The Letter from Rome of 1884 in Light

The Letter from Rome of 1884 in Light of Initial Proclamation

Part One: Reflection on Don Bosco and the Letter from Rome of 1884 Part Two: The Vast Ecclesial Horizon: Insights for Today Part Three: The Letter from Rome of 1884 In Light of Initial Proclamation in the Asian Context

Part One: Reflection on Don Bosco and the Letter from Rome of 1884

o The return to the Letter of 1884 : o a humble attempt to recapture the original inspiration of our Father and Founder Don Bosco and to o adapt it to the situations of the modern times o This letter calls for a revisiting of our own contexts, o a reassessing of our own motivations, and a deep soul-searching of our institutional and personal passions

Is that very same fire which moved, formed and mastered Don Bosco’s educative heart that enflame our heart today?

Don Bosco is a multifaceted man: Priest, servant of the young and poor, educator, pastor, founder, evangelist, social activist, healer, author, mystic, prophet, saint. “He (Don Bosco) is a man aflame with the glowing fire of Sinai shining through myriad activities, talents and charismatic gifts; truly a man of God wrapped in an ecstasy of love-filled and hope-filled action with a world-wide reach. ” Fr. Jack Finnegan, SDB

Don Bosco’s immense work and his intimate Union with God It is Don Bosco’s unconditional love and faith-filled cooperation with grace that made him a prophetic phenomenon in the world He knew well to translate his ecstasy of love into action

o “Yet if we pause for a moment to consider this ecstasy of love-in-action we soon discover other spiritual blooms vividly at work: o • an ecstasy of solidarity with the poor and those most in need o • an ecstasy of faith-filled service o • an ecstasy of loving care finding form in a vast work of education, evangelisation o and development on behalf of the young. ” Fr. Jack Finnegan SDB

HAPPY BIRTHDAY o Don Bosco a man deeply in love o What is evident is that it is love that motivates the whole content of this letter. Don Bosco loved his own in Christ Jesus, felt the duty of speaking with the freedom of a father. o It is so apt that today on the Birthday of Don Bosco we are contemplating on The Letter from Rome of 1884 In Light Of “Initial Proclamation. ”

A scene full of Love, sense and purpose The letter unfolds before us a real family scene in the true sense of the family spirit so characteristic of our Salesian Tradition enhanced with closeness, love, confidence, cordiality and readiness to carry out everything they are asked by one “who, they know, loves them. ”

To give life and wings to our young people The magic formula for success is love, with love and charity and with loving Salesian presence to make youngsters know that they are loved FMA – SDB Builders of confidence in the footsteps of Don Bosco “Why don’t your Salesians follow the example you gave? ” Following the example of Don Bosco means: a whole way of life, loving loyalty expressed more in gestures than in words, a constant return to Don Bosco, to observe him in his intimacy with Jesus and in his ecstasy of action with the young. It means to work hard, to come alive today as builders of confidence among the young in the footsteps of Don Bosco.

The magic of friendship The Magic of Friendship Replace mistrust with a happy spirit of confidence and a friendly informal relationship with the boys especially in recreation Jesus Christ is our master in the matter of the friendly approach A network of solid relationships With exact obedience to the rules… to get back to the happiness of old… The superior has to become “all things to all”

A wise message relevant for all times The message to the boys of the oratory is practical and relevant for all times: to become aware of all that the superiors, the teachers and assistants plan and do for them with love, humility is the source of all peace of mind, put up with each other’s short comings, not to grumble and above all to live in the holy grace of God to be at peace with self and others

Great assurance: a renewed blossoming of sanctity The letter makes us experience the blossoms of sanctity present in our Salesian presences and the ways to accompany the flowering of sanctity A Mother always at our side "Preach to all, young and old alike, that they must remember they are children of Mary Help of Christians, ” Article four of our Constitutions state: “Don Bosco wanted us to be ‘a living monument’ of his gratitude to Mary Help of Christians, and asks us to extend his thanks throughout all time. ”

A return to the days of affection and confidence, of the happy days of the Oratory is all what Don Bosco who spent his whole life for his boys wants from all of us at all time and in all places. q. We have to bask in the Love of Jesus Christ to generate life in abundance q. Acknowledging the pedagogical importance of this dream, which underlines the value of the indispensable educative environment which fosters Initial Proclamation, to find ways and means to outline an appropriate methodology for Initial Proclamation q. A methodology which has its solid basis on love of Jesus Christ translated into days of affection and Christian confidence between boys and superiors

Part Two: The Vast Ecclesial Horizon: Insights for Today

Evangelii Gaudium It is the fruit of Pope Francis’s profound pastoral discernment “It proceeds from Pope Francis’ integral, even mystical vision of Christian life centered in the living Christ. ” A comparative study of Don Bosco’s Letter from Rome and Pope Francis’s Evangelii Gaudium would offer us powerful reflections on Initial Proclamation today.

Initial Proclamation : Principal Proclamation “Christians have the duty to proclaim the Gospel without excluding anyone. Instead of seeming to impose new obligations, they should appear as people who wish to share their joy, who point to a horizon of beauty and who invite others to a delicious banquet. ”

“The primary reason for evangelizing is the love of Jesus which we have received, the experience of salvation which urges us to ever greater love of him. What kind of love would not feel the need to speak of the beloved, to point him out, to make him known? If we do not feel an intense desire to share this love, we need to pray insistently that he will once more touch our hearts. We need to implore his grace daily, asking him to open our cold hearts and shake up our lukewarm and superficial existence” ( EG 264).

Everything in Evangelii Gaudium revolves around the Pope’s passionate desire to foster a joy-filled encounter with the crucified and risen Jesus Christ. “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew. ”

Vibrant and active missionary disciples We, the fma, sdb missionaries present here can go out and fascinate more people to know and fall in love with Jesus Christ and reach out to those on the peripheries. With our Salesian calling, Jesus has entrusted to each one of us a: ‘package deal’ (Mt 10: 1 -7). With a very personalized invitation to follow him and a loving command to “Go Proclaim the Good News, ” The definition of a package deal is an offer or agreement involving a number of related items or one making acceptance of one item dependent on the acceptance of another

Aware of the obstacles nevertheless passionate about proclamation How eager are we to grab every opportunity for Initial Proclamation? How often and how spontaneously it comes to us to go on our way without heeding the gentle whisper? “Temptations Faced by Pastoral Workers. ” “one can observe in many agents of evangelization, even though they pray, a heightened individualism, a crisis of identity and a cooling of fervor. These are three evils which fuel one another”( EG 78). “Many pastoral workers, although they pray, develop a sort of inferiority complex which leads them to relativize or conceal their Christian identity and convictions” (EG 79).

“A true missionary, who never ceases to be a disciple, knows that Jesus walks with him, speaks to him, breathes with him, works with him…A person, who is not convinced, enthusiastic, certain and in love, will convince nobody” (EG 266). Pope Francis insists that the kerygma “needs to be the center of all evangelizing activity and all efforts at Church renewal. ” “Jesus Christ who, by his death and resurrection, reveals and communicates to us the Father’s infinite mercy. ” And the Jesus Christ the Church proclaims is no figure of the past. At the heart of the kerygma is the claim that “Jesus Christ loves you; he gave his life to save you; and now he is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen, and free you” (EG 164).

Pope Francis: "This is the mission of the Church: the Church heals, it cures. Sometimes, I speak of the Church as if it were a field hospital. It's true: there are many, many wounded! So many people need their wounds healed! This is the mission of the Church: to heal the wounds of the heart, to open doors, to free people, to say that God is good, God forgives all, God is the Father, God is affectionate, God always waits for us.

St. John Paul II: A deep felt call to intimacy with Christ “Do not be afraid! Open, rather open wide the doors to Christ!” Redemptoris Missio n. 44 presents eloquently Initial Proclamation of Christ the Savior: “Proclamation is the permanent priority of mission. The Church cannot elude Christ's explicit mandate, nor deprive men and women of the ‘Good News’ about their being loved and saved by God

A relationship of openness and dialogue The increased interest in dialogue between religions is one of the signs of hope present in the last part of this century “A relationship of openness and dialogue with the followers of other religions must continue. [. . . ] The name of the one God must become increasingly what it is: a name of peace and a summons to peace” “Yet there is a need to go further. Greater mutual esteem and growing trust must lead to still more effective and coordinated common action on behalf of the human family. " Truly, the letter of Don Bosco is one significant step ahead in this regard.

To be more completely converted to the Gospel “Each one therefore ought to be more radically converted to the Gospel and. . . change his or her way of looking at things. Thanks to ecumenism, our contemplation of ‘the mighty works of God’ (mirabilia Dei) has been enriched by new horizons. . In a corresponding way, there is an increased sense of the need for repentance: an awareness of certain exclusions which seriously harm fraternal charity, of certain refusals to forgive . . . of a disdain born of an unhealthy presumption” (No. 15).

In a Church that grows by attraction in the Salesian style Ours is a Church that grows by attraction: “It is not by proselytizing that the Church grows, but ‘by attraction’” - Pope emeritus Benedict XVI This Seminar of ours is actualized in the frame of vast horizons of holiness and missionary universality

Asia a privileged land for initial proclamation With growing conviction we affirm courageously and proclaim with joy "Ecce natus est nobis Salvator mundi, Behold the Saviour of the World is born to us, born in Asia. " John Paul II, Ecclesia in Asia, n. 2.

§ Asia: §the birthplace of the major religions of the world §variety of pastoral situations, §the need to have various pastoral methods to satisfy the intense yearning for God of the people Nurture a special passion for New Evangelization – FABC The message of the Tenth FABC Plenary Assembly: Renewed Evangelizers for New Evangelization in Asia

Christian Witness in a Multi Religious World: Recommendations for Conduct : • A landmark document, an illumined guide for our steps • A well traced out path for Evangelization • Looking at mission with fresh eyes • A more loving and prudent attitude towards conversions

Apostle Paul the daring missionary Called unexpectedly yet convinced totally of his mission, Paul dared to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ. It is indeed opportune to confront ourselves with this great Missionary in the company of Don Bosco

Paul is one who brought the Gospel in dynamic interaction with concrete life situations of his people Discernment a missionary style of life “Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ” (Phil 3: 8). “Test all things; hold fast to what is true” (1 Ths 5: 19 -21) is the success formula for discernment that Paul offered.

Fidelity to Jesus Christ What does mission means today? Christianity Rediscovered: "In both its British and American editions, Christianity Rediscovered has been an extraordinary success for a quarter century, and its ability to attract new readers does not abate. By the end of 2002, it had undergone twenty printings in its Orbis edition and had become a perennial text for courses in seminaries, mission training institutes, and studies of African Christianity, as well as a book turned to by Christians seeking to understand the process whereby Christianity is translated and incarnated in Africa and elsewhere. "

“I suddenly feel the urgent need to cast aside all theories and discussions, all efforts at strategy and simply go to these people and do the work among them for which I came to Africa. […] And just go to talk to them about God and the Christian message. […] Outside of this, I have no theory, no plan, no strategy, no gimmicks, no idea of what will come. I feel rather naked. I will begin as soon as possible. " Vincent J. DONOVAN, Christianity Rediscovered, Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Edition, Maryknoll, New York, Orbis Books, 2003, 13 -14.

Mission Today and the modern Supermarkets “God is moving in a dynamic, fresh, new, and powerful way in the world, according to many observers. Surprisingly, this new movement is occurring in and through the marketplace, and it may become the most influential, effective mission field of the twenty-first century. These observations are not only being made by distinguished theologians, evangelists, and pastors, but by the secular press as well. ” C. NEAL J. , 'Toward a Marketplace Missiology Mission a genuine conversion experience

Challenges for Mission Today §Grounding our Theological and Missional reflection in Scripture and in Salesian Charism §Contextualizing the Gospel within the life situations of present-day people in renovating ways §Remaining faithful to the Scripture, to the Salesian Charism and our people, moved by the Spirit, finding creative ways of articulating and embodying the Gospel that draw upon our own stories and cultural resources §Being alert to capture the working of the Spirit in other religions and peoples

q. Allowing the one Gospel of Christ crucified and risen to address and transform our personal stories and that of our companions on the journey q. Encouraging professors, mission executives and researchers to explore the huge potential for web evangelism q. Linking theological and cultural formation to the missionary and pastoral dimension q. Making our theological colleges and study centres places of formation in mission q. Fidelity to the Gospel of Christ and creative fidelity to the life situation of our people. q. Privilege discernment, witness and personal contact as the main means for proclaiming the Good News.

Part Three: The Letter from Rome of 1884 In Light of Initial Proclamation in the Asian Context

Fr. Alfred Maravilla’s unique contribution of Initial Proclamation Today has gifted the Salesian Family and the Church with a rich treasure: a summary of long journey with eight global and continental Study Days on the 'Initial Proclamation of Jesus’ from 2010 until 2015 organized and participated by the SDB and FMA. If “initial Proclamation is falling in love” what will be the outcome of so many Salesians and Salesian Sisters engaged in Initial Proclamation?

What fascinates me is how in this letter the person of Don Bosco emerges: He is ever alert to build up a healthy, happy and loving educative environment with a well defined project of bringing Jesus to the young and taking them to Jesus.

A Triple Dialogue with Asian Cultures, Religions and the Poor with this triple dialogue which is the fostering of dialogue with Asia’s triple reality of cultures, religions and poor multitudes which the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conference (FABC) coined as active integral evangelization. For the FABC Initial Proclamation occurs on the spot in the midst of ordinary daily life. It is that moment, that spark that could ignite the flame of faith in Jesus Christ

Our active engagement in dialogue with Asia’s “great religions, ” “rich cultures, ” and “massive poverty” is a constant invitation to work tirelessly towards peace, reconciliation, harmony and care of creation. "Being Asian is best discovered and affirmed not in confrontation and opposition, but in the spirit of complementarity and harmony. In this framework … the Church can communicate the Gospel in a way which is faithful both to her own tradition and to the Asian soul. " John Paul II, Ecclesia in Asia, n. 6

Evangelizing communication in Asia has to be ever more grounded on deep spirituality. St. John Paul II’s travels to Asia confirmed his view "that the future of mission depends to a great extent on contemplation. Unless the missionary is a contemplative he cannot proclaim Christ in a credible way" (EA, 23, cf. RM, 91). The letter from Rome challenges us to be rooted in Christ and in our Salesian Spirituality and to be “open to new and surprising ways in which the face of Jesus must be presented in Asia. ”

A conscious return to Don Bosco Today, we are challenged more than ever to affirm the “deep religious roots of Don Bosco’s pedagogical inspiration and the profoundly religious shape of his commitment to education. ” Everything that Don Bosco did was motivated by his Christian faith. Healing wounds with the medicine of mercy, meeting people where they are and leading people to God are tasks at hand none of us are exempted from this significant mission. How can we bring Christ’s healing work to completion in the lives of those whom we work with as did Don Bosco?

What we need today in simple words is a conscious return to Don Bosco our Father and Founder: to contemplate the mystic, to ponder on his ecstasy of love in action, to learn from our Father and Teacher of the Young his concern for the young, to come alive as faith-filled and vibrant educators capable of offering an educational environment rich in love, openness and confidence as did Don Bosco.

Educators of the heart and shapers of the soul What insights for Initial Proclamation can the “Letter from Rome” that in recent times, has been recognised as almost the "Magna Carta" of Salesian Education offer us today? “Recent research has revealed that the letter was needed; all was not well at Valdocco, discipline having become a serious problem with the senior students. ” Our Situation Today: All is not well. . .

Sanctity is an indispensable element for every missionary action. We as individuals and communities have to engage ever more deeply in contemplation, the place of transforming grace. We have to gradually learn to establish our identities in God An ongoing conversion The missionaries are constantly converted: “The untold story of the missionary movement is that it was the missionaries who were converted, as time and again they came to an enlarged and a deepened understanding of the Gospel through their experience of encounter with another culture and context. ”

Salesian mysticism a new way of being and operating A closer look at Don Bosco and a deeper glance at the life at Valdocco when life was as it should be, make us aware that Salesian mysticism is rooted in the present moment. What is prayer and mystical theology? It is Staying Connected with God in a conversation in which the person lovingly speaks with God. Salesian mysticism is a way of life. “Retire at various times into the solitude of your own heart, even while outwardly engaged in discussions or transactions with others, and talk to God exhorts Saint Francis de Sales. ”

A Pastoral Missionary Conversion Don Bosco’s letter from Rome is a challenging invitation for each of us to live in the spirit of an ongoing conversion ever attentive to the strengthening of our Salesian identity. In an ongoing process of Pastoral Conversion We are well aware that we are called to testify today the mystical and prophetic power of the Salesian Spirit lived at Valdocco and at Mornese by Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello with renewed passion and missionary commitment.

We require a renewed daring that is the result of the freedom which illumines our work when we make our own the expression of Pope Francis: “There is no greater freedom than allowing yourself to be led by the Spirit, refusing to calculate and control everything, and allowing Him to illumine, guide, and direct us, moving us where He wants. He knows well what is needed in every age and at every moment”(Evangelli. Gaudium, n. 280).

FABC SDB FMA The three fold dialogue with the cultures, religions and the poor. Don Bosco’s Letter from Rome is calling us to listen to: All the people in Asia, Papua Nuova Guinea and other countries that we represent Our local Churches and to Pope Francis Don Ángel Fernández Artime – Rector Major Sr. Yvonne – Superior General Sister Alaide Deretti FMA - Councilor, Missions Sector Fr. Guillermo Basañes SDB - Councilor, Missions Sector Jesus: "As the Father has sent me, so I send you" (Jn. 20: 21). Our inner voice calling us for a deeper missionary commitment, dialogue, proclamation and evangelization in the Don Bosco way.

A pastoral and pedagogical enquiry The letter we are reflecting upon takes us to the very being and operating of Don Bosco. It reflects much the rich faith and love filled educational ambient he and his collaborators were able to offer to the youngsters in the spirit of the family. A home is a place of love, understanding and learning. “WE ARE FAMILY! Every home, a school of life and love. ” This is exactly what Fr. Ángel Fernández Artime, the Rector Major of our Salesian Family is inviting us to reflect upon during this year.

Pope Francis, in the second chapter of Amoris Laetitia speaks of the “The Experiences and Challenges of Families, ” and evidences that “the welfare of the family is decisive for the future of the world and that of the Church”. Precisely in this context, the letter has great pedagogical significance.

A marvellous field to be explored in this direction is the pedagogical one where educators as believers of various religions are committed to find ways to allow the face of the divine to shine through the texts and in classrooms. Given an opportunity to enter into Christian Universities, Theological Faculties and Educational Institutions, this letter will get contextualized and enhanced with further reflections. The measure in which professors and teachers are made to explore in depth this letter, we will be able to see it assuming greater nuances and easier penetration into different fields of life.

A careful study and assimilation of the letter and a realistic and down to earth presentation of its contents can easily become part of our Value Education and personality Development courses and Parent Teacher meetings. Thus slowly, we can create in our educational institutions broader space to respect freedom of religions, to carry on genuine interreligious dialogue and true proclamation.

Initial Proclamation, Evangelization and Catechesis are vital part of our mission and through faith education and value education we are offering a valid contribution for Nation and Continent Building. The proclamation of Jesus as the Saviour is essential to the missionary task of the Church in Asia. May our study and reflection lead us towards the "great harvest of faith. ”

An Anthropological enquiry – commitment to the diakonia of truth A reading of this letter in the light of the beautiful metaphor of "pilgrimage" which describes the individual and communitarian human condition in Victor Turner, in the texts of Vatican II and even more in the encyclical Fides et ratio of St. John Paul II can open before us vast horizons.

Pilgrimage as mysticism of members of various Religions "Mysticism is the point of convergence between religions. ” The attitude that the human person assumes before the eruption of the mystery is of utmost importance. The willingness of the person to make him/her self available, so that the eruption of the mystery can take place in all its fullness, is a process. The progressive abandonment of self is a conscious and responsible act on the part of the person.

"The whole of the Christian life is like a great pilgrimage to the house of the Father, whose unconditional love for every human creature, and in particular for the prodigal son, we discover anew each day. This pilgrimage takes place in the heart of each person, extends to the believing community and then reaches to the whole of humanity". John Paul II, Apostolic Letter, Tertio millennio adveniente, Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994, n. 49.

Don Bosco’s letter from Rome is a treasure house that will certainly illumine the minds and hearts of every Christian who proclaim Christ. An appropriate pedagogy for Initial Proclamation Don Bosco set shining example of respect and deep love that made his youngsters blossom into good citizens and honest Christians. Our pioneer missionaries through their word and witness accomplished miracles in our land in spite of all the hardships they encountered A Big Thank You to all our Missionaries present here. . .

Falling in Love with the sweat of our brows Don Bosco our Father and Founder, the Father and Teacher of Youth has showed us how to love God with the sweat of his brow. So many of his maxims like a loving miracle are rubbed on to us: "For you I study, for you I work, for you I live, for you I am ready even to give my life, " “Entrust everything to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and to Mary Help of Christians and you will see what miracles are, ” “I am really myself when with you: it is right that my life should be spent with you, ” “Young people must not only be loved; but they must know they are loved. ” …

Invent a new mantra to pass on the content of the Seminar A paradigm shift leading to a new style of relationship At the heart of Don Bosco’s life and mission there was Jesus of Nazareth. At the heart of the pilgrim journey of his sons and daughters, there is Jesus of Nazareth surrounded by the holy and sinful, faithful people of God which is the Church It is in this context of relationship that initial proclamation in our different contexts will help to make a core shift in thinking and helping to build a new ethos of mutual respect and cooperation between Christians and believers of other religions. Moving beyond the barriers of culture, language etc. and courageous to face the challenges of dialogue and proclamation, like Don Bosco we have to be open and engage with all peoples, cultures and religions.

Proclamation and the transformative power of the Resurrection of Jesus In our context we can faithfully embrace Don Bosco’s style of being and operating. We are challenged to interlace into our reflection and Initial Proclamation in Asian context a likewise intense combination of missionary zeal, passion for youth and total dedication to God. Finally, in his intimate friendship with Jesus and his affectionate closeness to his boys Don Bosco remains always the zealous missionary.

Long Live Don Bosco From the world of ideas into the world of action: making Jesus command to proclaim the Gospel the determinative force in our lives, to discover solace in action and to discover it in Papua Nuova Guinea, Timor, Thailand, Japan, Philippine, Indonesia, China, Korea, India. . . Long Live Don Bosco

Questions o How can we bring out a true pastoral conversion as expressed by Pope Francis for an effective Initial Proclamation in the Asian context drawing inspiration from the Letter from Rome of 1884 in light of “initial proclamation”? o Suggest 3 ways that can set fire in the hearts of fma/sdb to continue to live the one educational passion that prompted Don Bosco to be a mystic, prophet and servant in the service of the young? o In the context of certain affirmations that Christianity is a "foreign religion" and growing persecutions against Christians what valid messages the Letter from Rome of 1884 in light of “initial proclamation” can offer? o

Thanks a Million Sr. Teresa Joseph fma