Opera Omnia

INSTRUCTION VIII
THE SPIRIT OF THE DISCIPLE OF THE DIVINE MASTER
Jesus and Mary, our sole Teachers

True men and women Religious who follow the gracefilled example of the first Religious, Mary! Can those who seek shelter in a form of religious amateurism - this is what you hear sometimes: a poverty on the wane, a chastity wedded to comfort and freedom, an obedience so personal as to be no more than nominal - can such people consider themselves Religious before God and the world? No! Correct these false ideas. There are, on the contrary, countless Religious who take Jesus Christ and Mary as their sole Teachers. Perfect examples.
Sad to say, there are consecrated persons who live and lead others into a kind of bourgeois lifestyle (as it is called). While having solemnly renounced the goods of this world, the satisfactions of family life, and the right to choose and act freely, they neither attain the infinite goods of their chosen life nor aspire to a life of fervor and ongoing improvement. What a sad state of affairs! The children of the light, even those who should be the wisest, are at times not as shrewd and prudent as the children of darkness.

Men and women Religious need to give a sense and purpose to their life, so as to be blessed in both this world and the next: holiness and apostolate. Thus enlightened, they will understand the wisdom and the help contained in the various prescriptions and prohibitions set out in the Constitutions and in Canon Law.
The song of the angels, Glory to God and peace among men, declared the purpose of the life of the child Jesus, born in Bethlehem.
To live in Christ is to have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus [Phil 2:5] (Saint Paul). The Religious who has this mind in Jesus Christ has an all-powerful prayer, for it is Jesus Christ who prays in him, and the Religious asks in the name of Jesus Christ: If you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name [Jn 16:23].

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Art. 246. Propaganda must be given the most important consideration if the apostolate of the press is to attain its aim and acquire a sound stability.
Art. 247. In order that the word of God may reach the souls in a suitable quantity and frequency, publications may be spread in several ways, i.e., through advertisements in newspapers, and catalogues; through book centres or book stores; through propaganda carried out from house to house; or through displays, employing also the help of cooperators, whenever opportune.
Art. 248. In the propaganda work the duties proper to

Religious are to be accurately distinguished from the others that more aptly fit outsiders, so that definite norms of action may be established according to the circumstances.

The spirit of the Disciple of Jesus Master

The term Disciple is much more honorific, pious and advantageous than that of Brother. Always choose the best.
Here we are considering in particular the Disciple of Jesus the Divine Master.
The [Brother] Disciple of Jesus the Divine Master was born even before the [Sisters] Pious Disciples of the Divine Master.
As a Pauline religious the Disciple's spirit is characterized by:
a) Prayer, where emphasis is on atonement.
b) Habitual recollection and a sense of silence.
c) Submissive and serene participation in the apostolate, by means of technical work and promotion.
d) Constant striving for Pauline perfection.
Such a spirit is the outcome of:
1. The choice of Saint Joseph, their protector.
2. The honorific title itself, Disciple of Jesus the Divine Master.
3. The Constitutions.

4. The circulars, the San Paolo, and the instructions.
5. The formation given from the very beginning.

Saint Joseph, a model

To choose a name, or to adopt a particular protector, means you have an exemplar you can imitate, a spirit you intend to live, a Saint for the particular graces necessary in life.
Saint Joseph has special characteristics:
He is the first Saint, after Mary his wife, the blessed Virgin; this in spite of his not being the real father of Jesus, or an Apostle, or a Priest.
He is, after Mary, the main helper in the work of Redemption. He helped fulfil the prophecies; he protected Mary's virginity in the eyes of the world; he saved the life of the Child Jesus; he brought him back from Egypt and chose their home in Nazareth. When Jesus was twelve years old he accompanied him to Jerusalem; he fulfilled his role as foster father of Jesus; he guided and provided for the Holy Family, and so on.
He was the Saint of silence, work, and meekness.
He was always chaste, always poor, always obedient.
He did not put himself on show; but his mission, his great work, was to prepare for the world the Priest, the Teacher, the Saving Victim.
This way followed by Saint Joseph articulates and explains better than any reasoning the spirit of the Disciple.

Disciple of Jesus the Divine Master

Disciple, from the Latin discere, means one who is learning; and, in our case, learning from him who is Wisdom, the Truth and the Way, Jesus Christ. Ordinary teachers are able to pass on some knowledge, or principles; they are able to give advice, and so on. Jesus, instead, is the Teacher of the most necessary knowledge; he is the sure guide to eternal life; and he has grace, which is absolutely necessary for the spiritual life.
This is Jesus' entire mission, and to learn it, follow it and live it is to be his disciple.
Saint John (8:31) says: Si vos manseritis in sermone meo, veri discipuli mei eritis, et cognoscetis veritatem…¹
Jesus our Teacher is the Atoner. This is his basic mission. He redeemed man from error, vice, sin, and death. He took upon himself the debts of sinful humanity; he took them to Calvary and washed them in his Blood.
He came to restore that glory which man had denied his heavenly Father. He came as Priest and Victim to bring man closer to God and God to man. Man could not, by his own efforts, re-establish friendship with God. Jesus Christ, as Mediator between the Father, the One offended, and man, the offender, re-established peace, paid the consequences.
Those who accept his redemption: Per Ipsum et cum Ipso et in Ipso,² will live as children of God and heirs with Christ in heaven.
Through his mission of atonement the Disciple is inserted into the same mission of Christ the Atoner,

the Redeemer. Saint Paul (Heb 9:22) writes: Sine sanguinis effusione non fit remissio.³ The blood of the Martyrs is coupled with the Blood of Christ, and faith thus overcomes the world.
Every sin is against Christ, inasmuch as he is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
The Disciple makes a threefold atonement: with his life, with his piety, and with his apostolate.
Thus the life of the Disciple is channeled into the great river of atonement, the source of which is Jesus Christ: Factus est pro nobis sapientia a Deo, iustitia, sanctificatio et redemptio⁴ (1 Cor 1:30). Sicut Filius hominis non venit ministrari, sed ministrare, et dare animam suam redemptionem pro multis⁵ (Mt 20:28). In quo (Jesu) habemus redemptionem in sanguine…⁶ (Eph 1:7).
The image of the Disciple is that of Saint Joseph; that is, side by side with the priest: in formation, and cooperating in the apostolate. Cooperation with the priest through prayer is the most important: it is of great value for his sanctification, which every minister of God is in need of.
There has to be on the part of all something extra: mutual and holy respect, esteem, humility, loving recognition, and honor.
What I am writing has never been lacking, but sometimes it is a little more obvious, at other times a little less; and it has remained somewhat obscured. Let us bring it into the light.

The life of the Disciple

a) Live with a sense of propriety and in holiness, avoiding every deliberate sin: ab omni peccato libera nos, Domine.⁷
b) Edify everyone by the good example of religious observance, and living in spirit with the Family of Nazareth; Christi bonus odor sumus Deo in iis, qui salvi fi-unt… : For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved… [2 Cor 2:15]. Ambulate in dilectione, sicut Christus dilexit nos, et tradidit semetipsum pro nobis oblationem et hostiam Deo in odorem suavitatis. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Eph 5:2).
c) Habitual recollection, so as to experience a joyful sense of intimacy with Jesus Christ. A question we should frequently ask ourselves is: Where is my heart?
d) The spirit of the world, and sin, have a threefold root, says Saint John in his first letter: Omne quod est in mundo, concupiscentia carnis est, et concupiscentia ocu-lorum, et superbia vitae (2:16). That is, the three se-ries of sins that can dominate man: lust, avarice, and pride.
The Disciple of Jesus the Divine Master, living out his vows, by way of his very life, atones for every sin:
- with chastity he atones for sins arising from lust;
- with poverty he atones for sins arising from avarice;

- with obedience he atones for sins arising from pride.
Such atonement is deep, vital and all-encompassing. Speaking of his own life, marked by sacrifice and suffering, Paul writes to the Colossians: Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church (1:24).
A more broad-based explanation: There are seven capital sins. The Disciple atones for pride with humility; for avarice with poverty; for anger with meekness; for envy with goodness; for gluttony with abstinence; for lust with love of Jesus; for laziness with assiduous work.

The piety of the Disciple

a) The ordinary atonement of good Christians, which is primarily the communion of atonement on the first Friday of the month.
b) Private and public hours of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.
c) Celebration of the first Sunday of every month, in honor of the Divine Master, with the monthly day of recollection.
d) Daily reading of a passage from the Gospel.
e) The recitation of the Divine Praises with the intention in atonement for bad publications.
f) The Way of the Cross every Friday, as part of the hour of Visit.

g) The prayer of reparation which starts: Lord, in union with all the priests who today celebrate Mass, I offer you, Jesus the Victim, and myself, a small victim, in reparation for the countless blasphemies, errors and irreligious acts spread throughout the world by radio and television programs, by films and the press.
h) With small daily voluntary sacrifices and mortifications for one's physical and inner sufferings, spiritual battles, mastering one's internal and external senses, the diligent practice of common life, the holy use of one's faculties and emotions - all centred in Jesus Christ: Vivo ego, iam non ego.⁸
i) The first chapel in the Church of Saint Paul in the Mother House (on the right as one enters) was dedicated to the sufferings of Jesus and Mary so as to preserve this spirit of atonement, characteristic of the Disciple. As a sign there is a statue that depicts Mary who enfolds in her arms the body of her Son, taken down from the Cross. Her whole attitude says: attendite et videte, si est dolor sicut dolor meus.⁹ We read in the life of Brother Borello that every day, after meals, he used to go to this somewhat secluded chapel, reluctant almost to make himself noticed. Here he passed the time with the Virgin of Sorrows so as to express more freely his feelings of devotion and atonement towards her and her crucified Son. People who were looking for him would know where to go to find him.

The hours of passion

The early morning is the time when the bad press (newspapers and magazines) hits the streets. It is also when the Disciple is

in church - Mass, Meditation, Communion - in atonement and prayer, sanctifying the day. He offers consolation to the Divine Teacher.
In the evening there are broadcasts, film projections, the editorial and technical preparation of the newspapers. It is also when the Disciple closes the day in recollection; prayer, holiness, mortification; he rests on the breast of his Teacher to console his heart and to invoke repentance for so many writers and technicians.
The day is spent in the technical apostolate or promotion, producing copy after copy of the word of truth or distributing it as widely as possible in a spirit of faith and love for the Teacher, for people, for the Church.
Atonement for the terrible sin of those who, having learnt technical and promotion techniques, now betray their vocation and use what they have learnt to combat the Divine Teacher, cooperating in producing and spreading error and evil, and spreading scandal and ruin for so many people.
Experience this great pain, make atonement and pray so as to combat the bad press with the good press; and likewise film with film, radio with radio, television with television, disc with disc, and so on.

The apostolate as atonement

When the technical means of the press, cinema, radio, television, discs and so on are placed at the service of evil, they wreak havoc among people; such a sight sparks in the heart of the apostle an intense flame of zeal.
It is a question of a very serious offence against the heavenly Father,

who sent his Son to enlighten the world; against the Son, who rendered testimony to the truth; against the Holy Spirit, who is inner light for the soul and for the Church.
These sins are particularly malicious because they are premeditated, give grave scandal, are easily spread, and poison all human activity.
Premeditated: they are not the result of a moment of passion but thought through with cold determination.
Among recurrent scandals, moral theology lists [those of] people who write, print and distribute books and periodicals. Even more widespread is the scandal caused by the cinema, radio, television and discs. It is not a matter of one or two persons, nor of a small number of listeners, but of enormous quantities of copies of newspapers, viewers, readers and so on.
An army of writers, producers, printers, newspaper associations or businesses, Protestant Bible societies, financial backers of films and television, and so on. Their drive, for the most part, is the lure of money or ambition, or hate, or a diabolical undertaking a delinquere.
The Church has penalized with its sanctions those who are blameworthy and with excommunication for still more serious matters.

Atonement: negative and positive

The Disciple of Jesus the Master undertakes atonement in both a negative and a positive way.
a) As regards himself, by curbing his freedom, not allowing dangerous curiosity to overtake him regarding books, cinema, radio and television.
b) Using convincing means of persuasion to deter writers, publishers and promoters, and to get them to direct

their activity towards publications that are healthy, useful, scientific or at least harmless.
c) Persuading readers, viewers in general and young people in particular, to refrain from what could cause them spiritual harm.
d) The positive part consists in the direct exercise of the publishing apostolate: combating press with press, film with film, radio with radio, television with television. It is to combat error with the truth, evil with good, Satan with Jesus Christ.
It is summed up in the second article of the Constitutions. The special aim of the Pious Society of Saint Paul consists in this - that its members expend their energies according to their abilities for the glory of God and the salvation of souls, in propagating Catholic doctrine, particularly, by the apostolate of communications - that is through the press, motion picture, radio, and television, as well as by other more effective and expeditious media or inventions of the age which human progress may make available, and the necessities and conditions of the times may require. Therefore, Superiors should take care that whatever advancements, by divine disposition, the progressing age shall introduce into the field of human disciplines and the technical arts, be not left to work for the ruination of men, but be utilized and truly made to serve the glory of God and the salvation of souls in spreading Catholic doctrine.

Originality of the Disciple of the Divine Master

There were very many lay Religious in the past (Saint Benedict, Saint Francis of Assisi, Servants of Mary, Basilians, Augustinians,

and so on). Their time was taken up in prayer and various works. Today they are often sacristans, porters, guardians, beggars, or they do various manual jobs. The Trappists' rule says that they must gain their sustenance from the ground. Thus they cultivate crops, vines, livestock; others prepare potions, liqueurs, chocolates and so on.
In their recollected life of silence, piety, mortification and common work: a) they sanctify themselves in religious observance; b) atone for the world's sins; c) pray for the Church; d) sing the praises of God.
Our Disciples are called to do all these good things; but in place of these various jobs they add and substitute the apostolate. Thus they atone in particular for the damage done by those who turn God's gifts - the result of human progress - against God himself, against the Church and its members, against Jesus Christ the Divine Teacher. It is the great battle which, fought between Lucifer and Michael, is now acted out in this world, as a follow-up to the message Glory to God and peace among men.
Presented correctly to upright and virtuous people, to adults already apprised of the world's vanities, or deceived by their initial experience… then the Disciple's life,
- presented in its framework of modern activities,
- considered in its unadulterated evangelical spirituality,
- reflected on in its apostolate, which is carried out in recollection and seclusion, and yet reaching out to hundreds of thousands, millions of people,
- will attract a great number of aspirants,
- who, properly trained, will begin the road of ascent, in accordance with the two precepts: You will love the Lord with all your

mind, all your heart, all your strength, all your soul. You will love your neighbor as yourself [cf. Deut 6:5; Mt 22:37].
The result of this contemplative and active life, with its twofold religious and apostolic vocation, will be fewer temptations, commitment of all one's spiritual and physical faculties, awareness of a vast and profound apostolate, more merits, joyful serenity, a serene death, holiness, a greater eternal happiness. What an immense privilege: to have followed the Divine Teacher and cooperated with Jesus Christ in proclaiming his message of light, grace and salvation.

Vocation and formation instructions

Vocation promoters must therefore present the life of the Disciple of Jesus the Master as it truly is: especially when it is a matter of adult vocations.
During the formation period there needs to be a more delicate spiritual direction and fatherly understanding than for the candidate to the priesthood.
Studies are to be carried out in accordance with the existing well-prepared programs. But the spiritual formation given has to have its own color and spirit.
Some things can be carried out in common; others need to be for them alone.
There needs to be a semi-separation from the other aspirants to the priesthood and from the priests, while nonetheless sharing the life of the apostolate.
Mary is the easiest and surest way for entering into the religious spirit and for rooting the life of Jesus Christ in us.

The habit does not make the monk; nor does it make him perfect. You only have the complete and happy Religious, in true Pauline spirituality, when he achieves the vivit in me Christus.¹⁰ Jesus stirs up thoughts, faith, love of God and love of neighbor; he inspires our words and apostolic activities, and gives hope-filled peace of mind: exspectantes beatam spem.¹¹ Here you have the Pauline Disciple.
We all need Jesus, and Mary is the one to give him. She gave him not just to humanity in general; she gives him in particular to each person, to each one who desires and welcomes him lovingly in order to possess him for ever.
Devotion to Mary: know her, love her, pray to her, show eagerness for her.

Note - This conforms with what was decided on at the General Chapter, as in the minutes; and with what the Holy See decided in a letter addressed to the Superior General in 1960 (Documents of the Institute's Archives).