Opera Omnia

INSTRUCTION IX
LIFE IN COMMUNITY
The mystical body of the Congregation

Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor.¹ A self-same love has brought us together around the Heart of Jesus Christ. This is true of every religious Institute, for death does not lead to dissolution. Thus the Congregation can have members in the Church triumphant, others in the Church purgative, others in the Church militant. All are linked by a single bond: charity.
Thus we have already recalled that our brothers and sisters in the Church triumphant come to the aid of those in the Church purgative and in the Church militant. Those in the Church purgative give glory to their brothers and sisters in the Church triumphant, while (as is our belief) they pray for those in the Church militant, and await help from both the one and the other. The members in the Church militant pray for those in the Church purgative and seek the help of the members in the Church triumphant and in the Church purgative. A wonderful exchange of gifts! Admirabile commercium² through the Communion of Saints in the Mystical Body, formed by the one Church.
So we, though many, are one body in

Christ, says Saint Paul (Rom 12:5); we are all parts of the whole; and all of us are members Mystici Corporis Christi.³
The Congregation is strengthened and brought to perfection through death. Members in different states but still linked purposewise: glory to God, peace among men.

The experience of the Novitiate

Life in common has its preparation especially in the novitiate.

Art. 49. When the Spiritual Retreat, as required by article 37, has been completed, the candidates begin their Novitiate, according to the rite observed in the Society; the period of Novitiate is reckoned from the inscription of their names in the register of the Novitiate.
Art. 50. For a valid Novitiate, besides immunity from the impediments listed in article 18, it must be made after the fifteenth year of age has been completed, in the House of Novitiate canonically erected, for a complete and continuous year in the case of Clerical Novices, and for two complete years in the case of Disciple-Novices. For a licit Novitiate, however, besides immunity from the impediments listed in article 19, it is required, in the case of Disciple-Novices, that the Novitiate begin after the seventeenth year of age has been completed; from which prescript the Superior General, with the consent of his Council, can dispense for a grave reason in individual cases.
Art. 51. To safeguard the integrity of the Novitiate

the day on which it commences is not counted; and the prescribed time ends at the completion of the day of that same date; wherefore, the first Profession can be validly made only on the day following the anniversary of his reception into the Novitiate.
Art. 52. The year of Novitiate is interrupted in such a way that it must be commenced again and completed,
1. if the Novice is sent away by the legitimate Superior, and actually leaves the house;
2. if he departs from the house without due permission with the intention of not returning;
3. if for any reason - even with the permission of the Superior - he has remained outside his house of Novitiate for more than thirty days, consecutive or otherwise, even though with the intention of returning.
Art. 53. If a Novice has remained outside the house of Novitiate for over fifteen days, but not over thirty days, consecutive or otherwise, either with the permission of the Superior, or through force of circumstances, and continued under the obedience of the Superior, it is necessary and sufficient for the validity of the Novitiate that he supply the number of days so passed outside; if for a period not exceeding fifteen days, the supplementing of this period can be prescribed by the Superiors, but it is not necessary for validity.
Art. 54. The Novitiate is by no means interrupted if the Novice is legitimately transferred to another house of Novitiate, but the days required for the journey are reckoned as days of absence according to the norm of articles 52,3 and 53.

Union and unity

A basic task of these exercises is to be aware of, experience and live union and unity.
Although people may be together, for example, in a hotel, college, boarding house, old people's home, jail, or barracks, they cannot be said to be living a true common life.
The reason is that there is no unity in their purpose, thinking or feelings. Each one is in such a place for a special reason, need, or personal motive, which is temporary or occasional. There is no duty of obedience based on vows.
Life in community in the religious sense, instead, depends on the nature of the society, whether it is called congregation, institute, or religious family. It is always an association of people who want to help one another in the pursuit of holiness.
There is thus a supernatural aim, to be achieved by reciprocal help, under the guide of an authority, viribus unitis,⁴ in an arrangement set out by the Constitutions, timetable, occupations, roles and so on, which are determined by the superior.
There is therefore a union of minds, hearts, works, and prayer.
It requires a commitment and emulation in spiritual progress.
Common life which is displayed especially in assistance in old age and sickness, in death and in suffrages.
It is something alive, not a machine; but the individual is at the service of all, and all are at the service of the individual.
One's personality is not smothered; rather, it develops and grows given the new social and supernatural ingredients.

The state of perfection indisputably implies common life. We are not considering it here in all its communitarian aspects, but in the particular meaning given to it as a constitutive part of the state of perfection. Thus the Church wants to point out publicly the importance of community for the work of Christian sanctification.

Stems from the apostolate in view of the apostolate

Common life does not always have the same deep meaning. For example, in the Benedictine abbey it has a wideranging and important task, and shapes the Christian life itself of the members, both as regards their personal holiness and the sweep of their apostolate. Instead, for many clerics regular, as well as for us, life in common stems from the apostolate and in view of the apostolate. This type of society characterized by a purpose includes, to be sure, the common good of the members; at the same time, however, the very observance of conventual life has an organization which takes into account that we are at the service of people's souls: we are religious-apostles; we have to pass on what we have acquired, following on the example of the Divine Master.
For Secular Institutes, which are an authentic canonical state of perfection, this requirement can be reduced to the more conventional.
Common life in a conventional or formal sense is the incorporation and membership of a person in a society or organization with a view to living out its spirit.
Common life in a material sense, instead, is life lived under the same roof, with the same people, with the same practices and observances, and so on.
In the Secular Institutes there is this incorporation of the members in a society. There is therefore what constitutes the essence

of common life. What is missing is common life in a material sense; in other words, living in the same house, meals in common, the same practices together, and so on.
The Secular Institutes must nonetheless have one or more central houses, and so there is an element of common life in a material sense. That at present is sufficient for the state of perfection. The rest depends on the particular ideal of each Institute.
Lastly, there is in all forms of common life a material and a financial aspect, which results in a better organization of property and goods, the pursuit of duties on a material level, an appropriate freedom in the undertaking of the directly apostolic occupations, a regulating of meals and relaxation, in view of common edification.
Still, common life must be vigilant about deviations and the almost inevitable imperfections.

Dangers and failures

First of all there are general and common dangers: a reluctance to change which results in an overgrowth of detail and specifics; an inability to work with others; narrowmindedness in the way of striving for an ideal, a lack of understanding the ideals and apostolate of others, and so on.
There are also the partial failures of common life to the detriment of the life of holiness. An environment where there is a lack of enthusiasm, a sterile community life, a constant and at times malicious misunderstanding by people with opposite and mean character traits can disarm even the most courageous and hinder, at least

humanly speaking, the full outflowing of authentic holiness.
The result is a group of disheartened and unhappy people whose lives centre either on memories of the past or on pessimism, or on criticism that leads nowhere; and this, between religious and religious; at times between house and house.
There are even more serious defects, which are a form of transposing to the collective level less virtuous tendencies which people have freed themselves from in their private and individual lives. Thus, personal humility and smugness or ambition for one's own community; personal poverty and detachment and attempts and tricks to enrich the institution; personal impartiality and exaggerated propaganda for the community's achievements; lastly - and from a particular point of view - concern for general obedience and efforts to increase every kind of personal exemption.
Advantages. It is a source of so many merits for our continual selfdenial, since we have in common food, dress, lodging, and timetable.
Continual fidelity to prayer to keep us fervent and to encourage development; letters, preaching, correction.
Help on the part of superiors, so as to avoid the many dangers encountered in a free and independent life.
It leads to happy and serene living together among good people who have the same goal.
The eucharistic goal in the Pauline Family is the source, nourishment and

guarantee of unity; unity achieved by communal sacrifice, by the eucharistic banquet; Jesus living as member and head of the members in community, through his continually working real presence; inasmuch as he is Way, Truth and Life.
Studies are made easier by recollection, excellent teachers, good libraries, reference books, and so on.
The Pauline apostolate calls for an effective group of writers, technical people and distributors. Everyone must be in harmony just like orchestra players tune up before giving a performance. How much will-power and energy, uncoordinated and disorganized, ends up in wishful thinking, pain and failure! The bread of the spirit and of truth needs to be prepared by all together.

Sociability, not gregariousness

Common life requires sociability. A human being is made for society. Except for the case of a special and rather rare vocation people do tend spontaneously to mix, to listen to one another, to live together, whatever their age group. Loneliness is, for the most part, feared.
Sociability is not a sheep-like attitude which absorbs willy-nilly everything from surroundings and company, following along blindly, to the point of losing one's personality. It is to know how to keep company and at the same time how to stand aside; not to allow oneself to be so engrossed by the crowd, by empty reading, the radio, films, and television as to become dull, inert, enslaved, unable to reflect and think for oneself.
Common life requires obedience. Professing the

vow we commit ourselves to observe it. What will happen if, later on, we start to quibble about the power of superiors, the instructions given, the freedom to do things, and so on? It will lead, little by little, to our reclaiming what was given to God; it implies injustice. When the newly professed makes his vow of obedience he is signing, literally, a blank cheque. The superior fills it in and we are obliged to pay personally, whatever our own wishes may be.
Injustice as well? Yes, because each one as a member must contribute to the common wealth just as he can partake of the common benefits.

Charity, not selfishness

Common life requires charity, while selfishness is its enemy. In fact, selfishness leads, little by little, to a personal, one's own modus vivendi.⁵ Each one then lays claim on the Congregation for the most of everything while giving the least in return.
A sometimes painful sight is to see generous confreres overwhelmed with work, while others, like bystanders, comment, pass judgement, and highlight defects. Sic currite ut comprehendatis.⁶
In common life burdens must be distributed like offices and goods. Sometimes superiors have the defect of giving too many offices to some, who are always ready to accept. Other times they face unjustified refusals from those who find ways and excuses for getting out of common burdens. These, then, are often the most demanding when it comes to food, clothing,

holidays, comforts, exaggerated health claims, rest, and so on.
Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works (cf. Heb 10:24).
May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ (2 Thess 3:5).
God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him (1 Jn 4:16).
Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ (Gal 6:2).
Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbour has fulfilled the law (Rom 13:8).

Docility, not infantilism

There are individuals in the community who steer the ship and take over; others, then, who follow them, applaud, without any check or self-control. Thus one such person suffices to lower the moral standard.
Let superiors teach members to reflect, to be guided by principles; let them encourage members to be docile but not to become infantile. What a lot of religious are subject to group influence, to exaggerated and depersonalizing influences! To achieve sound self-discipline one also needs to know how to be alone, to decide, to live as an adult. Determination, strength, tenacity and sound principles will result in very good religious, teachers, and spiritual guides.
It is a great gift to know how to make a place welcoming, joyful and relaxed. Uplifting jokes, to be sure, but seriousness

at the opportune time; flexibility, but not weakness; order, without it becoming an obsession; compliance but not favoritism; respect for the many ideas and customs, but holding to one's own when they are safe and sound.

Obedience, not division

Charity in obedience and obedience in charity. Internal divisions in an Institute lead to the most serious consequences: divisions in thinking, objectives, roles, teaching, works and so on. They destroy the foundation and very life-spirit of the Institute. Unity is such a good as to merit sacrificing particular advantages and points of view.
The worst kind of division is between Major Superiors, the General Council, Provincial Superiors. Cordial understanding is something edifying instead.
Still serious are divisions in Provincial Councils; whereas brotherly union strengthens and consolidates the whole of religious and apostolic life.
No less serious, but always a cause of great suffering, are divisions in the local Council; contrariwise, harmony is what lightens daily fatigue and leads to joyful living together.
In the same way, the spiritual union and joint efforts between priests and brothers in a single house fosters vocations, as well as progress in each of the four parts.
In meetings of the Council each person is free and dutybound to express his opinion, humbly yet clearly. At the end, however, there can be but one opinion. No one may tell others outside who in the Council supported this or that opinion.

The unum sint,⁷ repeated four times by the Divine Master in the priestly prayer, is an inspiration for us.
Has not a misunderstanding of nationalism itself been, and is still, the cause of schism and heresy, disagreement and impediment to the apostolate and ministry?
In the priestly prayer Jesus prays thus for his Apostles: …Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
Continuing the same prayer, Jesus the Teacher adds:
I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which thou hast given me in thy love for me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world has not known thee, but I have known thee; and these know that thou hast sent me. I made known to them thy name, and I will make it known, that the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them (Jn 17:20-26).
We are all in service; no one a master. All of us are aiming for perfection, no one is already perfect.