Those of us who were not part of the last General Chapter might wonder from where did we get the term ‘root energy’ which comes up in no. 10 of GC2024. The term refers to an article quoted in one of the reflections shared with the capitulars. The article, “Refounding Religious Life: A Choice for Transformational Change” [1] emphasized the importance of staying rooted in the foundational experience of the congregation as this supplies energy for further growth and development of the charism.
Why would I start with such a reference on the celebration of the Solemnity of the Conversion of St Paul? This is because it is very evident that for St Paul that encounter on the way to Damascus and its unpacking in the period that followed, was a foundational experience for him, an experience that shaped the rest of his life. The biblical scholar, Carlo Maria Martini, describes it as follows, “The whole life of the Apostle was marked by that event. … Before everything was different; afterwards everything will be different.” [2]
Staying rooted in our foundational experience means a constant commitment to reconnect with that experience that gave birth to us as a congregation, allowing it to enlighten present situations.
So, as we again celebrate this Solemnity, we are all invited to go back to our Damascus experience, both personal and collective, and reconnect with it. On a personal level, our lives have been shaped by decisions that have been taken because there was some kind of a Damascus experience, whether it was an instantaneous one, or a one that was extended over a period of time, probably a combination of both. Speaking for myself, I know that my decision to join the MSSP community has come about by experiences that knocked me off my horse – the dreams that I was forming for myself – and at the same time blinded me with a loving light that gave me the courage to risk building my life on what I was experiencing. I am sure that most of us have had such experiences which have set them to choose a way of life which otherwise they would not have had the courage or the strength to embrace – whether it is the married life, a particular career change, or a commitment to a cause.
I consider it very important that we regularly return to that Damascus moment, to that foundational experience that shaped a decision, particularly when, we face crisis or doubts in living that decision. When everything gets dark, it is important that we reconnect with the light. That is why Jesus himself felt the need to give to a selected group of his disciples the experience of the Transfiguration so that they would not be completely crushed by the devastating experience they were about to go through in the Crucifixion. When I feel that my enthusiasm has been drained out, and I am in danger of being engulfed by hopelessness, I find it life-giving remembering the Scripture texts that spoke to me in the beginning of my journey, or the songs that fired me up with enthusiasm. I suppose the same thing would apply, say, to married couples, when in time of crisis, they revisit those moments which filled them with love towards each other.
This also applies to us collectively, as an MSSP family, in our journey through different circumstances. Staying rooted in our foundational experience means a constant commitment to reconnect with that experience that gave birth to us as a congregation, allowing it to enlighten present situations. We might not be able to identify a definite moment in the life of our Founder when, like St Paul, there was a before and an after, but certainly he experienced a growing awareness of the love of Christ for him, which impelled him to give himself completely to Christ and the spreading of the Good News. His extended Damascus experience set him afire with ideals which gave shape to our charism – the desire to give to others “what St Paul gave to us”, and, on the footsteps of St Paul, to build evangelizing communities.
This does not mean living in nostalgia – some of our members might be still grieving the time when our Motherhouse was teeming with young men or our missions young and full of energy – but it means that with the same spirit that animated the Founder and our first members we face present challenges with zeal and hope.
Let us have no illusions that the challenges faced by our Founder at the beginning of our little congregation, were somehow smaller than the ones we are facing today – limited personnel, members struggling to live and work in communion, a world which seems to be indifferent (or at times even hostile) to the message of the Gospel, etc. The main problem is not the challenges we face but the energy which we manage to tap into to face them.
Can we again tap into that energy, that ‘root energy’? Can we reconnect with those experiences which made us so generously respond to the call of the Lord in our life?
Can we fall again in love with Christ, as we allow ourselves to be enfolded by His love, and so be able to face the challenges ahead with the confidence of someone whose life is anchored in love?
This is what I wish and pray for each one of us, through the intercession of our patron St. Paul.
May you have a blessed Celebration!
Your brother,
Fr Martin Galea mssp
Superior General.
[1] The full article can be found here: Refounding Religious Life: A Choice for Transformational Change.
[2] Martini, Carlo Maria, The Testimony of Paul, St Paul Publications, 1983, pg. 9.