sussidio march 2017

   “BLESSED ANTONIO ROSMINI: THE MAN and THE SAINT”

BLESSED ANTONIO ROSMINI:
THE MAN and THE SAINT
Towards the tenth anniversary of the Beatification

From the WORD of GOD
I urge you therefore to lead a life worthy of the vocation to which you were called. With all humility and gentleness, and with patience, support each other in love. Take every care to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as one hope is the goal of your calling by God. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, over all, through all and within all. On each one of us God’s favour has been bestowed in whatever way Christ allotted it… If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow completely into Christ, who is the head by whom the whole Body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each individual part to work according to its function. So the body grows until it has built itself up in love. (Eph 4:1-7.15-16)

From the DOCUMENTS of the CHURCH
All our Institutes are heir to a history rich in charisms. At their origins we see the hand of God who, in his Spirit, calls certain individuals to follow Christ more closely, to translate the Gospel into a particular way of life, to read the signs of the times with the eyes of faith and to respond creatively to the needs of the Church. This initial experience then matured and developed, engaging new members in new geographic and cultural contexts, and giving rise to new ways of exercising the charism, new initiatives and expressions of apostolic charity. Like the seed which becomes a tree, each Institute grew and stretched out its branches. For the various founders and foundresses, the Gospel was the absolute rule, whereas every other rule was meant merely to be an expression of the Gospel and a means of living the Gospel to the full. For them, the ideal was Christ; they sought to be interiorly united to him and thus to be able to say with Saint Paul: “For to me to live is Christ” (Phil 1:21). The question we have to ask ourselves is if and how we too are open to being challenged by the Gospel; whether the Gospel is truly the “manual” for our daily living and the decisions we are called to make. The Gospel is demanding: it demands to be lived radically and sincerely. It is not enough to read it (even though the reading and study of Scripture is essential), nor is it enough to meditate on it (which we do joyfully each day). Jesus asks us to practice it, to put his words into effect in our lives. Once again, we have to ask ourselves: Is Jesus really our first and only love? Our founders and foundresses shared in Jesus’ own compassion when he saw the crowds who were like sheep without a shepherd and they sought in different ways to be the service of all those to whom the Spirit sent them. “The same generosity and self-sacrifice which guided your founders must now inspire you, their spiritual children, to keep alive the charisms which, by the power of the same Spirit who awakened them, are constantly being enriched and adapted, while losing none of their unique character. It is up to you to place those charisms at the service of the Church and to work for the coming of Christ’s Kingdom in its fullness” (Saint John Paul II). Our founders and foundresses were attracted by the unity of the Apostles with Christ and by the fellowship which marked the first community. In establishing their own communities, each of them sought to replicate those models of evangelical living, to be of one heart and one soul, and to rejoice in the Lord’s presence. Living the present with passion means becoming “experts in communion”. We are called to offer a concrete model of community which, by acknowledging the dignity of each person and sharing our respective gifts, makes it possible to live as brothers and sisters. So, be men and women of communion! (Apostolic Letter of Pope Francis To All Consecrated People, 21 November 2014)

From the WRITINGS of Blessed A. ROSMINI
The end of the Institute of Charity is absolutely simple: it is goodness and moral perfection in all its extension; and this end, this perfection, consists in fully carrying out the law of the gospel. This law was summed up by our divine Master in one word: love, charity. That is why the Institute is called by this divine word, which expresses its aim and characterizes the school of Jesus Christ. The members of the Institute of Charity are simply members of the Christian faithful who propose, in a humble and private state, to exercise charity in the most perfect way that, with divine grace, is possible for them; and they do not pass on to any apostolic ministry unless they are called to it by divine Providence, through the external signs which reveal to their Superiors what is the will of God. So one of the fundamental characteristics of our Institute is a humble state, patience and complete trust in divine Providence, which we wish to follow in all things and not anticipate, taking it to be an indication of God’s will, and following it wherever it may lead. We carry out any ministry and take on any exercise of charity as long as the signs of the divine will are clear and reasonable, so that ‘our service may be according to reason’. So the development of the Institute must be gradual, and brought about by God, not ourselves, for we believe firmly that God in Jesus Christ his Son lives and reigns and governs his Church and has care of us. Our part, then, is to sanctify ourselves and to obey the law of God, offering ourselves continually to the Lord, and for the rest letting everything be disposed by him.
(To Don Luigi Schlör in Verona, Domodossola, 17 December 1837,
A.L.Vol.III,let.37,pp.56-57, translated and edited by John Morris IC.)
Our Constitutions indeed describe the Institute as a school of perfection, and not as a union of perfect men. This is to be seen from the very first paragraph, in which the Society is described as a union of persons who want to be disciples of Christ, united together so as to help one another in the acquiring of perfection.( To Don Paolo Barola in Rome, Domodossola, 28 July 1837, A.L.Vol.III,let.24, p.34, translated and edited by John Morris IC.)

LET US PRAY
You have given me your words;
make them effective in me and mine.
Let them serve you
as you serve your Father.
(A.Rosmini)

PASTORAL YEAR 2016 – 2017
ON-GOING FORMATION
INSTITUTE OF CHARITY
ROSMINIAN SISTERS OF PROVIDENCE

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