A word from the Superior General

Jesus’ mission did not end with his death and his ascension into heaven. Those who were fascinated by his way of life, the way he behaved and spoke, became his disciples. They lived the experience of his death and resurrection like that of the gift of the Holy Spirit; it transformed them imprinting a new direction on their lives, communicating to them this generous impetus which eventually established the Church through them. Trained in this way, Christ entrusted them to continue his mission throughout history: «As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you» (Jn 20, 21). «Go therefore, make disciples of all the nations, baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands as I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time» (Mt. 28: 19-20).

Our Fathers of the 19th General Chapter, meeting in Betharram in 1969 as one of the reforms sought by the Council, were inspired and had the wisdom to formulate the charism in the Rule of Life. The charism of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus:

• the spirituality of the disciple: to reproduce and to manifest the impulse of the Heart of Jesus, the Incarnate Word, saying to His Father: “Ecce Venio”, and surrendering Himself to all His wishes for the redemption of mankind (RdV 2);
• the mission to be true missionaries: continuing of the impulse of the Incarnate Word saying to His Father: «Here I am», for the salvation of humanity (RdV 13 and 9). It is impossible to be a missionary without being a disciple, just as much as it is to be a disciple without being a missionary.

Our Mission as religious of the Sacred Heart consists precisely in this continuation of the action of the Heart of Christ, the Incarnate Word, offering Himself to the Father to accomplish His will of salvation (RdV. 9). United in Christ, we others, the Betharramite religious and laity, offer ourselves to the Father to fulfill his plan of salvation: «to reveal to the people of our time the compassion, mercy and the loving face of God the Father» (RdV. 9).

Our role is to make the person and the message of Jesus of Nazareth known to the people of our time, because only by knowing him, is it possible to know the Father and how much he loves everyone. By following the Incarnate Word who, «the Father consecrated and sent into the world (John 10.36) we in turn are consecrated and sent to be in the world, by our whole religious life, a sign proclaiming Jesus Christ» (RdV. 13).

Daily faithfulness to both the large and small services required by the situation in which we live our vocation and mission, is the source of witness which provokes for some the inescapable question: why is this so? This has already been expressed by Paul VI in Evangelii Nuntiandi 21. Without these services, an expression of loyalty, there is no witness. It is the fruit and the sign of how we live. But this witness is not sufficient for the missionary. It is important for the missionary to recognise that he lives with humility, gentleness and daring (parresia, EG n.259, with boldness) to the point of saying: «If I am this way, it is because of Jesus, he changed my life. He can do the same for you if you seek to know Him. «There is no true evangelization if the name, teaching, the life, promises, the kingdom and mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God are not proclaimed» (EN 22).

The means of achieving the mission plays an integral part of the mission itself. Imitating Jesus incarnate, we also go out and meet people, not to condemn them, or to make us their enemies, but rather to draw them to knowing and following Christ. And all this is possible only in humility, commitment, gentleness, tenderness and mercy. Compassion is as essential to our interior life and our relationship with God as it is to our exterior life and our relationships with people (RdV 10; MS 200). My heart burned in seeing the witness of so many humble Betharramites who in the ministry of their confession radiated tenderness and compassion. It was evident in the joy and peace that people showed after their confession, as well as in the affection shown to these holy priests.

In the role of missionary, it is not a question of presenting yourself as a master above all in the religious ministry. It is just a case of witnessing and creating a favourable environment which will help those with whom we interact to discover the face of Christ, «in the depths of our hearts,» where there is a «ceaseless fermentation.» «Our mission is to reveal this face of God by the witness of our lives and the proclamation of the Word» (cf. RdV.15).

Joy is another feature of the missionary. It comes from the experience of having been comforted by and having encountered Jesus: this is in life and in death; in success or failure; in suffering or celebration. Like Pope Francis, Saint Michael used to say: «the Priests of Betharram, felt drawn to dedicate themselves to imitating Jesus, humble and obedient, (vocation, discipleship) and to working wholeheartedly to bring happiness to others, (mission, be a missionary) (Manifesto).

The Rule of Life expresses the joy of the mission well, which becomes a witness, awakening in others the desire to be happy as we are. Each day, the cry of the Incarnate Word: “Father, Here I am!” strengthens our vocation and our mission to bring the People of God to the Father. How blessed we are to live as witnesses to Jesus Christ, source of our joy, giving ourselves, “totally to bring to others that same joy” (RdV. 11).

We cannot forget that the essence of the mission is pastoral charity as we are reminded by John Paul II: “The essential content of this pastoral charity is the gift of self, the total gift of self to the Church, following the example of Christ. Pastoral charity is the virtue by which we imitate Christ as Himself, in giving and service. It is not just what we do, but our gift of self, which manifests Christ’s love for His flock. Pastoral charity determines our way of thinking and acting, our way of relating to people.” (Pastores Dabo Vobis 23).

Gaspar Fernández Pérez, scj
Superior General