I. Charism - La Salle.org

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MAKING THE LASALLIAN CHARISM LIVE TODAY
The Rules of Christian Decorum and Civility in general are a good example
of this “living well” as seen by John Baptist de La Salle. A passage in
the first chapter of the first part of this work shows us at the same time
both the grandeur, the scope and the consequences of this conception:
In a person’s deportment there must always be something sedate and
even majestic. You should take care, however, that there be nothing in
this which suggests pride or arrogance of spirit, for such attitudes displease
everyone. What will produce this sedateness is the simple modesty
and wisdom that as a Christian you display in all your conduct.
You are truly of noble birth, since you belong to Jesus Christ and are
a child of God, the Supreme Being. Hence in your exterior there
should be nothing vulgar. Everything in you should denote a certain
air of nobility and greatness, a reflection of the power and majesty of
God whom you serve and who gave you being. This dignified appearance
should not flow from arrogance or lead you to prefer yourself to
others, for every Christian wishing to act according to the laws of the
Gospel should show honour and respect to all others, considering
them as children of God and brothers of Jesus Christ and himself as
one burdened with sin, for which he should constantly humble himself,
placing himself beneath everyone else. 208
Such an approach demands “the ardent zeal” of those who wish to live it.
A good modern synonym for “ardent zeal” would be, it seems to me, the
word “creativity”. When we consider what Monsieur de La Salle indicates
as attitudes to be lived, when he speaks of zeal this is really what he is talking
about: being creative so that the formation of those who have been
confided to us may be total, that all the dimensions of their person
should be involved. We are inventive and practical, generally, in the areas
of profane teaching; are we as much so when it comes to the spiritual lives
of the young, such as they are
That too means being Lasallian.
The other side of fraternity lived as a charism, is personal witness, the
208
The Rules of Christian Decorum and Civility, op. cit. p. 9-10. (Oeuvres Complètes RB 101.1.20).