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How is involvement the basis of composing our new Rule of Life?
Editor: This is the eighth in this series of articles based on the eight Dossiers (from February 1978 to November 1981) totaling 718 pages in this study. In 1982, Fr. Eugene Barrette, M.S., the prime mover in this historic study, was elected the thirteenth La Salette Superior General (1982-1988). Other articles on Religious Life are available in our La Salette Online Library .
What was the motivation of La Salette Missionaries to rewrite their Rule of Life after Vatican II ?
Assumption Phase of
La Salette ApparitionAs Fr. Maurice Sublet, M.S., former Provincial Superior of France, notes in his letter presenting the First Dossier of this project:
"... we cannot keep our riches for ourselves, especially at a time when (Communities) are asked to put their normative texts into a more or less definitive shape... It seems to me important that the way we live at the grass roots be brought to the attention of those in administration. If we neglect to do this, then we only have ourselves to blame if our Constitutions seem to lack any real flavor and to be very far from the realities which we live... I believe that it would be helpful… to share with one another what we are actually living can only encourage us to live it better, and to tell the administration about this can only help those responsible to create a text that we can really call our own because we will recognize ourselves in it."
“Such a text should describe and also promote the preservation and development of the grace-reality, the charism, that is at our origins and continues to live in each of us and to nurture our apostolic presence and response in the Church and World of today.” (1)
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La Salette – Dreaming with the Son and the Mother
Color version of the Creation illustration from Martin Luther's 1534 translation of the Bible“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So, God created humankind in God’s own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:26–27). At the beginning of the book of Genesis and the History of Salvation, we find the “dream of God” for humanity.
We find a similar narrative dynamic at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. In the synagogue of Nazareth, Jesus shares with his assembly another dream, that of his public ministry, applying to himself what the Prophet Isaiah writes (Luke 4:14–30):
“Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all. He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.’
“Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, ‘Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing’” (Luke 4: 14-21).
How are La Salettes apostolic and emphasize preaching by example?
Editor: This is the sixth in this series of articles based on the eight Dossiers (from February 1978 to November 1981) totaling 718 pages in this study. In 1982, Fr. Eugene Barrette, M.S., the prime mover in this historic study, was elected the thirteenth La Salette Superior General (1982-1988). Other articles on Religious Life are available in our La Salette Online Library.
Why are the La Salette Missionaries essentially “apostolic”?
Angolan interpretation of Our Lady of La SaletteHistorically, our roots are apostolic. We were founded in 1852 as a diocesan society in order to address the apostolic needs arising on the site of the Apparition during the summer months and also to preach missions throughout the diocese of Grenoble during the winter months (hence our title of "missionaries").
After a few years the Fathers expressed the desire to become "religious." We do have a letter from Fr. François Denaz, M.S. (1811-1857) to the Bishop concerning becoming "religious" and his petition links religious life to the apostolate.
His first reason was that by becoming religious the Congregation could spread beyond the diocese in fulfilling the Mission that Our Lady obviously gave. Secondly, he felt that religious life would create a lifestyle that would combat some of the evils of society that Fr. Denaz felt Our Lady was addressing in her message. We therefore became a diocesan religious congregation in 1858.
For many religious – and for many communities – their consecrated life seems to be born of their apostolic zeal. Why did they choose religious life? Because of their love of God, no doubt, but also because of a decisive, existential drive, that is, in order to become more complete and effective missionaries. Their specific end — the apostolate (or in modern-day terms, ministry), we would say, led them to the general end — religious life).
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La Salette – a Story Worth Retelling
“Make this known to all my people”! These were the parting words of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Maximin and Melanie on that afternoon of September 19, 1846 at La Salette, France. Then the Beautiful Lady disappeared into the clouds. For sure the message changed the children and those that heard her message.
The extraordinary manifestation of God’s ordinary presence
Fr. Roger Castel, M.S.,
noted speaker and author on La SaletteFr. Roger Castel, M.S., is one of the French La Salette Missionaries who defined apparition as “the extraordinary manifestation of God’s ordinary presence.” True enough, this ‘extraordinary manifestation of God’s ordinary presence’ by Mother of God, has affected, united, reconciled, and healed thousands of souls for the last 175 years.
The Congregation of the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette marks the anniversary of the merciful apparition of Mary, reflecting on the significance and relevance of the mandate that was given at first to the two cowherds and then to the Missionaries of La Salette. It is indeed a momentous occasion to dig deeper into the meaning and purpose of this ‘manifestation’ of God’s presence in the lives of people.
God never stops caring and accompanying God’s children even if people choose to distance themselves from God’s activity. The intervention and ‘intrusion’ of God in the plight of the people is clearly reflected in the Old Testament history of the chosen people of Israel. St. Paul would say, “where sin abounds grace abounds all the more” (Romans 5:20). God never abandons his children and Mary the Mother of God chose to intervene when people ‘run out of wine’ or when zest for life was lacking.
Our Blessed Mother — Tears and Devotion
On the eve of the Second Vatican Council, when the air was filled with theological discussions, new drafts, discarded theses, rewritten versions, canon law, Church Freedom, ecumenism, ministry to atheists, relationship toward the Jews and many other weighty issues, Pope John XXIII spoke from his Vatican window overlooking Saint Peter's Square and said to the people: “When you go home tonight, I would like you to give each of your little children a caress and tell them that this caress comes from the Pope.”
From LIFE Magazine we read:
Mary on the cover of LIFE Magazine on April 14, 1017.“People in general, theologians especially wondered out loud “what a caress from the Pope had to do with Vatican II and the crucial issues it had to deal with.” But the Pope had the profound intuition of the end-purpose of the Council and this was service, concern, affection for people translated into vibrant, felt action.
“In a 1994 address to 150 young priests, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini.... confronted these qualms: "There has been an unspoken sense that Marian devotion is necessarily 'popular,' that is, only for the common people. For example, faced with the warmth and intensity of John Paul II's dedication to Mary, this elite reacts by attributing the pope's fervor to 'national characteristics,' a 'more emotional' sensitivity.... I believe the time has come to take a new look at the state of Marian devotion, to find an equilibrium between theological clarity and the spiritual yearnings of the Christian people and of ourselves. Otherwise, we may face a dangerous loss of warmth and feeling in our faith, our prayer, and our life.... We have arrived at a point where this cold, scientific attitude no longer responds to an obvious emotional need for an attachment to Mary” (The Mystery of Mary by Robert Sullivan, in LIFE Magazine, December 1996, p. 50).
What is the purpose of our Marian Congregation?
Editor: This is the fifth in this series of articles based on the eight Dossiers (from February 1978 to November 1981) totaling 718 pages in this study. In 1982, Fr. Eugene Barrette, M.S., the prime mover in this historic study, was elected the thirteenth La Salette Superior General (1982-1988). Other articles on Religious Life are available in our La Salette Online Library..
What is a Marian Congregation?
Some 2005 Chapter delegates in our La Salette Province in IndiaBy our origin we are a Marian Congregation. Some of our early fathers even went so far as calling the Blessed Mother the "foundress" of the Congregation. Technically that is certainly not the case. And yet, so much of what we associate with a "founder's" influence on members of a Congregation can also be found for us in Mary: inspiration, example, a certain light on the Gospel, a particular response to Jesus and apostolic needs as well as her witness and words at La Salette.
We are not dealing here simply with looking piously and devoutly at Mary; rather we are being called to a love that should be filled with an attentive reflection on Mary so that we can grow, individually and together, to recognize in her the dimensions of the grace that we have within ourselves. In her we can recognize our own stance before God and the world. And that is precisely one of the purposes of a Community's reflection on the Founder...
The Charism of La Salette – Intercession and Reconciliation
Two elements are essential in the La Salette charism – intercession and reconciliation. Our Lady appears in the name of Christ to fulfill the ministry of Christ. Christ's ministry is patently reconciliation: this was his work on Calvary as well as at the Resurrection. His second ministry which he performed during his ministry on earth is also intercession. This is seen often in his prayer for the world and for his disciples.
About intercession, Scripture says...
We note that intercession has reentered our public prayer (intercessory prayers during Mass, many public prayers for peace, hunger, etc.). "For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the true one, but heaven itself, that he might now appear in our behalf" (Hebrews 9:24).
“Therefore, brothers, since through the blood of Jesus we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil, that is, his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water” (Hebrews 10:19-22).
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Mary at La Salette – When Heaven Weeps ...
Wiondow of Mary seated, weeping, Our Lady of La Salette Parish, Brooklyn, Connecticut
Editor: Due to limitations of length, the first page (of five pages) and the unused Endnotes #1-4 of the original article were deleted since they treat the theological arguments of other La Salettes. We begin instead with his more evidential arguments based on the writings of the Fathers of the Church and Fr. Sylvain-Marie Giraud, M.S.
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How should we interpret the mysterious words "I suffer" pronounced by Mary at La Salette? How can we reconcile her state of heavenly glory with the bitter tears she shed in abundance on the mountain?
To these troubling questions some answer that the Apparition at La Salette was only a figure and a representation: Mary weeping at La Salette while rejoicing in Heaven. Others affirm that just as Christ continues to offer, in the daily Mass, the same Sacrifice that he once offered on Calvary, so it could be said that the Blessed Virgin participates now as she did then in that Sacrifice. –
These two answers were the subject of a first article (Celle Qui Pleure, August-September, pp. 4-7). Not satisfied with these answers, the author offers below a solution to the serious problem which is posed to simple mortals ...
We shall... make... certain testimonies and proofs in favor of another explanation. It would be easy to find these testimonies in the Liturgy, in the prayer of the Church, in the approved devotions and in the History of the Church; but I will limit myself to presenting some testimonies of... the Fathers of the Church, on the situation of those who are in the glorious state constituted by the beatific vision...
How is the message of La Salette still applicable today?
It must be recognized that we cannot help but ask ourselves the questions: Why at La Salette did the Virgin adopt such an ancient language? Why does her message attach so insistently to religious values which are more specifically those of the Old Testament rather than of the New Testament?
Our Lady of La Salette, painting in Chapel of the Enfield Shrine, Enfield, NHTo answer this question, it would first be necessary to show how the teaching of the Old Testament – although surpassed by the teaching of Jesus, which completes and completes it – is still full of religious life for the Christian today. A detailed answer to these questions would require lengthy development. Let’s indicate at least a few milestones.
At all times there have been spirits in the Church who are reluctant to deal with the books of the Old Testament. Already at the beginning of the 11th century, a Marcion blithely sacrificed all the books of the Old Covenant and all those of the New Testament which seemed to him to reflect the same religious spirit; Jesus having established a new economy, we must therefore reject the old one and all the books that tell us about it. This is an extreme case; Marcion was excommunicated from the Church on which he intended to impose his views.
Even today – despite the biblical revival – we find Christians rather reluctant towards the books of the Old Testament, no doubt because they are more difficult to access than the Gospel. But they forget that the Old Testament is the word of God like the New. They do not realize that the Gospel itself, and more generally the Christian revelation as a whole, only becomes comprehensible from the Old Testament. Christ himself presented himself as the one who came to fulfill the Old Covenant: therefore it is in continuity with the New Covenant.
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How to Freely Proclaim Christ in the Midst of Diversity
If there is a text that par excellence expresses the missionary spirit from the point of view of the New Testament, it is where Paul writes:
In this passage, Paul gives to his work of evangelization a clear catholic (universal) character. In these verses Paul also unveils three important elements that support such a universalistic approach to his ministry.
Paul, the Evangelist
- First: Paul’s work of evangelization is universal because the evangelizer is free, as stated in the first part of verse 19: “Though I am free and belong to no one […]”.
- Second: Paul’s work of evangelization is without “boundaries” because the evangelizer finds his motivation in the gospel: “I do all this for the sake of the gospel […]” (v. 23).
- Third, Paul’s work of evangelization is universal because the evangelizer has only one purpose or goal, that is, “so that by all possible means I might save some” (v. 22).
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