Opera Omnia

INSTRUCTION II
PAULINE CHARITY
The recompense of charity

Given the fact that he is consecrated to the Lord, the Religious has a right to greater graces in the present life, in accordance with the words of the Divine Teacher: centuplum accipietis.¹ This is because the life of perfection requires greater sacrifices and commits a person to greater struggles and renunciations. Let him live therefore in peace and trust.
Moreover, if the Religious is faithful, given his position of being in a state of perfection, he will have an increase of merit.
He has, furthermore, the assurance of Jesus Christ: vitam aeternam possidebitis.² This is for a twofold reason: 1) he is a Religious; 2) as a Pauline he has his apostolate of charity.

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Art. 152. As piety is the foundation of all religious life, the source of all

virtue, and very useful unto all things, Religious should strive in all earnestness, and to the best of their ability, to increase it in themselves. Therefore, he who, according to his talent and ability, has not yet acquired a sufficient understanding of the spirit of the Society, as well as of the method of making the examination of conscience, mental prayer, the Visit to the Blessed Sacrament, the reading of the Holy Scripture, and the other exercises of piety, and does not apply himself to them with regular steadfastness, should not be admitted to the Profession.
Art. 153. The daily practices of piety are:
1. Celebration of, or assistance at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
2. Mental prayer, in common, for the duration of half an hour.
3. One hour of Eucharistic Visit, wherein the examination of conscience, spiritual reading and the Rosary to Our Blessed Mother are to take place.
4. Vocal prayer, morning and evening.
Art. 154. Superiors should teach young Religious the correct method of mental prayer and, as necessity and timeliness may require, direct and assist them.
Art. 155. Every day the Disciples shall recite the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, either in Latin or in the Vernacular, and, as far as possible, in common. Major Superiors, however, have the faculty to arrange that in particular circumstances or on more solemn liturgical festivals, instead of the Little Office they may recite, in Latin or in the Vernacular, a part of the Divine Office, that is, at least Matins and Lauds.

Art. 156. The weekly practices of piety are:
1. Sacramental Confession.
2. At least two hours of religious instruction for the Disciples under the guidance of a Priest, and in a way suitable for them.
Art. 157. The monthly practices of piety are:
1. Spiritual Retreat.
2. The days of the first week of each month should be dedicated according to the approved custom in the Society.
Art. 158. Every year the members shall attend to:
1. The Spiritual Retreat for the duration of eight days.
2. The solemn celebration of the feasts of Our Lady Queen of the Apostles, and the Commemoration of Saint Paul the Apostle. The feasts of the Conversion of Saint Paul, and of Saint Bernard, Confessor and Doctor of the Church, are also to be observed.

Saint Paul's code of conduct

The Pauline has received his own code of conduct from the Apostle who is his Father and Teacher: charity is patient - kind - is not jealous - is not arrogant - is not boastful - does not insist on its own way - is not irritable - is not resentful - does not rejoice at wrong - but rejoices in the right - it bears all things - hopes all things - excuses all things (cf. 1 Cor 13).

This code holds good for all Christians too. In fact Saint Paul was addressing the faithful in Corinth.
For Religious there are other reasons for unity among members:
1. With Superiors. To them we owe: veneration, inasmuch as they represent God; prayers, so that they may have God's necessary help for their office; obedience, for the office entrusted to them; continual and cordial collaboration.
Saint Paul, writing to the Romans (chapter 13) says: Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgement. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad… Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid… Therefore one must be subject, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God; attending to this very thing. Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.
Religious, especially if they are Superiors, have to submit to the Holy See, which acts through the Congregation of Religious. It is through that Congregation that we obey the Pope.

Then there is Canon Law, which plays an important part with a whole set of rules for Religious.
There are liturgical norms to which we must submit because they regulate public worship.
We must carefully follow and lovingly comply with instructions regarding study, or moral conduct, as, for example, the instructions for the best formation and choice of Aspirants, the norms for the particular care regarding new priests, the rules regulating vacations and so on.
The faithful Religious also complies with the invitations which come from those in authority to foster initiatives regarding pastoral ministry, conferences, the updating of the religious life, support for initiatives of the Holy See, particularly when they are of a general nature.
2. With one's equals. There are many Institutes in the Church which can be likened to so many flower-beds in bloom: the Religious values, loves and respects them and, as far as possible, speaks well of all. The occasion may arise to give some help, either in the form of ministry or publications, or the like. The Pauline does it willingly, according to his possibility.

Charity in the Institute

Within the Institute the first sign of love is prayer for everyone.
The second is to avoid what could cause distaste

to confreres; instead give a hand where it is appreciated, especially if asked.
The Pauline will therefore avoid rash thoughts and judgements; he will think good of everyone and excuse their faults. He will avoid all illfeeling and revenge; he will be ready to forgive and also to beg pardon when he is in the wrong; he will repress all envy, desiring instead the good and the greater progress of everyone; he will speak well of people or, if unable to do so, excuse at least the wrongdoing.
He will avoid making his own character and problems weigh upon his confreres; rather he will make allowances and cheer them up; he will avoid sowing discord and weighing down the community with an air of sadness; instead, insofar as possible, he will instil a moderate, serene and cheerful joy.
The Pauline, following the example of Saint Paul, will bear with slanderers and persecutors.
- He loves his relatives but not to the point of neglecting religious observance;
- he loves everyone, but gives his trust only to those who merit it;
- he is respectful towards externs but he does not flock after the worldly, nor does he put his trust in those who try to exploit him financially or spiritually;
- his behavior with all clergy is dignified, but he stands out for his religious observance;
- he treats his adversaries with dignity, but not to the detriment of truth or justice;
- he is a sower of goodness, but he absolutely avoids sentimentality and particular friendships.

Charity among Provinces and Regions

3. A demonstration of charity is a publications' link among countries of the same language. For example, the Spanish-speaking countries, the English-speaking countries, the French-speaking countries, the Portuguese-speaking countries. Clearly, to the degree possible, but the principle has to be followed; the apostolate and the members will be the winners.
The Italian Province sends many generous and good members to houses abroad.
When they leave they are equipped in a threefold way: a) if they are priests, every priest can live initially by his ministry, while they start to get settled and open a House; b) if they are Pauline Brothers they can immediately start a form of apostolate as, for example, the promotion of the Latin Bible; start up on credit a small printing shop which pays its way through use and so on; c) all are members of a Religious Family and with a little bit of effort they will find find Cooperators, and generous ones too.
With these three means provision is made for food, for renting a house and so on, provided there is also the search for vocations at the same time.
That is how things started more or less in Italy, as well as in more difficult places such as India, China, and Japan, which had a notable development. There are already some Provinces (and others will follow) that could help Provinces or Houses that are just starting or which are in difficulty.

Help and solidarity

To train our Religious, that is our Priests and Brothers, Italy has to commit itself quite heavily in the apostolate, not only because it has to lead from the front but also for its own necessary upkeep and development, as well as providing personnel for other Provinces. The General House then has its own quite particular expenses, often not well known.
The strength of a society lies in practical and deeply-felt union. This is a source of great merit for we translate this union into love of God and love of our confreres with whom we are travelling towards eternity: the same profession, life, apostolate and reward.
As a consequence of these principles we can consider the particular position of the Italian Province:
Example: in Italy machines are tried out which, if they prove to be satisfactory, can then be bought in other countries with a guarantee of success.
Famiglia Cristiana has its own spirit and secret of success; the ten editions in other countries, even with the requisite adaptation, will have to follow that line.
The Missal, which has had great success, can be translated into other languages.
The same can be said of the Catechism, of Vita Pastorale and the Cooperatore Paolino.
The other countries can profit by the experience made in Italy, thus saving time and being guaranteed success.
Many illustrations, photographs and articles, even for the Giornalino, have been requested and used in other countries.
It is clear that a link-up between the Central Publications Office

in Italy and those in other countries would reap many advantages.
Those Provinces which are gradually able to provide their own personnel, and in accordance with the necessities requested by the General House, are to be generous towards those less well off. Let us not forget the generosity of the Spanish Province.
The Italian Province is bound by particular conditions; it is from there that the General House has to take personnel for the Houses abroad. That requires close collaboration.

Give and it will be given to you

The gospel dictum Give and it will be given to you³ is true in the cases mentioned and particularly as regards personnel. Those who give to the poor will be rewarded by God and often the facts have shown that the reward is given in good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.
The measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away (Mk 4:24-25). This has been verified in the matter of vocations.
When religious observance and an intelligent apostolate are accompanied by much prayer and the practice of true poverty… houses spring up and expand without notable hardship. They develop like a plant placed beside

running waters and in due course they will flower and bear fruit.
The Lord does not let the gospel worker go without food. Starting off humbly and prudently, taking a step forward each day, everything proceeds in a balanced way and merit is achieved before God and men.