Newspaper Page Text
DECEMBER 21, 1957.
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
THIRTEEN
SJ crate themselves to the service of
I IS RU Urti Christ as active and chosen mem
bers of His Mystical Body.
_ _ He continued:
AT* IjOMO * “But once this essential obli-
gation has been well established,
they (Religious) are not forbidden
I TF T" to think about revision and adap-
10 I llYIGS tation of the means of achieving
it, without however failing to
, ' . show due respect for tradition
non — love of God primarily, , ... , , ■ . . ,,
, , , and without detracting from the
md secondarily love ol neighbor ... , ., ,
, , , prescriptions that are considered
—are unchangeable, there is no . . , , . .
, , , „ • . . inviolable by (their) Constitu-
:eason why laymen and Religious
lannot adopt the evangelical ,
, „ , , , Subordinates will furthermore
counsels of poverty, chastity and , ... .....
, , ... observe religious discipline,
obedience to modern living. , . , „ ,. , ,, , _ ,
, which forbids them to arrogate
Divided into two general parts, ... , ,, , , ,, , - ,,
, _ , ,. ° to themselves those tasks that fall
the Popes discourse dealt first , , • .
• , , " , ^ „ ,. „ within the competence of supen-
with The Perfection of the , , , . ...
T ors, or to undertake on their own
Christian Life, and then with . ... ,. „ ,, , ,,
„ „ „ initiative reforms that they can-
The States of Perfection. , ,, , ... , ., '.
„ , „ . „ . not attempt without their su-
(The states of perfection is ^ authorizatlon ...
a technical term applied to the Here the pope gave ial
striving for spiritual perfection- consideratiop t0 obed ience in the
loving God with one s whole religious lif which he called an
heart, soul, mmd and strength egsentia] on which the renewal
and ones neighbor as ones self of the spirit proper to the C om-
for God s sake - within the re- munity depends . H e said that a
hgious life. It includes not only tendency toward modification in
orders and congregations, but ^ field has created certain ten _
also societies without vows and gions _ „ not thrQugh a lack of
secular institutes. sincere desire to aim at perfec,
In the first part of the address, tion by means of obedience, but
the Pope treated of laymen and because there is particular em-
the practice of the counsels of pb asis today upon certain as-
perfection or evangelical coun- pects of obedience that even se-
sels in their lives in the world, ld ous and conscientious Religious
and then dealt- with the practice wou ld like to see disappear.”
of Christian perfection in the re- He mentioned specifically the
ligious life and in religious com- asse rtion made in some quarters
munities in particular. that some ways of applying obe-
“It is clear that Christian per- dience tend to endanger the hu-
fection, in the essential elements man dignity of the Religious, that
of its definition and of its reali- it creates an obstacle to the full
zation, does not allow for any development of his personality,
revision or adaptation,” Pope and might even alter his orienta-
Pius said. “But, since conditions tion towards God alone,
of modern life undergo major At this point the Pope under
changes, modifications will be re- lined the value of true submis-
quired in applying it. These mod- sion and Christian humility. He
ifications will affect those who said both should be free acts in-
live in the states of perfection volving the individual’s abandon-
and those who do not take part ment of self into the hands of
in them, but even more so the God, “whose Will is expressed in
latter, especially if they hold a the visible authority of those
high social rank and higher func- whose mission it is to command.”
tions.” He added:
It was here that the Pope said “A superior may' command Only
it is not anamalous for the rich in the name of the Lord and by
to lead lives of total consecration virtue of his powers of office,
to God. and a subject must obey only out
The Pontiff then dealt with of love for Christ and not for
problems involved in adapting any human reason of utility or
the counsels of poverty, chastity convenience, even less through
and obedience, noting that reli- pure constraint.”
gious superiors and those subject The balance of the discourse
to them are called on to conse- | (Continued on Page 14)
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(N.C.W.C. News Service)
VATICAN CITY — Christians
can avail themselves of- luxuries
in keeping with their state of life
and still be real imitators of “the
humble and poor Christ,” His
Holiness Pope Pius XII declared
here.
While high social position may
mean living in the midst of ma
terial wealth and even luxury,
he said, a layman can neverthe
less consecrate himself entirely to
God and offer Him the total ob
lation of himself.
The Pope’s indication that
wealth need be no hindrance to
living in a spirit of poverty was
made in the course of an address
he gave to leaders of religious
orders in 31 countries gathered
in Rome for the Second General
Congress of the States of Perfec
tion in the Modern World. The
text of the papal talk has now
been released.
Among those taking part in the
meeting were: Abbot Bernard
Kaelin, Abbot Primate of the
Benedictine Order; Father Mich
ael Browne, Superior General of
the Dominicans; Father Augus
tine Sepinski, Franciscan Superi
or General, and Brother Joseph
Nicet, Superior General of the
Brothers of Christian Schools.
American delegates were: Fa
ther Celsus Wheeler, O.F.M., Pro
vincial of the Franciscan Province
of the Most Holy Name of Jesus,
with headquarters in New York,
who is president of the Confer
ence of Major Superiors of the
U. S. A., and Father Charles
Burns, O.M.I., Provincial of the
Western Province of the Oblates
of Mary Immaculate, a member
of the executive committee of the
conference.
Formed in 1956,the conference
brings together provincials and
other heads of religious orders
and congregations of men in the
United States to discuss common
problems.
The thesis of the Pope’s 3,000-
word address was that although
the essentials of Christian perfec-
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