Passionist Rule and Constitutions.pdf - The Passionists of Holy ...

Lectio Divina and Spiritual Reading
47. Our contact with the Word of God is not confined to liturgical celebrations. The practice of
spiritual reading focuses the prayerful attention of the community and the individual alike on the
Sacred Scriptures.
This reading deepens our awareness of the Person of Christ, and helps us grow in knowledge
of Him; it supplies the well-springs of personal prayer, and sheds new light on the meaning of
life. 60
48. Further knowledge of divine truth is also provided in the teachings of the Church's
Magisterium, the writings of the Fathers, the example of the Saints, especially of our own
Founder, and other spiritual works.
Mental Prayer
49. The following of Christ Crucified in personal prayer is our way to discover the true God.
In mental prayer, we personally respond to the apostle's exhortation to make our own the
mind of Christ. 61 We thus become rooted and founded in grasping the height and the depth of
God's love for us in Christ. 62
Personal meditation is the indispensable complement of communal prayer, and both together
give prayerful meaning to our daily round of work, worship, devotion, and recreation.
50. Our Founder learned from his own experience that to keep in continual memory the
sufferings of Christ is the most powerfully effective means to turn from sin and to grow in
grace. 63 Guided by his teaching, we frequently meditate on the Crucified Christ as we endeavor
to become more fully conformed to His death and resurrection, and more zealous to announce to
others what we ourselves have experienced. 64 In this way we hope to be faithful to our
consecration to the Passion.
51. Aware of the value of personal prayer, our communities should encourage the growth of a
prayerful spirit by devoting prolonged periods of time every day to meditation.
Each religious should give at least one hour of his time every day to mental prayer.
We encourage various forms of mental prayer in order to foster more effectively in the
members of our communities an authentic union with God. Particular cultural circumstances and
psychological needs of different regions and age groups should be taken into account.
52. Every religious recognizes that at times work seems all-absorbing, and the desire to pray is
not spontaneous. On such occasions, our very presence at prayer bears witness to our
determination to remain constant in our love of God. 65
To persevere in prayer and never to lose heart 66 is a pressing responsibility on each religious.
Here we must help one another by speaking among ourselves about this need, and by
encouraging one another to persevere in our commitment to personal prayer.
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