III. Action-Contemplation in the Congregation from 1860 to the present day

After Bishop de Mazenod’s death, the text related to replacing those Orders destroyed by the French Revolution remained virtually unchanged in our CC and RR until Vatican II. Yet, already in 1861, the Congregation was so international that the specific reference to the French Revolution had little impact beyond that of being an interesting historical fact of our beginnings. As the twentieth century dawned and progressed, the accent fell more on adapting to the enormous changes of the present and on straining toward a revitalized future. The ministerial and spiritual dimensions of the end, however, have not been lost. Here are a couple of examples:

Ministerial dimensions. “The entire Congregation is missionary in character and its principal aim is to help those souls who are most in need... Toward this end the Congregation, true to its living traditions, is prepared... to respond to all the needs of the world and the Church” (CC and RR 1966, C3).

Spiritual dimensions. “We are...ready to leave everything to be disciples of Jesus. The desire to cooperate with him draws us to know him more deeply, to identify with him, to let him live in us. We strive to reproduce in ourselves the pattern of his life” (CC and RR 1982, C 2).

The two-part ideal of the Founder also remained intact practically verbatim in our CC and RR until Vatican II. In a circular letter dated March 21, 1862, Joseph Fabre the second Superior General, stressed the following points:

“We are called to become saints so that we can effectively work for the sanctification of the most abandoned.... We are priests, we are religious. This double quality imposes on us serious consequences.... Never forget that our holy Rules prescribe that we pass a considerable part of the year within our houses so that by practicing all the religious virtues we can become worthy instruments of God’s graces” [29].

Three points stand out in that text: Our interior life serves our apostolate. Yet, nothing is said about sanctification by and through ministry - a truth greatly stressed today. The terms “priests” and “religious” tend to replace “action - contemplation”. The latter terminology does not, however, entirely disappear. There remains insistence on the side-by-side partition of our lives coupled with a two-fold underlying suspicion: that the contemplative is innately better than the active and that contemplation is somehow threatened by ministry.

The above third point was becoming an increasing dilemma, as Father Fabre’s report to the General Chapter of 1887 attests: “One of the serious obstacles to the observance of the Rule is the multiplicity of exterior works. According to our Constitutions, after having given ourselves to our active ministry for a part of the year we must spend the other part within our communities nourishing ourselves by a life of prayer and study. No doubt, in many houses, especially those outside France, the ministry which we exercise lasts throughout the whole year. Nonetheless, in those circumstances where we cannot observe the letter of the Rule, do we let ourselves be permeated by its spirit and strive to reconcile our exceptional works with this essential element of our life?” [30]

In the above text, it is not clear what Father Fabre means by “exceptional works”. He could mean that our ministries are exceptionally well done or that those year round activities are exceptions to the Rule. What is clear, however, is that the observance of that aspect of the Founder’s ideal was not “regular” enough in his view.

Our 1982 CC and RR preserve very well the spirit Father Fabre and all other sincere Oblates wanted to see carried on. Three situations contribute to a reanimated expression of that spirit.

One contemporary reason we cannot return to our respective houses for a considerable part of the year is that fewer and fewer of them exist as such anymore. Since the 1970’s, the majority of local Oblate communities are districts rather than “houses” in the canonical sense.

Today we realize more than ever that prayer - especially contemplation - is not only an essential aid to ministry, but also is itself an authentic ministry within the Church [31]. Furthermore, ministry is a formidable matrix of personal sanctification not only for the recipients of our efforts, but also for the ministers themselves [32]. Ministry is a continuous source of challenge, purification and transformation for those who listen to God within others [33].

The Founder envisaged a two-part division of an Oblate’s life. Within a given year, we were to dedicate ourselves to an alternating concentration between mission and a quasi-monastic existence. The spirit of that dialectic of the apostolic life has been recast in the 1980’s into a flowing rhythm of ministry and prayer, of work and relaxation, of sharing with God’s people and with fellow Oblates, of participating in meetings gatherings and seminars.

Some of that rhythm takes place on a daily basis. For example:

“We will live such lives as to be able worthily to celebrate [the Eucharist] every day... In the prolonged silent prayer we make each day, we let ourselves be molded by the Lord” (CC and RR 1982, C 33).

Some of the rhythm occurs on a periodic basis. For example:

“We will set aside special times each month and each year for deeper personal and community prayer, for reflection and renewal” (CC and RR 1982, C 35).

That rhythm - whether daily or periodic - can be compared to the binary code used in computers. The interrelated pairings between zeros and ones form the basis of unbelievably simple interaction for an incredibly complex world. The rhythm between communion with God and service toward others in the apostolic life can also be compared to the interaction of binary stars. Binary stars consist of two energy masses which revolve around each other in a dialectical interchange. The harmony of their interdependence is sustained by the mutual gravitation.

The Founder insisted that each Oblate be at the same time both a missionary and a saint (Preface). Our 1982 CC and RR express that dimension of living in faith in two ways: in terms of a general principle and in six concrete suggestions to implement that principle:

General principle. “We achieve unity in our life only in and through Jesus Christ” (CC and RR 1982, C 31). That principle presupposes an abiding intimate relationship with the person of Jesus “who through us gives himself to others and through them gives himself to us” (CC and RR 1982, C 31) [34].

Concrete suggestions. “1) While maintaining within ourselves an atmosphere of silence and inner peace, 2) we seek the Lord’s presence in the hearts of the people [we serve], 3) in the events of daily life, 4) in the Word of God, 5) in the sacraments and 6) in prayer [both communal and private]. We are pilgrims, walking with Jesus in faith, hope and love” (CC and RR 1982, C 31).

Regarding the day-to-day working out of the binary rhythm between action and contemplation our 1982 CC and RR do not impose a detailed list of a priori regulations. Our CC and RR insist rather on honest discernment. On the one hand, our “living conditions” should “favor inner recollection and a personal” flow of life which permits a balance of the two interconnecting thrusts. On the other hand, “each Oblate, with the help of his Superior or spiritual director, will give due attention to these aspects of his life, since both effectiveness in ministry and progress in religious life depend on them” (CC and RR 1982, R 22) [R 33c in CCRR 2000].

[29] Circular letter no. 11, March 21, 1962 in Circ. adm., I, (1850-1900) p. 2-3 (70-71).
[30] Circular letter no. 42, June 29, 1887 in Circ. adm., II, (1886-1900), p. 46-47.
[31] See NEMECK, Francis Kelly and COOMBS, Marie Theresa, Contemplation, Michael Glazier Inc., Wilmington, DE, 1984, p 141-146.
[32] See TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, Pierre, The Divinization of our Activities in The Divine Milieu, New York 1957 p. 49-73, 95-111.
[33] See C 1-5, 9, 11, 12, 24, 31; R 8-10 [R 8 -9 in CCRR 2000].
[34] See also C 1, 2; R 8.