Building Integrity for Mission
Fr. Ben Alforque, MSC of the Cor Vitae Formation Team presented recently a webinar in the Spirituality iof the Heart Series on the life of Saint Joseph. The aim of the webinar was threefold; to appreciate the role of St. Joseph in the life of Jesus, to appreciate the devotion to St. Joseph in the history and tradition of the Church, and to appreciate the place of St. Joseph in the Spirituality of the Heart.
In his article, Leading from Within, Parker Palmer reflects on five ways spiritual leaders tend to cast ‘shadow’ rather than ‘light’ in their ministry of leadership. In this presentation, Gerardine Doherty, fdnsc offers her interpretations on some of the ways these realities are casting ‘shadows’ in today’s church.
Greetings to our MSC confrères around the world and special thoughts and blessings on this day of the Anniversary of the death of our beloved founder, Fr. Chevalier. The following text is worthy of our ongoing reflection. It is in part the homily given by the Superior General, Fr. Abzalón, during our Feast Day community celebration of Mass with members of the Italian Province, including Fr. Mario Scalici, MSC, the Italian Provincial and the four formandi of the province. We trust you all had joyful and inspiring celebrations and that you can use the following words to help inspire you in your mission.
This is the seventh section in this series of reflections on self-understanding for the sake of mission. We now proceed to explore the dynamics of needs that are consistent and those that are inconsistent, and why. This will shed light on why our behaviour some times puzzles us, when we know what we should do but we fail to do so.
Though ageing can be a painful, stressful time for many people, Brian Gallagher finds consolation in a new perspective on life, as he ages. The Joy of Ageing reflects on the joys and the struggles, the memories and the dreams as we grow older. Brian finds a tempered joy even in the inevitable diminishment of ageing. He writes from his own experience and after many years of listening to others as a spiritual guide. This book offers a clear Christian approach to ageing: it is a major contribution to a spirituality of ageing.
Religious vocation is a complex reality. As we try to live our vocation with ever deepening integrity we discover that not all our motivations are always what they seem. Even as we believe ourselves to be acting out of the highest religious and spiritual values possible to us when we make our vocational choices, we are not always aware of the ways in which those choices are influenced by social factors that require adherence to certain norms and come with a personal cost. Social psychologists have found people are highly susceptible to social influences as demonstrated by classic experiments in obedience and conformity. Why do people conform?
In Section 3 we looked at each of the motivational forces; Values and Needs. Now we will consider the various values, that mould and shape our whole life of faith as MSC, what Jules Chevalier calls the sentiments of the Heart of Christ. Our starting place is to understand the nature of values and the different kinds of values that influence human behaviour.
This is the second section of a series on deepening self-understanding in service of the Mission. In order to live our lives with a degree of ‘normal’ emotional integrity it is necessary to develop the capacity to ‘step-back’ from the self stuck in reactive emotional states.
This is the first section of a series on deepening self-understanding in service of the mission. They are offered for your own self-reflection and personal, spiritual and professional growth.
The video recording below is from a recent Webinar presented by Chris Chaplin for Cor Vitae Formation Team. Present online where over a hundred members of the Chevalier Family; Lay members, Daughters of OLSH, MSC Sisters, and MSC. We hope Read More …