Ongoing Formation of Religious - CMGlobal

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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.
VINCENTIANA 1/2-2008 - INGLESEApril 17, 2008 − 4ª BOZZAOngoing Formation of Religious113rapidly changing context in which we live requires that theconsecrated person have deep spiritual roots; and 3. the future ofevery religious institute is strongly linked to the spiritual formationof its members. 36 It, therefore, opts for the formation of the spiritualdimension of consecrated persons.According to the very nature of the vocation and life of aconsecrated person the search for God and the development ofspiritual life acquire a particular importance, which has itsexpression particularly in different forms of asceticism andspirituality. As a matter of fact, all other dimensions of formationfind their fulfillment in spiritual formation. The exercises needed todevelop the spiritual dimension are: listening and meditating uponthe Word of God, a thirst for prayer, responsiveness to thepromptings of the Holy Spirit, commitment to the service of others,willingness to make sacrifices and the desire to deepen spiritualexperiences.Theologically speaking the end of spiritual formation is theperfection of charity. God is love, and hence pursuing the spiritualdimension comprises constant fidelity to the development of anintimate relationship with God, expressed in a fellowship with JesusChrist and culminating in an intimate union with him. 37 There is nodenying the fact that spiritual formation is motivated first of all bythe initiative of God who calls each one at every moment and inevery circumstance of life. Therefore the basis of the spiritualdimension in the religious is precisely the awareness that one’svocation is from God. Hence, it is necessary to constantly discern thiscall and follow with fidelity this call; i.e., be constantly faithful to thewill of God in every moment of one’s life.Coupled with this awareness is the special role that the charismof the founder has in one’s spiritual life. It is a gift of the Spirit thatis to be received, safeguarded, deepened and constantly developedby the religious. For this purpose one needs to pay close attentionto the signs of the Spirit and be sensitive to respond to themappropriately. Just as the founders and foundresses of religiousinstitutes were sensitive to the mysterious signs of the Spirit, eventhe consecrated person today must be sensitive and docile to that36See: CONGREGATION FOR INSTITUTES OF CONSECRATED LIFE AND SOCIETIESOF APOSTOLIC LIFE, Potissimum Institutioni. Directives on Formation inReligious Institutes (2 February 1990) (Libreria Editrice Vaticana: VaticanCity 1990), n. 67.37Cf. M. KATO, Christian Self-Surrender. Spiritual Transformation inthe Paschal Christ (Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas: Rome1988), p. 20.
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