Vocation: Sister Disciples Of The Divine Master

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A Pauline Centenary Pastoral Tool

ALBERIONE AND THE LITURGICAL MOVEMENT, n. 12

A Doctoral Thesis Presented at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute ***

THE FEATURES OF BLESSED ALBERIONE’S TEACHINGS

ON THE LITURGY

“The Apostolic Aspect of the Liturgy”

Blessed James Alberione’s Christological and ecclesial understanding of the liturgy is intimately linked with and necessarily involves the apostolic reality. Indeed, the goals of the liturgy: “the glorification of God and the salvation of souls”, which the Church carries out through Christ, are precisely the very motives of Christian apostolate or mission. In one of the prayer texts that he composed (cf. Chaplet to Jesus Master, n. 5), we can perceive that these are, in fact, the fundamental motivating elements of Christian apostolate and the reasons of Christ’s incarnation: “Jesus, Divine Master, we adore you with the angels who sang the reasons for your incarnation: Glory to God and peace to mankind. We thank you for having called us to share in your own apostolate. Enkindle in us your own flame of zeal for God and for souls.”

In his teachings, Blessed Alberione rivets the idea that in order to really enter into the spirit of the Divine Master, it is necessary to assume Christ’s very life program. In the liturgy, both the saving and the cultic mission of Christ and the Church, is carried out and is directed, as towards their end. Conscious of this reality, Blessed Alberione thus delineates the relationship of the liturgy with the saving and cultic mission of the Church, presenting it in its various facets.

I. The LITURGY as the Irradiation of Christ

In the context of Blessed Alberione’s dynamic vision of history, the history of nations awaits the greatest historical event – the incarnation, through which God came to restore to himself all creatures as Head over all, and lead “on that great day” to his kingdom, the believers and immense heavenly creatures, giving glory to the Divine King. In our Founder’s preaching, it is very clear that the saving, historical event of the incarnation is not limited to the manger of Bethlehem. Nay, the Lord’s incarnation is the decisive entrance of Christ in salvation history, a unique messianic process which culminated in his death on the cross and the glorious event of his resurrection and ascension to heaven. For Blessed Alberione, moreover, the incarnation of Christ, the Son of God, is the radical manifestation and revelation of God’s doxa or glory.

Our beloved Primo Maestro cites the Christmas preface: “In the mystery of the incarnation the eternal Word has brought to the eyes of faith a new and radiant vision of the Father’s glory. In him we see our God made visible and so we are caught up in love of the God we cannot see.” He explains further that Jesus Christ made the Father known to us and manifested the Father’s will, goodness and eternal glory. Above all, Jesus revealed the Father’s saving mercy in the mystery of the incarnation. Blessed Alberione asserts that Jesus Christ is the light and we, in turn, reflect this divine light, Jesus Christ.

With this as background, we can understand his description of an “apostle”. An “apostle” is one who carries God in the soul and radiates the divine light around. The irradiation of the divine light should be carried out in the apostolate. He states, moreover, and this is very important: that the liturgy itself should be an irradiation of Christ, the Father’s glory. Indeed, liturgy, which is an irradiation of Christ, is life itself, in the sense that liturgy should be realized and actuated in daily life. Since liturgy is the act and presence of Christ, then it is understandable why he upholds that in the liturgy, the divine light, Jesus Christ, is irradiated.

For Blessed Alberione, the idea of irradiation is based on the principle of communion with the light, of being filled with the light. He remarks: “You are the light of the world, in as much as we receive the light from Jesus Christ and we, in turn, reflect this light as a mirror that receives and reflects light … When we know Jesus Christ then we can love and imitate him. Hence, Jesus is the light and we, in turn, reflect this light.”

The apostolic idea of the irradiation of the divine light, Jesus Christ, the Father’s glory, evokes a related notion which Blessed Alberione presented during the feast of Epiphany in 1958. Inspired by the liturgy of the Epiphany, he develops the idea of the manifestation of Jesus through the liturgy, or better, through the liturgical apostolate: “We should manifest Jesus and manifest him with words, certainly. But the manifestation can be made in different ways, with teaching and preaching, as well as with works, frames, statues; with everything that is liturgy. It is a manifestation of Jesus Christ, carried out in the spirit of the Church and the Gospel.”

Indeed, Blessed Alberione has realized that the liturgy is a powerful means of making Christ known. Asserting that art and liturgy have done much in history to manifest the life and events of Jesus Christ, he gives directives to the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master on how to manifest Jesus Christ through their particular liturgical service in the Church: “There are still many specific events in the life of the Lord that should be illustrated. What the Church teaches can be expressed in words and works: with facts, pictures, sculpture, the building of churches and with what is directly liturgy, as well as with what is related to liturgy, such as rosaries, various devotions, etc.” He then affirms that the field of the liturgical apostolate is very vast. He underlines, moreover, the apostolic imperative of making Jesus Christ known, that is, what the Lord did, instituted and said, by means of this apostolate.

II. The LITURGY Actuates the Teaching-Governing-Sanctifying Mission of Christ and the Church

In Blessed Alberione’s Christological and ecclesial vision, Jesus Christ who lives on in the Church, continues to teach, guide and sanctify souls through the ages. He likewise realizes the baptismal duty of serving the Church and cooperating in her mission as teacher of truth; as guide of souls, either individually or collectively; and as sanctifier and distributor of grace. The prophetic, pastoral and priestly mission of Jesus Christ is carried out and actuated in the liturgy. Since the liturgy is, in a certain way, the consummation itself of Jesus Christ, through the liturgy Christ continues to be in the Church, the Master, the Priest and Victim, the Sanctifier; that is, the way, truth and life for mankind.

III. The LITURGY, Concretized in the EUCHARIST, as the Source of Apostolic Strength and Efficacy

The apostolate of glorifying God and bringing peace to mankind is based on the dynamism of sanctification or christification, that is, of Christ living in us. To the question “When are we apostles?” Blessed Alberione replies: “When we live of Jesus Christ”. He explains that we are so when we can truly say “Christ lives in me” and when as a consequence, we irradiate Jesus Christ – with our words in preaching, with our life by our witnessing, in our prayer of supplication, in our deeds; with the apostolate of mass media.

The phenomenon of christification, which is the basis of apostolic activity and expansion, has a sacramental radix. This could be gleaned in the following prayer text Blessed Alberione composed: “Jesus, Divine Master, we adore you as the only-begotten Son of God, come on the earth to give life, the most abundant life, to mankind. We thank you because, by dying on the cross, you merited life for us, which you give us in baptism and nourish in Holy Communion and in the other sacraments.” Indeed, the life of the apostolate is life “in Christ and in the Church” and this apostolic life is basically sacramental in origin.

Aware of the vital importance of the Eucharist in the apostolic life, our beloved Founder poses the question: “And how can we endure the fatigues of the apostolate without the strength from the Eucharist, the spiritual nourishment?” He observes that before one becomes cold in the apostolate, one becomes cold first in the Eucharistic devotion and that mistakes in the apostolate can always be traced to lack of fervor in Eucharistic devotion. Hence, he concludes: “Be Eucharistic persons and you will be fervent apostles.”

IV. The LITURGY, Concretized in the EUCHARIST, as the Summit of Apostolic Activity

Blessed Alberione desires that all things be restored in Christ and believes that this could be carried out precisely in the Eucharist. He appeals: “Let us gather the entire world in our mind and heart; the insensible world as well as the sensible world, that is, the rational world: mankind, heaven, angels; and restore all things in Christ (cf. Eph 1:10). Let us gather everything in our minds and heart and present them to the heavenly Father through Jesus Christ: Per ipsum, et cum ipso, et in ipso, est tibi Deo Patri onmipotenti, in unitate Spiritus Sancti, omnis honor et gloria.”

For Blessed Alberione, the perfection of liturgy is union with Jesus Christ, the true “leitourgos” – he who will continue his eternal liturgy in the splendor of eternal glory. Hence, the prayer he made: “That I may understand and realize more and more the ‘through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, forever and ever’.”

(TO BE CONTINUED)

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