Fr EGIDIO VIGANÒ:
THE CHALLENGE OF SYNOD 80
ASC 299
January-March 1981
"THE CHALLENGE OF SYNOD 80" - 1. The recent Episcopal Synod - 2. The importance of the family theme - 3. Inspirational highlights of the Synod - 4. .Two basic principles: love and life - 5. How our pastoral and educational commitment is affected: The mystique of kindliness; Updating pastoral and moral theology; Activity within the local Church; Our influence in culture and education; Importance of sex education; Pre-nuptial catechumenate; Concept of "The Domestic Church"; New concepts regarding the importance of women - 6. Close link between family and consecration - 7. The family spirit.
Dear Confreres
The recent earthquake catastrophe that struck vast areas of southern
Italy has caused immeasurable sorrow and dismay; it also set off an
explosion of solidarity and Christian charity that gives the heart much
cause for. hope. The Holy Father's visit to the stricken zones was a
source of great comfort and a moving invitation to prayer and co-operation.
Throughout Italy, Europe, and indeed the whole world, the .Salesian
Family has played an active part in the Church's efforts, with its prayer,
practical and generous help and reconstruction. We have nothing but
admiration for the Naples Province of Blessed Michael Rua who have thrown
themselves into the task of succoring the needy. We assure them of our
collaboration and help, especially from the other Provinces of Italy.
These tragic disasters certainly burst into our lives and shake us out
of the ordinary quiet we may enjoy; they thrust before us the important
values of life and the realization of man's true destiny. They leave
us querying the why's and wherefore's; but if we pose our questions
in a spirit of faith we shall find our answers in work, confidence and
hope.
Jesus Christ has given us no treatise on suffering: but he has left
us his wonderful example whereby he transformed suffering, accepting
even his passion and death and thus opening up for man the vision of
his resurrection.
May our prayer and work ever be in Christ; let us renew our solidarity
and union with our brothers whom the earthquake has so grievously afflicted.
1. The recent Episcopal Synod
From 26 September to 25 October, with nine other Superiors General,
I had the great grace of being called to participate in the Synod of
Bishops as they discussed the DUTIES OF THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY IN THE
MODERN WORLD. I consider it well worth while to devote this letter to
the significance of "Synod 80" and what it means for us Salesians.
It was an ecclesial event that will have wide repercussions. Two years
of preparation went into it, 213 Synodal Fathers participated; there
were 43 observers (including 16 married couples) and 10 consultants
in theology, ethics, demography and medicine. Altogether there were
164 papers read and 62 documents presented; 11 language working-groups
assembled for more than a week, each preparing a written resume of suggestions;
43 propositions were drawn up and approved by vote; a special Message
was composed, Cardinal Ratzinger delivered two important addresses,
several thoughtful homilies were preached by the Holy Father, and finally
half a dozen documents (the fruits of the Synod) were presented to the
Holy See. (They included preparatory instructions, a working document,
introductory report, a resume of the papers presented in the hall, reports
.of the working-groups, and finally the propositions of the Synod.).
These will form the basis of an Apostolic Exhortation similar to "Evangelii
Nuntiandi" and "Catechesi Tradendae." Throughout the
Synod the Faithful showed their interest and solidarity by offering
prayers and good works for the special help of the Holy Spirit.
The particular task of a synod is to set up guidelines for the lives
and apostolic activity of the People of God throughout the world. Hence
Religious Institutes, especially those of the active life, are very
much involved. We Salesians, with our specific commitment to the apostolate
of youth, must see the Synod as an invitation to examine our work in
the light of the synodal findings and according to the directives of
the Bishops united around the Successor of Peter.
Much of the agenda was of a pressing and problematical nature: the inculturation
of Christian teaching regarding marriage and the reading of the signs
of the times; principles of sexuality and the reformulation of ethical
and spiritual directives; the importance of the indissolubility of marriage
and the situation of divorcees; the teaching and perfecting of "Humanae
Vitae" and reasons for birth-rate control; the mutual demands of
faith and sacrament for the validity of marriage; problems and prospects
in mixed marriages; the true meaning of the promotion of women; the
..heinousness of abortion; the education of children; and the social
and cultural function of the family, etc.
The vast array of problems makes it obvious that there is a compelling
need to open up cultures to Gospel influence, especially in regard to
the disquieting concerns of sexuality that are so significant and dramatic
in the present-day development of mankind. These will not be solved
by ingenuous and outmoded simplifications that insist solely on norms
that were formulated in another type of culture. We need to be aware
of and accept the greatly increased complexity of modern life and the
increased relevance (with all its contradictory expressions) that sex
manifests in today's social behavior.
We are called on to search out the signs of the Spirit and the relevance
of his Gospel message so that we may offer a wise response that can
deal with the thinking of Illuminists (for whom norms of sexuality are
to be decided by each individual conscience), Romanticists (who place
human love on a sentimental pedestal that needs no help from ethical
tenets), and Psychoanalysts (who reduce sexuality to a compulsive urge
that only appears at the conscious level when assuaged).
Furthermore, the individualistic attitude to marriage and the family
seem to be producing a new society that in general appears to have no
interest in consistent and firm principles for marriage or the family.
Hence the so-called "nuclear family" of today is extremely
insecure and fragile, for a child is no longer seen as the fruit of
love, a blessing, a help, but a mere rationalized addition, another
responsibility, a further financial burden.
Christians everywhere anxiously await the inspired teaching of their
Pastors on -these modern problems. True, at the moment of writing, the
findings of the Synod are not yet definitive. But the Bishops have given
the Holy Father plenty of good clear ideas and practical conclusions
for an eventual Apostolic Exhortation. By reflecting on the broad lines
of the Bishops' thinking we shall be better prepared for a prompt acceptance
of the new document and its directives when they appear.
2. The importance of the Family theme
As the Synodal Fathers examined the duties and problems of the family
in the modern world, two opposite poles emerged: the profound values
and grand future development that belongs to every family; and its practical
problems and limitations.
- In the first place the Synod emphasized the divine plan that assigns
to the family a scope that is vast, beautiful and compelling: marriage
is an alliance of love; the hearth is the primary cell where society
takes its form.
Seen in this important aspect, it is clear that the theme was not just
chosen on the spur of the moment from a list of problems all more or
less of equal urgency. The family is not simply a theme forming part
of a five-year schedule for synodal discussion - one of the problems
to take in hand and solve because it is next on the list. It is a very
personal, central and indispensable reality in civic and ecclesial activity.
To quote from a Synod paper: "Modern man is beset by a distressing
accumulation of problems; and the family is not simply one more of these
problems. The Church has considered it proper to devote a specific Synod
to the Family because it claims a privileged place, a starting point
of our world of today. We do not plan to present people with a number
of formulated truths on certain specific aspects of the family: no,
we wish to illumine anew its reality and significance in the light of
the God-family who created us in his image, who sent his only-begotten
Son on earth to shed his blood and make us the family of God, a family
of sons and brothers. The family is the lever we need to ease the world
Godwards and renew its hope. It is a tiny unit, but it possesses a greater
energy than the atom. From the humble littleness of millions of homes
the Church can renew the might of love needed to become the sacrament
of unity among men" (Bp Francis Cox, 14-10-80).
In fine, the theme of the family is not just a discussion topic: it
is a privileged vantage-point for more practical and intelligent thinking
and planning in our overall apostolate according to God's master-plan.
Dear confreres, this is an aspect that is of the deepest importance
for us.
- The second element emphasized by the Synod dealt with the limitations
and many distressing situations that confront the family.
The family is not an "absolute"; it was not created for itself,
but for Man who must develop and achieve his happiness in the Kingdom
of God. There is a wealth of significance in the Gospel behest that
we be ready to leave all, even our family, for the sake of the Kingdom.
Conjugal love is genuine only when it can reach out beyond the confines
of the home. In the long spiritual journey of the Church the family
must be open to other values; for instance, it must, paradoxically,
be able to appreciate and further the principle of virginity - which,
after all, witnesses to that final goal according to which sexuality
itself must be perfected.
When one looks at the facts (and unhappily this holds for all continents)
it must be admitted that the family is only too often subjected to political
contempt, cultural subjugation, economic oppression and moral sickness.
Rather than being the vital and renewing nucleus of society, the family
is a victimized unit of society in need of liberation and help.
In view of so many distressing reports, and the fact that fundamentally
the family has rights and basic functions before the State and society,
the Synod was concerned with formulating the elements of a future basic
charter, a Code of Rights. This could be an inspiration for possible
renewal projects in democratic States, and duly accepted by intermediary
bodies - including Religious Institutes.
3. Inspirational highlights of the Synod
Working as a member of the Synod, I had the opportunity of witnessing
a number of vital aspects in one of the most impressive events in the
mystical life of the Church. I have made a note of some of these points
and they may help us towards a more ecclesial awareness of an event
that often reached people only through the media - and the latter's
judgment and reporting is usually made against a background very different
from the transcendent backdrop of our faith.
- It was a great experience to observe the progressive collegiality
of the bishops. For twenty centuries history has recorded a profession
exclusive to. the Church and ever new and unique: it is the ministry
of Pastor exercised by Bishops in communion with the Successor of Peter.
This is a role forged by the Incarnate Word; it makes judgments and
offers its teaching on all that is human (sex, culture, economy, politics);
it never ceases to be pastoral, nor does it identify itself with any
specific sector; it illumines all people with the truths of Revelation
researched and presented in the variegated wealth of a practical cultural
pluralism. There was general satisfaction at the good progress made
in this collegial ministry: there was clear agreement on principles
and the requirements of faith, together with a wealth of cultural divergencies.
- I was conscious, furthermore, of the utter importance of the Church's
Magisterium in the life of faith. Our belief is ecclesial! Between our
faith and historical and scientific facts which it can make use of (Scripture,
Creed, scholarly and enlightened documentation, the different branches
of theological sciences) there is a basic area we must hold to if we
would avoid deviations and subjectiveness: it is the Communion of Believers
that is guided by Peter, the Apostles, and their Successors. Christ
has not made our faith dependent on the study of documents, however
weighty they may be: it rests on the living testimony of credible persons
chosen, enlightened and assisted by him.
In this sense I was struck by the competent discernment and the lively
permanence of the Magisterium when dealing with difficult matters subject
to the searching spotlight of the new human disciplines. For instance,
sexuality and fertility were presented by the Synodal Fathers with unanimity
and in the light of the enduring teaching of "Humanae Vitae."
It was stated, however; that there was a pastoral need for the Encyclical's
validity to be argued in a manner more suitable to the times.
- Another matter stressed was the special function of the Magisterium
in authentically promoting and interpreting that supernatural sense
of faith (LG 12) proper to all the People of God and spoken of in the
Dogmatic Constitution "Lumen Gentium" (35).
This "faith sensitivity" cannot be deduced simply from statistics
or sociological or psychological research - even though these investigations
help in a deeper understanding of truth and yield practical data for
a more rational planning of pastoral action. No, the "faith sensitivity"
(sensus fidei) is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It transcends time (our
creed is stable throughout the centuries) and space (our creed is stable
in all cultures), since faith begins from a simple and docile heart
and opens up the way to the universal horizons of Christ; just so was
the testimony of the poor and humble Virgin of Nazareth (v. Synodal
Propositions 2-4).
- Furthermore, the Bishops restated in a novel and original way the
extraordinary and hidden wealth of the Christian teaching on marriage,
beginning with the mystery of the Trinity, of Creation, of Christ, of
the Church. Their presentation contains an abundance of pastoral teaching
that predates the theological sciences and shows forth the positive
function and charismatic profundity of the Magisterium in the genuine
life of faith.
- The truths proclaimed by the Bishops were noticeably imbued with a
deep compassion; for the teaching of the pastoral ministry is of its
nature practical and kindly. The Synod was much exercised in this regard,
for the Bishops were well aware that the Church's prime interest is
for the "man of reality", in pain and abandoned, with all
his sufferings and aberrations. It is the delicate task of the pastoral
ministry to achieve a sensitive balance of "saving truth"
and divine compassion - not a doctrinal rectitude without kindness and
understanding, nor a compassion that rejects truth.
This is an extensive area of pastoral practice, and the many who need
this care were referred to by one Cardinal as the "victims of love."
It is an area that calls for urgent attention and creativity.
- Finally, among the excellent proposals was one that the Synod should
not be limited to a kind of clinic for family ailments, but should be
able to offer the modern world a positive message, emphasizing the wonderful
values intrinsic in the divine plan. The family should be presented
as an indispensable, dynamic and attractive unit, a gift from God, a
small nucleus of atomic energy for every age, a cradle of renewal and
improvement in culture and society.
4. Two basic principles: love and life
The Message for Christian Families promulgated at the conclusion of
the Synod says succinctly: "All that we have said regarding marriage
and the family can be summed up in two words: love and life" (ass.
Rom. 26-10-80).
These are two great principles at the centre of a renewed Christian
vision of the family. The Message goes on to say that God's design,"
is achieved when man and woman are closely united in love in the service
of life. Marriage is a pact of love and life."
Before all else, the family is called to cherish and cultivate love,
to form people in love and educate them to act with love in every human
relationship, so that love reaches out to the whole community, is imbued
with a sense of justice and respect for others, and is conscious of
its responsibility to society" (Message).
And love is intrinsically linked with life. It brings life into being,
gives it meaning, nourishes it, defends it, gives it fulfillment.
In faithfulness to this deep sense of love and life, the family in its
turn "is obliged to take on a style of life contrary to current
culture and mentality and common attitudes towards sexuality, individual
freedom and material goods" (Message).
The transmission of life through love is at the heart of the mystery
of man, the dignity of the ,person, the grandeur of life, the beauty
and responsibility of parenthood. The Message makes special mention
of love in the transmission of life as "inseparable from conjugal
union"; genuine love must be "fully human, total, exclusive
and receptive of new life" (HV 9 & 10).
The proper fulfillment of so high a mission in the harmony of these
two great principles needs the grace of God and the ministry of the
Church. The reinstatement of God's true plan requires a change of heart
that will not be easy, doffing "the old man" and donning "the
new"; but all is possible with the help of the Holy Spirit.
When we think of love and life in today's modern culture, we see how
inspired and courageous is the Synod's teaching; we see how love is
falsified and travestied in a thousand ways and how life is destroyed
and suppressed with cold calculation and subversive or legalized violence.
Our cultures have to be radically re-evangelized. Public opinion has
to be exorcised of its selfish ways and the false ideologies foisted
on it. We have to do battle with a materialism that is whittling down
love and life to a mere biological and chemical process. So many live
in an atheistic environment, and this has given rise to an anguished
bewilderment and an anti-birth mentality. The arrogant illusion that
"fatherhood is dead" is undermining human society. Infertility
is rife among so many today because they despise marriage and fertility.
Men speak of virility and are afraid of being fathers; women boast of
their womanhood and dread being mothers. Love and life have been wrenched
apart and the result is that both are degraded. People no longer give
a thought to love's capacity for suffering and its indispensable historical
link with sacrifice; they no longer look to the Cross as the highest
expression of love (id quo maius fieri nequit - nothing greater is possible).
When love is reduced to mere gratification, all man's grand ideals of
being called to conquer the world are quickly jettisoned.
This psychological catastrophe is the result of the loss of the sense
of God, his fatherliness, his loving kindliness, his compassion. There
is no longer belief in his love for human life - that love. so immeasurable
that he sent his only-begotten Son among us to give himself utterly,
even to the complete immolation of the Paschal sacrifice.
Rightly did the Synod concentrate on the family itself and deal not
only with ethical problems but with the renewal of a Gospel mystique,
family life in the Holy Spirit. Indeed, morality without spirituality
is lifeless, whereas the Holy Spirit heartens, enlivens, opens up new
horizons and
energies - there is no room for discouragement.
Here then lies our post-synodal pastoral work (and it is urgent and
complex): today's culture must be imbued with the Gospel so that the
two all-important basic principles may be resurrected love and life,
and ways and means must be found to do this for the family. Unhappily
we realize that there are so many sad situations where a substitute
must be found for the family; and then it is a case of our being able
to interpret its special spirit and sublime mission.
5. How our pastoral and educational commitment is affected
It would be well now to note certain practical directives proposed
by the Synod that call on us as Religious educators to examine our areas
of concern and our pastoral obligations.
Rather than a lengthy dissertation, it is more to the point to present
a clear and concise list of the main pastoral duties that affect us.
I suggest the following points as of particular importance for us Salesians.
The mystique of kindliness
In our efforts to achieve an apostolate of the family (through our
youth apostolate), we must begin as the Synod did with a positive message
of hope based on the all-important values God has planned for all families.
We must see the good there is in all hearts, and be sensitive, understanding
and constructive in our attitude to the laws of growth and the need
to take things gradually. This gradualism must be based on kindness
and compassion; it certainly does not mean a sentimental "peace
at any cost." Compassion is not meted out solely with the ladle
of justice; but neither must we close an eye to evil, to injury, to
scandal, to insult (v. Dives in Misericordia 14).
In the closing homily of the Synod the Holy Father stated that "the
so-called 'law of gradualism', or moving by degrees, cannot be taken
to mean 'gradualism of the law', as if divine law for mankind and different
situations were prescribed in various degrees and forms" (v. Oss.
Rom. 26-10-80 ).
The Pope's recent encyclical, "Dives in Misericordia", is
a help in developing this necessary attitude. "The true and proper
meaning of mercy does not consist only in looking with understanding
and compassion at moral, physical or material evil: mercy is manifested
in its true and proper aspect when it restores to value and promotes
and draws good from all the forms of evil in the world and in man. Understood
in this way, we see mercy as Christ's fundamental messianic message
and the force behind his mission" (DM 6).
In this light, kindness becomes the spring of hope.
Updating pastoral and moral theology
New developments in culture, human sciences and faith call for an overhauling
of our pastoral principles. Especially do we need to update our moral
theology and the social teaching of the Church, and we must set about
it in a serious and well-balanced manner, in fidelity to the Magisterium
and with the help of carefully chosen and scholarly masters. We could
make a start by studying the forthcoming Apostolic Exhortation and the
valid comments that will follow it.
Our updating must be guided by truth, as the Holy Father remarked in
his closing synodal homily: "Charity must be built on truth. This
principle holds for the family and the pastors who work for the family.
It is of paramount important to realize that the charity that is the
essence of the Christian family cannot be achieved without a life based
on truth. All lay, priestly and religious members of the Church whose
task it is to collaborate in this activity can only succeed when their
efforts are founded on truth. It is truth that liberates, truth that
directs, truth that opens the way to holiness and justice" (Oss.
Rom. 26-10-80).
This is indeed that "saving truth"; the Magisterium is its
warranty and welcomes all the past and present stimulating progress
the human sciences have brought to it.
Enlightened and pedagogical competence in the subtle field of moral
theology was always close to the heart of Don Bosco - as is clear from
his post-ordination studies at the Convitto - and it forms an important
part of our tradition as educators and confessors.
Pastoral renewal requires that we study, update and fathom the meaning
of "the truth that saves."
Activity within the local Church
One of the practical results of the Synod will be that every diocese
will have to rethink its joint apostolate with a view to a family renewal,
dealing primarily with the restoration of its Christian identity, and
then with the responsible acceptance of its varied and grave duties.
I had occasion to present a paper, myself to the Synod (v. page 47),
and stressed the need for some educative scheme for the overall 'joint
apostolate, having due regard for the spirit and' suggestions of "Mutuae
Relationes." The application of the criteria therein could gather
up the many pastoral talents and activities of the different charisms
in the local Church and channel them towards a more efficient tackling
of the various problems.
This appeal must not find us deaf and passive, but full of activity
in promoting collaboration between parents and the Church's educators.
Our influence in culture and education
Our evangelizing mission is chiefly concerned with the cultural area
in the field of education, and therefore particularly in the school
and the media. The Synod made a clear and urgent call for imbuing cultures
with the Gospel and helping the young to develop strong Christian principles
in our present parlous cultural pluralism. This should be treated as
one of the most important duties we owe to the family. Besides the various
papers read at the Synod, four of the forty-three Propositions approved
by the Bishops refer to this grave obligation and its vast social and
ecclesial impact.
Proposition 26 states that "the responsibility of education belongs
primarily to the parents and is the main duty or mission (munus) of
their conjugal ministry - indeed a duty that is irrevocable and inalienable".
When making his initial address, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger even affirmed
that in a situation of pluralism' and cultural transition, the important
question should be asked anew just what exactly education is: for these
days it can no longer be interpreted from the point of view of an "established
society." He added that, given the actual situation and mission
of' the family today, "education is essentially the development
of genuine love; all education must lead to love" (Paper 4).
We must indeed make the family a "school of love"; and all
our educational institutions must look for ways of promoting the co-responsibility
of the family. Indeed Proposition 29 of the Synod foresees that the
Catholic school will undergo substantial change in this regard.
Importance of sex-education
One of the human values that the Synod examined was sexuality. Today
there is need for a more updated and objective teaching that will do
away with a kind of Manicheism that treats sex a sort of superstitious
taboo. The Synod saw sex as an extraordinary gift of God that permeates
the whole person and imbues him with a social energy that enhances his
capacity for relationship. It must not be reduced to a mere genital
function. It is an inalienable and integral aspect of man who is created
in the image of God, an essential element of all personal existence.
There is no true education for love that excludes sexuality.
On the other hand it is also true that from mankind's earliest beginnings
the ravages of sin have impaired this essential goodness. Modern society's
erotic deviations are an abundant confirmation of this.
If Paul VI's "civilization of love" is ever to eventuate,
a way must be found to provide sex-education that is genuine and Christian.
Unhappily certain modern ideologies and materialistic teachings falsely
parading as scientific have reduced sex to mere biology with no moral
import, and at the free disposal of the individual according to his
whims. This sort of "sex-education" would be mere physiology
and psychology, a kind of bodily hygienics for teaching how to exploit
sex without risking responsibility.
"Against such errors", said Cardinal Ratzinger, "the
Church must insist on an education that treats sex as an integral part
of a united and undivided man. Such an education therefore is and always
must be an education for responsibility, for fidelity; in a word, an
education for love" (Paper 3).
Bearing in mind the delicacy of Don Bosco's Preventive System in this
matter, and that sexeducation is primarily a parent's duty, we Salesians
must be thoroughly up to date and positive in the Christian vision of
the whole man, especially in regard to sex - and our Pope John Paul
II makes this very clear in his frequent addresses. Thus we shall insist
on a true sex-education which goes beyond physical and psychological
aspects and stresses the moral and spiritual dimensions as a growth
in love.
Let us never forget that we have a charismatic tradition of a unique
system of education; while devoting its services to love and life, it
gives primacy to delicacy, moral sensitivity, and prevention of harmful
deviations in educating for chastity.
Pre-nuptial catechumenate
Another of the Synod's emphases was the need for a more careful pre-marriage
apostolate (Proposition 35), and the drawing-up of a suitable pastoral
directory for this purpose. After all, the more significant vocations
in the Church (such as the priesthood, religious life and various apostolic
ministries and commitments ) all have carefully regulated preparation
in the seminary, novitiate, or other appropriate places of training;
whereas, speaking generally and factually, Christian marriage, with
its many difficult and grave responsibilities towards the basic values
of human life, is unfortunately lacking in an adequate formation and
preparation. We should be concerned not only with the necessary remote
education, but also with a well-organized proximate preparation - a
kind of immediate pre-nuptial catechumenate.
This should be a specialized section of the youth apostolate, oriented
towards conjugal love and responsible parenthood. Qualified Catholic
layfolk could be co-opted to help in this field.
- This "marriage catechesis" should include serious instruction
on "family spirituality" - which was the subject of much concern
in the synodal discussion on the theology of marriage and the spouses'
hitherto rarely mentioned vocation to sanctity. This spirituality is
not necessarily (even in the Latin Rite) identified with the spirituality
of the laity, though it is closely linked to it. Hence the findings
of the various language-groups in this regard were written up in a lengthy
Proposition {No. 36): themes such as the following need to be studied
and developed- spirituality of creation, spirituality of the covenant,
spirituality of the Cross, spirituality of the Resurrection, and spirituality
of witnessing to a characteristic conjugal charity.
This is an extensive area that calls for our collaboration, and we can
bring to it the solid help that belongs to our specific consecration.
- Furthermore, the concept of the "Domestic Church" spoken
of in "Lumen Gentium" was developed by the Synod: the family's
role in bringing the mystery of Christ into the home; and its equally
important duty to issue forth from the home in the apostolic zeal of
Christ to make a practical ecclesial contribution in the service of
neighbors and society.
This makes all kinds of animation possible: ascetic, mystic, liturgical,
catechetical; also faith development in the home, prayer renewal, Scripture
reading, appreciation of the Rosary, preparation for the Sacraments,
Christian care of the sick, the elderly, the dying, and so on. There
is also considerable scope for pastoral animation in ecclesial and social
responsibilities - among neighbors, in the parish, in the municipality,
in civil and political affairs, in diocesan and national apostolates,
in the missions, etc. The range is indeed great, and there is room too
- for suitable help adapted to the different family cultural levels.
New concepts regarding the importance of women
The elucidations of love and life led to a deeper consideration and
appreciation of one of the more important signs of the times: the upgrading
of women. Bishop Francis Cox maintained that "the theme of woman
got to the root of the crisis in modern culture. Thinkers have described
our scientific and technical civilization as one-sidedly male. The cult
of efficiency is a typically male failing. An old proverb has it that
man builds a house and woman transforms it into a home" (14-10-80).
"Women's Lib" has wrought havoc with certain important principles
and they must be reinstated and promoted. Woman possesses a special
talent for humanizing and personalizing relationships and environments
(v. Puebla 848); she is the harbinger of hope for both the- Church and
society. To love she brings intimacy and generous self-sacrifice, and
life she mothers, cradles and nurses.
The Synod came up with a number of very practical proposals for the
liberation of woman and the proper social appraisal of ,her specific
mission. They envision the overcoming of the widespread prejudice that
her independence must be won by a career outside the home and that housewife
duties are to be despised. It was stated that the promotion of woman
has nothing to do with "masculinization", but is achieved
by developing and maturing her femininity.
Proposition 16 states that "in promoting the rights of women, motherhood
and home duties must be put on a par with public and professional careers.
There will have to be an ever-growing merging of these duties in cultural
and social evolution. There is need of a new theology of work to clarify
its meaning in Christian life and its relation to the family."
We must reflect well on Christian tradition in order to collaborate
in a social and ecclesial renewal in all the varied modes of life and
activity.
Let us stir up our devotion to Mary: she will open up for us new areas
of growth and development in this field (v. Marialis Cultus, esp. 34-39).
6. Close link between family and consecration
There is another aspect that is of special significance for us.
It was comforting to note that both in Cardinal Ratzinger's initial
address and Cardinal Pironio's incisive remarks and in the telling interventions
of other synodal members the deep mutual respect there is in the Church
between marriage and virginity, the wedded state and the consecrated
life. In pagan societies (both before and after Christ) there is no
place of honor for virginity. One could say that when conjugal fidelity
is not revered and practiced, neither are the 'merits of virginity recognized;
when sex is not seen as a great gift of the Creator, virginity is not
recognized as a great charism of the Redeemer. In Christianity, on the
other hand, the finest gift a family can offer is virginity for Christ's
Kingdom. From love and the conjugal life blossoms forth this loveliest
flower of life and love: Christ and Mary were the family's greatest
contribution to humanity, to life, and to love's highest expression.
The consecrated life helps the family to be Christian, to overcome temptations
against love and to understand and accept life's difficulties. "Where
virginity is accepted as a way of life", Cardinal Ratzinger continues,
"the infinite value of man is clarified - not only because of his
noble ability to transmit life, but specifically because of the sublime
fact that he is a person. Furthermore, living a celibate life, man is
called to a special relationship with the community; he achieves a new
freedom whereby he lives not only for himself and his close ones but
also for innumerable others in their different families. With them he
establishes a new and profound communion rightly called the 'Family
of God'." (Paper 2)
The past decade has witnessed a deep crisis in both the family and the
consecrated life: love faces increasing infidelity and self-gratification;
and life, sterility arid old age. This problem has affected both the
married state and the consecrated life. Family ties and the bonds of
religion are falling apart, and the two great principles of love and
life face a devastating corrosion.
One of the sad results is the great number of infants, children and
teenagers who have no experience of the irreplaceable value of family
life. The Church is sent to mother these too and teach them to know
God as their Father. Hence the need of many good souls to take the place
of mothers:
and thus the need for more vocations. Indeed the Synod pointed out the
urgency arid renewed spirit of understanding between married and consecrated
souls that is making for a much more effective vocation-apostolate.
As the "Domestic Church", the family is the cradle of vocations
to the consecrated life. Indeed this is one of its main duties, and
it should have the help of priests and religious in the many difficult
tasks and problems that are increasing because of the new cultural and
social situations.
The Synod puts before us these important pastoral aims: to develop this
spiritual and pastoral relationship, to realize the increasing social
influence of the Gospel principles proper to the various states of life,
to appreciate the complementary characters of different kinds of vocations,
to cherish and foster the many and various gifts of the Spirit in the
Church, to be true to our Charism by collaboration and communion. This
is surely food for our meditation and our good resolves.
7. The family spirit
These are brief but impelling thoughts, and it is fitting to conclude
with a quick look at the important characteristic of our Salesian mission
that is historically linked to the sacred heritage of the Christian
family: we call it our "family spirit", and it was born in
the early days of Valdocco with Don Bosco and Mamma Margaret.
Father Alberto Caviglia writes, "I believe that we shall never
really fathom the fundamental cause of Don Bosco's educational system
if we fail to take stock of its primary source, which was the memory,
nay, the longing to relive those early days (A. Cav.: Vita di Dom. Sav.,
p. 68; Opere e scritti ed. e ined. di Don Bosco, Vol. IV; SEI - 1943).
Family environment is one of the basic postulates of the kindliness
of the Preventive System. "Without the family", wrote Don
Bosco in 1884, "there is no affection in evidence, and unless it
is plainly, seen, there will be no trust. If one wishes to be loved
one must make it obvious that one loves. Jesus Christ made himself little
with the little; he bore our infirmities; he was the master of the family
spirit" (Epistolario IV, 265).
To attain this goal, educators must have the kindly heart of Christian
parents; they must make every house a home where there is understanding,
loyalty, sincerity, indulgence, forgiveness, affectionate trust, a spirit
of joy and spontaneity, a filial regime of discipline and gratitude.
As educators we should be ever aware that it is basically in the family
that educative charism and ministry are to be found. This assumes a
special importance' when we think of the charges Don Bosco has committed
to our care: youth - poor and abandoned. His pedagogy is geared to the
"sons of the people", the apprentices, the needy from poor
and humble families, the migrants, the homeless. Again we read in Fr
Caviglia's book quoted above: "His pedagogy is for the poor, and
that is the way he wanted it. The clearest of distinctions must be made
between Don Bosco's system and other systems (even famous ones) drawn
up almost entirely for refined and comfortable families, or at least
without the conditions of the poor in mind. Our Founder was the originator
and founder of a classical system that is not just a charitable hand-out
to an impoverished youngster, nor an indulgent and compassionate kindness
to the poor; it is an entire and carefully thought-out system that begins
with the life and psychology of the poor and empathizes with them; it
raises them up morally and spiritually; it uses beliefs, precepts and
methods that are in harmony with the psychology and mentality of the
poor. We could make bold to call it a working-class pedagogy, or at
least the pedagogy of the working-classes." The thrust of our Salesian
vocation is naturally towards the poor and the lowly. "They are
the ones. who above all have need of a family; and it was for them that
Don Bosco conceived his characteristic ethos: kindliness that educates
in a happy united family environment" (P. Braido:
II sistema preventivo di Don Bosco, ed. 2, page 195, PAS-Verlag 1964).
Salesians will see the work of Synod 80 and the Holy Father as a special
appeal to carry the Gospel to the working-folk in particular. Thus shall
we accomplish in union and loyalty that ideal of our Salesian mission
that has justly been called "the apostolate to the young and the
working classes."
* * *
Dear confreres, whilst the Synod confirms us in our consecrated vocation
and our educational mission among the working-classes, let us remember
that this includes a special capacity for animating the Salesian Family.
I appeal to all groups who have Don Bosco as their inspiration to look
forward to the forthcoming Apostolic Exhortation and accept it as a
cry from the heart of the Church for all of us to dedicate to the family
the spiritual energies and apostolic labors proper to each group.
We Salesians must cultivate an awareness of our "particular responsibility"
(Const. 5) in regard to the various Salesian groups to which we are
called to offer "our preferential spiritual service" (Reg.
30).
May the Synod's "Christian Family" theme have a privileged
place in our animation and pastoral planning. May we apply to it all
our inventiveness and initiative so warmly recommended by the last two
General Chapters.
Our attention should certainly go by preference to our many married
Co-operators, past pupils and collaborators, and to the young people
preparing for marriage.
I write in the aura of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a day
that has such special meaning for us Salesians. Let us pray to Mary
Immaculate for help and assistance. May she ever be our Mistress and
Guide as we follow in the steps of Christ in each busy day planned and
lived in the family spirit of Don Bosco.
I assure you of my prayers and wish you all a happy New Year.
Sincerely in Domino,
Father EGIDIO VIGANÒ
Rector Major
