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You are here:Home / Family News / NEF 2016 / Family News - April 14th, 2016 / Practicing the Rule
Apr 13, 2016

Practicing the Rule

Love is not a mere word

Father Andrea is the Dean of the Vicariate of Italy. He spent most of his life in Brazil, then in the house of formation of Monteporzio and resides now in the Betharramite community of Albiate. For years he was treasurer of the community.

When you meet Father Andrea you are wrapped by his smile and his thoughtfulness, and so you feel at home.
We asked him to tell us about his life experience. In particular, we asked him to tell us how he tried to live his service as a bursar in the communities starting from the Rule of Life. The result is a simple and frank testimony...

Article 48. 
Poor in heart we stay close to and in solidarity with the poor allowing that we may be challenged and evangelised by them. We commit to work to earn our living.
We accept dependence and occasionally hardship. We put our time and our talents entirely at the service of others. We try to live a simple lifestyle like that of the most humble in our area.

Between 1951 and 2014, and from Brazil to Italy, I was asked to take on the role of bursar.

I worked hard to achieve this act of obedience in the best possible way as a service to the community.

The word “service” speaks for itself and implies something else, ‘love’ for example. You cannot be a good bursar if you do not love your community, if it is seen as a collection of individuals, not as a family united by a greater love, the love of God, with common ideals and fraternal cooperation. Being a bursar is not so much a “profession,” rather it is a way of serving the needs of brothers first, promptly, with care and attention, and with a spirit of sacrifice, knowing how to foresee these needs, so that no one is out of pocket. “Working to earn a living” is the duty of each of the brothers, who should not serve their own interests selfishly, but must instead present the fruit of their work, whatever that is, for the benefit of the community, conscientiously and with joy. The bursar must be the first to do so, to set an example.

Working “to make a living,” is simply being aware that one is poor. How many families today are in trouble because they have no work and have no economic resources? Living can become a little desperate for them.

To us in the Betharramite religious community, apostolic work is not in short supply! It requires that we stand united spiritually with all the people we meet in our ministry; and we must have the will to do it with joy; this work expects constancy and serenity from us. I repeat: without love, we may live “like wealthy people” with no interest in the poor.

In Brazil, I lived a wonderful, unforgettable experience: the community worked hard, but was always happy, fraternal, with exemplary piety, happy in its poverty, and happier still to help all those who had neither money nor bread.

Pope Francis tells us that love is the concrete service that we give to each other. Love is not an empty word; it is a work to be performed and a service, humble, accomplished in silence and remaining hidden.

The gifts of the Spirit are given to all, to each according to his ability, to do good for the community, for it to grow every day. It seems to me that today’s communities are not as spiritual as St. Michael would have liked. I wonder sometimes if they do not pass by on the other side of authentic humanity.

In short, we work to support ourselves without forgetting the poor. Christ was not spared his suffering. And we, who are called by vocation to follow Him, how do we live?

Let us open our hearts a little more and widen our gaze. Perhaps we need to learn. Basically, the training never ends!

Andrea Antonini scj

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