FAITH GROWS EVERYDAY: REFLECTION

Faith and Salesian consecrated apostolic life

Korean mediation 2012 (written after annual retreat preached to the Salesian confreres during the New year break 2011-2012 at Naeri, South Korea)

One of the last sharing during a lifetime of late Fr. Marc Cuvelier with the Salesian Family members before he passed away was about his favorite prayer. He was enthusiastic to share his preference for the Apostolic creed. When asked some years ago about the major challenges or problems in Salesian life and mission, his cute answer or better his life diagnosis was simple: the worst are faithless religious.

Follow up:

Yes - Pray with the whole heart the profession of faith, when you are on the wheelchair approaching the death moment, it’s a sign of deep relation to God.

Yes - What helps the seventy young Vietnamese missionaries spread in five continents to keep up with the huge challenges of languages, cultural shock, inculturation or other difficulties in their first years of not easy missionary life – is their close relationship with Jesus, in the Eucharist and Confession, in the Rosary or in the meditation.

Yes - There are many temptations and challenges in the present religious life: slowly giving up prayer life, meditation (with excuse or apostolic work) leading towards a slow path of secularization in different ways, letting the (Confucian) culture take over the Salesian Charism (seniority over obedience to the Spirit or Constitutions, similar age relations over the provincial community fidelity) and so on. The common point is Jesus Christ relationship.

Yes - There are different worries about life witness, lack of credibility in different ways (minimalistic approach in prayer or religious life, drinking, dinner outings from the community, accommodation to easy life, too close relationship with the benefactors – golf, home visit), but these are according my humble opinion only secondary elements.

What are the roots? How long is the path from a zealous young Salesian religious ending in these and similar life style and situations? What can we trace as prevention or way out?

Maybe lack of fraternal correction, being not humble enough to listen the voice of younger confreres or superiors indications, mechanic prayer life (not even lips are moving, singing jus the first stance of the hymn, praying only 2nd Eucharistic prayer daily). We can sum up. Life called ‘consecrated’ , but lived without a spirit of awakening, without ongoing formation without a daily new answer to the call of God, is a contradiction...
Faith is a living relationship with Jesus, if not nurtured every day, dries up and dies.
Faith is a living relationship with others, if not shared every day, withers and weakens.

Salesian consecration is starting from loving initiative of God, his Holy Spirit in our lives.
Salesian vocation is an ongoing personal answer to God’s call, as we can trace out in the Memoirs of the Oratory, a personal faith – confession of Don Bosco.
Salesian mission is about a deep faith awareness being sent by God, through the Salesian Congregation in the Salesian community of brothers chosen by God and sent for the youth.

What does happen if one confrere does not care about this vital connection and gets mislead to the professional, apparently highly visible and socially rewarding work (usually connected with the public funding) and not looking first on the evangelical significance of the work (would be not the first priority ‘ad gentes mission’ in some nearby Asian country or poor youth or migrant workers related humble and patient work?

Faith factor means deeper meaning factor,
Faith means also listening and replying culture,
Faith means missionary culture…

Contemplating the picture of a Kenyan youngster gazing at the casket of Don Bosco.
Don Bosco before his departure for paradise did regret his 'little faith'.

My good Lord, strenghten my little faith!

Saint John Bosco, pray for us!