Merry Christmas

Rome 2018

ear Members of the Rosminian Family: Fathers and Brothers, Sisters of Providence (Rosminian Sisters), Adoptive Sons, and Ascribed members, let us welcome Dwith joy the blessing of the Lord, who, from the day of His birth in Bethlehem, day after day, continues to transform us with abundance, making us sons of God.

The theme of this year’s letter is transformation. It has four sections, corresponding to the four periods of the Liturgical Year: Advent and Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time of the Year.

The common message of the four periods of grace is the transformation which the Lord works in those who, day after day, allow themselves to be touched, embraced, filled, and made alive by Him, until they reach the full measure of Christ. A river of life-giving grace, to use the words of the great vision of Ezekiel. This is the first section.

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Christmas, a Time for Transformation

The image of the river can help us understand the many successive and progressive moments of transformation. Near Domodossola, in Italy, there is an alpine valley, surrounded by high mountains, called Alpe Veglia. One of the many deposits of dazzling snow gives birth to a silent spring, flowing hidden under white rocks. The spring flows into a small lake, called Lago Bianco. The stream which issues from the lake is called Frua; when it reaches the lowlands, near a wide meadow, it offers the perennial spectacle of a most beautiful waterfall, before joining the waters of the Cairasca stream. This stream goes down the valley, and flows into another torrent called Diveria, which, in its turn, flows into the river Toce. The river Toce, in its turn, flows into the Lago Maggiore. This lake is fed by the river Ticino, which has its origin in Switzerland. The Ticino, as emissary of the lake, flows into the river Po. This river flows into the Adriatic Sea, which is part of the Mediterranean Sea. The latter touches the waters of the Gulf of Arabia, through the Suez Canal, and of the Atlantic Ocean, through the Strait of Gibraltar. The waters of all the oceans are in communication with each other.

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Snow and ice, when they melt, can become a small pond, a spring, a stream, a lake, a river, a sea, an ocean. When a stream of water flows into a greater one, it loses its name; the water, however, is not lost, it becomes part of the greater one. Losing oneself may result in becoming greater, and we may also achieve salvation: “He who loses his life for my sake, will save it”. It all depends whether we lose our life in God or in ourselves. In the example of the small lake, of the stream, and so forth, the loss of the name is compensated by the gaining in greatness and fruitfulness. In Christ’s case, St. Paul’s wrote to the Philippians: “He emptied Himself, that is, of the divine glory which was His, but He did not empty Himself of His divine nature” (Jerusalem Bible). In exchange for His “losing Himself”, so to speak, to the point of death on the cross for our sake, He acquired an infinite merit.

To lose oneself is a demanding mystery, but it has its attraction; it is the mystery of “united we stand stronger”. If our union is with the Most-High God, our strength will be infinite. Moreover, if our union is truly with God, we do not lose our name, we become sons and heirs with a name: “Rejoice, because your names are written in Heaven”.

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An affectionate and meaningful letter

There is also a secret to being always ocean water, always in communication with any other ocean water. Rosmini reveals this in a letter written to his sister Margherita, who desired to receive more frequent letters from her brother Antonio, always so generous in writing to others, except to her.

The secret is to dwell in a spiritual ocean, that is, in the heart of JESUS: “My heart is full of affection for you, and I often remember you before the Lord. It is my hope that what you yourself would like best is that we should meet in our Lord in perfect unity of heart. This is the true centre of the greatest love, of the greatest union of hearts; indeed, this is the only centre, a very ocean of love” (Milan, 10.04.1827; Spiritual Calendar, 5th December, p.115).

A few months later, Antonio was at Calvario to begin his journey of consecration and to found our Institute. In the same year, 1828, Margherita became a nun and set up an orphanage in Trent. The union of the two siblings in a love greater than their natural affection produced that fruitful transformation which was willed by God.

The journey of transformation guided by the Readings on the Fathers of the Church

The theme of Christian transformation can be found in many of the teachings of Fr Founder, teachings based on the words of the Fathers of the Church, as we can find them in the Office of Reading. The wealth of inspirations, drawn by Rosmini from praying the Office, can be of great help to us. 5

The hidden source of so much of Rosmini’s teaching were the writings of the Fathers of the Church. This can be readily seen in his book, “The Five Wounds of Holy Church”, in which he shows frequently how the first few centuries of the life of the Church were times of good health, which should have become the model for bringing healing to the wounds of the Church of his own time.

Reference to the Fathers can be seen everywhere in his writings. The Scholars at work on the Edizione Critica of Rosmini’s books, are amazed at the abundance of quotations taken from the writings of the Fathers of the Church. Rosmini, one can truly say, did not invent anything: he brought to life the doctrinal patrimony left by the greatest of the Fathers, Doctors, and Christian Writers.

Fr Francesco Paoli, his secretary, tells us that Rosmini prayed the Office walking; at times his walking resembled a dance. This is his personal witness: “He thought that the Breviary was always recited in great haste by those who were with him. He almost knew the Breviary by heart, but usually he recited it with others, walking, and with movements of body and tone of voice which seemed to make a song or a dance that was all spiritual, in union with the Saints of Heaven. How often he said to us during those solemn moments: “More slowly!” (Francesco Paoli, Antonio Rosmini, Virtu’ Quotidiane, p. 93).

The divine action defined by the word “transformation”, or by a similar expression, will occur in each of the four periods of the liturgical year. It will be the object of the four parts of this "Christmas letter".

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Saint Bernard (Office of Readings, 29 December): “What greater proof could he have given of his mercy than by taking upon himself that which needed mercy? … Man, do not ask about your own sufferings; but about what he suffered. Learn from what he was made for you, how much he makes of you, so that his kindness may show itself to you from his humanity… The more he humbles himself on my account, the more powerfully he engages my love”.

Saint Hippolytus (Office of Readings, 30 Decem- ber): “We know that the Word assumed a body from a Virgin and, through a new creation, put on our old nature. We know that he was a man, formed from the same substance as we are. If he were not of the same nature as us, his command to imitate him as a master would be a futile one… He went hungry and thirsty… In all this he offered his own self, so that when you suffered, you would not lose heart, but rather you would recognise that you are a man and would yourself expect to receive what he received from God”. What things? “All that belongs to God, because you have been deified and have become immortal… If you obey his sacred commandments, if you become a good follower of him who is good, you will become like him, you will be honoured by him. God is not lacking in anything, and he made you also a god for his glory”.

In the Office of Readings of 1st January, we find the teaching of Saint Athanasius. It is human nature which is saved and transformed. JESUS was born not “in” Mary, but “of” Mary, “so that it would be accepted that what she gave birth to, came from her in the natural way… Our Saviour really did become man, and this 7

brought about the salvation of the whole man. He saved the whole man, body and soul”.

Saint Basil, in the Office of Readings of 2nd January, invites us to con- sider our worship as an expression of our transfor- mation, in which the body also, because it has been saved, is part of the worship “in Spirit and in truth”. He uses the image of the stamp which im- presses the seal, and of the seal impressed by the stamp. From the shape of the seal it is possible to ascend to the form of the stamp, since the former is the effect of the latter. To acknowledge JESUS as Son of God and Saviour means that we worship Him, not in a particular place, but in the Spirit: “As parts in the whole, so are we, individually, in the Spirit because we were all baptised in one body into the one Spirit”. To worship Him and to imitate Him means that we participate not only in the seal, but also in the stamp, worshipping in the Spirit and in the truth, as all Christian faithful should do, as “parts in the whole”. “The baptized person is in the Spirit”. What a great light is given by the teaching of this Father of the Church. We may be allowed to add: we are small streams, yet we are all in the divine sea, from the day of our baptism, for all eternity.

Saint Augustine thus writes about this same transformation: “How great is the abundance of his goodness which he hides for those who fear him, which he perfects for those who hope in him! To make us fit to receive this perfection, he who is equal to the Father in the form of God and made like to us in the form of a slave, transforms us to the likeness of God. The only Son of God, made son of man, makes many sons of men sons of God” (Office of Readings, 5th January). Saint Hippolytus (Office of Readings, 8th January), dares to say: “If then a man has been made immortal, he will also be divine. If indeed 8

he becomes divine by water and by the Holy Spirit by regeneration from the font, he is also found to be joint heir with Christ after the resurrection from the dead”. The thought that we are “divine” not by nature, but through our participation in the divine life is truly engag- ing. It is similar to what happens in a family: the family is one, and yet the children are distinct persons from their parents and from each other, and the parents, equally, are distinct from their children.

The Office of Readings of the Saturday after the Epiphany, taken from the Sermons of Bishop Faustus of Riez, is also very meaningful. The idea that the small is completed in the big, the little in the great, the sinner in the saint, the pagan in the converted, becomes clear. This process becomes sublime in the highest vision one can imagine: the wedding of Christ with the Church. What a transformation! We are truly dealing with a new birth, a regeneration. The reality of sin disappears, and the bride is presented purified and adorned with wedding garments! “For when one thing is being effectually changed into another within itself, where the lowlier created thing is transformed by a secret conversion into a nobler kind, the mystery of the second birth is enacted. The waters are suddenly changed, later to change men”. There is such a transformation that “the younger son is welcomed with music and wedding garments to symbolise the conversion of the people of the Gentiles”. There is such a transformation that the “good” wine is the commandment of the law, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy, but the wine of the Gospel is better and says, “Love your enemies”..

Saint Gregory Nazianzen, as if to complete these words on transfor- mation, declares: “Be cleansed so that you may be like lights in the world, a life-giving force to all other men, and stand as perfect lights beside the great Light, and learn the mystery of the illumina- tion of heaven” (Office of Readings, Baptism of the Lord).

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As it often happens, a quote must be taken from the writings of St. Augustine. A well-known saying in our circles recommends that there be no homily nor speech without a quotation from St. Augustine, as there should be no lunch without wine. In our case, as members of the Rosminian Family, we cannot fail to reflect on his teaching about our charism of love of God and neighbour. He sees the practice of the commandment of love in terms of transformation. He who practises the commandment of love of neighbour finds himself transformed, becomes a lover of God, in touch both with his brother and with God. Whoever helps someone to cross the threshold finds himself inside, not only in the company of the one he has helped but also of God, who is already there! This is the message of the Office of Readings of 3rd January on the two precepts of love. It is difficult to find elsewhere a better exhortation to transformation through love. “So then, sup- port him with whom you are travelling so that you may come to him with whom you long to dwell”.

Antonio Rosmini cultivated this concept of transformation with great care. As we come to the end of this section, it is enough to recall the brief line taken from the Af- fetti Spirituali, drawn in part from St. Bonaven- ture: “Ravished by God and transformed in God, with God and in God to offer God to God”. This is the shortest definition of Mass: with God (with the Holy Spirit) to offer God (the Body and Blood of Christ) to God (to the Father).

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LONGING OF THE SOUL FOR GOD

How blessed it is to converse with God, To talk of God, to be pleasing to God alone;

To recall, desire, and understand God, To know God, to fall in love in God,

To remain, journey and return with God; To seek and find God in God;

Giving oneself wholly to God, Leaving for God, the delights of God;

To think, to speak, to work for God; To hope in God alone, to delight in God alone,

To have one’s mind fixed on God always; Doing all things with God in God,

Dedicated and consecrated to God, Pleasing God alone, suffering for God, Rejoicing in God alone of God’s delight,

To desire God alone, and to abide with God forever, To exult in God in times of joy and pain;

To see, touch, taste God; To live, die, and abide in God;

And, ravished by God and transformed in God, With God and in God to offer God to God, 11

To God’s eternal honour and glory. O God, what joy and bliss is God O GOD! O GOD! O GOD! O GOD! O GOD! (ANTONIO ROSMINI)

Transformation and Perfection Let us linger a little longer on this concept: the lesser gains by being absorbed by the major; the part gains by uniting itself to the whole. Let us place our boat in the right direction, raise the sail welcoming the favourable wind for our transformation. It is God who perfections His creature, as the artist does with his masterpiece.

Dear Friends, as you can see, the word transformation, in our case, goes hand in hand with the word perfection. These two words must be understood as sisters, provided that God is the subject of both actions. “Perfection is not our work; it is the work of God”. “Perfection is nothing else than the communication of the Creator to the creature” (6 Sept. 1837). “The journey towards perfection is not impossible, though the devil will suggest this to our imagination with his lies. The journey is very easy to those who love God, as was said by the Victor who conquered Satan: “My yoke is easy, and my burden light” (20 Oct. 1843).

The joy of patient and holy transformation This fundamental position is typical of the Saints of all times. Pope Francis insisted on it in his letter, “Gaudete et exultate”, on the Call to Holiness in Today’s World.

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It is possible to find in the Letter many points of contact with the Maxims of Christian Perfection, especially with the first and the sixth Maxim.

For convenience, I will propose passages which refer more closely to God’s initiative, which, if received worthily, can transform the person who receives it, changing him into a person who, in his turn, will share it. The stream, in its course, may find an empty basin to fill with water; in its turn, the basin, now part of the flowing stream, keeps the water as a treasure to be dispensed at the right time. If, however, the basin is already full of stones and sand, it is quite useless. The word, “capable”, in the Italian language, has a double meaning: it indicates a space which can be filled in, but it also indicates a source of power which can be given out, like a will turned to action. No fountain can provide water unless it is supplied by a constant spring. God is the spring, His faithful people are the holy fountain.

According to our Rosminian spirituality, the two dimensions of passivity and indifference should always be present, at the same time: we should never live without waiting for God, we should never be slow in following the indications of charity. In the following sentences, taken from Pope Francis’ Letter, you will find in italic the words which express more clearly God’s primacy in the work of sanctification. n. 6: The Holy Spirit bestows holiness in abundance among God’s holy and faithful people.

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n. 8: Let us be spurred on by the signs of holiness that the Lord shows us through the humblest members of that people which “shares also in Christ’s prophetic office, spreading abroad a living witness to him, especially by means of a life of faith and charity”. n. 10: All the faithful, whatever their condition or state, are called by the Lord – each in his or her own way – to that perfect holiness by which the Father himself is perfect”. n. 15: Let the grace of your baptism bear fruit in a path of holiness. Let everything be open to God; turn to him in every situation. n. 17: At times, life presents great challenges. Through them, the Lord calls us anew to a conversion that can make his grace more evident in our lives, “in order that we may share his holiness”. n. 18: In this way, led by God’s grace, we shape by many small gestures the holiness God has willed for us, not as men and women sufficient unto ourselves but rather “as good stewards of the manifold grace of God”. n. 19: Each saint is a mission, planned by the Father to reflect and embody, at a specific moment in history, a certain aspect of the Gospel. n. 20: That mission has its fullest meaning in Christ and can only be understood through him.

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n. 21: The Father’s plan is Christ, and ourselves in him. In the end, it is Christ who loves in us, for “holiness is nothing other than charity lived to the full”. As a result, “the measure of our holiness stems from the stature that Christ achieves in us, to the extent that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we model our whole life on his”.(Benedict XVI, 13.04.2011).

Other references to this type of passivity in relation to the action of God will be the object of attention in the next sections of this Christmas letter, which will be sent during the year. Let us be aware of, appreciate, and cultivate this full harmony between the Rosminian spirituality and the magisterium of the Pope.

The Te Deum of transformation

During the Christmas season, we offer to God a solemn moment of thanksgiving for the benefits we have received during the year which is coming to an end. Gratitude is an expression of the human soul. We can measure the quality and beauty of the soul from the degree of its ability to say, “Thank you”. We can also measure our faith and conse- crated life from the degree of gratitude which we express. “And the other nine, where are they? No one was found who returned to give glory to God?”

The Te Deum of our Rosminian transformation. The brief witness I now give is to reward and keep safe the memory of those who have done many good things, and to nourish the flame of gratitude towards the Institute. Like many other Rosminians, I too 15

was an aspirant from the age of 10 to the age of 15. I am grateful to the Lord for the pleasant life I had, the good teaching, and the for- mation to the religious life. I thank the Lord for my time as a novice, which contributed towards my transformation in view of my conse- cration. I am grateful for the following four years, spent together with many other scholastics. Two years were given to the study of philos- ophy and four to the study of theology, right up to my Ordination to the Priesthood. I am most grateful to my teachers and formators, all of them Rosminian Fathers. I thank God and the Institute for a special reason, which may appear unusual. I was given the responsible task of educating our aspirants, and our young boarders in our College. Our time was dedicated entirely to accompany them, sharing every moment of the day with them, demanding good discipline, organising their free time, helping them during their study time. It is not easy to be grateful for a very demanding time. That time, nonetheless, was a precious training for my future ministry; it is my duty to bless that type of training, which prepared me not to fail the rightful expecta- tions of God and neighbour.

One of our Indian brethren received from a friend, on the day of his religious profession a small, rough stone. He asked for the meaning of the gift. The friend told him to keep it in his hand for at least one hour every day, for a whole year. He promised to do it and kept his promise, not so much because he had any conviction but out of respect for his friend. At the end of the period, he was surprised to see that he had in his hand a precious stone, revealed as such by that action which was both nec- essary and tiresome. Two precious results, two transformations achieved at once: the person’s transformation, through the exercise of patience and trust towards the friend, was certainly the greater result. Patience builds up strong men, who can in turn organise it and pass it on to others.

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In 2019, we shall have a period of nearly two months of Ordinary Time, and therefore the second part of this Christmas letter will be based on the Readings of the Fathers of the first six weeks of Ordinary Time.

I wish you all every blessing from JESUS, the Word who became flesh, the Light and the Life of the world.

Father Vito Nardin

ANNIVERSARI/ANNIVERSARIES 2019 VITA COMUNE

NO NOME PROV. DATA/DATE 1 GIUSEPPE ITALIA 05/04/1944 75° GIOVANNINI 2 JAMES MCKNIGHT UK &NZ 16/10/1949 70° 3 GIUSEPPE BONACINA ITALIA 15/09/1954 65° 4 TOMASI DE TARCISIO ITALIA 15/09/1954 65° 5 JAMES POLLOCK IRL&USA 11/10/1954 65° 6 THOMAS HUBBART IRL&USA 21/11/1954 65° 7 JAMES MCATEER IRL&USA 07/03/1954 65° 8 GIANCARLO ANDREIS ITALIA 30/08/1959 60° 9 WILLIAM JACKSON UK & NZ 27/01/1959 60° 10 BRIAN CUDDIHY UK & NZ 08/09/1959 60° 11 DAVID MYERS UK & NZ 08/09/1959 60° 12 DAVID TOBIN UK & NZ 08/09/1959 60° 13 MICHAEL HEGARTHY IRL &USA 11/10/1959 60° 14 JAMES GORDON IRL & USA 11/10/1959 60° 17

15 THOMAS AKELLO E. AFRICA 26/08/1994 25° 16 ISAAC OKINDO E. AFRICA 19/06/2009 10° GITAGA 17 POTENTINUS M E. AFRICA 19/06/2009 10° BUZA 18 BENNY DENNIS INDIA 01/06/2009 10°

ORDINATION/ORDINAZIONE

NO NOME/NAME PROVINCE DATE 1 DOMENICO ITALIA 01/07/1954 65° CAMPAGNA 2 ANDREA ITALIA 01/03/1969 50° BELLEBONO 3 AURELIANO ITALIA 01/03/1969 50° PELLEGRINI 4 JOHN BLAND UK & NZ 26/10/1969 50° 5 PHILIP SCANLAN UK & NZ 04/06/1969 50° 6 FRANCESCO VENEZUELA 04/10/2009 10° VALDERRAMA 7 ROBIN THOMAS INDIA 11/05/2009 10° 8 MARTIN INDIA 05/05/2009 10° MADAVANA 9 BIJU INDIA 06/05/2009 10° EDAKKALATHUR 10 SHINTO INDIA 02/05/2009 10° KUMMINIYIL

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2018

FIRST VOWS/PRIMI VOTI 1. Henry Mutune- E. Africa

2. Andrea Adelard- E. Africa

3. Ansgar Mlenguke- E. Africa

4. Aravind Peyyala- India

5. Marshal Kotamarthi- India

DIACONATE/DIACONATO 1. Benny Dennis - India

ORDINATION/ORDINAZIONE

1. Davide Busoni- Italia

2. Amadeus Mutyandia- E.Africa

3. Richard Masanja- E. Africa

DEFUNTI 1. Bernard Collins

2. Lino Noriller

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3. Remo Dominicis

4. Pio Bolla

5. Mathew Corcoran

6. Seamus McKen

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