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 FR. ALBERIONE
AND THE EUCHARIST
Sr. M. Paola Mancini, pddm
For this
contribution on the occasion of the centenary of the priestly
ordination of the Primo Maestro, I draw from a course of Spiritual
Exercises given to the General Governments of the Daughters of Saint
Paul and of the Pious Disciples of the Divine Maestro in which I
have participated in 1980, the theme being “Charism and Identity”.
As I approach that argument, I feel a sense of deep gratitude to
our animators, Fr. Rafael Castañeda, ssp and Sr. Antonietta
Martini, fsp. They are already in the house of the Father. They have
made us approach with love the fundamental book of charismatic
identity of us all, Pauline Family, and for having introduced us
imbued with the passion di persons who had not only studied the
person of Blessed Alberione, but believed in the riches of the
Pauline charism. Together they have initiated us in the enjoyment of
the principal source of our charism,
Abundantes divitiae gratiae suae .
Our approach has
been done from a biblical perspective, drawing from the conversion
experience of Paul of Tarsus the argument presented by Fr. Rafael
Castañeda; while Sr. Antonietta has guided us in the reading of the
text of AD.
The title of this
book, that tells about the charismatic experience of Alberione, is
taken from the Letter to the Ephesians (2, 4-8): God, who is
rich in mercy, for the great love with which he has loved us, though
we were dead in sin, has made us live again with Christ: by grace in
fact you have been saved. With him he has also resurrected us and
has made us sit in heaven in Christ Jesus, to show in future
ages the extraordinary riches of his grace in kindness toward us in
Christ Jesus”. In this Pauline text Fr. Alberione has caught
sight of the entry of God’s goodness in his life, as in the life of
Paul and in each of us: abundant riches of grace on the part of God.
Both in St. Paul and Alberione we find as convergent line a great
experience of the goodness of God. It is he who has made us know the
mystery of his will.
In Abundantes
divitiae the one who writes is Fr. Alberione, after 50 years of
priesthood. These pages are the history of God in him: charism=experience
of God. He has a retrospective look to seize the extraordinary
generosity of God with us. Both in Paul and in Alberione we have a
great faith and contemplation. In Abundantes divitiae Fr.
Alberione puts himself before God: with the verbs in the passive:
the action of God is seen. The subject is always Another:
“Everything is from God” (n 4)! The attitude of the
Founder is that of praise, awareness of his nothingness and
fragility. He appears to us as a man who leapt into into God. He is
aware of having been chosen by God as mediator of a gift to be
transmitted to others. From this, the experience of his poverty,
vis-a-vis the “abundant riches of grace given to the Pauline
Family in Christ Jesus” (n.4). He asks to be like a servant in
the Pauline Family: servant of Jahvè is one who consumes his life
for God; who affirms that he wants to vanish from memory to be an
instrument that communicates the divine vill. Fr. Alberione had to
take from the Lord and give to others. Prior to works there appears
the spirituality to live: to enter the mystery of Jesus Master, way,
truth and life, in order to manifest him, to be a strong
proclamation of this mystery.
Just
as a light struck Paul on the road to Damascus, so Alberione has
seen the Lord (cf AD 13-32). For the Primo
Maestro this experience has an exact place: the Dome at Alba.
A time: at night. For Paul: the road to Damascus and
as time: midday. Even Moses is reached by God (cf Exodus
3, 2-12) near God’s mountain, beyond the desert. These
men have seen a distressing situation in society and God reaches
them in the ordinariness of their life. Alberione notices the
cultural disorientation of his time and starts to read the works of
Toniolo and faces his socio-ecclesial experience. However, there is
a strong perception of something that comes from outside. For
Paul (Acts 26, 12-18): a light came from heaven. For Moses: a
flame of fire came from the Bush (Exodus 3, 2-12). For
the young seminarian Alberione “a special light came from the
Host” (AD 15). In this strong light for the three of
them, there is a mission, not an emotion. A well-defined mandate
takes on life. For Alberione it appeared clear: “come to me, all
of you! “He felt obliged to do something for the Lord”, and to
work with others. There is in all a sign of divine help. For
Alberione: “I am with all of you”, “I am with you”:
always this promise. These persons show on their face the signs of
their experience. “At ten in the morning he must have left
something from his inside to be revealed, because a cleric (who
later was the Canon Giordano) upon meeting him became awed” (AD
21).
The
Eucharist is the source and content of this experience (cf AD
18-20) and unifies life. The vision of God is light-giving,
fruit of attentive listening to the Word of God and of deep
harmonisation with the Church and its pastors. This allows him to
enter deeply into the life of the Church and of society, and to
grasp the necessity of bringing the Gospel to the masses.
The
apostles freely spend their lives, for God and for the Church (cf
AD 23-24). For him, preparation means: unification of
life. Everything converges in the experience of God, to give it
consistency and depth (cf AD nn 9. 20. 21).
The
spirituality that he consigns to us is Eucharistic: awareness of our
nothingness and of the presence of God with us in history: “I am
with you in the Eucharist”. After such events these men seem not
to be free anymore: Fr. Alberione “felt deeply obliged”.
The experience becomes determining and these men continually refer
to it.
For
our spiritual and apostolic physiognomy we must go back to this
experience where everything is important for our identity. Here we
get the intentions for which the Spirit has wanted us in the
Church, in answer to the urgent needs of this historical moment. Fr.
Alberione prays for the century that is starting.The need becomes
clear to him to let the Gospel penetrate the masses, “he seemed
to understand the heart of the great Pope and the invitations of the
Church” (AD 15).
Besides
his founding charismatic experience, he affirms that every other
riches has been given to the Pauline Family “during inspiration
at the feet of Jesus-Host” (AD 29).
For what concerns the Pauline Family, he makes a continuous
discernment in front of the Eucharist. He recognizes that the bond
of communion of the Pauline Family is Eucharistic: “There
is a close kinship among them, because they are all born of the
Tabernacle. Just one spirit: to live Jesus Christ, and to serve the
Church. One represents all by interceding before the Tabernacle...”
(AD 34).
The contemplation
that Blessed Alberione lives bears the signs of that initial
enlightenment and leads him to make many mature decisions typically
Pauline: “These matters and experiences, meditated before the
Blessed Sacrament, ripened our persuasion: always, only and in
everything, Romanity” (AD 56). «Our aspirations are those of
the Heart of Jesus in the Mass; in the one apostolate “to make
known Jesus Christ”» (AD 65). “From Canon Chiesa he had
learned to transform everything into an object of meditation and
prayer before the Divine Master: to adore, thank, propitiate, ask”
(AD 68). “These riches have matured and come to the Pauline
Family like the others: through an action and light of Jesus-Host”
(AD 82).
We could consider
as theological foundation of his experience the following
expressions: “The secret of greatness is to take God as model,
living in Christ. Therefore, let this thought be always clear: to
live and to work in the Church and for the Church; to graft
yourseves like wild olives to the olive of life: the Eucharistic
Christ; to reflect and nourish yourselves with every phrase of the
Gospel, according to the spirit of Saint Paul” (AD 95).
The trust
for us Pauline Family from Jesus Master himself takes place some
years later during another strong experience: “In a dream he had
afterwards, he seemed to have a
response. Jesus Master, in fact, said:
«”don’t be
afraid. I am with you.
from here i
desire to enlighten. be sorry for your sins”.
This “from here” was coming out of
the Tabernacle, forcefully; in such a way as to make it understood
that from him, the Master, all light was to be received.
He talked about it to
his Spiritual Director, noting in what light the figure of the
Master was shrouded. He answered: “Be at peace; dream or not,
what has been said is holy; make it a practical program of life and
light for you and for all the members» (cf
AD 152-154).
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