Thoughts from Fr.

Alberione #2

Chapter 7 (?)
The Founder of the Pauline Family placed himself and the work that he had
created at the service of the Church. From the Church came the inspiration
and approbation of his apostolic initiatives. His acute and profound sense of
fidelity to the Church was also expressed in love and faithfulness to the
Pope, Vicar of Christ, visible head of the Church. From Leo XIII to Paul VI,
Fr. Alberione professed an enlightened devotion to the person and role of the
Vicar of Christ. He resolutely transmitted this attitude to his sons and
daughters and succeeded in obtaining from the Holy See, for the Society of
St. Paul, the vow of “Fidelity to the Pope,” as a sure guide for the practical
exercise of the Pauline apostolate.

• The Church, Teacher of faith, morality and prayer, labors to form the
perfect Christian, the citizen of heaven. This formation takes place in
Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He made himself a
Teacher for our sake and in this elevation, Christianization and
divinization of man He is the unique Master. Understanding this
clearly, the Church, as the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, labors
wisely to communicate and perfect this education and formation of
man, so as to make him a worthy member of Jesus Christ, her Head.
She continues His role as an incomparable Teacher. (CISP 1032)
• Jesus, Master, Teacher of mankind, enlightens the Church by the Holy
Spirit. She has two enemies: sin and ignorance. She does not reject
discovery, knowledge the natural and divine sciences, but rather
examines, adopts and uplifts these so that they can make a precious
contribution to her teaching. (CISP 1032)
• Whoever adheres to the Catholic Church with profound faith is always
wiser than one who wanders about in search of a personal and
arbitrary structure, living on illusions, building on sand.
• On the contrary, even the youngest of our aspirants setting type by
hand for a catechism or a sister distributing the Gospel becomes a
teacher: ‘Blessed are the steps of those who bring truth, peace and true
good.” (UPS II 176)
• There is a sign that grows out of the perpetuity, authority and
supernatural aspect of the Church. It is that in the varying
circumstances of her history, the Church always finds the man who
corresponds to the needs of the age. This man, anchored on the shores
of eternity and lifted above changing events, is the Pope. (CISP 307)
• The Lord guides his and our Church. Nineteen centuries of history
prove this. The barque of Peter plows its course through stormy seas.
Yet it continues to bring those who trust in it safely to the port of
happy serenity.
• Let us pray to the Holy Spirit that a man for our times will be chosen
in the coming conclave.1 Men change, but the Church remains and the
gates of hell do not prevail—just as the sacred hosts are different at
every Mass, yet in the Eucharist we always receive Jesus, the
nourishing food of our souls. (CISP 309)
• The Pope is the most eminent advocate, the most consistent defender
of true civilization. By civilization we mean the fusion of the
religious, moral, philosophical, scientific, aesthetic, political and
social elements. Centuries of history prove this. (CISP 301)
• We affirm our total affection, submission and dedication to the Pope.
We are with the Pope in order to be with Jesus Christ. (Pr A59-60)
• The Holy See has communities of religious at its service for works of
general interest. The great vision is to have ever more numerous
armies, ever more spiritually and scientifically trained, ever more
closely joined to the Vicar of Jesus Christ, ever more prompt to
respond to a call, ever more tenacious in carrying out the work given
to the institute within the framework of its particular goals…. We
spend our lives well when we serve the Church, the Pope and Jesus
Christ in this way. Jesus Christ is the author, comfort, model and
reward of religious. (CISP 801)

1. The Founder is referring here to the conclave of October, 1958, in

which John XXIII was elected Pope—“the man of the times,”
according to Fr. Alberione’s prayer.

• The authority of the hierarchy set us out on a road and into an

apostolate very different from the one ordinarily followed up to
then. The Bishop of Alba summoned me one day and told me:
“I am now adding another ministry to your ordinary
assignment, and it is a demanding one.” He indicated the path:
 the diocesan newspaper. On that path, at both its highest and
lowest points, he guided and sustained me with wisdom and
fortitude for about twenty years. Everything developed from
this.
• And now the two revered documents (of the Holy See) confirm
how everything evolved under the light, guidance and approval
of the Church and more precisely under “the Shepherd who
guides the Church.”
• So the main thing is: Christ and in the Church –always. This is
how we started and this is how we live today. (CISP 179)
• The Pauline Family came to be at a time when the reigning
Holy Father was not supported by many in his directives
concerning the press. One of the aims of the Pauline Family
was to make up for the group of people who paid no attention to
what the Pope said and went ahead teaching as they saw fit,
according to their point of view and their convictions. They
gave no heed to the one who had the obligation, duty and power
to direct Catholics on the true path of the apostolate. Thus came
our vow of fidelity regarding the apostolate. (Pr VO 413)
• I besought His Holiness2 to hear me on two points that I have
much at heart. Encouraged by him, I expressed a personal
desire first. Three times he reassured me regarding it, speaking
decisively and with kind concern.
• Then I explained to the Holy Father how the prayer, studies and
apostolate of the Pious Society of St. Paul take their inspiration
from the Divine Master, Way, Truth and Life. He strongly
approved and encouraged the hour of adoration in honor of the
Divine Master, practiced in the Society of St. Paul. Love for the
only Master is also love for the universal, infallible, visible and
indefectible teacher who is the Pope. And he blessed and
encouraged this love, exhorting us to confirm it, deepen it,
enlarge it and take certain precise steps to make it increasingly
more alive and practical, in keeping with the spirit of the
Church. (CISP 113)
• We must feel ourselves to be at the side of the Pope in the
apostolate so as to repeat what he teaches with the media that
the Lord has given us. These are the same means indicated by
the Second Vatican Council: press, film, radio, television and in
general, the technical media of social communication. We must
 feel ourselves to be at the side of the Pope in his actions, to be
at his service, to be at the side of the bishops and priests—to be
of service, that is, in submission to the collaboration with the
Church. (Pr A 207)

2. This excerpt refers to the audience of Fr. Alberione with Pope Pius
XII in 1941, after pontifical approval of the Pious Society of St. Paul.

8 A GREAT PROBLEM: VOCATIONS

Vocations to the priesthood and to the religious life constitute one of today’s
major problems for those who love the Church. Father Alberione knew that
true vocations come from God, but that they call for the Church’s concern
and require the right circumstances and efforts in order to manifest
themselves. For this problem to be resolved, a mode of thinking and acting
which is truly evangelical is needed, together with total dependence on God.
Father Alberione was instrumental in giving impetus to many priestly and
religious vocations on various continents. He gave unreserved attention to
this general problem of the Church, dedicating to it not only numerous
writings but also one of his Congregations, the youngest of them all: the
Sisters of the Queen of Apostles, founded for the vocation apostolate.

• Among zealous works, the problem of vocations occupies first place.

Jesus did not begin His public ministry by preaching. He began it by
making disciples. He looked for them along the lake side, extended
his invitation, and James, John, Andrew, Peter, Philip and others
accepted it. (UPS I 85)
• The Lord made man free. A vocation is an act of love for God; it
therefore takes a voluntary act of love to follow it and correspond to
it. Vocations have to be modeled on Jesus Christ, who said to the
Father: “Here I am, O God, to do your will.” (Pr SR 60)
• The needs of humanity and of the Church and souls are immense. One
can readily understand why many projects and works are proposed.
But works are done when there are people to do them, and these
people are productive in the measure that they have been grafted onto
Christ. Electric current has high and low tension. Religious life is
spiritual current at high tension, the poetry of a personality in Christ,
the generator and promoter of heroism. So the necessity exists for
 vocations in every religious and ecclesial sector, in the spirit of the
papal associations for vocations, for the secular clergy and for the
religious life. The Institute of the Queen of Apostles for vocations is a
response to this need. Its line of action is in conformity with Jesus
Christ, Way, Truth and Life: His teaching, His example. A sufficient
number of good vocations constitutes the greatest need of the Church
today in every part of the world. (CISP 181)
• All Catholics, with all their strength, for all vocations and for every
apostolate! May all who are called correspond; may all apostles
become saints; may they be received by all men. (PFP 194)
• If we truly loved our neighbor as ourselves, we would want for many
others the great good that we ourselves possess: our vocation. If we
are happy with the grace we have received, we want others to share it.
If we have our mind turned towards sanctity, we yearn for others, to
live this ideal. (UPS I 85)
• God is a just remunerator and always compensates only those who do
His will. To discover the will of God is both a simple and a
complicated matter, both clear and obscure, both sad and joyful, both
ordinary and extraordinary, depending on the individual case.
Therefore, neither a casual attitude nor exasperation, nor tormented
uncertainty is called for, but prudence, examen, prayer, counsel and
decisions in faith.
• Were there is innocence and the right environment, the divine voice
often manifests itself soon after the age of reason.
• Often, too, it entails coming out of a forest of obscurity into the light
of the sun, out of a sorrow or disappointment to reality, out of a
sickening mundane experience to the gentle, persuasive invitation, to
a “Come, follow me”; out of a shattering event to a horizon filled with
hope; out of a carefree, lazy, extravagant life to a thirst for sacrifice.
“The Spirit breathes where he will.” (UPS I 115)
• When we withdraw from the sight of men, when we pray quietly and
offer ourselves in willing dedication to humble and hidden work, we
attract many vocations…. “I draw all things to myself,” because “no
one goes to the Father except through me.” (IA 343)
• The church’s need is not only for many vocations, but for authentic
vocations used to obedience and work. To accustom ourselves to work
means to give our energies to God in whatever way possible and as
obedience asks. (Pr VV 233)
• Cooperate with the heavenly Father not only in building a “cage” but
also in searching for the birds. When we say that we want a nest for
ourselves, we intend to ask for both birds and cage. Vocations are
immensely more numerous than those who come. May none be lost
because of us!
• Before anything else, pray. Then invite, promote, work, do something.
There is still laziness in this field, human respect, indifference,
lukewarmness. Those who really love the Institute prove it by trying
to contribute to its good. And the greatest blessing for a family is its
members—may they be numerous and good. (IA II 112)
• The Lord has prepared a great many vocations in proportion to the
needs of the modern apostolates of the Church. What is required is
genuine trust in Providence, avoiding presumption on one hand,
which would be evident in exaggerated projects and mistrust on the
other hand, which would lead to the building of small houses that are
not suited to future growth. Such action is a way of tying the hands of
Providence. Proceeding with true confidence will bring numerous,
healthy aspirants; buildings can be enlarged and carefully studied
programs can be carried out. It is important not to hinder the wheels of
Providence by sin or laziness.
• Together let us ask the Lord always to grant us, on one hand, the nest,
and on the other, the birds to fill it. (CISP 914)
• You always have something new! First it was libraries, then Gospel
Days, then Marian Days, then catechetical days, then collective
distribution, and now the effort to stabilize the fruit of promotion and
distribution.
• But still another activity awaits us: triduums and vocation days. Let us
prepare a vocation catechism, meanwhile. Then this year in Vita
Pastorale, I will deal with this subject only—two issues of it are
already done. To get things done requires personnel. (Pr CO 667)
• If our apostolate truly follows God the Writer and Publisher, it will
bear fruit and endure. And vocations will multiply. Vocations come to
us when it is obvious that we are giving men the wisdom of God.
They leave us when they don’t see this. To give God to humanity: let
this be our daily sigh, our daily prayer. (Pr A 386)
•
• Maybe we say “Come and follow me” because we have a nice house,
or because we have such and such an apostolate, or such and such a
study program…? What do they want with these human motivations?
 “Come and follow me” because you will have an eternal reward! And
say it clearly: “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him deny
himself daily, take up his cross and follow me.” (Pr UP 642)

9 THE PRIEST

Fr Alberione was essentially a priest and his manifold works sprang

basically from a vivid awareness of his priestly commitment. Making the
priesthood the cornerstone of all the Pauline apostolic institutions, he gave it
a new dimension by introducing it into the field of the media of social
communication. He wanted numerous religious brothers to collaborate with
this priesthood, elevating them; in his words, to a “quasi-priesthood.” He did
the same for women, in accord with the guidelines expressed in a book
written in his early priesthood on the role of women associated with the
work of priests (in English: “Woman—Her Influence and Zeal”.)
In the current crisis of priestly renewal, it is a bracing experience to feel this
man’s ardent faith in the mission of the priesthood.
• We adore Jesus Christ the Priest, with whom every priest is joined to
the one priesthood, as St. Paul tells us in the Letter to the Hebrews.
• We thank Jesus Christ the Priest, in whom, for whom and with whom
we glorify the Holy Trinity.
• We make atonement to Jesus Christ the Priest for the betrayals that
have followed down the centuries since the time of Judas.
• We pray to Jesus Christ the Priest that every age will have a sufficient
number of priests who will make themselves the light of the world,
the salt of the earth, the city of the mountaintop. (CISP 14767)
•
• I am a miracle of God! Your infinite mercy has brought me to the
priesthood. “By the grace of God, I am what I am.”
• Ordination transformed the Twelve. Ordination made me a new being,
God on earth.
• I identify with Christ. His interests are my interests, His intentions are
mine. I speak His words, my doctrine is His. My life is Christ’s. I do
His work, or better, He does it in me. “Peter baptizes, but it is Christ
who baptizes; Judas baptizes, but it is Christ who baptizes.” I am
obligated to God. I must live as Jesus Christ lived. (AP29)
•
• The priest walks to the altar bent by the weight of humanity’s
petitions. He returns bent by the weight of mercy and grace for all.
And this he is able to do because of the one and eternal Priest, the
Christ who was born a Priest. In eternity there is the great Mass, with
the Lamb, alive but as sacrificed. And beside the Lamb is the Virgin!
(Pr UP 520)
•
• The priest cannot be a man who lives for himself. His motto cannot be
“I and God”. It is absolutely necessary that he work for the salvation
of others and that his coat of arms be: “I-God-People.” (TP 9)
• The secret of direction is nothing else but directing, that is, having a
priestly mind, soul and heart resolutely journeying toward heaven,
indicating the road, inspiring and drawing a multitude behind….
• Truly direct people, as Jesus Christ did: He made himself completely
the Way, Truth and Life! This is not simply one method, philosophy,
the moral teaching, the apostolate, the secret—in keeping with man, in
keeping with revelation, in keeping with nature and in keeping with
grace.
• We are not florists but gardeners. We are other Christs’, not just
echoes. We are the salt, not the vendors of salt. We are the light, not
its reflectors. We are the city posted on the mountain top, not the
discoverers of the city. We draft the faithful for the battle against sin,
but we lead them as captains at the head of the army. We are the
trucks, not just trailers. We are striving resolutely for heaven, not just
pointing it out for others. We are not merely spectators, but gladiators
in the arena—indeed, leaders reaching for the reward. We are not
sheep-like followers, not marchers in a parade, but wise guides and
shepherds of the flock of Christ and of the Church. (CISP 19)
•
• O priest-writers, let us write after Mass and allow ourselves to be
channels, by which he blood of Christ passes from His heart to fill our
own and then overflows toward our readers.
• Let us understand the yearning, sighing, thirsting spirit of Jesus for
men and become His ardent voice, calling, insisting, pleading and
entreating in all patience and doctrine.
• Ah, priest-writers, the fruit of what you do depends more on your
knees than on your pen, more on your Mass than on your technique,
more on your examen of conscience than on your knowledge!
• The lay writer is a reflector of light. You must also show him the way
and give him life. Don’t fail to speak out incessantly, as St. John the
Baptist and St. Paul did Call attention to sin, let your virtue be seen,
communicate the strength of your example and the strength of the
Holy Spirit. (CISP 20)
•
• The priest who is learned is esteemed. The priest who is powerful is
feared. The priest who speaks well is listened to. But only the priest
steeped in great charity if loved.
• The priest has to acquire a true ascendancy over hearts and direct
them. But this will never be achieved except through charity and
gentleness. It will not be achieved by knowledge, nor by being looked
on as a man with money and able in business affairs; nor by having
many subordinates to handle marginal matters; not by the habit of
imposing on others; nor by politics. But only, I repeat, by amiability,
by steady self-control, by kindness. These are the qualities that bind
hearts to us in unbreakable unity. We become truly strong by
renouncing force. (TP 79)
•
• A priest cannot claim to be satisfied with himself y reason of splendid
ceremonies in church, the perfection of congregational hymn singing,
the practice of a thousand devotions, etc. He cannot content himself
with certain types of pilgrimages and processions which resemble
more a parade or the fact that the people admire his eloquence in
preaching, nor that some souls dwell lingeringly on concepts that are
very spiritual. He can’t even be satisfied if all, or nearly all, are
making their Easter duty, are being married in Church, are asking for
a Christian funeral, etc. These things are means, but the goal is to
change human thinking into Christian thinking, to transform human
affection into Christian affection, human works into works that are
worthy of a Christian. A man must be a Christian not only because of
baptism and not only in church, but at home, in his family, in society
—everywhere and always. (TP 134)
•
• A parish priest must carefully avoid that kind of life within the walls
of the rectory which is solitary and apart and can make him unaware
and insensitive to the joys, sorrows and concerns of his people. This is
not the way of a good father and a good shepherd. The father always
thinks of his children and the pastor learns to know his flock well. St.
 Paul said that he wept with those who wept, was joyful with those
who were content and passed from house to house preaching and
giving advice. Saintly priests were men of prayer and reticence, but at
the same time their charity was expansive, their zeal industrious and
their relations with people intimate. (TP 184).
•
• The good soldier wears the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation,
which shatter the enemy arrows.
• Do suspicion and calumny cause grief, especially when coming from
above or close by? The man of God recalls the words: “blessed are
those who are persecuted for justice’ sake.” And he goes ahead!
• Do feelings of revenge try to gain entrance to his heart? The man of
God recalls the saying: “Love your enemies, do good to those who
hate you,” and he nourishes a special love for those who oppose him.
• Is he dejected by his sins, lack of ability and of resources? The man of
God remembers: “The Lord is my refuge; I can do all things in him.”
And he does not vacillate. If one way is closed to him, he searches for
another.
• Is the law of the flesh, so contrary to the law of the spirit, a torment?
The words: “My grace is sufficient for you” uplift and reassure him.
• Are the widespread depravity of morals and the assault of so many
enemies attempting to undermine his courage? The phrase: “Fear not
little flock, for your Father will give you a kingdom” cheers him.
• In the pulpit and in the confessional, in catechetical teaching and in
meetings, among families and through the press, he is always humble,
always trusting, always faithful to what he represents. Every difficulty
enriches him with merit before God and before impartial men. (CISP
1059)
•
• In spite of everything we grow old! It’s true. But let it be clear: the
clergy will ever be young if: they keep themselves updated in studies;
they live devoutly in their own day and age; their pastoral activity
adheres to the needs of the people;
• They know how to pace their energies, as much as possible, through a
well-regulated life;
• They live in the ageless, always youthful Jesus Christ in every age and
in the Church, which never grows old. (CISP 275)
•
 • Every priest who with a spirit of faith reads the Acts of the Apostles,
the life of St. Paul and his Letters cannot help but become aware of
new horizons for his ministry and new directions for his
sanctification. The familiar encounter of a pastor with the Doctor of
the Gentiles enchants him: he admires him and wants to imitate him.
St. Paul is always current. (AP 7)
•
• Jesus, Divine Master, may Your amiable heart be thanked and blessed
for the institution of the priesthood. As You were sent by the Father,
so priests are sent by You. You have charged them with the treasures
of Your doctrine, Your precepts Your grace and souls themselves.
Help me to love them, to listen to them, to allow myself to be guided
by them along Your paths. Send good laborers into Your harvest, O
Jesus. May priests be the salt which purifies and preserves, the light of
the world, the city on the mountain top. May all of them resemble
You in their hearts. May they be surrounded one day in heaven with a
multitude of conquered souls, their crown and joy. (PFP 121)
•
• The priesthood must not die. The particles of the Eucharist are
consumed, but Jesus’ presence in the tabernacle continues. Caring for
vocations is the work of works. The first apostolate of Jesus was that
of finding and forming those who would continue what He had begun,
the apostles. Before beginning to preach, He had already gathered a
small group of future apostles. He spent the best part of His public life
with them. (CISP 561)

10 THE DISCIPLE OF THE DIVINE MASTER

In his anxiety to “restore all things in Christ,” and to be inspired in all things
by the Gospel, Father Alberione conceived his institution on the model of
the Family of Nazareth, as well as on the apostolic community which
followed the Divine Master in Palestine. Therefore, at the side of priests who
continue the life of Jesus as heirs of the apostles, he envisioned the
“disciples,” imitators of St. Joseph and of the seventy-two who were also
sent to preach the message of salvation. In this way, the religious who was
not a priest was to participate in the same sacerdotal ministry not simply
through executive cooperation but through an original contribution giving
him a vital role in a modern apostolate. “Priests and disciples (brothers)
carry out the same apostolate together…and therefore merit the name of
apostles.” (UPS 127)

We see clearly here the decisive image of the non-priestly vocation

developed by Father Alberione. He restored to it the original features of the
evangelical workers, consecrated to the same apostolic activity as their
brother priests.

• Man is always a disciple of God and God Himself is the great teacher
of man, through His external works: creation, human history, the gift
of reason, revelation, the continuous action of the Holy Spirit in the
Church. (UPS II 194)
•
• According to the Latin word discere, “disciple” indicates someone
who is learning. In our case, it means “learning of Him who is
wisdom, truth and life, Jesus Christ.” (CISP 369)
•
• Scattered throughout the world by the Lord are many generous souls
whom He calls to Himself, to perfection, to work in collaboration with
the priesthood. Who will have the charity to open for them the door to
special sanctity…? And why can’t they also be associated with an
apostolate? As in times past institutes sprang up which offered priest-
religious the opportunity to perform works of zeal and the care of
souls, why not today give lay brothers a participation in priestly work?
Why not give them a quasi-priesthood…? Let priests and brothers be
united in the same apostolate in order to prepare for themselves a
heavenly reward.
• Thus we have our disciples (brothers). Because of them, the priest’s
preaching with modern media is lifted above the slavery of common
labor and is multiplied indefinitely. Elevating, joyful and varied, the
work of the disciple gives glory to God, announces the Gospel, brings
light to souls. (AD 29-30)
•
• The disciple is envisioned as St. Joseph, that is, at the side of the
priest in formation, cooperation, apostolate. Cooperation with the
priest through prayer is the most important of all. This works toward
his own sanctification…. (CISP 370)
•
• Like St. Joseph, the brothers carry out arduous work in cooperating
for the advent of the kingdom of God. Their path of sanctification is
similar to his. They find their joy in a spirit of piety, in humble
conformity to the will of God, in silent labor and toil. They associate
the contemplative life to the active life. Their apostolate is broad,
modern, satisfying…. (CISP 347)
•
• In this marvelous mission, young men can find a place in which to
spend their intellectual, spiritual and physical energies well. All the
technical aspects of publishing and marketing, the book centers, film
agencies, etc., present them with a splendid and varied field of
apostolate. (CISP) 346)
•
• The door of religious life is open to all: to painters, lawyers,
engineers, doctors, musicians, film-makers, public relations personnel,
professors, accountants, etc.—and they need not renounce their
profession. As disciples, they will find a great field of work… (CISP
362)
•
• Lay religious have been numerous (St. Benedict, St. Francis of
Assisi…) They occupied themselves in prayer and various works.
Today they are often found as sacristans, doorkeepers, custodians, or
involved in different manual tasks.
• In their withdrawn, silent, pious, mortified common lives, they
sanctity themselves through observance, atonement for humanity’s
sins, prayer for the Church and the chanting of God’s praises.
• Our disciples are called to all of these good works. But to these they
add the apostolate and replace them with it, making reparation in a
particular way for the harm done by those who misuse God’s gifts of
human progress, who turn them against God Himself, against the
Church, against Jesus Christ, the Divine Master. (CISP 373-4)
•
• When the technical means of the press, cinema, radio, television,
records, etc., are used I the service of evil, they do great damage to
souls. This sight enkindles an intense flame of zeal in the heart of the
apostle.
• The disciple of the Divine Master effects not only a negative
reparation, but one that is especially positive. It consists in the direct
exercise of the apostolate of editions: opposing the press with the
 press, film with film, radio with radio, television with television. This
means confronting error with truth, evil with good, Satan with Jesus
Christ. (CISP 372-373)
•
• What distinguishes the vocation of the disciple from that of the priest?
• It is not health, talent, superior qualities…but his inclination and
aptitudes. In a word, it is the matter of vocation.
• There are those who desire above all to write, preach, confess, direct
souls, administer the sacraments, etc.-- the signs of a vocation to the
priesthood.
• There are those who love machines, technical work, diffusion, etc. –
the signs of a vocation to the state of a disciple. (CISP 354)

At all times and in every person, there must be knowledge equivalent to

one’s chosen state – the catechism, ascetics, liturgy, sacred history, the
history of the Church, etc.
The disciple is knowledgeable when he knows his apostolate well and
knows how to perform it skillfully. He is respected by all for this. It does not
discredit him if he doesn’t know theology, sociology, civil law, etc. (CISP
362)

If the disciple’s life is rightly presented to innocent souls, to upright

individuals, to adults already familiar with the vanity of the world, or
deluded by their taste of it—if it is presented to them in its form of modern
activity, considered in its pure evangelical spirituality, seen in its apostolate
effected in recollection while aimed at hundreds of thousands of souls – it
will attract a great number of aspirants. Well formed, they will walk the
fulfilling, upward road of the two great commandments: “Love the
Lord….Love your neighbor as yourself.” (CISP 374)

Here are the immense goods of the disciples:

1) By reason of the vows, their good works acquire a merit far greater
than that which they would have earned at home.
2) Their work is evangelization, apostolate, a social and supernatural
contribution to society, done as it is in union with the priest.
3) If they are faithful, they carry within themselves a clear and certain
sign of salvation.
4) They enjoy great peace in life, keep far from many dangers, recover
more quickly if they fall, have many means of salvation, die a more
serene death, and have special glory in heaven. (CISP 358)
 • With his plane and hammer, St. Joseph occupies a high place in
heaven. The holiest and most distinguished Pope, even with his
tiara, occupies a lesser place.
• In the work of sanctification, the priest is united to the disciple. He
helps him with the Word of God, direction, prayer. And the
disciple is instructed and communicated grace by means of the
sacraments. Then the priest, if he would sanctify himself,
meditates, examines his conscience, prays, is observant, docile,
pure, chaste … and has a greater account to render to God.
• The means are abundant and are at the disposition of all. It is up to
each to put them to use. Considering their state in actual fact (and
not in theory), I think it is generally easier to reach sanctity as a
disciple. (CISP 355-6)

11 WOMAN ASSOCIATED WITH PRIESTLY ZEAL

Thousands of women have followed the paths opened up by Fr. Alberione.

Like him, their ideal has been “to do something for the Lord and for
humanity” in their time.

The Congregations of the Daughters of St. Paul, Pious Disciples of the

Divine Master, Pastorelle Sisters, Queen of Apostles Sisters and the secular
Institute of Mary’s Annunciation, have given young women of thirty nations
the possibility of associating themselves with the pastoral apostolate of the
priesthood and in this way of responding to the spiritual needs of mankind
today.

From the pages of the Gospel and from his own clear insight into the
wonderful resources of the feminine soul for collaborating in the Kingdom
of Christ, Fr. Alberione learned to understand women and speak to them.

• God the Creator’s designs for women, confirmed by God the

Redeemer, have been elaborated and realized through a winding
history of anguish, obstacles and small and great heroism. Women’s
ideal, as resplendent in Mary is more and more longed for by all of
humanity. Woman is the helpmate of man and similar to him. With
him she forms one body. With him she applies redemption in the
 Church. With him she works for the social and moral elevation of
man. (CISP 1272)
•
• Woman could hold the world in her hand! (SC 369)
•
• Today’s woman must form today’s man. She must assist in meeting
the needs of today’s man and she must serve herself of the means of
today. (DA 38)
•
• It is necessary to reflect on the contribution that woman can make to
the Church and to humanity by reason of the strength and dedication
that is natural to her. For this reason, the Pauline Family was not
thought of as for men alone. The Lord willed that it be composed of
women also. (Pr 187)
•
• Moved by the plight of millions of pagan unbelievers, sisters leave the
civilized world to share their unhappy situation, often at the expense
of being misunderstood, being subject to enmity and sacrificing years
of their lives. (CISP 1272)
•
• This would be our picture of the whole woman: a person who is
cultured but not at the expense of spiritual values; at home in the
family and in society; one who can make an effective contribution in
civil and religious undertakings; a being who can so give herself to
God as to belong to Him totally and also belong to man so as to
complete him. She is the weaker sex, yet what power in that
supplicating weakness! If given good guidance, there is no heroism
beyond her reach. Cast aside and trodden underfoot, she has the
strength to get back on her feet and restructure a new future on the
foundation of Christian hope. (CISP 1273)
•
• Apply woman to the task of reaching man. She has a role in the
supreme work of man’s sanctification. (DA 24)
•
• The apostolate of preaching by the written word is very much adapted
to women. In the Church of God, women do not have the mandate of
the word, but are its effective collaborators.
• How many catechists, lecturers and good mothers know how to teach
children well! How many women know how to educate in a manner
 that is so telling and penetrating as to transform their surroundings!
Because a woman is a natural mother, she can adapt to and influence
all hearts, either in the family or in society. (HM VII 59)
•
• Every sister, especially you who are always exposed to the public eye,
must be a living book by which readers may learn the imitation of
Jesus Christ, how to live according to God, how the Gospel is
translated into practice. (HM II 80 53)
•
• These little sisters reach far and wide…. I don’t mean to imply a
littleness of stature…. The “little” is intended in the evangelical sense:
“If you do not turn and become as little children, you will not enter
the kingdom of heaven.” The Divine Master had no intention of
telling St. Peter to shorten his height! He meant to indicate a littleness
of spirit! (IA 3 10)
•
• Spread the Scriptures. It is God’s letter written to man—but it lacks
postmistresses to deliver it. The Daughters of St. Paul are its
postmistresses. Scripture needs people to multiply it; the Daughters of
St. Paul will multiply it mechanically. What wonderful things you
have to do! God has written, but men do not receive His letter. It is for
you to deliver it and in a way that all will receive it. If you are good
postmistresses of God, be assured that you will have found the path
that leads to heaven! (Pr A 272)
•
• Blessed are the steps of those who evangelize goodness, who
evangelize peace.
• Blessed are the handmaids of the Church who possess the heart of this
mother
• Blessed are those who walk for God, who study the ways of the world
in the convent’s mystical silence and then walk them on the morrow
to reach souls
• Blessed are these angels of the Lord who search out men who have
lost their way, or never known the path of the Church.
• Blessed are the postmistresses of Jesus, who bring the Gospel of love
to every family.
• Blessed are the coadjutors of priestly work who silently preach Jesus
Christ, the Way, Truth and Life.
 • Blessed is the mystic fragrance of lilies, roses and violets left in their
footsteps.
• Blessed are the imitators of Mary who presented Jesus to the
shepherds, to the wise men, to the temple, to the disciples and to the
world.
• Blessed are the Daughters of St. Paul, who possess their Father’s heart
and offer his word, who with their Father walk the path that God has
assigned them, suffering, praying and working.
• All the roads of the world converge into one. Jesus waits there by
appointment: “Come, blessed ones, into the kingdom of my Father.”
May the blessing of God the Father, Son and Holy spirit descend on
them and accompany them, so that they may bear enduring fruit as
they journey, for the glory of God and the peace of men. (Pr D 49)

12 FUNDAMENTAL CHOICE: RELIGIOUS LIFE

In his private notes, Fr. Alberione wrote of himself: “In 1910 he took a
definitive step: there would be writers, technicians, distributors, but they
would be religious men and women. On the one hand, these souls would be
brought to the highest perfection through the practice of the evangelical
counsels joined to the merit of apostolic life. On the other hand, they would
bring more unity, stability, continuity and a sense of the supernatural to the
apostolate. An organization would be formed, but a religious one, where
energies would be united, where dedication would be total, where doctrine
would be more sound. And this society of souls, loving God with all their
mind, strength and heart, would offer themselves to work for the Church,
content with the divine stipend: ‘Receive a hundredfold and possess life
everlasting.
He rejoiced therefore, considering part of this army of souls as belonging to
the Church on earth and part as belonging to the Church in heaven.” (AD
21-22)

From then on, knowing the end to be attained—an apostolate with modern
means—the great theme of his priestly work and thought became the
religious life.
The religious life has its roots deep in the Gospel.
Christianity is always passed over by the world as a living paradox, a
madness to some, a scandal to others. For us it is divine truth and reality, as
attested to in the eight beatitudes pronounced by the Divine Master.
The religious state, which is perfecting of the Christian life and the integral
practice of the Gospel, seems all the more a paradox: the sacrifice of one’s
own life in order to save it, giving up everything in order to gain everything.
And in culmination of this paradox, poverty be comes wealth; abasement
leads to exaltation; virginity bears life; servitude becomes freedom;
sacrifice: beatitude; service: apostolate; death: life. “You are dead and your
life is hidden with Christ in God.” “I have been crucified with Christ and if I
am alive, it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.” The mystic
crucifixion of the religious is accomplished by the three nails of poverty,
chastity and obedience.
And this, after the Mass and martyrdom, is the greatest and most meritorious
act. Each morning, during the renewal of the sacrifice of Jesus, I nail my
whole being to His own cross, renewing the three holy vows. (UPS I 55)

More than ever before, this age calls for religious. If they are well chosen
and prepared, it is from them that the Church will draw immense advantage
in every phase of its universal activity. Throughout its millennium of history
and in its most turbulent periods, this is how it has been. Tempered by deep
piety, study and observance, religious came out of their silence, took up
places in the front lines and led the way toward a civilization that was
Christian and Catholic. The needs today are of incalculable breadth and
depth. (CISP 454)

Religious life may be exposed to tremendous trials in the next generation if

it is not sustained by a strong and genuine faith (CISP 290)
•
• One state or another, one order or another, one institute or another
becomes extinct, because of lack of members or lack of religious
spirit. But the religious state itself can never disappear not diminish in
value because it belongs to the integrity of the Church. It is its
external image, testifying to one of the principal characteristics of its
holiness. Is this our concept of the religious state? (Pr SR 20)
•
• We religious ought to measure up to our responsibility! If the secular
clergy is bound within the confines of a parish or diocese, we are
meant for broader conquests, for more general works, for especially
urgent problems. We must feel, think, and act with the Pope. His heart
 pulses in unison with the heart of Jesus Christ. Let there be prayer and
apostolic activity for new conquests.
• We do well to meditate on exact figures. With arithmetic before us,
there’s little room for vague optimism or pessimism. In 1925 there
were 1,326,000,000 people outside the fold of the Catholic Church—
that is, that many to convert. In 1935, this number rose to
1,680,000,000. In 1949, it had reached 1,800,000,000 human beings.
• Examen of conscience: do we really love God, humanity, the Church?
(CISP 562)
•
• Meditation and examination of conscience can also be made with the
use of figures. (CISP 1444)
•
• To join the contemplative life to activity is to form the most perfect
life. Burn brightly and cast light! Two things are meritorious: personal
sanctification and zeal for God’s glory. “Indeed, doing this, you will
save yourself and those who listen to you.” (CISP 649)
•
• The religious does not have a series of promotions to allure him. His
aim is not recognition or the bearing of titles. He doesn’t seek esteem
or distinction. He doesn’t have the worry of a salary. He has given up
even the ordinary comforts of the secular clergy. He makes no
distinction between a black, violet, or red cassock. His trust is in the
“hundredfold,” reading a hundred times more than what he has given
up.
• As the Holy Spirit gives us light and as much as it lies within our
choice, we prefer humiliation to praise, poverty to possessions, being
forgotten to recognition, suffering to consolation and health.
• Let us consider ourselves least and not expect thanks. As regards the
diocesan clergy, let us take second place.
• Let us be ready to convert people to the faith, build up parishes, be
organizers in a diocese…and then be prepared to hand it all over to
the diocesan clergy. When everything is flowing smoothly in the
Church, let us attend to study, prayer, ministry and apostolate. But
when the Church is plowing through troubled waters, let us come
forward with an active and prayerful contribution. And when the
moment has passed, let us return to the shadows, disposed to accept
criticism, scorn and harsh judgment because more was expected of us.
Demands will be made on us and no exchange given. To confess, to
 preach, to minister without recompense; to spend long and heavy
hours in editorial work or in the apostolate, at times to the detriment
of our health, to be judged at times to the detriment of our health, to
be judged at times as loafers or businessmen: all this is what the
religious chooses and accepts with his profession…. But there is the
hundredfold…and if one is faithful, life eternal. (UPS III 58-59)
•
• Observe the kind of mystery there is in profession: poverty is the
greatest wealth, chastity is the greatest love, obedience is the greatest
freedom. (Pr VV 199)
•
• Religious life is a life of more vivid faith. If faith fades, religious life
will be abandoned. Maybe the Christian aspect will continue to exist,
but perhaps not even this will survive. For “the fall of the best is the
worst of all.” (SM 15)
•
• The spirit of obedience in a congregation is the barometer of its value.
(Pr VO 328)
•
• There is no other path to peace and holiness than this: “Your will be
done on earth as it is in heaven.”
• The religious state has many benefits. But there is also tediousness
and perils of different kinds at every stage. They are “the uncertainties
of the trade,” so to speak:
• --the possibility of receiving orders that are annoying, painful,
depressing;
• --the possibility of being subject to a disagreeable superior, or of
living with confreres whom we do not find too pleasant;
• --the possibility of being misunderstood and left to one side; how
many have had this trial…!
• --the possibility of being assigned a difficult office, with
consequences even for our health;
• --the possibility of being changed on a moment’s notice;
• --the possibility of being given an unappreciated task, which may
even appear out of proportion.
• And when that which is a possibility becomes a reality? Then we look
to Jesus: “Not mine, but your will be done.” (UPS I 525)
•
 • Charity in obedience and obedience in charity! Internal divisions in an
institute have serious consequences: divisions in thought, direction,
character, teaching, work, etc. They destroy the spirit and life of the
institute at its foundations. Union is such a vital element as t merit the
sacrifice of particular points of view and particular advantages. (UPS
I 291)

The Holy Spirit does not reside in the Superior General alone, nor in the
provincial or local superiors alone, but in all the members. Why the
Ecumenical Council? So that members would say what the Lord inspired
them to say.
The Church is a mystical body and every institute is part of the Mystical
Body. Let no one try to do things on his own because the institute is a
society, and in a society there are members who can speak up. Advice
should be asked and some accounting of things be given.
Government is democratic, not absolutist. It is not a government that only
decrees or imposes, but it reassumes and summarizes ideas and suggestions,
meditating and praying over them and finally arriving at decisions.
It is in this way that the designs of God are more readily discovered. At the
same time, if every member senses the need to contribute to the institute, he
becomes a more responsible and willing worker, accepting what has been
decided because he knows that it has been weighed carefully. (SC 272)
•
• With regard to union of minds, charity does not require religious to
have no personal thoughts of their own, nor does it oblige them to
always accept others’ ideas. Union of minds, however, does
unconsciously lead to a broad conformity of views, sentiments and
aims and religious formation does draw views closer and closer
together. There are situations, nevertheless, where positions differ. It
is then that the dictum of St. Augustine should be recalled: “In
necessary things, unity; in doubtful things, liberty; in all things,
charity.” (UPS IV 219)
•
• Not everything is evil. But having red, black or green glasses, one
interprets things as red, black or green. Green glasses signify envy;
black glasses, the suspicion of evil; and red glasses, irritableness over
everything that happens, a tendency to interpret everything negatively.
(Pr VO 350)
•
• Common life calls for sociability. Man is a social being by nature.
Except in cases of very rare special vocations, we tend spontaneously
to meet with one another, to listen to one another, to live together in
every period of life. Isolation is generally feared.
• But this does not mean to be so much a part of a crowd as to absorb
everything from surroundings and company, following along blindly,
to the point of losing one’s personality. We must be good company
yet know how to keep apart. One must not be carried away by the
crowd, by empty reading, the radio, films and television to the point
of becoming somewhat foolish, passive, enslaved, lacking in
reflection, in personal, strong ideas. (UPS I 288)
•
• There must be vigilance in the common life about deviations and
certain inevitable imperfections.
• In the first place, there are such general and common perils as
conservatism petrified in particular points, inability to collaborate
with others, meanness in manner when fighting for an ideal,
misunderstanding of the ideals and apostolate of others, etc. (UPS I
286)
•
• There are those whose nervous tension is transmitted in sudden bolts
of lightening, and there are those who accept the consequences as a
gift of God. Note well that patience is the result of great virtue. If
patience is lacking, how is peace and union to be preserved? How is
spiritual and apostolic progress possible? (IA 3 233)
•
• How often does it occur that the very person who wants to re-establish
order ends by disturbing it the most! In certain meetings, the one who
demands silence makes more noise than anyone else.
• True reforming zeal always begins with ourselves. Therefore, don’t be
taken in too easily by those who talk about reform—reform of the
clergy, of society, of Catholic associations—if first you do not see the
beginnings of reform within these people themselves. (Pr VO 327)
•
• There are individuals who take over the ship and impose themselves
on the community. Others, following them without judgment or
control, applaud. One such person is sufficient to lower the moral
standard.
• Superiors should teach fellow members to reflect and be guided by
principles. They should try to encourage docility in individuals—
without going to the excesses of infantilism. How many religious are
subject to group influence, to exaggerated or de-personalizing
influences! To grow as a healthy person one must know how to be
alone at times, to decide for oneself, in a word, live as a healthy
person one must know how to live as an adult. Decisiveness, vigor,
tenacity, sound principles will result in the best religious, the best
teachers, the best spiritual directors.
• It is a great gift to know how to make an atmosphere welcoming,
joyful and peaceful. Let there be joking, but in keeping with our life
style; seriousness, but when the time calls for it; willingness to give
in, but not weakness; orderliness, but not a mania for it;
condescendence, but not favoritism; respect for many ideas and
attitudes, but ability to keep to one’s own when they are safe and
sound. (UPS I 290-291)
•
• A sometimes painful sight is to see generous confreres overwhelmed
with work, while others idle be as spectators and observers, judging
and noting shortcomings. “Run so as to reach the goal!” (UPS I 289)
•
• It happens in every generation. The young seem intolerant of the old
and declare: “These old people don’t understand a thing!” On their
part, the old generally oppose everything that’s new. “In my times,
things weren’t done this way.”
•
• To be modern in a sound way is the right road to follow. (IA 3 18)
•
• Jokes do good, for it is not possible to be tense all the time. Don’t go
around with a long face. Our apostolate is already very exacting in
effort and money. Therefore be more relaxed when you are with your
fellow religious. Strive to exercise patience, without forcing others to
exercise it. Let life together be serene.
• For six days the Lord worked at creation. On the seventh He rested.
On the seventh day, you should rest, too. If you’re involved in the
distribution of the Gospel on Sunday, rest on Monday. In substance,
there must be physical and moral restoration in our houses. (Pr UP
556)
•
• Religious life that is true implies great activity: the work of
sanctification and prayer, of zeal and of being in the ranks of those
who are at the Pope’s disposition for general works…. It is a
demanding life, calling for continuous abnegation and redemption.
(CISP 1084)
•
• Sanctity is stubbornness about fulfilling God’s will always and in
spite of any difficulty whatsoever! (Pr CS 677)
• The whole of perfection is found in this expression of St. Paul: “In
purity of heart, in a good conscience, in a faith that is not false.” (HM
I 28)

A bolt of cloth,, even two thousand yards long, is always the end-product
of small threads. It is this way with our life. However long, it is made up
of minutes and the sanctifying of minutes is the secret of holiness.
Ordinarily the activities of religious life do not require heroism. Heroism,
instead, lies in being constant in the practice of the theological and
cardinal virtues, in living each moment well. Don’t be fitful in religious
life, now running now sitting, now back-pedaling. No! Constant small
steps, every single day. (IA 3 193)
•
• Give everything to God. This is sanctity. “Come, good and faithful
servant, because you have been faithful in little things, you will be
placed over many things.’ The Divine Master had high praise for the
woman who gave two small coins, because it was all that she had.
This was quite different from those who made great offerings, but not
of all they had. And then, do you or don’t you feel your fatherhood?
Paternity is made immensely sublime in the giving of souls to God. It
is not for nothing that we are called “Father.” We should carry in our
hearts the many souls whom God calls and awaits, but who often face
many obstacles. (UPS I 84)
•
• Obedience—
• -is the sacrifice and holocaust of oneself to the Lord at every moment;
• -is the great duty of the religious state;
• -is the strength of an institution, the keystone of the building;
• -is the practice which makes it easier to live a life of holiness;
• -is the mother and custodian of every virtue;
• -is both a social and individual virtue. (UPS I 523)
•
• There are many who want to be saints, but who don’t know how to
make themselves childlike. They miss the tight road. Unless they
travel this road, they will never arrive. Until we admit that we are
good for nothing; that we need help and counsel, that we’re
undeserving of even a glance from God, we shall not become little or
fit for the kingdom of heaven. (Pr TN 380)
•
• “The charity of Christ urges us on.” This is the charity which impels
us to go beyond Italy, as it one day drove us to leave our family and as
it will later propel us from this world into eternity. “I want to dissolve
and be with Christ.” There are always separations, detachments and
departures during this reunion with our loved ones in heaven, blessed
by Christ, in God. We leave everything for the conquest of
everything: merits, souls, God. (CISP 851)
•
• Do away with impediments so that charity can catch fire and spread.
At times, things which seem trifling become obstacles to charity and
impede the action of Jesus. Many and various grades of heat are
required for the fusion of metals. But a single sheet of asbestos is all
that’s needed to prevent the heat from diffusing itself. A sheet of
nothing, you might say—what we’d call a trifle—can impede the
communication of Jesus’ warmth in a soul.
• A very serious impediment is egoism. Our heart was made for love,
but woe to us if we turn back in n ourselves.
• There are people who even under the guise of piety love only
themselves. Everything about them feeds pride: their vocation, their
office, what they do—and that’s it. Ah, the little satisfactions that
prevent charity from catching fire! Only a sheet…but it is a
compromise. Jesus’ invitation, “Come to me,” remains
uncomprehended and without response. (IA 4 69)
•
• No one can hate a child, because innocence is transparent in his eyes.
When one is like this, he has great power over others. The person who
has control over himself is followed and becomes a great influence on
hearts and souls for the sake of the Lord. Whoever mortifies himself
and attains self-dominion has power over others, because no one has
greater strength than he who has conquered himself. “It is a greater
 thing to have mastered oneself than to have conquered cities.” (Pr VV
174)
•
• In every need let us recognize the voice of God calling for this
examen: am I doing my part? And having done our part well, let us be
at peace in the Lord, knowing that we look on Him as our Father
while He looks on us as His sons. (CISP 25)
•
• Sin lies behind the law of the body. It is a profound aberration and
humiliates the whole of man, his mind, will, heart, body. Behind the
law of mortification lies life.
• The greatest battles must be fought and won or lost in the hidden,
silent world of the mind. There are no witnesses to encourage or
disapprove. Only God sees thoughts. And only examination of
conscience and reflection on ourselves uncovers these in part. Only
through true spiritual direction and in the confessional can they be
brought to light. It is in the mind that the edifice of good is erected or
shameful ruins pile up. (CISP 131-132)

In humility and confidence, we have to go forward without pause.

Humility is our left foot, confidence our right. Let us use both of them to
walk properly. (RA May 1955)
•
• Whoever has little faith has little zeal. One with little faith persuades
no one. Those who have faith, instead, have the ideals of God. (RS
12)
•
• To know how to suffer is truly an art, indeed, the most important art
of life. We have to grasp this and practice it. And practice makes
perfect, as in music and painting. (HM 2 VI 77)
•
• At times we’re scrupulous about fasting…but then feed ourselves on
lies, sins, ill-humor directed against superiors and companions…this
certainly isn’t fasting! (IA 3 154)
•
• Institutes will flourish in the measure that they are faithful to the
interior life and to their specific apostolate. (Pr A 30)
•
• Those who know more, obey more. (IA 4 136)
•
• You’ve made suggestions on how elderly sisters should be occupied.
Before anything else, wait before becoming elderly. We must not be
too hasty about counting ourselves among the old who are ready for
rest. In the religious life there are no pensioners. Our pension is in
heaven. Therefore, utilize for the Lord whatever strength and activity
remains. “When I am weak, then I am strong.” In other words, when I
am sick, I am more powerful because I offer my suffering, do God’s
will in my heart and in this way I can be useful to myself and my
neighbor. Jesus does not think the way we do (let me express it thus).
How useful to humanity were His three hours of agony! And now
everywhere the Church presents the suffering Jesus and the crucifix.
As it was necessary to sacrifice and work hard to keep our youthful
enthusiasm and tendencies in check, so at a certain age we have to
gather our forces together and urge them on as much as possible until
the Lord calls us to our reward. (Pr UP 644)
•
• Our sermons will be all the more fruitful if we give many on the “last
things”. And if other sermons are related to these truths in the opening
and closing, the final result will be that the fragile ship of our life will
be anchored to the port of eternity.
• It is said that modern catechesis and preaching, attuning us to a “new
morality,” is required. To modernisms of presentation, we say yes, but
not to that of content. Death is always the same. Otherwise, we
imperceptibly damage our ministry, minimize our apostolate among
the young, and demonstrate poor psychological sensitivity. (CISP
1294)
•
• Don’t create a confused conscience, or a thousand projects.
Simplicity, simplicity is what is needed—a simplicity that consists in
doing the will of God, but from the heart. Wild and impossible
projects are bad from the start. (Pr SG 330)
•
• We have to struggle until we die, because pride doesn’t die until three
hours after we do. (Pr VI 435)
•
• In short, I want you to be men, not people to be propped up. Isn’t this
what you want? You must tell yourselves: I myself want to earn
heaven. And then onward—without a lot of nonsense! (Pr ES 519)
 • Before dying, Fr. Trosso1 told me this and they were to be his last
word: “The Lord puts us on this earth with an assignment to do. When
we’ve finished it, we go back to Him. I have finished mine and I am
going back.” (Pr UP 515)
•
• A sister went to visit her sick mother and to console her, she told her
how well off she was in the Congregation, how she had everything
she needed, how satisfied she was. Becoming quite serious, her
mother replied: “But this doesn’t make me very happy. Heaven isn’t
earned in this way. It would be humiliating for you if your sister in the
world merited a far greater reward in heaven than you because of the
many sufferings she has borne as the mother of a family.” So the sister
had to tell her mother that there were also sufferings and sacrifices to
be made in religion. (IA 3 232)
•
• We do not descend one grade if we go from superior to cook! (Pr UP
544)
•
• Indulgence in human weaknesses is so often deceiving. We must be
delicate but without scruples in our moral life and constantly vigilant.
Don’t think that by making the vows everything has been resolved.
That is when the battle begins and there is nothing else to do but pray
and be vigilant. Pray constantly, because the devil respects neither a
mature age nor the religious habit.

1. Sebastian Benedict Trosso (1894-1952), called familiarly “the

captain,” because of the rank he held during First World War, was one
of the first students of Father Alberione. Ordained in 1922, he died in
Alba while superior of the motherhouse. He had spent a number of
years in the community of S`ao Paolo, Brazil, which he founded.

There is a cloister that depends on us and which deserves our attention more
than the material cloister. When there is malice you can close every door,
raise every wall, install every lock, etc., and it will still not be enough! It is
the heart that must be enclosed and guarded and the precautions
recommended and prescribed by Church law and the Constitutions must be
taken, of course. To examine and guide the heart is of the highest
importance. (IA 3 14)
 •
• With all the paper that we handle constantly, can’t we find a piece on
which to note down the affairs of our conscience?
• There is individual pride and there in institutional pride. Be careful
about collective pride, the one that refers to the institute. Let there be
humility in every instance. “We are not many and as yet not very
good.” As long as we think of ourselves as too few, the Lord will send
others. When we feel that there are already too many of us, He will
take a good number to heaven or close the door so that others will not
enter. (Pr VV 208)

13 PRAYER

Fr. Alberione’s words on prayer matched his vital personal practice of it in

lifelong intensity and emphasis. All who lived with him recall him as
exceptionally exemplary on this point.
His words on prayer were directed above all to religious, particularly those
consecrated to the apostolate of the means of social communication. To him,
they had special need of an intense relationship with God in order to
maintain the forced of their apostolate always intact. “From contemplation to
action.”
One of the specific forms of prayer that he strongly recommended to the
Pauline Family was a daily hour before the Lord in the Eucharist. He was
this hour as a kind of learning period with Christ the Divine Master, Way,
Truth and Life. It was especially in this encounter with the Lord that Father
Alberione hoped for the realization in each member of the central idea of
Pauline spirituality: the full development of the human person in Christ in
keeping with all his resources of mind, will, heart and physical strength. And
this until the basic experience of St. Paul would become a fact: “I live, not I;
it is Christ who lives in me.”
• Those who do not put prayer in the very first place do not merit the
name of religious and in fact are not. (UPS II 9)
•
• Our prayers place all of our being before God: mind, will, heart, body.
They come from the fundamental dogmas of the Church and are
meant to form the religious-apostle, even while full of strong and
devout sentiment.
• One who becomes familiar with them and is faithful to them will
gradually be illumined, fortified and guided in the spirituality of St.
Paul. (CISP 697)
•
• True piety pervades our whole being so as to lift it to love of God. It
accomplishes the end of the first commandment: love the Lord with
your mind, sentiment, and will. (UPS I 183)
•
• The soul which unites itself to God speaks only the langrage of love.
All of its prayers are expressions of the love of God. Should it ask a
temporal grace, it asks it to the extent that it coincide with God’s
glory. Love is at the base of its every prayer. If it adores, it is out of
love; if it thanks, it is out of love; if is asks pardon for sin, it is out of
love. (Pr VT 13)
•
• The first and principal duty of man, of the Christian, the religious, the
priest, is prayer.
• There is no greater contribution we can make to the Congregation
than prayer. No work is more useful for us than prayer. No priestly
work is more profitable for the Church than prayer.
• Prayer, therefore, has to be before all, above all, the life of all.
• The temptation may come: I have much work to do, too much work.
Yet the foremost work for you, the supreme mandate of the priest, the
principal contribution to be made to the Congregation is that of
prayer.
• It is an illusion for some to try to excuse their lack of prayer by saying
that they are too occupied.
• Is this really the true reason? Or is it that we find work too heavy
because it is not preceded by prayer? Prayer makes it easier to get
everything else done.
• Occupations? But the Church, the Congregation, our souls plead for
prayer—and then everything else, as much as possible.
• Occupations? First God, then men.

Occupations? But the life of our work is grace. Without prayer, therefore,
what we do is dead. “Cursed is the study, apostolate, etc., for which we
give u p prayer.” (CISP 97-98)
• “But there are things that need to be done, calls that have to be made.”
Reply: organize everything well, but in the order of action, let prayer
precede. Do whatever you can, after prayer is made; and in the case of
the impossible, cut back the work of zeal. During the first years of
ministry, some thoughtlessly empty themselves of whatever they
accumulated during the years of novitiate and study. And then? The
salt becomes insipid and as such no longer seasons.
• Objection: but we have to give ourselves to souls! Precisely. A mother
eats to keep herself in full health so as to have a superabundance of
milk for her child. It is charity for our neighbor that makes us care
fore ourselves. “Indeed, doing this you will save yourself and those
who hear you.”
• If we pray, we are certain to be of benefit to souls, because we shall
obtain for them the favors of God. (CISP 99)
•
• Prayer abandoned, the whole spiritual structure collapses in a heap of
ruins. A nice castle it may have been, but now it has completely
crumbled. (UPS II 12)
•
• To neglect prayer in order to do more work is a ruinous expedient.
Work done to the detriment of prayer gains nothing for ourselves or
others, because it takes away what is owed to God. (UPS II 9)
•
• Is our prayer something total? To separate apostolate from prayer is
like having a paralyzed limb, an important part of us cut off from the
bloodstream. This point is so important that is merits a month of
meditation. But a start can be made by making a good examen of
conscience. Is our prayer vital? Does it influence our life, or is it
rather like an object left in a drawer unused? (Pr VI 39)
•
• Prayer is like blood coursing from the heart to every point of the body,
nourishing and bringing life to the entire organism. (Pr VII 37)
•
• Pray, be trusting! Should it happen that we find everyone against us,
everything going badly, every kind of temptation assaulting us, God
seemingly abandoning us and that which we were supposed to do
appearing beyond our age and strength—it remains for us to be
steadfast in a filial confidence in God. Maybe grace will be delayed so
 that we can exercise hope. But we should press forward with trust…
and certainly it will come. (Pr ES 100)
•
• There are two errors to avoid: first, to make sanctity and piety consist
in external formalism and practice; second, not to give due importance
to the external under the pretext that it is enough to give our heart to
God. (Pr UP 588)
•
• There is no true prayer without work. Therefore, let there be prayer
and work—action springing from prayer.
• For the seed to bear fruit, it must first of all be good, alive and able to
grow. Placed into the earth, then, at the right depth, its roots will be
fed. A covering of good dirt, fertilizer and water follows and then the
seed germinates and emerges in buds, flowers and fruit. The meaning
is clear: that we be alive and vital for holiness, that our humility be
deep enough. If gossip, calumnies and suffering come even from those
in whom we confided, we have to await the action of God through
prayer and industrious dedication. We are not to stop, but wait…until
the Lord makes the moment known. The future holds our reward,
heaven which is beautiful and eternal. (CISP 1040)

• On one hand, the offering of prayer is among the most fundamental of

duties towards God and on the other hand, it is indispensable for
obtaining the grace necessary for eternal salvation.

• To impregnate all of our life, preaching, publishing and education

with this conviction will bring great merit, clear illumination and
indispensable strength.

• Before this world which hails achievement, power and knowledge, we

have to preach this truth and what is more, give the example of prayer.
The world, the Church and out souls have supreme need of God.
Prayer brings Him to us. (CISP 29)

• God Himself works for those who work for Him. Let us be disposed
then to work as though everything depended on s and to pray and
hope in the Lord as though everything depended on Him. (CISP 295)
 • Prayer is always the most effective means for overcoming our
difficulties. (RS 30)

• A child is sick? Medicine and doctors. A soul is sick? Confession. A

child is weak? A tonic. A soul is weak? Prayer. (Pr E 338)

• We must pray, pray, pray. If our prayer is excellent, all the better. But
even if we encounter temptation, we still must pray. And whoever
perseveres at it obtains what he asks—like the man in the Gospel who
had recourse to his friend for bread in the middle of the night.
• Whoever prays every day gains the grace to pray better. Whoever
prays every day gains the grace to pray better. Whoever prays shows
that he recognizes his need for God, and trusts that he will be heard.
As long as we persist in humble supplication, we demonstrate our
faith, hope and charity. And before rising from our prayer, we will
have already obtained divine blessing. In other words, just as we
constantly take food and constantly breath, all of us, every day of our
lives, must really pray. (CISP 100)

Peace of soul, the joy of a good conscience, the feeling of being united and
loved by God, the contentment of progressing in perfection, divine blessing
on work, on undertakings, on study, on the apostolate, the conviction that
God the Father, Jesus Christ.. The Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Paul are with
us, the certainty of heaven – all of this is the fruit of piety. (RA Nov. 1951)
When one’s piety is abundant and wise, he will find it easy to utilize his
talents, whether few or many. Knowledge alone, apostolate alone, poverty
alone – without piety—neither enlighten or warm. (SM 27)

The liturgy is like a river of grace, light and blessing which flows through
the year. It is for us to penetrate the liturgy and understand it well. For to
have the spirit of the liturgy is a great grace, since it means that we are
attuned to the Church and praying with the Church. (Med. 2-5, 1954)

The Spiritual Exercises can be made without a preacher and without a book,
but never without reflection and prayer. (UPS II 61)

Methods for meditating are many. It can be said that every saint had his or
her own. Every method, without distinction, is good, because the saints were
not mere chatterers. The advice was the fruit of prayer, study and personal
experience. (Pr M 252)
As we travel, the Lord lights the way ahead of us. He turns on the lamps as
we need them. He does not light them all at once at the attar when they are
not yet needed. He does not waste light, but bestows it at the proper time.
(CISP 192)

Imitate the great Eucharistic silence. Live in silence; avoid useless and
frivolous words. The less talkative you are with men, the more sensitive you
will be to divine conversation. And the more your soul is shut off from
external things, the more readily will it enter into intimate, friendly
conversation with Jesus. To be interior souls, there must be silence. (ECM
March 1934)

First and foremost, our piety is Eucharistic. From this vital source, the
Eucharistic Master, everything is given life. This is how the Pauline Family
was born, from the tabernacle. And from here it is sustained in life, work and
holiness. Our sanctity and apostolate spring from the Mass, Communion, the
Eucharistic Visit. (UPS II 10)

How useful it is every so often to remain in contemplation before the

tabernacle – without forcing ourselves to think of lofty things! To be able to
tell Jesus simply: “You are me Master. You have given me an example. I
want to do as You did.” (HM 20 III 106)

The Eucharistic Visit for the apostle is like an audience, or a school, where
the disciple engages in conversation with the Divine Master.
Many methods are proposed for obtaining the maximum fruit from this
practice. But especially suitable is the one which honors Jesus Master, Way,
Truth and Life. (Pr V 457)

First of all, the Visit is not a complex of prayers. It is precisely a “visit,”

something you’d make to a dear person, your mother, for example. There is
an exchange of greetings, an exchange of news, of gifts, promises, etc. The
Visit has the scope of establishing our lives in Jesus Christ, that is, to live in
Jesus, for Jesus, with Jesus. (PR V 459)

The ways of making the Eucharistic Visit are many. Because it is easy at
times to put it off, the first way is determination to make it. The second way
is the same. And the third, likewise: to make it. As St. Francis de Sales says:
“If you asks me how to walk, I must reply, first more one foot, then the other
and then the first again, etc. (Pr V 429)

In making the Visit, consider yourselves as representatives of humanity

before the tabernacle, gathering the hearts of all men in your own, presenting
all their needs to God, asking Him to give them strength in weakness and
light in obscurity. Do this so that they may be kept far from sin, so that Jesus
may conquer the resistance of sinners, so that those who are consecrated to
God may be granted holiness and zeal. Jesus has given us this ministry: to
represent humanity before the tabernacle. This is your vocation: a ministry
of charity! (IA 4 83)

Not only should we make books available and bring offerings home in
exchange for them, but we must accompany every book with prayer so that
the person receiving it may find fruit. And with the light of God coming
through the book or periodical, our prayer will bring about correspondence
and turn the reader’s thoughts to the end of life, to God, to heaven. Every
reader should be kept in mind. (Pr UP 653)

14 The Constructive Meaning of Poverty

One of the prominent characteristics of Fr. Alberione’s thought and activity

is an emphasis on poverty in his religious family. Clearly maintaining the
evangelical sense of poverty as detachment, that is, a total liberty of spirit in
order to love without reservation, Fr. Alberione decisively takes up the
Pauline evangelical witness of poverty, work, which involves all the
energies of life. This inserts poverty into the effort of developing the integral
human person, who is called to a specific evangelical witness today. It leads
each one to consume himself in charity while concretely developing the
apostolic organization of the means of social communication. In this way,
poverty tends to become a decisively constructive element, indispensable to
the equilibrium of the institute and of individuals. “Ours is a vehicle which
runs on four wheels: piety, study, apostolate, poverty.”

• Poverty guarantees an institute good spirit and good development, and

the blessing of fine and numerous vocations.
• God does not send candidates where people do not work or where
there is waste – however insignificant. He who is attached, be it even
 to a strand of thread, is like a bound bird. He cannot launch his flight
toward the summits of sanctity. (UPS I 452)
•
• All institutes are committed to poverty, but not all in the same way.
The poverty of a Cistercian is one thing; that of a Jesuit, another. The
norm of St. Thomas holds: “Religious poverty is of instrumental value
in achieving the double end for which it was meant: sanctification and
apostolate.” (UPS I 455)
•
• When religious observance and an intelligent apostolate are
accompanied by much prayer and the practice of true poverty…
houses spring up and grow without notable hardship. They develop
like a plant placed beside a current of water. Well nourished, in time it
will bear flowers and fruit.
• The Lord does not allow the Gospel worker to lack food. With
prudence, beginning humbly, a small step each day, balanced progress
will be made and there will be merit before God and man. (UPS II
36)

Let there be human formation, especially in regard to poverty. On the one

hand, there has to be a fair limitation and on the other, a wise liberality – in
order to face and resolve the various problems that can arise. It is true that
we possess nothing of our own. But it is also true that we have the duty of
wisely managing what Providence provides for maintaining the community
in the service of God. (IA 3 48)
•
• St. Paul notes that those who compete in races do not weigh
themselves down with pack and baggage. They dress lightly so as to
comer ground as quickly as possible. Religious who truly love poverty
run more rapidly towards heaven, because they accompany Jesus.
There are many who love humility but not humiliation, who love
poverty but not privation. If a sacrifice has to be made, they are no
longer to be found. They like to do nothing – which is contrary to
poverty. Jesus taught poverty not so much by word as by example.
(Pr VP 260)
•
• Especially now days, how can a religious who is an idler or a bad
administrator ask for offerings? How can a soft hand receive the gift
of a calloused hand? In heaven, Jesus Christ presents His hands to the
 Father in a gesture of homage and petition, hands not only pierced by
nails but also calloused by the saw, hammer and plane of the
carpenter. (CISP 1084)
•
• For as long as he finds himself in full vigor, the religious who has
reached perpetual profession should provide for the support of at least
three or four persons. He ought to make up for the expenses sustained
in his formation, for those of other aspirants, for the needs of his later
years. Isn’t this the obligation that fathers of families shoulder? (UPS
I 460)
•
• Everyone should attend to the negative side of poverty, abstinence and
to its positive side, sustenance.
• Results do not depend on a few but on everyone. Each person bears a
certain responsibility before God and man. (CISP 30)
•
• Love poverty in our houses! In some places, one notes a certain
tendency toward luxury, which is not religious poverty. Certain lavish
carpets and chandeliers, certain furniture, that certain extravagance in
gift-giving…these do not conform to religious poverty. “It was
donated!” is not a valid excuse. If ten sofas were given to you, must
you use all ten of them? We are not obliged to use everything that has
been given to us. (Pr VP 303)
•
• The institute must be poor and rich at the same time – poor in our
personal observance of poverty, rich in the means we have of
apostolate. (EC 206)
•
• No one should be poorer than we as far as external goods are
concerned, but no one should be more sociable with regard to
comportment. Don’t worry about what people say. No one is good
except the Father who is in heaven. Real poverty involves health,
good education, proper manners in keeping with what we are, not
trying to please the world, not being too indulgent with the world. “If
I were looking to please the world, I would not please God,” St. Paul
declared. (EC 205)
•
• Poverty must not be exercised only at the foundation of the institute or
of the various houses. Poverty is to endure always and everyone must
die in poverty. (PR VP 307)
•
• When work has been done and the income is still not altogether
sufficient, invoke divine Providence; ask for offerings with dignity
and in imitation of Jesus, Mary and St. Paul; learn to live within
straitened circumstances.
• Confessors, preachers, teachers, etc., are among the hardest workers.
• There are those who want the ostentation of the vow, but not the
actual practice of poverty. They grant everything and demand
everything. At times, the religious who do the least work are the most
demanding. (UPS I 458)
•
• Pauline poverty has five functions: to renounce, produce, preserve,
provide and edify.
• It renounces the administration and independent use of goods; it
renounces comfort, pleasure and preferences. Everything is only for
use.
• It produces by diligent work. It produces enough for undertakings and
personnel.
• It preserves the things that are in use.
• It provides for the needs of the institute.
• It edifies, countering the tendency to greed. (UPS I 447)
•
• Institutes begin with works of zeal, but after a time, gain is sought.
Within fifty or sixty years, hospices that were originally opened for
the poor give precedence to those who can pay more. And the poor
find themselves in the same condition as before. A school is opened
for the education of poor children, and gradually becomes a private
school accepting only those who can afford a high tuition. In this way,
the sick and students are “commercialized.”
• The means of life are necessary, of course. But the nature of the
institute is not to be changed! There was no need for a religious
institute to carry out business. There was no need for persons
consecrated to God to carry on trade! (Pr D 501)
•
• At times, the Lord gives us lessons to meditate on, so that we can
learn what we have to do and how to go about it. There is a poverty
which is personal and individual, but there is also the social poverty of
the institute. (Pr VP 309)
• Generally speaking, it is much easier to build churches and houses
than it is to make them holy and fill them with merits, vocations,
apostolate, prayer, a life religious and joyous. Let us make them
antechambers of our heavenly home, places of preparation for it.
(UPS I 462)
• There is always room for improvement. But if we want to make our
houses extravagant, poverty will not live in them. (Pr CS 671)
• The whole of the Gospel moves about in the world of labor. Everyone
has this obligation! No one is exempt, even if he is rich. The parable
of the talents shows this. Work is also the means of subsistence
compensated by a just wage. Work is ennobling and redemptive.
(CISP 1078)
• We must imitate Jesus Christ. If we want to be true Christians, we
have to imitate Jesus from the crib to the cross. He was very poor and
He worked with a detached heart. The duty of work, already a law of
nature, was elevated and made holy by Jesus. Generally, work is loved
even to the point of weariness. Jesus, too was tired, as was Mary most
holy. St. Joseph and St. Paul, our father, labored constantly. We have
to conform ourselves to them. (IA 4 45)

• A God who redeems the world by domestic virtue and thirty years of
hard work—redemptive work, apostolic work, exhausting work! Isn’t
this the way of perfection: to put all our energies, even the physical,
into the active service of God? Isn’t God purest Act? Isn’t it here that
the true religious poverty of Jesus Christ comes in? Isn’t there a
devotion to Jesus the Worker? Shouldn’t religious, more so than
others, fulfill the duty of earning their own bread? Wasn’t this the rule
that St. Paul imposed upon himself? Isn’t this the social duty which
has to be performed before the apostle presents himself to preach?
Doesn’t this make us humble? For the Pauline Family, isn’t the
apostolate of pen-in-hand as essential as that of the pen of the
machine? Isn’t work health and a protection against laziness and
temptations? Isn’t it fitting that offerings and donations go only
towards new undertakings (i.e., a church or equipment for the
apostolate) and for the poor and vocations? If Jesus Christ took this
 road, wasn’t it because this was one of the first things to restore? Isn’t
work a means of merit? If our family works, doesn’t it ground its life
in Christ in an essential way? (AD 83)
•
• Work brings us closer to God, who is pure, infinite and eternal act.
The more he imitates God. And the more potential he puts into upright
activity, the better he corresponds to the will of God and the better he
serves the Lord. Love the Lord with all your mind, your strength, your
heart. Physical strength is included in this. Therefore, work stems
from the first and principal commandment. (CISP 1081)
• The saints are all great workers. In proportion to the years they lived,
how much they worked, and how many directions their initiatives
took! St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Bernard, St.
Francis de Sales, St. Joseph Cottolengo, St. John Bosco….all of them!
They gave first place to interior work, and this fructified into those
great, external, prolific, humanitarian undertakings that aroused
universal admiration. (UPS I 456)
• Under one point of view, the lazy look upon religious life is a great
misfortune. Lacking a supernatural understanding of work, they flee
from it (and who cannot invent excuses to get out of work?), knowing
that meals will be ready at the appointed time just the same. If they
had stayed in the world, the law of necessity would have put them to
work…. They would have had les of an account to render to Good,
would have given less scandal in the community and would have
practiced more virtue. (CISP 1085)
• The sisters should be agile, alert, able to work in the centers and in the
apostolate. They ought to be able to ride bicycles, drive cars and use
modern equipment. They should know how to be creative, etc. All of
this is to the good. But when one sees these special busses full of
sisters passing by in a leisurely fashion, one experiences a certain
feeling of distaste.
• Make progress in every way, in every field; but don’t place yourselves
on a level with the world…. Even under the pretext of practicing
devotion and visiting shrines, one can wander off the path. (IA 3 38)
• There are those who comment and criticize because certain superiors
travel by air. It is not the plane, the ship or the latest model car that
matters. What is important is speed….For example, if I use the fastest
means, I can preach monthly retreats in Alba, Turin and Milan in a
 single day. But if I spend too many hours in traveling, it takes me
longer to reach each place. (IA 3 38)
• It is dangerous to be weighed down by debts that are disproportionate
to income, which may create a situation of anxiety and economic
pressure that will bear heavily on the spirit, apostolate and study—
consuming all the benefits of the apostolate. It is equally harmful,
however, not to provide what is positively necessary for spirit, health,
apostolate, study and the need of dignified living quarters…. We have
moments that are comparable to the life of the Holy Family in
Bethlehem and Egypt, moments comparable to Nazareth and to the
public life of the Divine Master.
• If houses, equipment, etc., are acquired skillfully and employed
diligently, they will easily pay for themselves. (CISP 121)
• To provide bread is a good deed. But when we are dealing with youth
and persons active in work, to teach them to earn their bread is a deed
doubly good and doubly meritorious. (FP 67)
• You don’t have to be told that the “I press forward” of St. Paul does
not mean to press forward in prices.

• These should be aimed at the minimum possible, that is, the lowest
price or the least possible offering that will allow the apostolate to
continue and the Congregation to live and accomplish the work it
must do for the good of the others. (Pr D 522)

15 APOSTOLATE: RADIATING CHRIST

The apostolate is the end for which Fr. Alberione brought the
Pauline Family into being and with it a great man activities
through which the Word of God was to be presented in current
forms.
The apostolate is thus the background for al his thoughts. Guided
by St. Paul, he continually studied its content, its source and the
spiritual vigor needed to sustain it. Regarding the nature of the
apostolate, therefore, Fr. Alberione etches this profound concept:
its indispensable and continual derivation from Christ, the only
Savior of mankind. This fact demands an attitude of life which
vitally blends contemplation and action, the love of God and the
love of man.
 • The apostle is one who carries God within his soul and irradiates Him
to others.
• The apostle is a saint who accumulates treasure and communicates its
surplus to mankind.
• The apostle has a heart glowing with the love of God and the love of
man and can neither restrain nor suffocate what he feels and thinks.
• The apostle is a vessel of election overflowing toward those who long
to quench their thirst.
• The apostle is a temple of the Triune God, who is supreme active in
him. To quote from one writer: he exudes God from all his pores—
from his words, work, prayer, gestures, attitudes, whether public or
private—from his entire being.
• Live by God! And give God. (UPS IV 277)

How many times do you ask yourself the great question: where is mankind
heading, how is it moving, toward what goal is it aiming as it continually
renews itself on the face of the earth? Humanity is like a great river flowing
into eternity. Will it be saved? Will it be lost forever? (SC 232)

We have to admit that there are mysteries. But one thing is certain: some
apostles slept on the job. Which ones? Those who lived at the time of the
Redeemer? No, those who followed. If all the apostles who have lived until
now had been saints, the world would know the love of Jesus a little better!
And so, you say, why don’t we join together in a fraternity of prayer and
action to at least bring the catechism and Gospel to all men? (Pr A 274)

You don’t have to go about worriedly trying to get rid of the

darkness. Just turn on some light. (Pr VV 2114)

Pastoral spirit means to communicate Jesus Christ to others, the

Christ summed up in the definition: “I am the Way, the Truth, the
Life.” Uplift and sanctify the whole man—mind, sentiment and
will—with dogma, morals and worship. (UPS I 376)

How is it possible to love Jesus and not yearn for His words to
reach the whole world?
How is it possible to keep up the effort of the apostolate without
strength from the Eucharist, our spiritual nourishment? You would
have had good reason to complain had the apostolate not been
united to the Eucharist; and when there are mistakes in the
apostolate it is because Eucharistic devotion is not very much
alive.
From the Eucharist come prudence, simplicity, zeal, love of the
Church, the glory of God and the peace to men. (HM I 80)

Too many accustom themselves to a restricted viewpoint: Europe,

America….Their own town or house. Useless pettiness then comes
easily, as well as empty regrets and vague sterile desires.
Look at things always in God, in our Father, in Christ, in the
Catholic Church. (CISP 1043)

Sterile tears shed about present evils definitely do not give glory to
God, nor do they benefit man.
“God and do likewise,” as the Samaritan did, who was not content
just to look at the man beaten and robed. He bent to give him help,
found him shelter, and paid his expenses. (CISP 1309)

Piety is the soul of the apostolate. An apostolate without a soul is

dead, and as such contributes nothing to the life of the one who
performs it and communicates no life to others. It is God who
summons you to the apostolate and it is he who gives you grace.
(Pr A 188)

If all the machines of our printing plants were perfect, but the
electrical power were shut off, no matter how new and beautiful
the machines were, they would count for nothing. “But it is such a
tiny wire that it can hardly be seen!” Very well, try to go ahead
without it, if you can!
Grace is spiritual power obtained through the sacraments and
prayer. If Christians didn’t have Communion, they would regret
that they had learned their religion because they wouldn’t be able
to practice it. There are some who have a great love of conferences
and the opportunity to appear learned. Others inveigh against vices
and believe that they have done a lot. No, no, this is not enough.
We have to give Jesus in his entirety! (Pr A 364)

Good preparation for the apostolate includes serious meditation,

profound piety and intense study. Otherwise, what can an empty
vessel offer? (RS 26)
Every apostolate is worthwhile. The cross and the passion
redeemed the world, however. When we have learned to join the
apostolate of suffering to the apostolate of communications, then
Redemption is completed. “I complete in my flesh whatever is
lacking to the sufferings of Christ for the good of his body, the
Church.” “Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission (of
sin).” (Pr A 235)

It is in Confirmation that we receive the spirit of the apostolate.

(Pr CM 143)

To participate in the Mass with a social conscience is to transform

it into a living apostolate. (FP 81)

An example: a nice well has been dug and you have found plenty
of good water. But if the water remains only in the well, it won’t
serve you. The digging of the well was but the preparatory work
for the discovery of the water. Now pipes and faucets are necessary
to make use of it.
The digging of a well and the finding of plenty of good water can
be compared to the Redemption. But all the work to channel the
water for every necessary use is symbolic of how the Redemption
is applied (Pr A352)

If you are reflective, faithful to piety and eager for the glory of
God and the salvation of others, you will come up with many
projects, undertakings, and works…. Many small seeds will be
planted that will develop, increase and bear fruit…. From such
humble beginnings come other undertakings, productions and
works…until you will have a growing plant that could perhaps
resemble a tree flourishing beside the stream of water coming from
the tabernacle, giving fruit in its own time. Our apostolate has
inexhaustible resources and ways. Where one path is closed, others
are opened. (CISP 1023)

This is the apostolate: to be both virgins and mothers. And the

more souls are pure or purified, the more will Mary’s apostolate be
carried out and rendered timely and efficacious.
 Whether living or dying, healthy or sick, serving others or having
to be served by others, we can always give Jesus to the world and
carry out an apostolate. Some do this in one way, others in another,
but the duty of a spiritual maternity must be felt by all, the duty of
giving Jesus to the world. (Pr RA 208)

During this time, one discerns great ferment and a number of new
movements to bring the world to Jesus Christ. These do not always
spring from the right source and so offer only human words. We
must give the teaching of Jesus Christ. Let us not exhibit ourselves,
but put Jesus Christ before the world! (Pr V 463)

Sow, sow! It is true that it is tiresome to sow seeds, but the joy
comes in the harvest. In death, the thought that you have exercised
your apostolate well will bring you great consolation. (HM 20 1 80)

If we do not have more good fortune than Jesus or St. Paul, let us
not be discouraged. Let us do good. (Pr D 621)

No one can exhort others unless he shows them an example first.

Therefore, each one of us must ask the grace of genuine holiness in
our private, domestic, professional, social life. (CISP 587)

The diffusion of books and periodicals is not effective until it

brings people to confession and communion. The fundamental
point is this: to unite them to Jesus. Always aim at this goal (IA 4
82)

The apostolate supposes a spirit of sacrifice: sacrifice of money,

time, health, esteem. It entails disappointments, criticism,
opposition—often from where it is least expected, perhaps even
from the very individuals for whose eternal salvation one is
laboring, or from those he has helped. (CISP 560)

Suffering is not only a trial but an apostolate. It is a secret of joy; it

is participation in the redemptive work of the Savior. (HM 20 VI
43)

16 Apostolate with the means of social communication

“Ancient spirit, new forms.” This was the operative principle of Fr.
Alberione as he strove to fulfill the mission entrusted to him by God. The
ancient spirit was that of the Gospel, of St. Paul, of the best tradition of the
Church. The new forms were whose suggested by human progress in the
twentieth century for the influence of the masses and mutual relations among
men: the press, motion pictures, radio, television—that is, the means of
social communication. With admirable ease and courage, Fr. Alberione
entered this field and gave it an authentic sense of apostolate. He stands in
the Church as a Master in the use of these forms of the Christian apostolate
—difficult forms which are undergoing continual improvement.