VI. FOLLOWING CHRIST, OBEDIENT, POOR AND CHASTE
"I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ... because Christ Jesus has made me his own. " (Phil 3,8. 12).
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By religious profession we mean to live the grace of our baptism radically and more fully.We follow Jesus Christ, who "virginal and poor, redeemed and sanctified mankind by his obedience",1 and share more closely in his paschal mystery, in his self-emptying and in his life in the Spirit.
Surrendering ourselves totally to God whom we love above all else, we commit ourselves to a form of life based entirely on gospel values.
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Don Bosco frequently points out how the sincere practice of the vows strengthens the bonds of brotherly love and makes our apostolic work coherent.The profession of the counsels helps us to live a life of fellowship with our brothers in the religious community as in a family which enjoys the presence of the Lord.1
The evangelical counsels, by fostering purification of the heart and spiritual freedom,2 render our pastoral charity more concerned and productive: the obedient, poor and chaste Salesian is quick to love and serve those to whom the Lord sends him, especially poor youth.
A particular sign of God’s presence
62.
The practice of the counsels, lived in the spirit of the beatitudes, makes our proclamation of the Gospel more convincing.In a world tempted by atheism and the idolatry of pleasure, possessions and power, our way of life bears witness, especially to the young, that God exists, that his love can fill a life completely, and that the need to love, the urge to possess, and the freedom to control one’s whole existence, find their fullest meaning in Christ the Saviour.
Our way of life also affects our manner of dressing, which is meant to be an external sign of this witness and service. The clerics follow the dispositions of the particular Churches in the countries in which they reside,1 and the lay members adopt the simple style which Don Bosco recommended.2
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The offering of his own freedom through obedience, the spirit of evangelical poverty and the love which becomes a gift in chastity, make the Salesian a sign of the power of the Resurrection.The evangelical counsels, fashioning his heart entirely for the Kingdom help him to discern and welcome God’s action in history; in the simplicity and hard work of daily life they transform him into an educator who proclaims to the young "new heavens and a new earth",1 awakening in them hope and the dedication and joy to which it gives rise.2
OUR OBEDIENCE
"Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him." (Heb 5,8-9)
Gospel significance of our obedience
64. Our Saviour assured us that came on earth to do not his own will but that of his Father in heaven.1
By professing obedience we offer our will to God and by carrying out the mission entrusted to us we relive in the Church and in the Congregation Christ's own obedience. Docile to the Spirit and attentive to the signs he gives us in the events of each day, we take the Gospel as our supreme rule of life,2 the Constitutions as a sure path to follow, and the superiors and the community as day by day interpreters of God's will.
Salesian style of obedience and authority
65.
In Salesian tradition obedience and authority are practised in a family spirit of love which inspires relationships of mutual esteem and trust.The superior directs, guides and encourages, making discreet use of his authority. All the confreres collaborate by obeying readily and sincerely, "with cheerfulness and humility".1
The service of authority and the willingness to obey are the principles of cohesion in the Congregation, and guarantee its permanence; for the Salesian they are the path to holiness and the source of energy in his work, of joy and of peace.
Shared responsibility in obedience
66.
In the community, in view of the mission entrusted to us, we all obey even though we have different tasks to perform.In listening to the Word of God and celebrating the Eucharist, we express and renew our common dedication to the divine will.
In matters of importance we seek the will of the Lord together in patient brotherly dialogue, with a deep awareness of shared responsibility.
The superior exercises his authority by listening to the confreres, encouraging all to make their contribution and promoting a union of wills in faith and charity. He concludes this phase of searching in common by making appropriate decisions. These will normally emerge from a convergence of the views expressed.
We all then set to work to carry out these decisions by our sincere collaboration, even when our own views have not prevailed.
Personal obedience and freedom
67. The Salesian is expected to obey in freedom of spirit and with an awareness of his personal responsibility, pledging his "powers of intellect and will, and his gifts of nature and grace".1
He obeys with faith and sees in the superior an aid and a sign which God uses to manifest his will.
Obedience like this "leads to maturity by extending the freedom of the sons of God".2
Requirements of the vow of obedience
68.
By vowing obedience the Salesian pledges himself to obey lawful superiors in matters concerning the observance of the Constitutions.1When an order is given expressly by force of the vow of obedience, the obligation to obey is a grave one. Only major superiors and rectors can command in this way, but they should do so rarely, in writing or before two witnesses, and only when some serious reason requires it.2
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Each one places his abilities and talents at the service of the common mission.The superior, with the help of the community, has a special responsibility for the discernment of these gifts, and for promoting their development and right use.
If the concrete demands of charity and of the apostolate require the sacrifice of personal wishes or plans which are in themselves lawful, the confrere accepts with faith whatever obedience asks of him, while still retaining the right of recourse to a higher authority.
Before taking on tasks or offices other than those assigned to him in the community, he seeks authorization from the lawful superior.1
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Faithful to Don Bosco's recommendation each confrere meets frequently with his superior for a friendly talk.This is one of the best opportunities for dialogue, both for his own personal advantage and for promoting the good running of the community.
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In it he speaks with confidence of his own life and work and if he so wishes, also of the state of his conscience.
Obedience and the mystery of the cross
71. "Substitute acts of penance," Don Bosco tells us, "with acts of obedience."1
Sometimes obedience will clash with our own selfish attitudes and desires for independence, or may really test our love. This is the moment to look to Christ, who was obedient even unto death:2 "Father, if this chalice cannot pass from me unless I drink it, thy will be done".3
The mystery of his death and resurrection teaches us how fruitful it is for us to obey: the grain of wheat which dies in the obscurity of the earth bears much fruit.4
OUR POVERTY
"Jesus said to him: 'If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me.’" (Mt 19,21)
Gospel significance of our poverty
72. We are aware of the generosity of our Lord Jesus Christ: though he was rich he made himself poor so that through his poverty we might become rich.1
We are called to a life closely modeled on the Gospel. We choose to follow "the Saviour who was born in poverty, lived deprived of everything and died stripped on the cross".2
Like the apostles at our Lord's invitation we free ourselves from concern and worry about earthly goods3 and, trusting in the providence of the Father, we dedicate ourselves to the service of the Gospel.
Poverty and the Salesian mission
73.
Don Bosco lived his poverty in detachment of heart and generous service of others; his manner was marked by austerity, hard work and much initiative.Following his example we too live detached from all earthly goods;1 we participate with a spirit of enterprise in the mission of the Church and in her struggle for justice and peace, especially by educating those in need.
The witness of our poverty, lived in a common sharing of our goods, helps the young to overcome their selfish possessive instinct and opens them to the Christian sense of sharing.
Requirements of the vow of poverty
74.
By the vow of poverty we undertake not to use and not to dispose of material goods without the consent of the lawful superior.Each confrere retains the ownership of his patrimony and the right to acquire other goods, but before his profession he freely disposes of their use and enjoyment and cedes their administration to others.
Before perpetual profession he draws up his will in conformity with the norms of civil law. After serious reflection, as an expression of his complete abandonment to divine Providence, he may also renounce definitively the goods of which he has retained the ownership in accordance with universal law and that of the Society.
Personal commitment to poverty
75. Each one of us bears prime responsibility for his own poverty, daily living out by the frugality of his life the detachment he has promised.
He accepts his dependence on the superior and community in the use of temporal goods, but he knows too that permission does not dispense him from being poor in spirit and in fact.1
He is careful not to give way gradually to a desire for a comfortable and easy life, which poses a direct threat to fidelity and to apostolic generosity.
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When his state of poverty causes him some inconvenience or suffering,2 he is glad to be able to share in the blessings promised by the Lord to the poor in spirit.3
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After the example of the first Christians, we share together our material goods,1 the fruits of our work, the gifts we receive and whatever comes to us from pensions, subsidies and insurance policies. We do the same with our talents, our energies and our experience.In the community the good of each individual becomes the good of all.
As brothers we share what we have with the other communities of the province, and we show solidarity with the needs of the entire Congregation, of the Church and of the world.
Witness of poverty in the community and in our works
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Every community is sensitive to the conditions of its neighbourhood and bears witness to its poverty by a simple and frugal way of life in unpretentious dwellings.Following the example and spirit of our Founder we accept ownership of the means we need for our work, and we administer them in such a way that all may realize they are being used for the service of others.
Our choice of works and of their location is made in response to the needs of those in want; the criterion for our buildings is that they be simple and functional.
78. Unremitting and self-sacrificing work is a characteristic left us by Don Bosco, and is a concrete expression of our poverty.
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In our daily labours we are at one with the poor who live by the sweat of their brow, and we bear witness to the human and Christian value of work.1
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The spirit of poverty leads us to be one with the poor and to love them in Christ.1for this reason we make every effort to stay close to them, to alleviate their needs, making our own their lawful aspirations for a more human society.
In seeking and accepting help for the service of the needy, we imitate Don Bosco in his zeal and gratitude, and like him we retain the freedom the Gospel gives us. "Remember well," he tells us, "that what we have is not ours; it belongs to the poor; woe to us if we do not use it well".2
OUR CHASTITY
"I am sure that neither death nor life nor things present, nor things to come,... nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8,38-39)
Gospel significance of our chastity
80. Consecrated chastity because of the Kingdom is a "precious gift given to some by the Father".1 Responding in faith we accept it with gratitude and we pledge ourselves by vow to live perfect continence in celibacy.2
We follow Jesus Christ closely by choosing an intensely evangelical way of loving God and our neighbour with undivided heart.3
Thus with a specific vocation we take our place in the mystery of the Church, which is totally united to Christ, and sharing in its fruitfulness we dedicate ourselves to our mission.4
Chastity and the Salesian mission
81.
Don Bosco lived chastity as a love for God and for the young which had no limits. He wanted it to be a distinctive mark of the Salesian Society: "Anyone devoting his life to destitute youth should certainly strive to enrich himself with every virtue, but the virtue he should specially cultivate is chastity."1Our tradition has always considered chastity a resplendent virtue, bearing a special message for the education of youth. Through it we bear witness to the predilection of Christ for the young; it allows us to love them in an open and uncomplicated way, so that they "know they are loved",2 and it enables us to educate them to love and to purity.
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The educational and pastoral demands of our mission and the fact that the observance of perfect continence touches some of the deepest drives of human nature,1 require of the Salesian psychological balance and affective maturity.R 68
Don Bosco used to warn: "Whoever has not a well-grounded hope of being able, with divine help, to preserve the virtue of chastity in word, in deed and in thought, should not make profession in this Society, for he would often find himself in danger."2
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Consecrated chastity, a "sign and stimulus of love",1 frees and enables us to become all things to all men. It develops in us a Christian sense of personal relationships, encourages true friendships, and helps to make the community a family.In its turn the community's fraternal atmosphere helps us to live our celibacy because of the Kingdom with joy, and sustained by its love and understanding to come safely through difficult times.
Attitudes and means for growing in chastity
84.
Our chastity is not a conquest made once for all time. It has its moments of peace and moments of trial. It is a gift which because of human weakness demands a daily pledge of fidelity.For this reason the Salesian, faithful to the Constitutions, lives a life of work and temperance, practises mortification and the custody of the senses, makes discreet and prudent use of the means of social communication, and does not neglect the natural means which contribute to physical and mental health.
Above all, he implores God's help and lives in his presence; he nourishes his love for Christ at the table of the Word and the Eucharist, and humbly purifies it in the sacrament of Reconciliation; he entrusts himself with simplicity to a spiritual director.
He turns with filial trust to Mary, the Immaculate Help of Christians, who helps him to love as Don Bosco did.