the Eucharist and return to it.
Sources:
S. C.: “Sacrosanctum Concilium”, Dogmatic Constitution on Sacred Liturgy, December 4, 1963.
COST. : “Costituzioni dei Chierici Regolari Minori”; it is the text currently in use, redacted following the renewal begun by the Second Vatican Council, approved by our 57th General Chapter of 1982, confirmed by the Sacred Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes on June 4, 1985, printed in Rome on October 13, 1985.
V. C. : “Vita Consecrata”, Postsynodal Apostolic exhortationof John Paul II, March 25, 1996
7 ST. : “Le Sette Stazioni sopra la Passione di nostra Signore Gesu’ Cristo” of our Founder, St.Francis Caracciolo, IV Edition, Rome 1770.
M. R.: “Mutuae Relationes”, Instruction of the Sacred Congregation for religious and secular institutes and of the Sacred Congregation of the bishops, May 14, 1978
[1] S. C. 47
[2] Cf. Const. 54
[3] Cf. V. C. 22, 31
[4] Clemente XIV, Bull Sacrae Religionis of 6/1/1592 quoted by Piselli, N. H. pag. 33 “..ac inter alia vota expresse per eos professa, eadem congregatio profiteatur neminem ipsius Congregationis professum unquam curaturum, seu praetensurum Prealaturam, seu dgnitatem aliquam extra dictam Congregationem, nec consensurum in sui electionem, nisi ad id obedientiaRomani Pontificis pro tempore existentis coactus existat”.
[5] P. Augustine Caracciolo, Memorie della Religione, f.120: “All’Istituti della quale oltre li tre voti solenni, come in tutte le altre Religioni, di Poverty’, Castita’ et obedienza, vi si aggiunsero anco il quarto di non poter ricevere dignita o Prelatura alcuna fuori di essa senz’obedienza particolare del Sommo Pontefice”.
[6] Cf. V. C. 23
[7] Father Augustine Adorno, “Alcuni Gentil’huomini Genovesi…”: “Con l’oratione mentale continua si congionghino insieme le altre opere di mortificatione et di misericordia anco continue…et siano talmente ordinate tutte queste opre et oratione continua che vi sia sempre nella congregatione chi in atto le offerisca a Dio Glorioso, onde continuamente stia inanzi a Dio la congregatione con tante opere virtuose…”.
[8] Const. 1605, Parte I, Cap. 2, pg. 4: “Decet viros divino servitio mancipatos, licet in terra sint constituti: spiritus tamen ad coelos subinde transferre; et ut suo animus principio coniungatur, Christum Jesum, eiusque virtutes sedulo meditari”.
[9] Const. Primae, Cap. 2: “Et ideo hoc erit praecipuum nostra congregationis munus, semper in actu, divino adstare conspectus, non slum vitae sanctitate, secundum illud Domini: Oportet semper orare, et numquam deficere: sed etiam orationis assiduitate, ut docet nos Beatus Basilius dicens: Orationis tempus sit universa vita nostra. Cum autem hoc singulis quibusque personis sit impossible, volimus, ut in quacumque nostrae Religionis domo ita, diei noctisque horae distribuantur, ut saltem vicissim hoc esplere valeamus”.
[10] Const. 1678, Parte I, cap. 6: Ex quo tandem fiet, ut veluti lampas semper ardens, luceat adstando ante conspectus Domini nostra Religio, lucis fulgorem deinde foris effusura”.
[11] Const. 57
[12] Const. Primae, cap. 1: “Cum inter praecipua quibus regulares omnes vacare debent, sit officium divinum: idcirco illud maxima cum veneration, et attentione semper a nobis in choro recitandum erit…”.
[13] P. Augustine Caracciolo, M. R., Pg. 120: “…che con l’oratione anco ve si aggiungessero altre mortificationi corporali ordinarie et comuni ogni di’ scambievolmente, di modo che in qualsivoglia di’ dell’anno, fuorche’ nelle Domeniche, et alcune feste particolari dichiarate, fusse in ogni casa chi facesse le suddette cose”.
[14] Cf. St. Francis Caracciolo, Le Sette Stazioni.
[15] Cf. Cost. 62
[16] Cost. 58
[17] Sixtus V, S. R., “Ad omnipontentis gloriam et animarum salutem”.
[18] Const. Primae, cap. VIII: “Comunis Deus; comunis pietatis negotiatio; comunis salus; comunia certamina; comunes labores; comunes denique coronae”.
[19] Cf. Cost. 67
[20] Acts 4: 32
[21] Acts 1:14
[22] Acts 2:46-47
[23] Const. Primae, cap. XII: “…et ea quae in oratione contemplata fuerint populi praedicare”.
[24] P. Augustine Caracciolo, M. R., f. 120: “che anco ve si confessasse, predicasse, leggesse lettioni ed altri essercitij spirituali come si convenisse per il cammino della perfettione per loro, et anco in agiuto del prossimo”.
[25] P. Augustine Caracciolo, M. R., f 120; Cf. also Const. Primae, cap. 3.