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 The Pauline year has
reached its conclusion, but our journey with Paul and, thanks to him,
our knowing Jesus, our desire that the Gospel may enlighten and
transform us, will always be part of our Christian experience. This is
what Benedict XVI said during the celebration of Vespers for the
conclusion of the year dedicated to Saul of Tarsus, in the Basilica of
St. Paul outside the wall. The Pope made a reflection on the Letters of
St. Paul, starting from the Letter to the Romans. We find in it two
decisive words: “to transform” and “to renew”. “We must become new men”,
the apostles of the Gentiles writes, “because only if there are new men,
there will be a new, renewed and better world”. For this reason, the
Pope added, “St. Paul exhorts us to “non-conformism” and “never to
submit us under the scheme of the present epoch”. Which ones are the
spiritual fruits of this thematic year dedicated to St. Paul? Which are
the fallouts of the Pauline family this year, which have called
thousands of pilgrims from all over the world?
We
have addressed the following questions to father Primo Gironi, a
Biblist, parish priest of the “Regina degli Apostoli” Parish-Sanctuary,
Rome. He is also the director of the monthly magazine “Paulus”, born on
the year dedicated to the Apostle of the Gentiles. He will continue to
publish it also after the conclusion of the Paoline Year.
What has been the significance of the year dedicated to the Apostle of
the Gentiles for the Society of St. Paul? How has the Society lived it?
“The
Superior General, Don Silvio Sasso, has expressed his thoughts on the
significance of The “Pauline Year” for the Society of St. Paul. Don
Silvio has also traced a balance of the initiatives at ecclesial level
and, in particular, in the context of the Pauline Family. Don Sassi has
mentioned the vast production pivoted around the Apostle, involving many
Dioceses and Christian communities. There have been studies, congresses,
meetings, above all, appropriate liturgical celebrations and a vast
catechetical activity. Within the Pauline Family, the Superior General
has called to memory the specific initiatives of the Pauline Year, such
as the new edition of the Bible, “The Way, the Truth, the Life”, (that
mirrors the characteristic way by which the Founder, Blessed don Giacomo
Alberione, ministered the Word of the Lord). It is the New Bible for
the Family, which has accompanied the Pauline Year for many months,
during which there has been the Synod of the Bishops on the Word of God.
The Pauline Family assumed the particular commitment in organising
the inter-national Seminar on St. Paul, which went on last April.
Evidently, this thematic year has implied, in the Society, a deeper
reflection on its identity, its mission, its inspiration from the
thought and work of the Apostle of the Gentiles. It is interesting to
note down that, with regard to the meaning, the society has taken again
the statements of Don Alberione, who saw in Paul the true Founder, the
Father, the model and the inspirer of the Institution. The society paid
the most intense attention to the imitation of the Apostle. This is
finalised to an improved conformation with Christ, as he himself states
in 1 Corinthians: 11, 1. Moreover tha Society assumed the commitment to
render Paul “alive today”, concretely re-calling to mind the celebrative
mandate of Benedict XVI at the opening of the Pauline Year.
In
this context, the monthly magazine “Paulus” has acquired its form and
content and has accompanied the thematic year month after month. The
invitation of Benedict XVI moved to it in a double direction: on one
side, the invitation to go deep into the knowledge of the great Apostle
has structured the central part of the monthly magazine with a “dossier”
dedicated to the writings of Paul. On the other side, the specific
actualisation of Paul’s message has gone on becoming explicit through
the individuation of “adjectives”, which prove the stature of his
thought. Indeed, we can mould the entire human and Christian reality,
which can receive always-newer lymph from the spirituality and
reflection of Paul. This justifies the abundance of rubrics, of specific
contributions and articles. It is interesting also to note the
ecumenical dimension, which has interested our 80 pages of the Magazine,
just as the Holy Father had advocated.”
To you, which spiritual fruit will this thematic year produce?
“It
is objectively difficult to give a list of syntheses. It is easier to
believe that the Christian communities, animated by their own pastors
with diverse and varied pastoral situations, will be able to catch from
St. Paul the most appropriate elements of growth and of dutiful
testimony in their respective geographic contexts. Of course, the
stimuli caused by the Catechesis of Benedict XVI and by numberless
mediating or non-mediating more contributions, will be able to overcome
“the culture of the slogan” that has characterised also the Paoline
Year.
From
our “little” and “limited”, but privileged observatory, the unequivocal
data, in terms of the diffusion of the magazine, would lead us to state
that a considerable spiritual fruit will derive from it. In fact,
15/20.000 copies have diffused the Magazine, also in terms of web
fruition (the birth of site
www.paulusweb.net, coincided with the publishing of the first number
of the magazine), things that have caused the possibility of a certain
interaction, interest and will to go deep into the knowledge of Paul.
In exquisitely personal and ecclesial term, we think that, though the
Sundays Liturgy of the Word during the liturgical year offers usually a
passage from Paul’s epistolary, generally the Homilies ignore it. This
also makes us believe that the thematic year has undoubtedly offered a
noteworthy contribution to the knowledge of the figure and writings of
St. Paul.
A
reflex on the identity and authenticity of our being Christian will
surely derive from here, also because the entire Christian life finds in
Paul the source of reflection and rationalisation with the opportune
moral consequences.
Other
fruits will surely flow on the ecumenical side, as spiritual and
historical “tension” to unity in Christ. In this sense, the ecumenical
character of the Pauline Year has played a fundamental role. This will
contribute considerably to the dialogue that started several years ago.
Undoubtedly, the Paul who “divided” may tranquilly become the Paul that
“unites”.
A
further fruit, which we pluck already with the celebration of the
Priestly Year, will be that of our growing in the awareness of the
Church’s missionary identity. Somebody has spoken of“continuity” between
the Paoline Year and the Priestly Year, re-discovering the common and
ministerial priesthood as a noteworthy propulsive power for Christianity
of the third millennium. Let us say it more concretely: to have gone
deep into Paul under the profile of communication opens new perspectives
also to the evangelisation of the mediating culture, especially in
virtual oesophagi”.
How does the figure of St. Paul question the Pauline Family at
communication level?
“Doubtlessly, in the charismatic apparatus, Paul constitutes an
indiscussable reference, at least because of its relaying to a
spirituality centred on living and giving Christ the Master, Way, Truth
and Life. In this Paul is there as a “model”, “example”, “paradigm” or,
repeating the words of Don Alberione, Father. He is a father with the
dutiful implications of “family” relations, for which Sons and Daughters
grow as much as they remain faithful and respectful, imitating his
examples, intelligence and virtue. The old dilemma returns to question
us: what would St. Paul do, if he were alive today? Would he be just a
journalist? Paul took the Gospel of Jesus to the pagans; today he would
take it to far off peoples that have never heard of him, not even of his
name. We are in the era of Communication, in a context of strong
relativism and de-Christianisation. I think that this datus itself
obliges us to respond with parresia, also because of a specific charism,
which has already lasted for one century. Probably the weight, the
historical over-structures and tradition might have weakened the
enthusiasm and the zeal, because of the generalised crisis of vocations
and the growth of the middle age, but surely, it will not weaken its
animating ideal.
Communication, as a complex phenomenon and –in some ways- unfathomable
to be re-conducted to a univocal definition, is the most evident
expression of the world “that changes” and changes reelingly, not only
in technological key. Therefore, if for many decenniums the active
apostolate seemed to be sufficient, today “in primis” they require a
transformation into apostolate of “to be”. This is an apostolate, in
which we can develop, also and above all, a rational “tension” between
the culture of the organisation and the culture of the mission. This
would affirm that we cannot reject anything of what is progress and
technology, and that it is rather strongly necessary to consider them as
“means”, not as “ends”. I think that the clarity of the ends must have
been doubtless in St. Paul. His assiduous faithfulness to them has made
of him, with dignity, the “Apostle of the Gentiles”, even without
knowing his Lord and God.
Did you expect this great interest for the Apostle of the Gentiles on
behalf of peoples from all parts of the world?
“I
would wonder if the opposite were true, though –always from our little
and limited observatory- we must admit that the echo and the importance
of the thematic year around the figure of Paul have had a certain
gradual progress. In fact, it is honest to state that, excluding the
mediatic “publicity” at the opening of the Year, the first months have
been rather feeble. Starting from the fourth month of its opening, we
verified a quantitative crescendo. The data of daily affluence of
pilgrims to the Basilica of St. Paul outside the walls confirm this.
This reveals that the Apostle needed “visibility”, also at cult and
devotional level. It is difficult to speak of and on Paul, even only at
biographic level, what to say about the theological level? This is
something that does not happen, instead, of St. Anthony or St. Pio from
Pietrelcina, who are very close to the heart of popular devotion. It
seems that this difficulty of approach must have been generating for
centuries a generalised “distance”: Let us think, above all, about the
history of his iconography, compared to that of the saints of popular
devotion. Yet, once we discover or re-discover him, we become aware that
his cult demands radical faith and, above all, Christianity lived by
adults in faith.
The news given by the Pope, during the Vespers at the conclusion of the
Pauline Year, aroused a great emotion. He gave the result of the
scientific survey on the sarcophagus. Which value should we attribute to
the analysis made with a probe from which we come to know about
fragments of mortal remains of a person who lived between the first and
the second century?
“Doubtlessly, the news has an extraordinary importance under the
historical profile, but if we identify ourselves with the thousands of
pilgrims who have been coming from afar to Rome to the tomb of the
Apostle, the thing becomes less meaningful. Some journalists, commenting
the news in the daily newspapers, have even considered it as “obvious”.
This proves that the datus of faith is decidedly superior to the
scientific datus. This, however, does not exclude –under the
archaeological profile- a really extra-ordinary interest, for which the
feast comes out of it considerably strengthened”.
We know that the Pauline Year will have positive effects for our journey
towards unity. What do you think about this?
“From
our viewpoint also we have been able to experience a positive result for
the ecumenical dialogue. We have developed very numerous contacts with
other Christian confessions and other religions for the interpretation
of the Pauline thought on the fundamental thematic contained or deduced
from the writings of Paul. Thus, we have been able to notice, except in
very rare cases, availability and almost an “honour” to collaborate and
to contribute personal opinions. It is not by chance that the Holy
Father has indicated in St. Paul the “propeller” of the ecumenical
dialogue.
For the closing Vespers of the Pauline Years, Benedict XVI defined Paul
as apostle of “non-conformism”, the Apostle of truth in charity and of
adult faith. Which definition of Paul would you give and why?
“We
cannot but agree with the Holy Father, though his qualifying expressions
do not describe completely the personality of the Apostle of the
Gentiles. In building and developing his own editorial plan, Paul used
–due to necessity and synthesis- adjectives playing antonomasia, in
order to condense the content of his writings into an expression of
quality. For instance: the Roman citizen, the communicator, the
architect of the Church, the theologian, the pastor, the apostle, the
aesthete, the justified, the prisoner, the mystic, the educator to
freedom, the cosmopolitan, the one free in Christ, the worker, the
athlete, the man of prayer….. However, to be rigorous, even these
meanings are limitative and not exclusive.
What
is relevant is the polyhedral style of Paul: each analysed facet opens
further appositions or adjectives. I think that the underlining of
Benedict XVI is oriented on the parenthetic side. In fact, his articled
speech during the first Vespers for the solemnity of the Saints Peter
and Paul, in the Basilica outside the walls, was very rich from the
theological and pastoral viewpoint. Personally, above all in the light
of editorial dialectic and the confrontation with experts and scholars,
it is difficult to define Paul…..however, I think that it is meaningful
to have presented an image of Paul, which has purposely made us come out
of iconographic classical schemes.
In a
poster, already out of stock, we wanted to present the apostle with a
“combative” appearance, a young man, with a beautiful face, almost like
a modern samurai who, with a two-edged sword of the Word, shaped like a
scimitar and raised up, runs towards the battle of the world. We can see
at his back–in the background- a series of constructions with the cross,
the star of David and the half moon”.
 Sister Bruna Fregni is a
provincial councillor of the Pauline sisters in the area of
Communication and Information. We have addressed the following questions
to her:
What has the Pauline Year meant for the Daughters of St. Paul and how
have they lived it?
“For
us, Daughters of St. Paul, and for the entire Pauline Family, whose part
we are, the Pauline Year has been a great event of grace. It has allowed
us to re-discover in a new way, the figure of the Apostles of the
Gentiles, our model and inspirer and, at the same time, has solicited us
to make him known and deepened as a gift for the whole Church, above all
today.
We
have lived it intensely, trying to combine, personally and as community,
the following two dynamisms:
First: the more interior dynamism, through spiritual itineraries
proposed by our Congregation, and. through which, we receive the
stimulus to retrace the values of our charism and mission in the light
of the Pauline Letters;
Second the dynamism towards others, through a series of initiatives, of
capillary animation in the territory. The initiatives extend from
publications on general Pauline matters, to congresses, exhibitions of
panels dedicated to the figure of the Apostle, to competitions in
schools, cultural meetings in the Pauline libraries. There have been
also spectacles in city’s square, concerts and “Pereregrinatio Pauli”,
namely the pilgrimage of an icon of St. Paul to more than sixty Italian
localities.
To you, which fruit will this thematic year produce?
“I
hope that the first spiritual fruit may be a renewed love for the Word
of God, together with a renewed passion for evangelisation, thanks to
the happy circumstance of the Synod on the Word of God in the life and
mission of the Church.
The
second fruit should be that of a greater commitment of the Christian
community to witness a new life, the life in Christ, under the guidance
of the Holy Spirit that makes us sons and daughters of God, spreading in
our hearts faith, hope and charity to the glory of the
Father.”
How does the figure of St. Paul question the Pauline Family at
communication level?
“To
me, St. Paul questions us in various ways, particularly in developing an
ever more universal communication of faith, therefore for all men and
women, ever more inculturate, therefore capable of speaking all
languages, and ever more pastoral, namely ever more attentive to the
concrete needs of today’s men and women.”
Did we expect this great interest for the Apostle of Gentiles on behalf
of people from the world over?
“No,
we did not, I must tell the truth. I was afraid that St. Paul would be
perceived and presented as a difficult, as a too great and far off
Saint. To my joyful surprise, I have found, instead, that he fascinates
vast categories of persons. I think that a great merit goes to our Pope
Benedict XVI who, through liturgical celebrations and catechesis, has
truly been able to re-awaken the interest and to present the actuality
of St. Paul.”
The news, given by the Pope, during Vespers at the conclusion of the
Pauline Year, about the scientific survey of the sarcophagus, has
aroused deep emotions.
Which value should we attribute to the analysis made with a probe from
which we come to know about fragments of mortal remains of a person who
lived between the first and the second century?
“Surely, it is the value of a scientific confirmation of a traditional
datus, which pushes us towards a greater love for the basilica of St.
Paul and for the tomb that preserves the memorial martyrdom suffered by
one of the two “pillars” of the Church.”
We know that the Pauline Year will have positive effects for our journey
towards unity. What is your opinion on this?
“The
Pauline Year has proved that we can find meeting points and a common
journey beyond divergences, if we remember together the origin of the
Christian experience and of the great figures that marked it.”
For the closing Vespers of the Pauline Years, Benedict XVI defined Paul
as apostle of “non-conformism”, the Apostle of truth in charity and of
adult faith. Which definition of Saul from Tarsus would you give and
why?
“I
like to look at Saul from Tarsus with the vision of my Founder, Blessed
James Alberione. He saw him as a great man who fell in love with Christ,
an apostle with a heart as large as the ocean, ready to welcome all men
and women with an embrace of charity, and ready to do everything with
the end of proclaiming the Gospel among all peoples and cultures.”
Which message does this thematic year leave to the Daughters of St.
Paul?
“During this time St. Paul has been accompanying us in various ways,
among which also in our “interior journey”. Our Superior Provincial,
Sister Giovanna Maria Carrara, has proposed this to us through six
letters, which have scanned the important time of this thematic year,
each characterised by a meaningful verb of Paul’s experience. In the
last part, dedicated to the theme of “offering”, as a reading key
of the last phase of the Apostle’s existence, Paul addresses us, his
Daughters, with the following words, taken from his Letters:
“Be
my imitators, give up all that burdens you and consider everything as
rubbish if compared with Jesus Christ. Allow Him to take his form in you
and do not be afraid, because nothing can separate you from Him. You
have entrusted your security to Somebody who knows very well how to
guard your deposit. The present sufferings are nothing, if compared with
the glory which God will reveal in you”.
NB.
The USMI centre of studies will soon publish, in the magazine
Consacrazione e Servizio.
an ampler communication embracing the experience of all the Institutes
that make up the Pauline Family.
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