A word from the Superior General

To all the characters in the Gospels wishing to fill their inner void, Jesus proposed an “extra” meaning to get out of the “self-reference” and to risk one’s life for the Father and for others. Christ’s proposition demands a personal reply. Peter, Andrew, James, John, Matthew, Mary Magdalene, Caches, Bartimeus risked their reply to Christ and decided to follow Him and become his disciples. The rich young man whom Jesus looked on and loved was unable to get by the “self-reference” because he had lots of great possessions; in the end he didn’t follow Christ.  The invitation of Jesus is in response to the emptiness in man’s heart: “there is only one thing that you are lacking”.

For the disciples the art of learning the style of evangelical life was slow and difficult.  From Peter’s order, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man” to this “We must obey God rather than men”, Peter passed through many contradictions: “God forbid, Lord, that that should ever happen”! (Mat. 16,22)  (He wanted to avoid the passion, which earned for him the reproach “Satan”); “Lord, to whom should we go, you have the words of eternal life?”  (Jn. 6,68).  “Even if all forsook you,  I would never forsake you!” (Mt. 26,33).  “No, I don’t know the man” (Mt. 26,72);  “Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you” (Jn,. 21,17)

To become a disciple demands a real experience of conversion, a choice of life which supposes renouncing the organisation of one’s life and deciding to leave it to Jesus.  I do not do what I want but what Jesus wants; I do not love those I want, but those Jesus wants; I am not working to earn my living but to be of service; I don’t organise my life thinking I can do it for my own good, I organise it with my community to be a greater service to others;  I don’t act in seeking my own interests but rather  in seeking those of Jesus and the mission. That’s what it means to live according to the Gospels.

That’s how the project of formation is to be understood: renounce living for self to live for others, for the Father and for the brethren; that’s the answer to be given to the question put by Jesus.  The Formator must check that the young man in formation is progressing according to the project of the interiorisation and exteriorisation of the Gospel; that he is practising the virtues of Christ, the Incarnate Word of God: trusting in God, humility, gentleness, obedience, simplicity, poverty, commitment, forgiveness, respecting differences, responsibility... all to be lived with joy because such a life style fills me with joy,  gives meaning to my life and fills me with enthusiasm.

To reach such a point one has to traverse many stages and trials, sometimes humiliations and insults identifying us with Jesus Christ.  The young man in formation must practise such values so that he can make his own the conviction of Jesus: “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it but whoever wants to lose his life for  my name and for the Gospel, will save it” (Mk. 8,35). The Formator must be sure that the young man in formation must be ready to go to such lengths to be  faithful  to the Gospel, so that he can present himself for Final Vows and Ordination. Otherwise we don’t know who we will discover after the Vows!

It’s not just a problem for Initial Formation. Many of us have forgotten that one day we made profession to live for the others and that finally, little by little, we have ended up living for ourselves.  We have adopted the ways of the world.  The mission, the service of others, have become a task which, with its income, helps us to fill our personal accounts.  The mission which had been entrusted to me by my superiors has become my personal affair; instead of living for it, I am living to be at peace and in security. My community where, in the fervour of my first love, I shared my life and my faith with my brothers,  has become private property depending entirely on what I think, on my choices, my tastes, my comfort and what interests me.

Sometimes that gives the impression that we are living and not entrusting ourselves to the Lord, that we have ready-made solutions to everything and by ourselves. Where comfort is concerned we are short of nothing, we have abandoned the trust we had in Providence in all our new projects.  We haven’t the humility to admit that we need the Lord’s help in the face of so many problems which are without an answer. To do God’s Will, as Jesus did, is impossible because it is contrary to the independence of the individual.  We are embarrassed to admit our poverty, our chastity and obedience because we hear it said around us that these are contrary to our liberty; we don’t accept the wisdom of the Cross because our choice for human rights prevents us from accepting the humiliations which, even if we don’t look for them, are the best way of being like our Master.

Without serious and thorough ongoing formation at the start  of genuine conversion in the spirit of the Gospels, without a daily examination of conscience, spiritual accompaniment and a life marked by adult asceticism which keeps us attentive to the different situations of our daily life, it is impossible to be faithful to the Gospel.

This method of paying attention always allows us to choose the Evangelical values which console and enrich us. It helps us to cut out anything which cuts us off from the Gospel such as: individualism, relativism or unbridled consumerism. Let’s see how all this is expressed with humility by Cardinal Loris Francesco Capovilla:  “Every day when I examine my conscience I ask myself 'Young man who call yourself a Bishop of the Church, are you really a Christian?' Because it is not enough to be a Cardinal or Bishop.  To be a Christian one must be a faithful and constant disciple of Jesus and that is something which is very difficult for all of us.”

Gaspar Fernández Pérez scj
Superior General