introduction to the pauline charism

The Pauline CharismA journey of transformation

Pauline Charism

The Pauline Charism is the gift that was given to Blessed Father Alberione for the Church and thousands of men and women have followed him in the congregations, institutes, and lay associations he founded in the 20th Century.

What makes the Pauline Charism unique is it's emphasis on totality, integrality, living Christ, and communicating Christ to the world in the field of social communications in the spirit of St. Paul. Sr. Marie Paul Curley, fsp

The word charism means gift.The word charism means gift.

Paulines involve themselves in the world of communication by preparing themselves to incarnate Christ Divine Master of the Way, the Truth and the Life in the "culture" created by communication media.

Speaking the Languages of Today

Following the inspiration of Fr. Alberione to always “go forward” Paulines are called to be prophets and pioneers of a integral gospel spirituality in a communication culture.

For Pauline Priests, Brothers, Sisters and Laity, using the media is a way to communicate to people of today with the language of today.

Pauline

"You were born of the EUCHARIST. Your food is the EUCHARIST. Your spirituality is the GOSPEL lived in its entirety as explained by St. Paul. Your mother and model is MARY."

Seven Aspects of the Pauline CharismThe charism is an experience of God lived by the

Founder. In Blessed James Alberione it comprises living:

1. The mystery of Christ the Master, Way, Truth and Life,

The goal the Founder indicated to be our first commitment is full conformity with Christ: to live Christ Way, Truth and Life with our whole self: mind, will, heart, and physical energies, until it is Christ who lives in us (Gal.2:20).

Seven Aspects of the Pauline Charism

2. An ecclesial perspective

"We have to take into consideration the apostles Peter and Paul, pray to them and imitate them because they were supreme pastors in the Church and because they had great love for Jesus and for souls.”

The charism is an experience of God lived by the Founder. In Blessed James Alberione it comprises living:

Enlightenment

“Particular enlightenment came from the Host, and a greater understanding of the invitation of Jesus: “Come to me, all of you” (Mt. 11:28).

He had a clear grasp of his own nothingness, while at the same time he experienced in the Eucharist: “I am with you always; yes, to the end of time” (Mt. 28:20), and that he could count on the Host, on Jesus, for light, nourishment, consolation and victory over evil….

He felt an obligation to serve the Church, the people of the new age, and to work with others in an organized way. His overriding thought was that one needs to develop the whole human personality: mind, will and heart.”

From the Autobiography of Blessed James Alberione.


3. A Eucharistic life


For the young sixteen year old seminarian James Alberione “a special light came from the Host.” The call was clear: “Come to me, all of you!” He felt obliged to do something for the Lord and the people of the new century.” He was called to work with others. After the Pauline congregation began he heard: “I am with you. From here I will enlighten.” This promise gave him hope and direction.

Reassurance

“In times of particular difficulty, while examining all his actions anew…it seemed that the Divine Master wanted to reassure the Institute, launched just a few years earlier. In a subsequent dream (1923)…Jesus Master said, ‘Do not be afraid. I am with you. From here I want to enlighten. Be sorry for sins.’

The “from here” came from the Tabernacle, and with emphasis, so as to make it evident that all the light to be received comes from him, the Master…light for himself and for all the members. In other words, “I am your light and I will use you in order to enlighten; I am giving you this mission and I want you to carry it out.”

Blessed James Alberione


4. The Bible

“The writer-apostle must conform to the Bible as the model book. God created man and knows very well how his heart is made. God’s Word corresponds to the deepest needs of the human heart.”


The Bible and the Eucharist

“How beautifully does the book of the Gospels lie on the altar! If in the Most Blessed Sacrament, under the species of the immaculate Host, there is Jesus Christ really present in Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, in Sacred Scripture there is Jesus Truth, under the guise of white paper.”

“The Lord has chosen you to bring the Word of God to the world as did St. Paul.”



5. Marian devotion

The first devotion that we find in

the Church,” Blessed Alberione

said, “is the devotion to the

Queen of Apostles, as

portrayed in the Cenacle.”


Mary, Mother, Teacher and Queen

“You have the sweet mission of gathering the faithful around Mary, Queen of the Apostles. You are to reawaken this devotion. . . .

Let us return to the sources. At the sources we find Mary, Queen of the Apostles, and if it was so at the beginning of the Church,

there is nothing more certain than to draw from the ancient Faith.

The water is purer when it is taken from its source.”


Living the Gospel

Alberione saw Mary as a mother who cares about everything that concerns her children. “The Pauline Family strives to live fully the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Way, Truth and Life, in the spirit of St. Paul, under the gaze of the Queen of Apostles.” Living under Mary’s gaze--this is the essence of Alberione’s Marian spirituality.


6. A Pauline pastoral perspective

“We are called to be St. Paul living today.” “All must consider St. Paul the Apostle as the Father, Master, Example and Founder. In actual fact he is. Through him the Congregation was born, by him it was nourished and raised, from him it received its spirit."



Paul: For me to live is Christ

“Paul is the disciple who knows the Divine Master in his entirety. St. Paul lives Christ totally; he probes the profound mysteries of his doctrine, of his heart, of his sanctity, of his humanity and divinity. He sees him as the supreme Teacher, the Host, the Priest. He presents the total Christ as he had already defined himself: the Way, Truth, and Life.”

Blessed James Albeione


7. Evangelizing the culture of today through the means of communication.“The world needs a new and profound evangelization… There is urgent need for new missionaries, and numerous ones, for young people full of determination and enthusiasm so that our press, the Christian press, may come into all families. Missionaries are needed! New missionaries for this new and fertile apostolate!”


The charism is an experience of God lived by the Founder. In Blessed James Alberione it comprises living and

New Evangelization

In John Paul II’s words, Blessed James Alberione is “the first apostle of the new evangelization.” Not only because he used modern media to proclaim the Gospel, but because, like Paul at the dawn of Christianity, he heralded in his person and his message the central call of the Gospel: total configuration with Christ.

•With persons dedicated to God.

Evangelization with the instruments of social

communication must be carried out by persons

who have conformed their entire existence to

Christ, who have modeled their lives

completely on Him, who are living witnesses to Him, who have made

Him the whole meaning of their lives.


“Authentic holiness is only and always gospel holiness.”

Prepared by Sr. Margaret Kerry, fspJan. 2013

introduction to the pauline charism

Spiritual