INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
The narrative of John1 1, 25-42, where we learn about the encounter of Andrew and Peter with Jesus leads us to discover the characteristic traits of the beginning and development of all vocation. These lines are known as the gospel of vocations. We find there the model, the format, the impulse for the ministry of vocations, the task and discernment, and the direction of those who are called. In this text we can also discover the dynamics and gradual growth of vocation following the stages that we will study and develop according to the following segments:
• Searching for Jesus
• Following Jesus
• Remaining with Jesus
In the School of Nazareth our Father Founder describes a similar route:
• Searching for God
• Desire of perfection
• Loyal and loving fidelity
I. SEARCHING FOR JESUS
I. SEARCHING FOR JESUS
In every vocation the initial impulse belongs to God.
The following day, two of John's disciples heard John say: "There is the Lamb of God." The intruding of Jesus in the lives of the two disciples opens a process of intimate search and assimilation to the Master that, in time, becomes a reality. This initial encounter engenders feelings of surprise and questioning: "Why me?" A sense of insecurity, attraction and fear cause doubt and confusion for the candidate as he tries to overcome the perplexity in order to accept that God is calling him. Eventually he recognizes that the Lord is calling him by name and is inviting him to follow Him. The Lord is waiting for an answer in the affirmative. During this early time of search the Master is arranging events and circumstances so that the outcome of the search will be firm and joyful, because the voice of the one who calls is that of Jesus.
THE GREAT AND MARVELOUS GIFT OF VOCATION
The starting point, the base and foundation, the essential element of vocation is the election by God. It can only be explained by the fact that God loves this particular person and God's love is entirely free, personal and unique2.
Our Father Founder states that God's call to the religious life is a precious and worthy gift. It is difficult for man to appreciate its true value while still here in this vale of tears3.
The divine calling and design allows only one response of gratitude that obligates the entire person. We are to leave all behind immediately to follow Him more closely by imitating Him in the practice of the gospel counsels4.
Generosity is the foundation of religious life: generosity in the calling and generosity in the corresponding response. Furthermore, when God calls an individual, because of the personal nature of the election, God calls him to a particular Institute.
SOME OF THE COMMON TRAITS OF THE YOUTH OF TODAY
Vocation is one of God's mysterious initiatives. No one can fathom the heart of God. "You have not chosen me; I have chosen you"5. Why did He choose Andrew and Peter? Why did He choose me? The truth is that this divine calling awaits a free response by us at a particular moment of time. With regard to searching for and following Jesus, especially concerning the process of formation, one has to have a certain knowledge of the world in which the young people live. It is not easy to describe for each individual the peculiar trends and circumstances that surround him or her. What applies to one or others may not apply to one individual or group. Those who write or call seeking information from the vocation director are conditioned by what can be called the "modern or post modern" world. This can also be applied to the western world but does not apply in the same fashion to others with respect to values and limitations. Generally speaking, the doctrinal and ethical points of reference of today's youth are widely applied by those in charge. More solid points of reference are learning about individuals, their world and their values. Often there is a disproportion in the level of their worldly knowledge possibly being very specialized, in comparison to their psychological development and their Christian life.
Not everyone has experienced a happy family life when we consider the crises that affect this institution. Neither are they always free from the influence of consumption on our society or from the deceptions that it brings about. Some are seduced by violence, drugs or eroticism.
Perhaps the candidate may be searching more or less consciously for social promotion or for future security; others may look at religious life as the ideal place for commitment as they reach but for fulfillment in social justice activities. Others who are searching in a more conservative spirit may be looking for a place where they can protect their faith in a world that seems hostile and corrupt. These signs may cause distress, but the values that prevailed in the days when Jesus was in the world most likely were not too different from those we see today, and perhaps were even worse.
The way to obtain a true perspective of the matter is to appeal to the Gospel discernment which amounts to interpretation of the facts of life by the light and focus of the Gospel.
This discernment taken from history, from its happenings and circumstances is not just a "statistic" which can be registered with precision, before which one can remain indifferent or passive, but also an "obligation" or "duty", but also a challenge to the individual and to the community. It is a "challenge" associated with a "calling" which God extends in an historical and determined situation. In the "calling" and by means of it God calls the believer.
II. FOLLOWING JESUS: THE FOUNDATION, A JOURNEY WITH JESUS TOWARD A RESPONSE OF LOVE
II. FOLLOW JESUS: THE FOUNDATION, A JOURNEY WITH JESUS TOWARD A RESPONSE OF LOVE
Noticing Jesus who was passing by, John said: "Behold the Lamb of God." The two disciples heard this and followed Jesus. Once they had made the decision to follow Jesus, although the decision was not very clear, it was the beginning of the process of formation which consists in discerning the capacity to personally answer the calling within the spiritual patrimony and the Constitutions of the Institute, guided by the Master and the witness of the Formation Team.
Numerous agents take part in this process but essentially it is a personal challenge assumed with courage and vigor. Each one is personally responsible for the gradual progress of one's formation as he channels the different circumstances of life in the different situations. Each one looks for the means to develop and strengthen the personal talents in obedience to the Spirit and what apostolic charity demands of us6.
AGENTS AND DIMENSIONS OF FORMATION
1. God Himself is the one who calls us to the consecrated life in the Church. He is the one who throughout our life holds the initiative in the same way that Jesus was not satisfied to just call the apostles, but patiently taught them with apostolic fervor, precision and in detail. Even after the Resurrection He continued to teach them by means of the Spirit7. He leads them to the whole truth. This Spirit acts in the most secret recesses of the heart calling, teaching and guiding.
2. The Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph are associated with the work of the Spirit and are also present in the entire way of formation. Religious life finds in Mary's FIAT (let it be done) and in her MAGNIFICAT the complete acceptance of the consecration to God and the joyous surrendering to the one who will be born of her . Saint Joseph teaches us how to find Jesus in our life; how to serve Him in simplicity and being faithful to the calling; and how to make Him transparent in our lives.
3. Religious life also maintains a particular tie with the mystery of the Church because it belongs to its life and holiness9. Thus it is necessary to develop in our religious not only a "feeling with" but, as Saint Ignatius of Loyola says, a "feeling in" the Church. This consists in knowing that one belongs to a people on the go. The perception of belonging to the Church presupposes that one is aware of belonging to an ecclesial communion. In view of the affinity between religious life and the Church, those in religious life are called to be in it and in the world, experts in communion, witnesses, and builders of the project of communion between God and mankind.
4. The community bears a privileged role in formation. Good results in formation depend, to a great extent, on the quality of the community, a quality that is the result of a good family climate and of the witnessing of its members.
Our Father Founder calls the climate a good spirit. A community creates formation when it allows each one of is members to grow in fidelity toward the Lord, following the charism of the Institute.
The religious in formation should find in the community an atmosphere saturated with spirituality, with austerity of life and apostolic fervor that will prompt the religious to follow Christ radically. This, however, does not preclude that he will know and experience some personal limitations.
5. But it is up to the religious to determine when he can say "yes" to the call and to assume all the consequences not just from a view point of the mind but also of life. Formation must be personalized appealing vigorously to the conscience and to the sense of responsibility. There will be need to obtain the right balance between the action of the group and that of the person, between the precise times assigned to each phase and the adaptation to each one's rhythm.
6. The whole tradition of the Church shows the decisive role of those in charge of formation with regard to the results of formation. The traits of this trust, of such responsibility, are outlined in the Constitutions. It is proper and right to recognize the task and dedication of those entrusted with the training of candidates and they should be given support and proper assistance at all times so that they will know that they are not isolated. Their initiatives should be applauded and approved.
Finally, the role of the family is considered basic and decisive. To the extent that the parents approve and support the option made by the offspring and in the way the parents participate, according to their possibilities, we can expect growth in maturity in the process of formation.
STAGES OF THE RELIGIOUS FORMATION
One of the goals of formation is to arrive at the unification of the person in the midst of the demands of consecration to God and the apostolic activities. Each individual has to examine and verify carefully if he is building the structure as planned; how to harmonize the many different elements needed for the final integration of the person: human, spiritual, religious, intellectual and apostolic dimensions, so as to give a unitarian and faithful account to Christ, to the Church, to toe Gospel and to his mission in tie world, to religions life in general, as well as to our Institutes, to mankind and to our time.
Although the dimensions of the field of formation are as vast as the person himself, however, because of the nature of the process, there are some parameters to be considered, although briefly.
A. THE TIME BEFORE THE NOVITIATE
In the present circumstances the statement "Renovationis Causam: is still valid. In this day and age the difficulties experienced in the training of the novices derive from the fact that "the candidates do not have, at the time of admission, the necessary maturity."
Some candidates may have spent time in the minor seminary, some are mature persons at the time of admission; the deficiencies and the voids to fill are many. This previous stage should prepare the candidate to assume gradually the responsibilities for the religious life. This is the purpose of the training during the stage prior to the Novitiate: "that the candidate becomes more mature as a human being and as a Christian and more aware of his vocation, by means of a unique religious formation, especially by a convenient spiritual accompaniment"10.
B. NOVITIATE AND FIRST PROFESSION
With the novitiate the religious life begins in our Institute11. It is a time of integral Initiation in the kind of life that Jesus assumed with Mary and Joseph at Nazareth12 which He invites us to follow through the Gospel and the Constitutions.
Our Constitutions are very explicit with regard to the program of Formation of the novices which goes beyond just the teaching. It is proposing a way of life. The most outstanding guidelines are:
• Initiation in a profound and living knowledge of Christ;
• Through meditative study of God's Word, the celebration of the liturgy, personal and community prayer, spiritual reading, and other pious practices;
« Initiation in living the paschal mystery of Christ by self denial, living the evangelical counsels, the Gospel discipline willingly and lovingly assumed;
« Initiation in the life of the community which, through faith, becomes family communion;
® Initiation in the history, the unique mission and spirituality of Father Founder and the Institute13. To complete and round out the formation of the novices, the Constitutions consider ministerial practices even away from the house of the novitiate14. The purpose of this apostolic activity is to provide opportunity to gradually acquire harmonious and coherent unity between contemplation and apostolic activity13.
C. TEMPORARY PROFESSION
After the Novitiate the phase commonly known as the Scholasticate begins. During this time the religious, guided by the Prefect of scholastics and the Formation Team, develops the different aspects of his life and of his religious vocation and brings to completion the process of maturity with regard to the profession of perpetual vows and preparation for ordination to the priesthood16.
Formation must be complete, systematic, adapted to the abilities of the person, spiritual and apostolic, doctrinal, and at the same time, practical. This embraces all the aspects of the individual with emphasis on the doctrinal and pastoral work of the Institute. This is eminently spiritual17.
This new phase is generally extended and is invigorated by the dynamism and the stability of the profession. The new religious is harvesting the fruits of the previous stages as he advances in human and spiritual ways. He must now endeavor to reach beyond the achievements of the Novitiate and strive to prepare for the profession of perpetual vows. In fact, his objective now is to understand better the lofty heights attainable by a perpetual commitment to the service of the Lord, since "the quality of a person can be measured by the nature of the commitments"18.
Perpetual profession of vows is the goal reached by prolonged and persevering effort that culminated in the joyful giving of self to the Lord for all times, in the arms of the Congregation. Therefore the young religious should do all in his power to experience the wealth of community life, accepting its conditions with a sense of reality and accepting the differences in others for whom each is responsible in building the dynamic edifice of the community.
We must remember that it is necessary to look for spiritual direction in the daily discernment of one's vocation so that the individual remains on the right path in the journey to God, nourishing the soul with solid doctrine and prayer.
FORMATION OF CANDIDATES TO THE PRIESTHOOD
A greater number of our religious are candidates to the priesthood. During the scholasticate "the doctrinal and practical training of the religious continues so that they may share most fully the mission of the Institute, that they may be always faithful to the charism and that they may be incorporated by divine election in the ministerial priesthood of Christ, Teacher and Shepherd. The entire priestly formation must be saturated by priestly zeal, especially in those aspects that most closely pertain to our mission"1 .
All that has been said until now, with the proper adjustments, applies to the priestly formation because the project is one and the same for the life and mission of the religious and the priesthood of the Sons of the Holy Family.
DIMENSION OF THE FORMATION
Formation for the priesthood demands an integral and planned care expressed in the following four dimensions of the person: human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral. Therefore:
1. Without an adequate human formation the entire priestly formation would be deprived of its basic ground and reason20. It is required for the fulfilling and realization of the person and for the exercise of the priestly ministry. Future priests must be gifted with the necessary human qualities so that they may possess balanced personalities, firm and free, able to carry the weight of pastoral duties. Education and love of truth, loyalty, respect for the person, the sense of justice, faithfulness to the given word and promises, sincere compassion, coherent and true, a balanced judgment and behavior.
Most of all, it is important that the priest be able to relate to others sincerely and with empathy. This requires that he be truthful and sincere, not given to arguing or polemics, but affable, hospitable, generous, prudent and discreet; open to service and assistance; capable of offering himself and able to inspire others to loyal and fraternal relationships, ready to understand, forgive and give comfort.
In this context we can find a determined and decisive commitment, the result of a mature formation, the fruit of education and love of service to others.
Discipline, or ascesis, demands, among other things, an introduction to silence and solitude, in order to discover the contemplative dimension of Nazareth. Solitude, freely embraced, leads to interior silence, and interior silence evokes material silence.
The house schedule should designate times and places for silence, favoring hearing the Word of God and its assimilation. At the same time, human and spiritual maturity will bring true fraternal communion.
2. Human formation itself, developed within an anthropology that embraces the truth about man, opens himself and comes to completion in Spiritual Formation. This is the work of the Holy Spirit which gives impulse to the whole person; introduces the person to profound communion with Jesus, leads to a total submission to the Spirit, in filial respect to the Father and to a confident submission to the Church. This communion is rooted in the experience of the Cross, so as to lead us to profound communion with Christ and mankind, to the fullness of the Paschal Mystery.
3. Intellectual Formation, even with its specific character has a most close relationship to spiritual and human formation. Together they constitute a necessary element, whether because of the ordained ministry or the present urgency of the new evangelization.
Dedication to study, which occupies a great amount of the student's time, is not an extrinsic or secondary element in his human, Christian, spiritual and vocational development.
4. Pastoral Formation should be primarily directed to training pastors of souls, following in the steps of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is Teacher, Priest and Shepherd21. When it is thus understood, it is not reduced to learning only pastoral techniques, but to acquire a true initiation to the sensibility of a Shepherd; to assume the intuition of a Pastor in a conscious and responsible manner with a sense of duty and accountability. One must be able to size up the problems, establish priorities and apply the means for solutions, taking into account directives of faith, according to theological and pastoral demands.
5. Formation for the specific mission of our Institute prepares us in a special way, for the service of the evangelization of the family, not only as professional counselors, but as apostles of the Mystery of Nazareth.
III. REMAINING WITH JESUS: Charism of our Religious Life
III. REMAINING WITH JESUS: Charism of our Religious Life
Jesus asks the two disciples: "what are you looking for?" They answered: "Teacher, where do you live?" He answered: "Come and see." They went there, saw where He lived and remained with Him that day. The house of Jesus is for us the house of Nazareth. The goal of formation is to enable the candidates to stay in that house, there to maintain a daily conversation with Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and to witness what they experience and learn in Nazareth. In their search and following of Jesus they have learned to be sons and witnesses. Now, remaining with Jesus, they are able to share His public life on the way to the public ministry.
The main objective of formation is to find our vocation, to assimilate and invigorate our identity and to be loyal in our specific mission. To this end it will be helpful to review the essential features that define our lives.
PLURAL CONTENTS OF OUR IDENTITY AND MISSION
Our call to holiness, which consists in remaining always with Jesus, is unique but varied if contemplated from the different aspects of our vocation and mission as Sons of the Holy Family. By our own living the life of the human family of God, we zealously endeavor to promote its honor, imitation and cult. In this threefold effort we have centered our vocation and mission"24.
First of all, it is a calling to fulfill our Baptism, which means our condition as children of God, in the way that Jesus, the Son of God, did, subject to Mary and Joseph, as members of the same family in Nazareth. We see with a grateful spirit what love the Father has bestowed on us in letting us be called Sons of the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, for that, indeed, is what we are.23
Next, to be true sons means to learn from Jesus, Mary and Joseph how to live firmly in faith, joyfully in hope and fervently in charity. Indeed our daily family life is with Jesus, Mary and Joseph; ceaseless in prayer, loving each other in brotherly loving care, and doing all things for God's glory. We share all things with others in the family life experience of Nazareth" . Through this experience we become witnesses. In fact, whatever we see each day, and with our eyes on Nazareth, what ever we look upon and touch with our hands, regarding the Word of life, we witness and proclaim to the human family; that is, we proclaim Christ who chose to share Himself in the community of man"27.
Our ministry is the natural result of our affiliation and witnessing. Thus our specific mission in the Church is also a call to authenticity so that our proclamation of the Gospel of Nazareth will be accepted by the world.
THE FIELDS OF OUR VOCATION AND MISSION
The fields of our vocation and mission are three, although our approach to ministry in them Is varied:
1. The mystery of Nazareth. The Constitutions and the traditions of our Institute are obvious with regard to the fundamental principles of our identity. They repeatedly insist that we conform our lives according to the model Of Jesus, Mary and Joseph so that we will mirror personally and as a community the mystery of Nazareth in the Church and in the world. "We eagerly endeavor to search the depths of the mystery of salvation which is wonderfully disclosed and fulfilled in the Holy Family of Nazareth. We earnestly attempt to further honor and imitate the cult in all the apostolic settings in which we carry out our teaching and ministry, so that Jesus, Mary and Joseph will find their place in the Christian family circle, as its gracious patrons, where they nourish, love, lead to sound customs, foster and stimulate virtues, and give support for the burdens of life. The trials that encompass all human families are given assistance and made easier to bear by all28".
2. The family. If the future of mankind is forged in the family29 and the new evangelization has its audience in the family; that is, if society and the Church are rooted in the family, it is not hard to see how timely and opportune our charism is. Our main duty is to be of service to the family institution, to achieve the ends of marriage, and to achieve the fulfillment of the duties of the Christian family. Our calling and mission is to hold up to it the examples of the divinely constituted Family of Nazareth. By this we signify the importance that good families have for the life and progress of the People of God30.
3. Education and instruction of youth. To carry out the special mission of our Institute; namely, to help the human family adapt to the life style of the Holy Family of Nazareth, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we are convinced that the best way is the Christian education and training of children, especially the little ones and the youth, rich or poor. Those of lower social status, however, deserve before others, our special attention31.
NAZARETH, MODEL FOR OUR FORMATION
After all that has been said thus far, it is evident that for each of us called to be sons, witnesses and apostles of the Holy Family in the Church and in the world, the house of Nazareth is at the same time our home and our school of formation. Here we are born as Sons of the Holy Family, and here we learn next to Jesus and guided by Mary and Joseph. We "grow in stature and grace, before God and man32. In Nazareth we search for Jesus, we follow Jesus, and we remain with Him.
