Guidelines Sheet: 8-12 July, 2024

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IMVDMFa 75 “Thus, in the VDMFa, the baptismal consecration takes a plurality of forms according to the state of life or the experience of the mission of each one:
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1. The Fraternity has been approved as an institute of consecrated life, where the celibate members are incorporated through the vows and the married couple missionaries are integrated through sacred bonds according to their married state.
2. The Lay Consecrated Missionaries ratify their option with promises.
3. The Missionary Disciples reaffirm their following of Jesus through their commitment in the VDMFa.

As we have said last week, all the members of the VDMFa center their prayer, testimony of life and mission on the Person of Christ whom we know and follow through the Word of God. The Word of God is the main source of reference for all and everyone in the VDMFa. But, at the same time we have some documents that help us to live out and to assimilate our spirituality and charism in a most concrete way. What are these documents? Let´s enumerate them:

1. For the Fraternity: CONSTITUTIONS OF THE VDMF (2012)
2. DIRECTORY FOR EACH ONE OF THE THREE BRANCHES
3. For the Lay Consecrated Missionaries: REGULATION LCM OF VDMFa (2019)
4. For the Missionary Disciples: REGULATION OF THE VDMD (2021)

The Constitutions were written by Jaime Bonet to be presented to Rome for the Pontifical approval from Holy See. Besides the Constitutions, Jaime Bonet two important documents: Breve Ideario (written on first years of foundation) and Estatutos (Statutes) del Verbum Dei (1985).

As we commented last week, we have the IDENTITY AND MISSION OF THE VDMFa (2019), common for all the members in the VDMFa. We´ll pray this week on three numbers taken from this document in continuation with last week.

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FIRST REFLECTION
OUR NEW WAY OF LIFE COMES FROM INTEGRATING AND INCARNATING JESUS´ FREEDOM TO LOVE OTHERS. 

IMVDMFa, 63.3 “An integrated, incarnated, and liberating spirituality imitating Jesus of Nazareth: like Jesus we will live a style of life in solidarity, fraternal, prophetic, welcoming, characterized by the hope and joy of the Gospel; inserted in the world like yeast in the dough, at the same time free of the categories of the world not in accord with the Gospel. Our life, founded on the Gospel, will be necessarily transformed into love towards the others as a way of life”.

Integrated spirituality means that the prayer, options to live a committed Christian life and preaching are oriented towards the goal:  to be Christ.

Rom 12:1-2 “Do not conform yourselves to the standard of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God – what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect”

Lk 6:42-45 “A healthy tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a poor tree bear good fruit. Every tree is known by the fruit it bears; you do not pick figs from thorn bushes or gather grapes from bramble bushes. A good person brings good out of the treasure of good things in his heart; a bad person brings bad out of his treasure of bad things. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

Incarnated spirituality helps us not to fall to a kind of “spiritualism” that doesn’t touch our own reality and the reality of others.

Mt 7:21 “Not everyone who calls me ´Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do.”

Liberating spirituality means that we are becoming freer from selfishness and pride, from the opinion of others and from many other antichristian values.

Jn 8:31-32 “So Jesus said to those who believed in him, ´If you obey my teaching, you are really my disciples; you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”.

2 Cor 3:17 “Now, the Lord in this passage is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom”.

Lk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed.”

In the light of this refection, how do I interconnect prayer-life-transmission of faith? In what circumstances do I find myself freer than before? Is Jesus liberating me through his Word? How do I enjoy my Christian freedom?

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SECOND REFLECTION
SPIRITUALITY OF COMMUNION WHEREVER WE ARE TO BUILD UP THE KINGDOM OF GOD

IMVDMFa, 63.4 “Spirituality of communion: the communion of life and love of the Trinity, makes flow from us the urgency that our communities, apostolates, families, places of work, convert into schools of communion: to being and forming a family, where all live a true communion in the mission. This is the proper expression of the call of God and of the mission to which he invites us, to announce the Kingdom of God and to form communities”.

IMVDMFa 84 “Each member, in whichever area we move, is called to live the spirituality of communion as a witness and architect of the project that God desires for the whole humanity; social areas where our fraternal love becomes salt of the earth, light of the world and ferment of social transformation”.

Mt 5:13 “You are like salt for the whole human race. But if salt loses its saltiness, there is no way to make it salty again. It has become worthless, so it is thrown out and people trample on it. You are like light for the whole world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl; instead, it is put on the lampstand, where it gives light for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.”

Mt 13:33 “Jesus told them still another parable: "The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A woman takes some yeast and mixes it with a bushel of flour until the whole batch of dough rises."

IMVDMFa 83 “To build communion implies the daily exercise and learning of charity, which is a gift and at the same time a task, a call and decision”.
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What does it mean for me to create communion? How am I working out to create communion in my environment?

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THIRD REFLECTION
WHERE DOES FIDELITY, ENTHUSIASM AND JOY OF ANY DISCIPLE COME FROM?

IMVDMFa 62 “The existential experience of knowing oneself to be loved, reconciled or in the process of reconciliation, make us live as children of God. This personal encounter and familiar relationship of affectionate intimacy with God ensures that our ministry of the Word be always accompanied by a clear testimony of life according to the Gospel. The union with God in Christ is the greatest source of love, energy, fidelity, enthusiasm, and joy in each member of the VDMFa. From this union surges forth a true following of Jesus, our transformation in the Holy Spirit, the mission, as well as the realization of an authentic missionary communion.”

 Jn 15: 9-12 “I love you just as the Father loves me; remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you.”

Do I value the joy that Jesus offers to his disciples? Am I really happy when I am faithful to the Word of Jesus and his commandments?

We will end these reflections for this week with the Letter to Diognetus:

The Christians in the world 

"Christians are indistinguishable from other men either by nationality, language or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. Their teaching is not based upon reveries inspired by the curiosity of men. Unlike some other people, they champion no purely human doctrine. With regard to dress, food and manner of life in general, they follow the customs of whatever city they happen to be living in, whether it is Greek or foreign. 

And yet there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through. They play their full role as citizens, but labor under all the disabilities of aliens. Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country. Like others, they marry and have children, but they do not expose them. They share their meals, but not their wives.  

They live in the flesh, but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh. They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven. Obedient to the laws, they yet live on a level that transcends the law. Christians love all men, but all men persecute them. Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death, but raised to life again. They live in poverty, but enrich many; they are totally destitute, but possess an abundance of everything. They suffer dishonor, but that is their glory. They are defamed, but vindicated. A blessing is their answer to abuse, deference their response to insult. For the good they do they receive the punishment of malefactors, but even then, they, rejoice, as though receiving the gift of life. They are attacked by the Jews as aliens, they are persecuted by the Greeks, yet no one can explain the reason for this hatred. 

To speak in general terms, we may say that the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body. As the soul is present in every part of the body, while remaining distinct from it, so Christians are found in all the cities of the world, but cannot be identified with the world. As the visible body contains the invisible soul, so Christians are seen living in the world, but their religious life remains unseen. The body hates the soul and wars against it, not because of any injury the soul has done it, but because of the restriction the soul places on its pleasures. Similarly, the world hates the Christians, not because they have done it any wrong, but because they are opposed to its enjoyments. 

Christians love those who hate them just as the soul loves the body and all its members despite the body's hatred. It is by the soul, enclosed within the body, that the body is held together, and similarly, it is by the Christians, detained in the world as in a prison, that the world is held together. The soul, though immortal, has a mortal dwelling place; and Christians also live for a time amidst perishable things, while awaiting the freedom from change and decay that will be theirs in heaven. As the soul benefits from the deprivation of food and drink, so Christians flourish under persecution. Such is the Christian’s lofty and divinely appointed function, from which he is not permitted to excuse himself." 
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From a letter to Diognetus (Nn. 5-6; Funk, 397-401)

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PRAYER FOR THE CONGRESS
To be held in Loeches, Spain from August 30 – September 27, 2024

“Communion, Consecration and Participation in the Mission"

Father, you who create and sustain all things with your love, we ask you to make us artisans of communion, so that as we journey towards the Congress we may know how to welcome the diversity that characterises us as the Verbum Dei Missionary Family.
 
Jesus, human face of God, consecrate us to your Word so that the Congress may be prepared and carried out in profound fidelity to your voice, listening to each one of us and to the signs of the times.
 
Holy Spirit, you who open rivers in the desert, guide us in this time of discernment and decision, so that we may live, embody and offer our charism ever more fully, so that all the baptised may participate in the mission of Jesus entrusted to the Church.
 
Accompany us, Mary, with your loving motherly presence and intercession, so that this Congress may be a channel of hope in which God transforms us and makes all things new. Amen.