Father Paul Albera
Circular letter on loving kindness
Turin, April 20,1919
Easter Sunday
My dear Provincial and Rectors:
The books used by Salesians, both for meditation and spiritual reading, often deal with charity.
These books ordinarily show in a forceful way that the virtue of charity is not only beautiful and sublime, but also the virtue necessary for a good religious.
These books even go so far as to say that a house where charity prevails is like a bit of heaven, while a house where there is no charity is like a living hell.
I am sure that these reflections found in these books prove advantageous to those blessed souls, who once they bid farewell to the world have entirely consecrated themselves to the service of God.
However, these meditation and spiritual reading books could not come down possibly to particulars, especially when it is a question of duties entrusted to those who exercise authority in a community.
And yet we know from experience that it is exactly those people who exercise authority, who unfortunately are the cause for charity not being kept and for much good being prevented in a community.
This is really what led me to address these pages particularly to Provincials and Directors. My aim is that of animating them to use towards their confreres not only charity, but also kindness, which is almost like the flower of perfect charity.
To prepare myself to write on this topic, that is tremendously important and which, as you well know, is a feature of Don Bosco’s spirit, I have placed myself at the feet of Jesus.
It looked as though he were saying to me: “Discite a me, quia mitis sum et humilis corde.”(Mt.11: 29)-“Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart.”
Let us then go to his school and let us heed his teachings and examples!
2. You should always be even tempered!
We have an easy way to find out what kindness is all about, when we see it in practice. But we do find it difficult to actually articulate and in satisfactory manner what kindness really is.
The words we use to express our thoughts always leave out something, to the point that they seem incomplete, not really exact and, after all, they leave us unsatisfied.
For instance, some one has given the following definition;
“KINDNESS is a character feature, whereby one yields to another’s will with a definitely obliging manner and without lowering himself.”
As you can all see, this definition fails to point out, ever so lightly that which I may call ‘divine’, and which encompasses a person’s behavior.
Even though the person may not be talented, yet that person exudes happiness in the act of performing a deed of kindness.
The definition just quoted does not mention that kindness sometimes calls
for efforts and, on occasion, heroic efforts to control one’s exuberant character or the stirrings of natural impatience or even a frowning of disapproval of an event, a frowning which appears to be a saintly one, justified by zeal and approved by the seriousness of the fault committed.
In that definition, no mention is made about the precious virtue that controls our tongue and does not allow it to utter any word that might upset the person we are dealing with.
It also seems that a definition of kindness should not fail to refer to the serenity displayed by one’s countenance, full of goodness and a crystal clear example of a gentle soul who wants to make one’s neighbor happy.
St. Climacus gives a better definition of kindness when he says (Grad XII) that kindness is a disposition, which shows how a spirit keeps, even balanced, both when honored and when reproached, when suffering and when rejoicing.
The same saint also compares a kind man to a cliff projected, way out onto the sea, and able to withstand the furious buffeting of the waves; the waves hit it very hard but do not succeed in removing not even a fragment of that indestructible rock which makes up the cliff.
This is the kindness and meekness evidenced by so many saints. And it was God who wanted the virtues of these saints to be refined by having them go through very serious tribulations.
My dear confreres assigned by obedience to exercise authority in all our houses, God will, probably, not ask you to undergo painful trials. But he certainly expects you to be calm, to be kind and always self-controlled in dealing with your confreres, in correcting their defects, in bearing with their weaknesses. And this will all turn out be even more difficult a task, besides being meritorious, since you will have to carry out such a task, every day and, rather, every moment.
3. You should put yourselves in your confreres boots!
Human miseries are countless and they can be found and felt also in religious communities, even though the members may be animated by the best desire to reach perfection.
However, there is no doubt that many of these miseries could be done away with or decreased in number, if the one who exercises authority in the community were to use gentle words and kind manners.
To be convinced of this truth, it would be enough for us to reflect and ask ourselves a simple question: Whom would we want to be our superiors?
What profit would we get if we were, as people say, to put ourselves in our confreres boots? What if we were to put on the thoughts of our confreres and have the very same feeling as they do?
It certainly would be useful for ourselves and our neighbor, if we ever remembered to put into practice the of old maxim of Christian charity:
“Never say or do to others what you yourself would not like to have others say or do to you!” We should also keep in mind that the Gospel says: we are going to be measured with the same measure that we measure people with!
This reflection would ward off our minds all the temptations of pride that come from the simple fact that a position of honor has been granted to us.
It would also save us from the temptation of considering ourselves complacent because of the respect and veneration that our confreres believe they owe to us, as their superiors.
Summing up, this reflection would inspire us to be charitable and kind towards our confreres and make their living in community both beautiful and joyful. From this perspective, we can fully understand that our own St. Francis de Sales was right when he wrote:
”Kindness is the most excellent of all moral virtue, since it complements charity which is perfect only to the degree that it is gentle and at the same time advantageous for our neighbor.”
Every one who has been called to exercise authority on his confreres should remember that it is their main responsibility to make sure that the promise made by Our Lord Jesus Christ is actually and properly fulfilled, namely that they would receive a hundredfold of what they have left in the world only in order to follow him.
It is the superior who has to use all the enterprising initiatives of fatherly and inexhaustible goodness, to make sure that the advantages of religious life, so much advertised in books, should not appear only as a pious exaggeration, as seductive wiles set to catch and take advantage of, the credulity of simple and innocent souls.
There is no doubt that Don Bosco, our saintly Founder, had these thoughts in mind when he wrote the golden pages that precede our Constitutions.
There is also no doubt that a rector or superior who were to disregard those golden pages and fail to show kindness and to provide for the confreres entrusted to him, those comforts that they rightfully expect, would sadly prove those golden pages wrong.
We should be convinced that the religious who have left parents and relatives and with great unselfishness, these religious are still Sons of Adam and that they too feel the need to be loved.
And if our confreres do not find, unfortunately in their superior, that tender affection that they so much enjoyed in their own families, they will look for it and find it outside their house. They will, then, once again, begin to strike up relationships with people in the world; they might, eventually, break their vows and lose their vocation!
These are the sad results caused by the harsh words or unkind disposition, or by the impatience of a superior towards his confrere.
On the other hand, just think about what a gracious welcome, a smiling and serene face, a kind word and a renewed assurance of esteem, can do effectively to a confrere: he will be inspired to think good thoughts and to follow the wise advice of his superior.
Are we then going to let go of an opportunity such as this to do good to those whom we hold as dear brothers?
4. What is not considered praiseworthy zeal
The masters of spiritual life recommend to the spiritual directors of souls that they should always keep a well balanced frame of mind and be always fully in control of themselves.
Whoever cannot keep this balance, this constant self-control, will never be able to enjoy the benefit which comes from an inner peace; and, worse yet, if he were to be in a position to exercise authority over others, then he would be a cause of a continuous unrest for the whole community.
Do we really want to know if we are in perfect control of ourselves, of our emotions, so as not to cause those others should suffer on our account?
Let us examine ourselves and find out if we do or do not habitually show kindness to our confreres, especially when our orders are not being obeyed or our constant recommendations are not heeded to or when the same deplorable faults are being committed.
We should not think that it is a praiseworthy zeal that prompts us, in such circumstances, to use bitter and strong ways of disapproving what is or is not being done, or to assume a severe attitude or to scornfully and threateningly look upon the individual who has committed the reported deplorable fault.
This kind of attitude instead of righting a wrong done or the offence leveled against God, runs the risk of arousing even more anger within the heart of the guilty person, the risk of shutting down the heartfelt trust of the guilty person in his superior and even the risk of causing greater havoc.
On the other hand, if we truly want to ward off wrongdoing and correct our confreres’ defects, we should never allow ourselves be overcome by emotions and resentment. Every act, every word that is not seasoned with kindness is a clear indication that we are not yet free from our selfish concern, that we are still more concerned about our personal success, which certainly provides satisfaction, than about God’s love and the love for our Pious Society, since we conceal our emotional outbursts under he guise of zeal!
The well known Father Nicholas Lancisio, in one of his most useful books-De condicionibus boni superioris - remarks that one of the requirements for being a superior is exactly that of having the reputation of being good - “opinio ejus bonitatis.”
Experience teaches us that a superior may be esteemed for his knowledge and prudence; he may be liked by his confreres because of his generosity. But let him deal with a confrere, especially at manifestation time, either harshly or haughtily and he will immediately lose the esteem and benevolence he had acquired with so much painstaking care!
Just the opposite occurs when a superior uses gentleness and kindness:
He, actually, has power over the hearts of his confreres; he can bend their wills; he can get rid of old prejudices; he can have his way and smooth out antagonistic attitudes, that previously were considered impossible to correct and repugnant; he has the ability to correct even those defects that may have been a second nature to a confrere.
The words of St. Ambrose are to the point:” Nihil tam utile quam diligi! - nothing is as useful as being loved!”
5-You are expected to be visible Guardian Angels.
Everyone who really cares about the salvation of souls, redeemed by Jesus Christ with every drop of his blood, is sadly privileged to see what kinds of continuous and hard struggles people have to go through, in order to be faithful to their Baptismal vows.
Whatever happened to St. Anthony in the desert may also happen to us:
“The world appears as a vast plain, dotted with several snares and the Devil uses those snares to upset our faith and steer us off the path of virtue.
“The world lings, on the other hand, use thousands of subtle ruses to seduce us, o drag us to love pleasures, honors and riches.
Finally, we surely know from experience that we are fiercely attacked every moment of our life, by the” concupiscence of the flesh, the concupiscence of the eyes and the pride of life-concupiscentia carnis, concupiscentia oculorum et superbia vitae.”(1Jn.2: 16).
Who can provide us with the strength we need to victoriously overcome all such terrible enemies?
The answer is given to us by that same faith which makes us see the great number of enemies with their formidable weapons and tricks; it is given to us by Our Divine Redeemer, ever loving and compassionate.
It is our Lord who showers upon us all the graces and help that we need at every moment of our life; it is the Lord who, now defends us, now enlightens us and who now gives us strength and courage; he is the one who fights with us side by side; and after the fight, he is the one who heals our wounds and never leaves us until the prize reserved for us, namely, victory is reached.
But this is not enough! Because of the love that he bears for all of us, the Lord has entrusted to countless legions of Angels the task of guarding us
and suggesting to us inspirations and means suited to victoriously overcome our enemies. Only in heaven, we will be able to see how much we owe to these Heavenly Spirits, commissioned to be our guides and teachers.
But the Lord has done something more for those who have chosen to live in a religious institution: he has given them visible Guardian Angels, to comfort them and to encourage them.
My dear sons, you are these visible guardian angels, and especially so when you exercise your authority on your confreres; you are their guardian angels when you use in practice the virtue of kindness towards them.
My dear Sons, you are the ones who, with your constant patience and cordial joviality, edify and comfort your confreres, and, as much as it is possible in this valley of tears, you are the ones who make your confreres happy.
May the Lord grant you not to fail, not even for only an instant, in this noble mission of yours, a mission that has you vie with the Angels of heaven and with Divine Providence itself.
A reflection made by Fillion, one of the most outstanding contemporary Scripture scholars should spur us on to practice the virtue of kindness. Our Lord has taught us how to put into practice all virtues both by word and example. And as though to confirm his teaching and have his disciples know the kind of spirit he had brought down to earth, he uttered these words:
“Discite a me quia mitis sum et humilis corde-
“Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.”(Mt.11: 29).
With these words, the Lord has singled out Humility and Kindness or Meekness as the main features of his divine heart and these are also the features that should be possessed by those who follow Jesus Christ and consider them as the most effective means to please God and win over the hearts of human beings.
It is the Lord who points out to everyone, no matter his or her degree of piety, that humility is essential for salvation. Spiritual writers remind us quite often that there is no place among the Blessed in Heaven for those who do not practice the virtue of humility.
They also remind us about the words of our Lord, our Divine Master:
“Qui se exaltat, humiliabitur et qui se humiliat, exaltabitur-he who exalts himself, shall be humbled and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.”(Lk.14: 11).
They also remind us about the words St. Paul wrote for the Christian community of Philippi, words certainly good for all of us, words to be inspired by, to imitate the humility and self-abasement of the Lord:
“Exinanivit semetipsum, formam servi accipiens.”- “He sacrificed himself to assume the form of a slave.”
However, some Salesians, especially those who have the task of acting as superiors, may forget that kindness, no less than humility, is needed to deal with their confreres.
These are the virtue referred to in the same Gospel page. They are pointed out by Our Divine Redeemer and presented as two sisters who live in the same house.
They are like two precious metals that once blended together, they provide mutual service: one brings in, its own solidity and the other, its splendor.
Humility renders us masters of God’s heart; Kindness helps us win over the earth, namely the hearts of human beings, as St. John Chrysostom teaches us. As many hearts as the superiors will be able to approach, that many hearts they will be able to win over.
If you, my dear sons, want to see the confreres entrusted to your care, grow
in virtue, day in and day out, then sow seeds of holy joy and above all seeds of kindness, by showing yourselves lovable:
“Discite a me, quia mitis sum et humilis corde.”(Mt.1:29)
“Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.”
If you want to see your confreres holy, begin by making them content and cheerful, especially by using that kindness that Jesus wants all of us to learn from his most gentle and kind heart. This is the way by which the family spirit can reign among us!
6-Divine Lessons!
What makes the teaching of Jesus most effective is his example.
The Prophets who, apparently seemed concerned about describing the history of the sufferings of Jesus more than about future events, do not tell us about the treasures of his knowledge, about the omnipotence that he possessed, about the wonderful miracles that he had wrought, but about his
“Meekness and Gentleness.”
“Ecce, rex tuus veniet mansuetus.”(Mt.21: 5) “Ecce rex tuus veniet tibi. Justus et salvator; ipse pauper et ascendens super asinam et super pullum filium asinae.”(Zach.9:9)
“See your king is coming to you! He is victorious ,he is triumphant, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (JBT).
The prophets compare Jesus to a lamb that is slaughtered without a complaint:
“Quasi agnus mansuetus qui portatur ad victimam.”(Jer.1:l9).
St John the Baptist introduces Jesus to his disciples as the Lamb of God:
“Ecce Agnus Dei.” (Jn.1:29).” Behold the Lamb of God!”
Are we not amazed at the patience used by Jesus in dealing with his apostles, poor fishermen, uneducated and ignorant as they actually were? Even when he was about to be handed over to his enemies, the apostles were sleeping. But Jesus did not use any reproaching words at all. When he was already nailed to the cross, Jesus was insulted and cursed at by the Scribes and the Pharisees; and yet, Jesus asked his Father to forgive them for the knew not what they were doing (Lk.23:30): “Pater, dimitte illis ,non enim sciunt quid faciunt.”
Even today, Jesus, as he governs the world with his admirable providence, prefers to invite sinners to partake of his mercy through repentance, rather than punish them with the bolts of his justice.
But the Lord’s kindness is most of all evidenced in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, where the suffering of his passion and death are being constantly renewed.
Hidden behind the Tabernacle’s veil, Jesus continues to give us proof of his goodness ,in spite of the many and grievous sins that are being committed and by so many people.
Jesus until the end of the world ,will keep on offering himself to his Eternal Father as a victim of expiation for all our sins.
What would become of us if this sacrifice were to be discontinued, this sacrifice that appeases divine wrath with its delightful fragrance?
“Oblatio est Dominus,odor suavissimus victimae Domini super altare” - “ His will be a burnt offering on the altar, whose fragrance will appease Yahweh.” (Ex.29: 18) (JBT).
When are we going to learn from the Holy Eucharist that goodness which should unite all our hearts and whose aroma is the fragrance of kindness?
The ones who really should learn this divine lesson are all of us who have been entrusted with the task of exercising authority over our confreres.
I am sure that you all know that your superiors, as a way to make practical and stable the devotion to Mary Help of Christians and as a lasting remembrance of the golden Jubilee celebration of the consecration of her Basilica, the true center of our entire Society, your superiors, I repeat, have decided to build a new church destined to honor the Holy Family.
Your superiors intend to propose the Holy Family as a model for all or Salesian houses.
Now, let me ask you a question: Who gave orders in that Holy Family?
The last of its members: St. Joseph!
How did St. Joseph exercise his authority?
Origin, a father of the Church, says that whenever St. Joseph had to give a order in the Holy Family, he trembled-and his way of commanding seemed more like his way to obey, so modest was he, in wielding his power to command!
And once again, speaking of kindness, how can we ever forget the title of ‘Salesians’ that we are lucky to bear? This name is practically known, the world over, and it has received a welcoming acceptance by most everyone.
But it should remind us that Don Bosco, our saintly Founder, has chosen St. Francis de Sales as the patron of the Pious Society that he was about to found.
Don Bosco had a wonderful insight, when he was dealing with human nature. He understood, from the very beginning of all his undertakings, that we must know a way to get to the heart of people, if we want to do well to them.
It is for this reason that Don Bosco studied with a particular diligence and love, the writings and examples of St. Francis de Sales, his teacher and model, to find out how to be kind, and he decided to follow his footsteps by practicing the virtue of kindness.
7-Our Lady should be our model.
But Don Bosco did have a voice more authoritative than any other, a voice that imposed on him the practice of kindness.
In the dream that Don Bosco had at the age of nine, he saw a good crowd of boys arguing with one another to the point of coming down to blows. The boys were cursing ; they were having obscene conversations. Moved by his quick and hot temper, Don Bosco was about to use strong reproachful words and even blows. But a mysterious voice told him that that was not the way that he should use to achieve his goal.
And that mysterious voice asked Don Bosco to turn towards our Lady, the Help of Christians: she would teach him the most useful ways to get to those little rascals and have them improve their ways.
We all know that what Our Lady suggested to Don Bosco, as a means to get the boys to change for the better, was KINDNESS!
Those who were lucky to live by his side are all agreed: Don Bosco’s countenance was filled with love and tenderness. This is the way he used to deal with the boys, who were irresistibly attracted to him.
Once in Marseilles, France, an archbishop, an eloquent orator, was speaking about Don Bosco, and he did not hesitate to compare Don Bosco to the greatest personalities that ever lived in history and added:
”If other people have wielded their power on the bodies of their subjects, Don Bosco had fared much better, because he had full sway on the hearts of his boys.”
Don Bosco was gifted with a keen psychological insight: he showed esteem and affection for his boys; he tried to overlook their defects; he used high praises for them.
This is the reason why everybody thought that he was a special friend of his, and, I would also say, everybody thought he was Don Bosco’s favorite!
When it was a question of approaching Don Bosco, there was no need to have to choose a particular timeslot, to have influential people call on him and arrange for an audience.
Don Bosco patiently listened to everybody; he never interrupted an audience; he never showed anxiety, hurry or annoyance and he always acted as though he had nothing else to do but listen to the one who had an audience with him.
When the confreres made their manifestation, Don Bosco never used that occasion as a pretext to reprimand them (even though they might have deserved to be reprimanded); he never gave severe corrections. The only intention he had in mind was that of inspiring trust in the confreres, animate them to improve their behavior in the future.
A great classmate of mine once told me that he had been so captivated by the intellectual and external qualities of one of his students and had grown so affectionate towards him, that he had lost his peace of mind, besides having his conscience upset. And so, one day, he decided ,without any hesitation and with a great effort on his part, to reveal everything to Don Bosco. This classmate of mine called on Don Bosco and red-faced and trembling told him about the predicament that he was in.
From time to time, he looked at Don Bosco; he was afraid that he might show surprise and disgust at what he was telling him. Instead he saw that Don Bosco was calm and with a smile on his face.
When his manifestation was over, this classmate of mine expected to be justly and severely reprimanded. Instead he heard the kindest words; words that were so deeply impressed in his heart and mind, that he never forgot them. This classmate of mine repeatedly told me about this event and he repeatedly praised the kindly goodness of his saintly superior. My dear sons, this is what Don Bosco told him:
” I see very well that you have strayed from the right path and I was very much concerned about your vocation. But now, of your own free will, you have come to tell me about your troubles. The sincere way you made your manifestation have wiped out all fears from my mind. The confidence that you have shown by speaking to me about your troubles made me forget all that has happened, and has increased my affection for you.
Have courage, then! And God will help you persevere in your resolve”.
Needless to say, Don Bosco’s words were truly fatherly, and they worked wonders in that confrere ,who kept on being faithful to his promises up to his very death: he showed great concern for his own salvation, his own sanctification and for the salvation of souls.
If Don Bosco’s modest Little Rooms could ever speak, how many miracles of kindness and affability would they be able to disclose!
We ordinarily label as ’heroic’ the early days of the Oratory, when Don Bosco and his first sons had to work so hard and suffer so much.
But, really, what was it that provided so much strength and willingness to keep on persevering in their vocation, to those young clerics and coadjutors in the early days of the Oratory? How were they capable of overcoming so many difficulties in order the stay with Don Bosco?
This is the answer:
It was the kind and encouraging word of Don Bosco, our saintly Founder. Don Bosco kept on saying that he was happy to be surrounded by such sons and we, on our part, felt happy to have been called sons and collaborators of such a loving father!
How could we ever have refused to perform an assignment, however burdensome, when Don Bosco was asking us to discharge it with such grace and humility?
We should all be convinced that, according to Don Bosco our Founder ,the true secret for winning over the hearts of our confreres or boys is kindness and the feature that distinguishes a Salesian is also kindness.
The pagan philosopher Seneca, caught a glimpse of the beauty of kindness when he wrote that ‘kindness has the power to transform a human being into a god.”
St. John Chrysostom in his homily on the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans(homily 19) rightly says that: ‘no virtue more than kindness renders us closer to God and actually makes us look like God-“Nihil adeo vicinum Deo comformemque facit quam ista virtus.”
8-You should be fathers more than superiors!
We have been called by God to join the Pious Salesian Society.
We have been asked to stand for Don Bosco in the assignment entrusted to us and to preserve his spirit.
We also have the duty to be strong enough, yet endowed with the greatest amount of amiability and warm-heartedness towards our confreres.
We would be unworthy to bear the name SALESIAN, we would not be rightly responding to the trust placed in us by the superiors, if we, as soon as we are made directors, put on airs and feel authorized by our position to scold one of our confreres at any time, to severely reproach him for any small failure f his.
A behavior such as this would put a Director out of line, as far as the spirit of our Founder Don Bosco, who always wanted to be considered, within the Salesian family, more like a father than a superior.
His Eminence Cardinal Cagliero told us that when Don Bosco returned to the Oratory from a trip that he had made to Rome, in l858, he sadly noticed that, during his absence, the appearance of the Oratory had changed so much that it looked like a different place altogether.
Asked to single out the cause for such a changed appearance, Don Bosco answered: “During these months the boys had superiors, but no fathers!
After such an answer, by Don Bosco, who would dare pride himself for being tough and, at the same time for being feared on account of such toughness? Who would ever believe that for the good running of a religious house, a rector must have recourse to severe punishments, even when it is only a question of minor disorders?
A superior would greatly deceive himself, were he to fall victim of a false pretext, namely that to have an orderly government, punishments should be used as threats and actually be inflicted on the guilty.
I know that such language is being used for the sake of keeping discipline, for the sake of preventing laxity in the observance of the rules, with the hope that the corrections made will become more fruitful.
I know that even Moses, appeared before the people of Israel with a rod in his hand and that St. Paul, as a way to disapprove of certain disorders in the Christian Community of Corinth, wrote:
“ In virga veniam. I shall come with the rod.”(1 Cor.4:21).
I am sure that you could quote several passages from the Holy Scriptures, which insist on the use of toughness towards the guilty.
However, we prefer to refer to those Scriptural quotations, from the perspective of Don Bosco’s method of education, namely the Preventive System that speaks of kindness and gentleness.
It is the Preventive System that has us rather prevent evil from happening, rather than having to correct it
Don Bosco’s fame as an educator of youth is linked with his Preventive System.
We should be faithfully following the teachings of Don Bosco and resolve not to speak, when we are emotionally upset: this will have us avoid harsh words and threats, demeaning expressions, and will lead us to imitate the example given by St. Paul ,as it suggested by St. John Chrysostom.
St. Paul was entrusted with the task of being the Doctor, the teacher of the Gentiles, but he carried out his ministry:” orando magis et obsecrando quam imperando-“more by the mediation of prayer and pleading than by wielding authority, like an emperor!”
We should also follow the example of St. Francis de Sales, who had made an agreement with his tongue, namely that he should not talk when he was emotionally upset!
9. You should use kindness and firmness at the same time
The superior has the duty to be fatherly, and we might also add, motherly, when dealing with his confreres.
However, that does not remove his duty to be gently or kindly firm in some cases.
As a matter of fact, the superior has been entrusted with the duty to make sure that the Rules or Constitutions are being observed, that every confrere discharges his duties rightly, that abuses be weeded out and corrections be properly made.
Jesus Christ himself cursed at the Pharisees, even though he had said that he come for sinners; his hands, that ordinarily blessed and healed, were used to handle a whip and chase out of the temple area those who desecrated it.
St. Gregory the Great, in his Moralia (1:22) thinks that the superiors are just like Doctors-A Doctor wants the good of the sick person and has the duty to perform painful operations on the sick person. Therefore, a superior should exercise his authority, but he should use both firmness and gentleness or kindness.
But, following the example of Don Bosco, a Salesian superior should always lean towards preferring gentleness, kindness rather than firmness. This would make him a real Salesian, a disciple of Don Bosco.
Let us come to know what character we really have; and if we find that our character is naturally inclined to be gentle and kind, let us make sure that it be also firm and strict.
If we find out that our character is naturally strict and firm, let us make sure that it be seasoned with gentleness and with kindness. The way to overcome the two extremes and reach the golden mean: a gentle, firm authority.
Don Bosco and Don Rua held out for us to see an exemplary way to exercise authority and such as to bring forth good results: we should keep their example fixed in our minds, when we, like them, discharge our duty as superiors.
To achieve this, we should all have recourse to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The great theologian Franzelin, in his treatise on the Holy Eucharist-De Eucharistia- states that Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament receives not only worship and homage but also insults caused by man’s sins and that he receives them all in a divine and gentle manner: he does love to receive the devout practices of human beings, but he also bears with the outrages of sinners with an imperturbable calmness.
It is mainly because of the Lord’s infinite kindness that from his Holy Tabernacle he bestows graces on those who humbly and fervently beg for them and does not hurl down any punishments on those who do not keep his commandments.
Everyone who is called to exercise authority should follow the example of Our Lord and blend strictness and rigor with gentleness and kindness.
He should also be mindful of the Lord’s words:
“Discite a me quia miis sum et humilis corde(Mt.11:29)-Learn from
me, for I am meek and humble of heart.”
May we pray to our Divine Master and beg him to have a heart just like his: gentle and kind!
May the Lord hear our prayer and make sure that all Salesian Superiors may be able to repeat what was said of St. Paul: “Cor Pauli, Cor Christi!” The heart of a Salesian superior is just like the heart of Jesus Christ!
May our Powerful Help of Christians graciously intercede on our behalf that this desire and cordial wish of mine may be fulfilled.
Affectionately yours, in the Heart of Jesus Christ,
Father Paul Albera.
.
