“CHARISM AND PRAYER”

- Introduction. - Fascination of charisms. - The individual in a praying dialogue. - The originality of christian prayer. - Through Christ with Christ and in Christ. - The cornerstone of christian prayer is “mental prayer”. - The “goal” of prayer according to St Francis de Sales. - Let us renew our prayer. - Three cardinal points to be given priority. - May the Holy Spirit and Mary give us their help.

Rome - Solemnity of Assumption of Our Lady

15 August 1991

My dear confreres,

During the recent months of June and July we have examined in the plenary session of the General Council various aspects of the life of the provinces at the present day. One of these, linked to some extent with our renewal, is the following: “Salesian spirituality and ecclesial Movements”. This is a topic that can give us food for thought which will intensify our identity and, in some cases, save us from deviations.

A survey of the situation led to the conclusion that it is difficult to be exact concerning the consistency of the numerical participation of confreres in specific Movements. Some are involved in them in the role of ecclesiastical assistants (especially in our parishes); others take part in meetings only sporadically for information purposes; still others take part regularly, with the declared purpose of recharging their spiritual batteries; and finally there are some - few in number, I hope - who are so strongly attached to them as to imply a disaffection as regards the spirituality of their own proper charism.

We wondered what the reason was for this attraction towards such Movements. It seemed to us that in some cases it could be a reaction against a certain style of superficiality that may obtain in some houses: a kind of lack of religious authenticity in apostolic consecration, a felt need for greater interior conviction as against certain forms of activism. Some of those taking part in such movements feel a certain satisfaction because they claim to find in them a kind of immediate contact with the gospel, a deep rationality, a spiritual protagonism. But among the causes can also be an insufficient grasp of the nature of our own spirituality, which is realistic without excessive emotional aspects, balanced and practical, and aimed at developing educative activity in daily life. It is a spirituality in no way inferior to, the others because, different modes of expression apart, every model of spiritual life approved by the Church represents an authentic road to holiness. Externally it appears quite ordinary; it has often been said that it is extraordinary precisely in being ordinary, composed of apparently small items ‘Which form nevertheless a vital organic whole rooted in a strong spiritual personality.

I invite you, therefore, to consider again and with greater attention the plan of our salesian spirituality (which for many years now we have been studying more deeply), and to concentrate your attention on the life-giving element in all interior activity, which is that of prayer or, as we used to put it at one time, of the “spirit of piety”.¹

In considering so vital a matter we shall be spurred on by the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the charisma of Don Bosco’s Oratory which occurs on 8 December of this year.