Ongoing Formation of Religious - CMGlobal

VINCENTIANA 1/2-2008 - INGLESEApril 17, 2008 − 4ª BOZZA112 Cyril de Souzabeing. Forming the will comprises the exercise of wanting to dogood, wanting to do it earnestly, wanting to do it effectively andseeking constantly to practice it. Another aspect of the formationof one’s will includes the renunciation of one’s whims by responsiblychoosing to fulfill one’s duty and to give up one’s personalplans freely in order to uphold the dignity and liberty of the choicesof others.Another aspect of human formation and growth consists in theresponsibility of developing one’s God-given potential and talents.One’s life itself is a gift from God and the complete living out of thislife requires the full collaboration of the individual to bring it tofruition by putting to good use one’s life, one’s talents andcapabilities both for the good of others in the community and in theexercise of the apostolate.With the strong conviction that spirituality cannot be developedwithout humanity, personal development must start with awell-grounded human formation. A healthy personality developmentis the most fertile soil in which grace can take root and grow andproduce fruit. Human growth takes place in stages, with each stagepresupposing that the previous stage has been well constructed andbuilding the next stage of human development upon that. Thisprinciple requires that every individual know where he/she is and bedeeply committed to proceed forward, stage by stage, on one’spersonal journey. 34Finally, the religious has to keep in mind that this personal humangrowth and maturity should proceed also in accordance with thespiritual patrimony of the institute. The fullness of the individual’scall and commitment is in being in agreement with the specific styleof carrying out the apostolate. The charism of the institute will findits full flowering in an individual when there is an integratedmaturity of the different constitutive elements of personality. 356.2. Spiritual DimensionThe Directives on Formation in Religious Institutes (PotissimumInstitututioni) present three basic motivations for spiritual ongoingformation: 1. the vocation of a consecrated person itself requires aspecial and a personal attention to the workings of the Spirit; 2. the34Cf. A. WILKIE, “The Teaching of Spirituality in the Formation Programmeof Religious Orders,” in The Way Supplement (1995) 84, p. 55.35Cf. B. MARINELLI, “Contributions Towards the Integrated Formation ofthe Person,” in J. COTTON (Ed.), Growing Together in Christ. PersonalDevelopment in the Religious Life (New City: Dublin 1988), p. 123.