Thoughts from Fr.

Alberione

THOUGHTS

Where is man going?

Humanity is like a river
Flowing to the sea of eternity.
Will they be saved?
Or will they be lost forever.

Presentation

The death of Fr. James Alberione, Founder of the Pauline Family, on November 26,
1971, at the age of eighty-seven, brought public attention to his slight figure. As he left
this world, his role in the Christian history of this century began to be clearly outlined.
At his death, the instruments of social communication: the press, film, radio and
television, to which Fr. Alberione had dedicated passionate attention for sixty years,
transmitted the image and meaning of his undertakings to millions in Italy and throughout
the world.

Questions arose widely and with increasing frequency about him: who really and truly
was Fr. Alberione ? What did he do? What did he say or write that deserved to be
known?

The repercussion of those days of mourning showed Fr. Alberione to be at the center of
an apostolic undertaking of worldwide proportions, qualified by his courageous
adaptation of the mass media as instruments for communicating the message of the
Gospel. Deeper questions were put about Alberione the man, about this figure so hidden
and so dynamic, so frail and yet so strong, who could galvanize tremendous amounts of
human energy to create, out of practically nothing, imposing means to create, out of
practically nothing, imposing means for the service of the Church in many countries.

What is the true human and spiritual stature of Father Alberione? What were the levers of
his courage and action? What is there of himself and his thought to be usefully
assimilated by the Christian of this dramatic age of history, an age which demands clarity
of ideas, the courage of pioneering new ways, work in depth toward a durable building up
and correspondence with the solicitation of the Spirit for our times?

In various ways, these questions were posed to the religious family he founded, a family
made up of the following Congregations: the Society of St. Paul (1914), the Daughters of
St. Paul (1915), the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master (1924), the Sisters of Jesus the
Good Shepherd (1938), the Sisters of the Queen of Apostles (1957), the aggregated
Secular Institutes of Jesus the Priest, St. Gabriel the Archangel, Mary of the Annunciation
(1958), the Holy family (1960) and the Pauline Cooperators (1917).
After his death, they began gathering whatever Fr. Alberione had communicated by word
or writing, both in addressing himself to whole groups and in all his correspondence with
the thousands of individuals who had joined his worked.

The spiritual dynamism and apostolic force which emanated from Fr. Alberione’s silence
and prayer gave his simple, straight character depth and charm. Prolonged and careful
study of all his thoughts and works, plus the verified reflections of those who shared his
life and mission intimately, will slowly bring his full figure to light.

The Center of Pauline Spirituality established in Ariccia (Rome) shortly before his death
has the task of researching the master concepts of his spiritual thought and missionary
action, so as to put these at the disposition of the Church.

In the meantime, a selection has been made from an improvised collection of what Father
Alberione wrote and said to his sons and daughters. This series of extracts and excerpts
will sufficiently introduce the reader to the guidelines of his action, to his evangelical
interiority, to his style of thought and method, to his sober, concise mode of expression,
which could be both labored and spontaneous.

Through them, it will be possible to understand the consummate interests and vivid
convictions of his life.

Chapter 1 reveals his commitment in body and soul to unquestioned mission given him
by God, and before which he always sorrowfully felt the inadequacy of his response.
United to this, however, was a sure, tender and unfailing abandonment to the guidance of
the Lord.
Chapter 2 gives an idea of the dynamic vision he had of life and of human history, so
strongly transmitted to every person with whom he came in contact.
Chapter 3 notes the sources and points of reference of his spiritual and apostolic
devotion. He glorified them in writing and in the monumental shrine-churches he built
and offered for public worship, which remain the centers of strength for all his
institutions. These inspirational sources are: Jesus the Divine Master, honored by him as
the Way, truth and Life of mankind;
Mary, Mother, Teacher and Queen of Apostles (Chapter 4);
St. Paul, the apostle of excellence and exemplar of evangelical daring, who is an
indispensable presence for our time (Chapter 5).
Following this, there is his absolute and total dependence on the Bible, the fount of life
and action in Christ (Chapter 6).
Chapter 7 deals with his fidelity to the Church and to the Pope. He looked on the Vicar of
Christ as the immediate guide of his action, a firm refuge from the confusion of human
ideology and a protection against disintegration.
On this groundwork, with unrelenting certainty, he looked around in search of
companions and strength.
Chapter 8 suggests how deeply he felt the grave problem of vocations for his own
mission and for that of the whole Church.
In Chapter 9, he refers to the priesthood and its use of the means of social communication
as an apostolate and ministry.
Chapter 10 explains the quasi-priesthood he envisioned for lay persons who want to
consecrate themselves to God and take an active and specific part in the apostolate of
modern means. The Disciples of the Divine Master were to work in close union with
priests.
His clear and noble vision of women is seen in Chapter 11, where he associates them in
priestly work in new and audacious efforts for the diffusion of the Word of God and the
advent of its reign.

He calls thousands of persons and proposes two great themes to them. The first is
consecration to God in the religious life and the second is service to humanity through the
apostolate of social communications. These two ends became the overriding topics of his
reflections and writings.
Chapter 12 treats his profound and completely up-to-date understanding of religious life.
Chapter 13 discusses prayer as the source and continuous nourishment of this life.
Chapter 14 analyzes poverty and its specific characteristics for our time.
In Chapter 15 is a vital interpretation of apostolate, which must always be a total
emanation from Christ.
The final Chapter explores the courage that is needed to adapt the modern language of the
press, film, radio and television, without shame as St. Paul says, for the sake of the
Gospel, which is the power of God that will save mankind.

These are the principal and constant directions taken by the thought and teaching of
directions taken by the thought and teaching of Fr. Alberione.
He is rarely preoccupied about style. His talks or writings are never elaborated on or
refined. He does not search for originality of expression or doctrine. He insists on certain
fundamentals, repeating, deeply etching his preferred concepts, re-proposing them over
and over again. But we are struck very often by the ideas he brings out, especially I the
specific field of his mission (the apostolate with the means of social communication,
constructive and balances poverty, religious life as a total response to God, prayer, etc.

He sculptures clearly. He checks out his intuitions, opening them to himself and to others
so that they can respond to God all along the way. From these profound reflections and
personal experiences, certain expressions spring to life and are full of light, vigor and
resonance.

These do not need elaboration. They engrave themselves lastingly on the lives of those to
whom they are directed. His audience, often young, unknowing and in need of formation
and stimulus, prompts him to use moderate but effective images taken from the activity
itself. This confers the character of immediacy on his language.

The compilation, then, is what we believe to be the best reply to the various questions
raised in so many places after the death of Fr. Alberione. These first fruits of his thought
can help us to know him in a simple and direct way.
The thoughts themselves, without comment and now extend to a wider public, are a
treasure of spiritual teaching which he bestowed without reserve on his sons and
daughters of the Pauline Family. They constitute his best endowment and are one of the
most precious fruits of his life.

Father John Roatta

Center of Pauline Spirituality

1. Conscious of a mission

During 55 years, from August 20, 1914, to August 6, 1969, Bl. James Alberione founded
and gave life to the Pauline Family (a group of ten institutions comprising religious
congregations, secular institutes and a lay association). The Pauline Family was intended
to respond to certain necessities of the Church in the twentieth century, especially to the
urgency of diffusing the Christian message through the means of social communication.

Recognizing the finger of God in these institutions, the hierarchical Church officially
approved and launched this multi-faceted work.
Bl. James Alberione was aware of being moved by God and of having been an instrument
in His hands. He affirms this in humility and reveals certain stags of the actions of God in
his life.

• The hand of the Lord has been upon me from 1900 to 19601. The will of the Lord
is accomplished in spite of all that is lacking in this unworthy and inadequate
instrument. From the start and throughout the journey, light, grace, inspiration,
strength and vocations have come from the tabernacle.
Every priest encounters two judgments: that of man and that of God. For the
latter, which is really the only one that counts, I beg everyone in time to obtain the
mercy of the Lord for me. In the “to us sinners also” of the Mass, we ask the
mercy of being admitted into the company of the saints, “not through our merits
but through the richness of your pardon.”
Before God and man, I feel the gravity of the mission entrusted to me by the Lord,
who would have preferred a still more unworthy and incapable person.
Nevertheless, for me and for everyone, this is the guarantee that the Lord has
willed and done everything Himself. I am like a paint brush of little worth, not
knowing what is to be painted, which the artist uses, even when he executes a fine
painting of the Divine Master.
We were founded on the Church and on the Vicar of Jesus Christ. This conviction
inspires security, joy and courage.

1. The night between December 31, 1900, and January1, 1901, when Alberione was sixteen
years old, was decisive for his life and mission. He recalls it himself in the second passage of
this chapter.
In 1960, he conducted a thirty-day course of Spiritual Exercises (the month of April) for one
hundred and twenty-five priests and brothers of the Society of St. Paul, among whom were his
 first followers. He took the occasion to carefully explain, in definitive form, the meaning of the
Constitutions and of the Pauline vocation, and to reconfirm before all of them the fundamental
certainties which had supported his apostolic action.

No matter what, Fr. Alberione is the instrument elected by God for this mission;
thus he has worked for God and according to the inspiration and will of God.
Everything has been approved by the highest Authority on earth and until now he
has been followed by many generous souls. And for the future? Father P. Colin
replies: “When an institute with its rules has been approved, the superior or
founder (unfortunate expression) must be obeyed and must exact obedience.”

As an individual, instead, Father Joseph James will present himself for the
judgment of God with the enormous responsibilities he has faced in life.

The Lord has been pleased to continue to give me the health and possibility of
completing the Pauline Family with the three Secular Institutes begun after the
General Chapter of 1957. They are making headway.
Our life began in Jesus Christ and like Jesus Christ in the crib: “Glory to God on
high and peace on earth to men of good will.” I assure everyone that everything
has been done only and always by the light of the tabernacle and in obedience.
The approval of the Church is an assurance that the Institutions are good and can
lead to holiness and that they conform to the needs of the times. (UPS I 347)

• The night which divided this century from the last was decisive for the specific
mission and particular spirit in which the future apostolate was to be born and
brought to full life.2 Solemn and continuing adoration before Jesus exposed in the
Blessed Sacrament was made in the Cathedral of Alba following midnight Mass.
The seminarians in philosophy and theology were at liberty to remain for as long
as they wished.

A short time before, there had been a congress (the first he had assister at). He had
clearly understood the calm but profound and fascinating address given by
Toniolo. He had read the invitation of Leo XIII to pray for the century just
beginning. Both spoke of the Church’s necessities, of the new means of evil, of
the duty of opposing the press with the press, organization with organization, of
making the Gospel penetrate the masses and influence social questions….
A particular light came from the Host in greater understanding of Jesus’
invitation: “Come to me, all of you….” He seemed to understand the great Pope’s
heart, the invitation of the Church and the true mission of the priesthood. What
had been said by Toniolo about the duty of being apostles of today and of using
the means exploited to prepare to do something for the Lord and for the men of
the new century with whom he would live.
He had a sufficiently clear grasp of his own insignificance and at the same time is
awareness of the words: “I am with you…until the end of the world,” in the
Eucharist. There was awareness, too, that light, comfort and victory over evil
could be obtained before Jesus in the Host.
 2. In 1954, forty years after its foundation, a group of Pauline priests planned the first study of
the Pauline Family and its Founder.
The result was the commemorative volume published in Italian, Mi Protendo in Avanti (EP,
Alba, 1954, pp. 570). For that occasion, Fr. Alberione wrote down, in the third person, his most
intimate recollections so that they would serve the above-mentioned study. He underlined the
highlights and essential motivations by which God had guided him from his youth to the
accomplishment of his mission. That precious manuscript was recently published in Italian under
the title, Abundantes divitiae gratiae suae (EP Rome, 1971, pp. 164) and in English under the title,
I Am with You.

• Trying to envision the future, he felt that other generous persons would share this
urge to do something in the new century and that organized together the idea
repeated over and over again by Toniolo could be realized: “Unite yourselves; if
the enemy finds you alone, he will overcome you one by one….”
His prayer lasted four hours after the Mass—prayer that the century would be
born in the Eucharistic Christ; that new apostles would restore true meaning to
law, school, literature, the press, public morality; that the Church would have a
new missionary impulse; that the new means of apostolate would be better used;
that society would absorb the great teachings of Leo XIII’s encyclicals, especially
those dealing with social questions and the liberty of the Church.
The Eucharist, the Gospel, the Pope, the new century, the doctrine of Count
Paganuzzi regarding the Church, the necessity of new ranks of apostles—all to
dominate his every thought, prayer, interior work and aspiration from then on.
An obligation was felt to serve the Church, the men of the new century and to
work with others. (AD 17-19)

• At first he thought of a Catholic organization of writers, technicians, librarians

and Catholic book vendors, to whom he would give direction, work and a spirit of
apostolate…. But soon, in a time of greater enlightenment, in 1910, he took a
definitive step: there would be writers, technicians, distributors, but religious men
and women.
On one hand, they would be brought to the highest perfection through the practice
of the evangelical counsels joined to the merit of the apostolic life. On the other
hand, more unity, stability, continuity and a sense of the supernatural would be
given to the apostolate. An organization would be formed but a religious one,
where energies would be united, where dedication would be total, where doctrine
would be purer. And this society of souls, loving God with all their mind, strength
and heart, would spend themselves in work for the Church, content with the
divine stipend: “receive a hundredfold, and possess life everlasting.” He rejoiced,
therefore, considering part of this new army of souls as belonging to the Church
on earth and part belonging to the Church in heaven. (AD 21-22)

• Providence operated according to its ordinary divine method, “strongly and

gently.” It prepared and made all things converge toward an end. It enlightened
and provided necessary helps. Its hour was awaited in peace. Providence always
 begins in a manger; it acts so naturally as to make it difficult to distinguish grace
from nature. It certainly uses both…. On the other hand, it was not for us to force
the hand of God. It was enough to be vigilant and open to guidance in our various
duties, striving to dedicate to them our mind, will, heart and physical energy….
Man has so many imperfections, defects, errors, insufficiencies and doubts in his
way of going about things. It becomes necessary to put everything in the hands of
divine mercy and let ourselves be guided. Never force the hand of Providence!
Prayer had already been offered for the Good Shepherd Sisters in 1908, but the
Congregation was not to be founded as such until about thirty years later.
There was often no choice but there be a serene and calm maturing. The Lord
would dispose a brief period of illness for him. After being closed in a room for a
while, he would come out refreshed and clear-headed, prepared to attend to what
had to be done. Projects would then be submitted to the Spiritual Director who
would correct and depending on the case, add to them. If required, they would be
presented to ecclesiastical authority. The moment was not always right, but the
Lord made things understood and known, leaving His servant the work, even the
mistakes. Later there would be the Lord’s intervention and the correction of errors
and defects. (AD 31-32)

• In a moment of particular difficulty, every aspect of conduct was re-examined to

see if the action of grace had been personally impeded. It appeared that the Divine
Master willed to reassure the Institute now begun but a few years.
In a dream on this, a response seemed to come. Jesus Master, in fact, said:
“Do not be afraid, I am with you. From here I want to enlighten. Be sorry for
your
sins.”
The “from here” came from the tabernacle and with emphasis. It was to be
understood that from Him, the Master, would come all the light to be received.
The Spiritual Director was spoken to and it was pointed out in what particular light
the figure of the Master had been outlined. He replied: “Be at peace; dream or
otherwise, what has been said is holy. Make it a practical program of life and light for
you and for all the members.”
From then on, everything was directed to the tabernacle more and more and derived
from it. (AD 93-94)

• There were many who offered themselves in self-sacrifice for the fruitful outcome
of the Institute. The Lord accepted the offering of some of these….
A circle of virtuous and devout individuals who prayed continuously in adoration
for it was formed. At the head of these was Canon Chiesa.
There were hardships of various kinds: personnel, finances, written and verbal
accusations. Day-today life was precarious and uncertain, but from St. Paul help
always came.
In meeting expenses, advice was sought and this examine made: Is this necessary?
Is my intention right? Would we do this if we were at the point of death? If the
replies were in the affirmative, trust was placed in God.
 At times necessities were grave and urgent and all human resources and hope
closed. Recourse was then had to prayer and an effort to do away with sin and
every lack of poverty. Inconceivable solutions came, as well as money from
unknown sources. Voluntary loans, new benefactors, other such things which
could never be explained. The years and many forecasts of certain failure passed;
the accusations of madness faded away, and everything worked out, under
pressure perhaps, but in peace.
No creditor lost a penny and suppliers, contractors and firms always
continued their confidence in us. There were many benefactors whose charity
bore triple fruit. (AD 97-99)

• Here was a half-blind man being guided. With the passing of time, light came
little by little so that progress could be made. God is the light. (AD 117)

• As for this poor person, he has accomplished some part of the divine will, but
must disappear from the scene and from memory—even if, being the eldest, he
had to receive from the Lord and give to others. It is as when the Mass is
completed: the priest divests himself of the chasuble and remains what he is
before God.

• I often pray: “Father, I am not worthy to be called your son; I have sinned against
heaven and against you; keep me as your servant.” It is in this way that I intend to
belong to this admirable Pauline Family—as a servant, now and in heaven, where
I will tend to those who use the most modern and efficacious means of good in
holiness, in Christ, and in the Church. (AD 10)

2. A dynamic vision of man and of history

Training in hard work at home, a pledge at sixteen years of age to do something for the Lord and for men of
the twentieth century, long meditations in his youth on world history
(C. Cantú, Rohrbacher, Hergenrother), the mission which intensely committed his whole life to the
creation of new energy for the service of the Church—all of this brought Father Alberione to a broad and
dynamic vision of history. And through it he saw the life of man as an incessant, unchanging release of
power for God and for mankind.

• Life loses all sense when it excludes the doctrine of Providence. It becomes a blind
process left to the mercy of physical forces and the malice of men. When faith in
Providence is alive, however, the entire meaning of human history is clearly defined,
elevated and profound. It is God who conducts all things and makes them converge,
rather than a chance succession of intertwined passions and individual interests. Let
history be well taught, in the light of reason and of faith.
Through faith in Providence we discover the God who cares for great and little things:
from the atom, the hair on our head, the lily of the field, to the development of the
physical, intellectual and moral world. From creation to the end of time, life is guided
 by the light coming from eternity, universal judgment and the certainty of eternal
justice.
How much reasoning is done without the use of reason and without the light of the
Gospel and the crucifix! FP 86)

• In himself man evidences and reproduces biblical history. (UPS II 152)

• At times God uses a chisel. Events to which we give scant attention are the hands of
the good God working and shaping our souls. (Pr CN 183)
Don’t lose heart. Always preserve a healthy optimism. History is the teacher of life and
our past experiences school us for the future. A battle lost, we have time as long as we
live to succeed in another.
“All things work together for good,” when there is good will. For what turns out right we
give glory to God; for what turns out poorly we humble ourselves and pray in order to try
harder. There is an excellent book known as “The Art of Profiting by Faults.” The most
terrible temptation is desperation, but the more common one is semi-desperation. Faith is
the first virtue, but the second is hope. We give belief in His goodness. A friend
expressed bewilderment to Caesar Cantú at how he could have written so much and so
well. The historian replied: “By perseverance.” (CISP 1088)

• history of nations serves the greatest historical fact, the Incarnation. By it, God
came to bring creatures to Himself. As their Head, He would introduce them on
“the great day” to His Kingdom, a faithful and immense court praising the divine
King.
Young people, open your eyes to the general sweep of history, to the light of the Gospel,
to the study of philosophy. For thousands of years the fullness of time was prepared,
Jesus Christ passed as the greatest man of history, nay as the God of history. Now
through the Holy Spirit He carries out that which He began. History, like our lives, flows
into eternity.
Oriental and Greek history, Roman, medieval and modern history, general and world
history—all are the immense work of the Father who creates and governs, of the Son who
illumines and saves, of the Spirit who vivifies and makes holy. Let Jesus Master always
be your light in the study of the ages and of peoples.
Study history and confess that “to the immortal King of ages belongs honor and glory.”
Let the peoples of the East and the West come to Jesus Christ. May the Spirit go forth
and renew the earth.
Study history and learn from its works and mistakes. “And now, O Leaders, understand;
instruct yourselves, you who judge the earth.” (CISP 27)

• Study is for life. Life is for eternity. Everything is for God. You who are young,
consider nature and learn from it. Think over what Christian philosophy teaches
about it. Then, through sacred theology, you will lift yourselves to the height of
divine truth. The Church of Jesus Christ, Master of the noblest theological
science, is likewise at the summit of every human science. (CISP 28)
• What does it mean to study? It means to commit oneself. This attitude must
accompany us until death. It should oblige everyone to want to learn new things.
We cannot always do things in the same way during life. We have to progress
each day, improve ourselves each day. After twenty years or more, we ought not
to find ourselves at the starting point. Nor can we say: “I am no longer a learner.’
All of us are obliged to learn! (SC 211-12)

• The greatest good for a young man, both for life and eternity, is to train him to
work; this will be his good fortune and it is the best thing we can do for him.
When a man lives disciplined and in command of his senses and circumstances,
whether in the intimacy of his family of society, he will be respected and admired.
He serves himself and his neighbor. He gives his own worthwhile support to
humanity and to the Church. Be a man! (CISP 1080)

• All of this requires a base, a point of departure, which is the upright man. On this
it becomes possible to build the good Christian, the son of God. (FP 5)

• Discouragement is not permitted the Christian, much less the surrender of self to a
world that lures humanity towards a godless life. God is infinitely more powerful
than man. The Christian among men is the most decided advocate of scientific
and technical progress. Only those who acknowledge themselves as sons of God
are free of every slavery. (CISP 868)

• The only defeat in life is to yield to difficulty, to abandon the struggle. For man,
to die fighting is to win. To desert the battle is to be conquered, and the situation
of the vanquished is hell. “To the victor I will give hidden food.” It is well worth
the effort to fight for knowledge and for truth.
The unity of man has to be rebuilt. A vocation does not consist only of knowledge
(not even an excellent exponent of theology, or an apologist, or a shred and
fascinating writer constitutes such). A wall, even if it is the main one—as is
knowledge—does not constitute a house. (CISP 131)

• A healthy mind in a healthy body. God is life! Don’t kill the body –not even by
excessive play or work. Do not diminish your strength and talents by imprudence
or neglect. Strive rather to develop these in yourself with good educational
methods. Develop your skills, improve the way you do your job, enlarge your
sphere of action and your own knowledge. For the sake of yourself and those
around you, develop your personality, being mindful of truth and not appearances.
Work which increases through our industry is an imitation of God and brings us
closer to Him who is the purest of Acts. It will also be a prime kind of
mortification, whether intellectual, moral or predominantly physical. “Imitate God
as beloved sons.”
Money is a gift of God. Use it well. And if you can obtain more, multiply the
works that promote God’s glory. “Put on your sandals,” the angel said to Peter.
 He was concerned, even about shoes! Take care of everything, you clothes, house,
furniture, books, means of work, etc.
Created things are meant to help us know God, to bring us to love Him and serve
Him worthily. Don’t violate things, our nature, our reason. Make use of
everything as an instrument for the glory of God, for elevation, for our goal.
Practical examples can be found in the psalms and in the lives of the saints,
especially in St. Francis of Assisi who even composed a hymn to the sun. (CISP
756-57)

• It is not for us to speak about ourselves, but sometimes it can be useful. If I had
been concerned about every little ailment of mine, I would have been confined to
my room for forty-five years now, closed off and avoiding drafts, asking to be
served. Excessive cane can weaken us. Do not be imprudent, but give the body as
much exercise as it can take. When I am not pressed by time or necessity, I climb
the stairs on foot—an exercise that is good for the health.
Let us not make an idol of ourselves.

• A man is educated when he has accustomed himself to using his freedom well.
(FP 13)

• Know yourself…not the multitude of things that are of little or no account, or are
even harmful. How much idle news or concern about things that are none of our
affair, while we fail to know ourselves! And how much less do we occupy
ourselves about that which is of eternal interest, our one and only business!
(UPS II 80)

• How much intelligence is wasted! (UPS II 171)

• Read the book of your own conscience, taking a little time out from useless
reading, entertainment and films. (UPS II 80)

• A period of reflection and examine, centering judgment and prayer on ourselves,

is such a good thing. Any small exploration made with the idea of discovering
ourselves brings us closer to the pinnacle of knowledge. And he who knows
himself has reached a great height. We can read a little bit of this book everyday
since it is always at our disposition. “That I may know myself” (St. Augustine).
So much for achieving human understanding. Because we are of Jesus Christ,
who is God, there must follow “That I may know You.” Jesus Christ is the divine
graft on nature and it is He who changes the fruit of our natural thought, work and
aspiration. (CISP 64)

• Life is a great journey toward eternity and each day is a stage of that journey.
The wise driver starts out with prudence, a cardinal virtue. In his mind he goes
over the road to be traveled. This represents the preventive examine. He
 supplies himself with fuel, oil, good tires, everything necessary for the trip.
This represents the help of God through prayer. (UPS II 120)

• What would happen if the driver loses control of the car? He must always stay
alert and handle the steering wheel well. But to drive ourselves is much more
difficult than to drive a car. We have to be in control of everything internal—
our thoughts, for example, which are difficult to govern. We have to govern
our whole being at all times: in church, on the street, traveling, in the book
centers, at recreation, at table, from the moment we wake up in the morning to
the moment we close our eyes at night.
At whatever speed, we must always have control of ourselves. As it takes but
one drowsy instant to swerve off the road, so, not vigilant over ourselves, we
can skid into mistake on top of mistake…. If the tongue is not governed, who
knows what can be said before night falls? The uncontrolled words of persons
whose mouths are never closed always bring repentance afterwards.
(Pr E 349)

• If in the dark we bang our nose against a post, it’s more than certain that the next
times around we’ll remember and be more careful, because we have our nose at
heart! And why don’t we at least do the same for our souls? (Pr E 383)

• If we don’t weep for time lost, for what shall we weep? (Pr E 325)

• Watch your minutes. This is not a very good phrase, but it clarifies an idea. “To
waste time is more displeasing to those who know better” (Dante). Those five and
ten minutes multiplied by five and ten times a day added up to half and full hours.
Multiply ten times by a year, ten years, twenty years and more.
There was a cleric who subtracted ten minutes a day from useless conversation,
indifferent reading and easy distraction and put them toward the reading of books
on ascetics, sociology, history, literature, etc. He thus advanced ahead of his
classmates in very precious mental acquisitions. (CISP 1089)

• We must be aware of the reality of life, the little simple, small progress made each
day towards a meditated, desired, counseled, definite goal. We do not live by
dreams but begin at the rank and file level and proceed along the slow, sure road
of the virtuous. (SM 78)

• Small change makes for capital and it is the attentive person who gains treasures
for heaven (Pr E 355)

• This must be insisted on: don’t have hallucinations about grandiose things. Are
you really sure that you can accomplish them? And then? And then you will incur
grandiose debts. (CISP 177)
 • It is not possible to reap without having planted. Don’t be misled by outward
results which actually hide the shallowness of a work. The gold shining today
from sacred vases on the altar was extracted from deep in the womb of the earth
by simple men—who have their own merit. (CISP 22)

• Life passes and we come nearer to the end of our days. We will leave this world
soon enough for heaven where everything is peaceful and serene. Let us prepare
ourselves and prepare ourselves for heaven! (HM II 108)

• We will die as we have lived. There are those who are not resigned to accept this.
At the beginning of my priestly ministry, I heard a dying person say: “What have
I done to the Lord for Him to treat me in this way?” I have never forgotten that.
Make it a habit of life to do the will of God, because virtue as summed up in that
expression of perfect love of God, “Your will be done,” in the acceptance of
death.
May the Lord grant us the grace to live well so that we may die well. (IA 40 29)

• The last day of our life should be our most fervent one and the last year of our
life our most fervent year. (FM II0 24)

• It is an error to restrain the young from manifesting their thoughts, however strange
these may be in adolescence and crisis.
Instead, encourage them to talk and give them explanations. Offer them support,
make it easy for them to open up and to make themselves known…. Then counsel and
correct their ideas, supply books suited to their situation, offer reasons and use the
greatest possible wisdom and goodness. (SM 41)

• Character examination is of great importance in relations with one’s

neighbors. A good character which knows how to adapt itself to others is a
potent lever for the apostolate. A bad character is one of the greatest obstacles
to good. A person with character is one who has strong convictions and strives
with firmness and perseverance to conform his conduct accordingly. A good
character is a blending of goodness and firmness, of gentleness and strength,
of frankness and respect, winning the esteem and affection of those with
whom it has to deal. A bad character, instead, lacks frankness, goodness,
finesse and firmness. By allowing egoism to predominate, it becomes coarse
in manner and repugnant, at times even hateful to its neighbor. (UPS II 78)

• One insists on a certain thing, sees only that thing, and that’s that! Be
balanced as Jesus Christ was! His was perfect balance—perfectly God and
also perfectly man, as the Athanasian symbol notes. (Pr A 441)

• It is a natural duty to respond to a letter, even if only to say that you can’t, or
that you don’t know what to say! It’s a great mistake to ignore, or pretend to
ignore, social conventions. Urbane manners and evidence of regard facilitate a
 happy common life and earn respect…whereas cutting, vulgar, ill-mannered
and cruel words upset and displease those who utter them as well as those who
hear them! Wisdom, instruction and virtue are not enough. They must be
complemented by manners and ways characteristic of a true religious.
(CISP 759-60)

• All of us are here to serve; there are no bosses. All of us are striving for
perfection; no one is already perfect. (UPS I 292)

• He who does things makes mistakes (sometimes). But he who does nothing
lives a continuous mistake. ( FP 70)

• Through faith we see all men as souls to whom we owe truth, edification and
prayer. (FP 26)

• Through faith, we recognize all men as companions in a journey toward

eternity. Out of this rises the duty of mutual help. (FP 26)

3 JESUS CHRIST: CENTER OF THOUGHT AND ACTION

As an intimate follower of St. Paul, Father Alberione had an altogether Christ-centered

thought. The dynamic core of every one of its manifestations is dynamic core of every
one of its manifestations is found in the expression of the Apostle of the Gentiles: “I live
no longer; it is Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20).
Reading the Gospel, he became enamored of Christ the Master, the molder of integral
man. This inspired him to take the Divine Master as the point of reference of his spiritual
life and the fountainhead of his apostolic mission. “You call me Master and you say well,
for so I am” (Jn 13:13). “Go, and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 29:19).
Under the inspiration of an encyclical by Leo XIII aimed at guiding twentieth century
man (“Tametsi futura,” Nov 1, 1900), he learned to grasp the mystery and fullness of
Christ in the trinomial of John (14:6): “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” At the
center of all the thought, prayer and action of his religious family, Father Alberione
therefore placed the Christ of these dynamic attributes, as revealed in the Gospel. “We
were born to give man Jesus Master, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.”

• Jesus Christ is the Master (Teacher) who best respected the human person, who
develops our natural and supernatural faculties, elevating and guiding us to share
God’s life in time and in eternity. (FP 36)

• The Pauline Family aspires to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Way, Truth and
Life, integrally, in the spirit of St. Paul, and under the watchful guidance of the
Queen of Apostles. It does not have many particulars, special devotions or
excessive formalities. What is sought is life in Christ the Master and in the
Church…. The secret of greatness is to model ourselves on God, living in Christ.
So the thought is always clear to live and work in the Church and for the Church;
 to insert ourselves like wild olives into the living olive, the Eucharistic-Christ; to
think about and be nourished by every phrase of the Gospel, according to the
Spirit of St. Paul…. The whole man must live in Jesus Christ, in total love of
God: intelligence, will, heart, physical strength—everything: nature, grace,
vocation for the apostolate. Our “vehicle” moves on four wheels: sanctity, study,
apostolate, poverty. (AD 63-64)

• “The common good requires that we have recourse to Jesus Christ, Way, Truth
and Life” (Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter, “Tametsi futura”).

• The Pope says that genuine piety manifested during the Holy Year offers good
promise for the new century. It is a piety directed to Jesus Christ, Way, Truth and
Life.
The Pauline Family has accepted this as a sacred inheritance, knowing that
receiving Jesus Christ according to the “three principles necessary for salvation,”
is a matter of life or eternal loss for all. To receive him more fully means to be a
Pauline: “There is salvation in no other. In fact, there does not exist under the
heavens any other name given to men by which we can be saved.” If Jesus Christ
alone is the fullness of salvation, it is necessary to find it in Him alone. And the
more we become part of Him, the more we will live in spiritual health. Living
Christ integrally, the whole man will be sound—sound in mind, heart, will and
body, morally sound. “We have been given a pledge of future glory.” (CISP
1224)

I don’t have silver or gold, but I give you what I do have: Jesus Christ, Way,
Truth and Life. (CISP 63)

• This Council (Vatican II) is the great, historical religious fact of our time. It is an
examine that Christianity is making of itself, a reflection on many points which can
by reduced to three:
• A) How much is Christian life practiced today in conformity with the Gospel? In
what way is this life lived in the world today? In what is it lacking? What means are
to be adapted for a valid purification and elevation in Jesus Christ the Master? “Be
perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” “Learn from me.” “I am the Way.”
• B) How far has the doctrine of Jesus Christ been spread? With what acceptance and
understanding? How has it been preserved in its wholeness and purity in the world?
What are the means by which it can win all minds?—in keeping with the mandate of
Jesus Christ the Master to the Church: “Teach all men.” “This is eternal life, that they
may know the one, true God, and him alone whom he has sent, Jesus Christ.” “I am
the Truth.”
• C) How and in what way do we pray in Christ and in the Church, “in spirit and in
truth’? How and in what way do we produce the fruits of life and grace, of true sons
of God and His heirs, co-heirs of Jesus Christ? How do we better our practical
application of the words, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy
kingdom come, thy will be done”? What are the difficulties and improvements in
 actual practice? “Prayer must be made without ceasing.” “Whatever you ask the
Father in my name, it will be given you.” “I am the Life.” (CISP 315)

Let us make of ourselves the pen and tongue of God, through Jesus Christ, our Master!
(CISP 53)

The process of sanctification is a process of Christification: “until Christ is formed in

you.” Therefore we will be saints in the measure in which we live the life of Jesus Christ
—or better, in the measure in which Jesus Christ lives in us. “The Christian is another
Christ.” This is what St. Paul is saying of himself: “I live, but no longer I; it is Christ who
lives in me.”
This occurs gradually until we reach “the virile age of Jesus Chris, just as a child
gradually grows into the adult man.
Jesus Christ is the Way, Truth and Life. Spiritual work involves: a) imitating the holiness
of Jesus Christ who shows us the way by His examples and teaching: “be perfect”: b) a
spirit of faith in Jesus Christ who is Truth, thinking according to the Gospel, New
Testament, and the Church which communicates them; c) grace, which is a participation
in the life of Jesus Christ through the sacraments, and all the means of grace. This is how
Jesus Christ, Way, Truth and Life is formed in us: “Be conformed to him.” So Jesus
Christ will nourish the soul in its faculties of will, intelligence and sentiment.
(CISP 11-12)

• Our adoration is planned along the lines of devotion to Jesus Master, Way, Truth
and Life. Jesus forms His apostles by communicating a spiritual doctrine to them
and then interposes the example of a holy life. He prays incessantly for them. The
conduct of Jesus and the way He does things must be the conduct and way of
doing things for all teachers. (CISP 778)

• In the morning, let us place ourselves at Jesus feet and say to Him: You are the
Way; I want to walk in your footsteps and imitate your example. You are the
Truth: enlighten me! You are Life: give me grace! (ER 132)

• In having recourse to the Divine Master, we will not find a law but a Person, even
though He operates in the manner of a law: “In Christ Jesus, the law of the spirit
of life.” (CISP 133)

• Jesus Christ, apostle of the Father, was the first of all the perfect man: perfectus
homo. Here, too, He is the Way. This concept of “perfect man” not only implies
that he had a rational soul and an organic body, but signifies perfect order in his
faculties. On one hand they were in the harmony with God; on the other, in
harmony with reason. Who could accuse him of sin on any account? He was the
perfect child of the family, the perfect boy, the perfect young man, the perfect
worker, the perfect citizen, the perfect subject, the perfect king. He was perfect at
home, in society, in dealing with others, in prayer, in solitude. His prudence,
justice, fortitude and temperance were perfect. He was perfect in learning as a
 disciple and perfect in teaching as a master, perfect in seeking the glory of God
and the salvation of man as an apostle. (CISP 755)

• Christian, religious and priestly perfection lies in this: to establish ourselves mind)
and Life (sentiments). Indeed this is the way to reach the supreme height of our
personality: I who think in Jesus Christ, I who love in Jesus Christ, I who will in
Jesus Christ, I who love in Jesus Christ, I who will in Jesus Christ: or: Christ who
thinks in me, who loves in me, who wills in me. (UPSI 187)

• To radically change our way of thinking, living and dying was the marvelous
reversal desired and achieved by Jesus Christ. This is especially evident in the
Beatitudes. (CISP 1396)

• “Life” and “death” are two words often repeated in the Gospel. Spiritual writers
and those spiritually inclined emphasize one or the other, depending on their
temperament or background. Some say that the sacred text is a ‘Gospel of life,”
and in fact, from its beginning to its end one breathes the vigor of new life in
Christ. “In him was life and this life became the light of mankind.”
Others say that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is one of death. “If the seed planted in
the earth does not die, it remains alone; but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit.” “I
die each day,” St. Paul wrote, “for I carry in my body the death of the Lord Jesus
Christ.”
Both these classes of persons possess only part of the Gospel. Life and death in
the Gospel are always joined. We die in Christ in order to live joyously in Christ.
“Whoever loses his life will find it.” Life and death eco one another and alternate in
regular rhythm. I renounce my I in order to let His life live in me. I relinquish certain
goods in order to acquire superior ones. Chastity is the sacrifice of an introverted life for
a life that is apostolic and divine. It is a love that is greater. Obedience is the fullness of
freedom. Poverty is the maximum of wealth. (CISP 132)

• Every wearying effort, when associated with the passion of Jesus Christ, becomes
an element of individual and social redemption. (FP 51)
• Many have wanted to reform the Church, but without reforming themselves first.
They possessed neither a mission not virtue nor true piety. Jesus Christ, however,
first set the example Himself, preached His doctrine and died to win grace for us.
(UPS I 515)
• Some are saying that what is needed today is another kind of education, another
way of living, another form of discipline.
• I answer: “holiness is and always consists in, living Jesus Christ as He is
presented in the Gospel, the Way, Truth and Life. The mistake lies always in
detaching ourselves from the Gospel, from Jesus Christ, from the examples of the
saints, from theology.
• Religious life is always the one which Jesus Christ taught, the one proposed by
the Church, lived by religious who achieved sainthood and the one indicated by
the Constitutions.
• Conscientiousness is not rigorous. Laxity is not modernity, but worldliness of
heart. (CISP 264)

• The mystery of Christ the worker seems to us a deeper mystery than the passion
and death. So many years at the carpenter’s bench! “Isn’t this the carpenter’s
son?” “Isn’t he the carpenter?” The sweat o his forehead at Nazareth is no less
redemptive than the sweat of blood in Gethsemane! (CISP 1079)

• The wearying labor of the apostolate is to be joined to the labor of Jesus.

• The apostolate brings fatigue, discouragement, disappointments. There are those

who do not understand it. But did they understand the whole apostolate of Jesus?
Let us think of Him. (HM II 10 82)

• A good part of the world today suffers from a shortage of bread. There is an even
greater shortage of the spiritual bread Jesus Christ brought from heaven—
Himself. “I am the bread of life.” Innumerable men live totally unaware of their
destiny. They think of nothing else but the present and yet in a short time, death
will propel them into eternity. There is no one to give them this bread. “There is
no one to break it for them.” They die of hunger, without truly understanding their
hunger. Jesus without truly understanding their hunger. Jesus Christ is Bread-
Truth. The apostle of the media of communication is another Jesus Christ who
repeats to men of every age and place that which Jesus Christ preached in His
temporal life. (CISP 124)

• Did Jesus Christ stop when confronted with difficulties?

• In Jesus Christ there is “pure wine,” whereas various authors give diluted wine—a
little wine with a lot of water. Sometimes they even replace the Gospel—human
pride!—with speculations, reasoning and knowledge of their own. Men replace
God, or at least attempt to put something there of their own as a substitute. Now
then, to understand them, read Scripture. (CISP 1367)

• It sometimes happens in various books and sermons that little stress is given the
preponderant role of Christ in our sanctification. Devotion to our Lord is
presented as just one of many means towards this end.

• Our devotion and incorporation in Christ is the beginning and end, the very
substance itself of our supernatural life. Herein lies asceticism and mysticism.
Practices are helps or consequences. Truly desiring to sanctify ourselves, we will
avoid disputes and controversies about the different schools of spirituality and
instead devote ourselves to living the life of Christ more and more completely.
This is how the goal of sanctification is quickly reached. Don’t deform the piety
of the faithful nor promote ideas that confuse spiritual progress.
 • Christological doctrine as related to the spiritual life may be summed up thus in
its fundamental ideas: live Christ as he defined himself: “I am the Way, the Truth
and the Life.” (CISP 1379)

• The work of religion and civilization effected by missionaries is very much

worthy of the enthusiasm and admiration of youth, the faithful and every
reasonable person. Theirs is a conquest of the world by truth and love, giving
Jesus Christ to men and men to Jesus Christ. (CISP 47)

4 THE PRESENCE OF THE MOTHER OF GOD

Founder of an apostolic family, Fr. Alberione was especially sensitive to the presence of
the Mother of God in the realm of his apostolic labors and invited his Congregations to
venerate her under the title of the “Queen of Apostles.” The principal houses of these
Congregations in Rome are located around the shrine-church he erected and dedicated to
the Queen of the Apostles. It is his filial homage to the patroness of his entire work.
Every Marian title is simply the starting point for a deeper grasp of the whole reality of
the Virgin Mary, in the mystery of Christ her Son. Fr. Alberione’s perception of the
Virgin Mother begins with his profound consideration of her as the Queen of the
Apostles, bearer of the whole Christ and therefore the unsurpassed example of
“apostolate.”

• There is nothing more valuable to be given to this poor, proud world than Jesus
Christ. Mary gave the world grace in Jesus Christ and continues to make this
offering for all time. She is the universal mediatrix of grace and in this role is our
mother. The world has need of Jesus Christ, Way, Truth and Life. Mary gives
Him by means of apostles and apostolates which she inspires, forms, assists and
crowns with fruit and the glory of heaven. (AD 108)
• Every apostolate is an irradiation of Jesus Christ. It gives something, so to speak,
of Jesus Christ: doctrine by the apostolate of preaching, grace by the apostolate of
the sacraments, formation by the apostolate of the young, etc. Mary gives the
whole Christ, Way, Truth and Life. God established her as an apostle, that is, an
apostle with Christ and for Christ, just as she is the Co-redemptrix with Christ the
Redeemer. (UPS IV 271)
• Publishers posses the word. They multiply it and distribute it clothed in paper,
type and ink. On the human level, they have the mission that Mary had on the
divine level. She was the Mother of the Divine Word. She contained the invisible
God and made him visible and accessible to men by presenting him in human
flesh. (CISP 599)
• Like a branch ever bearing its fruit and offering it to men, Mary always gives
Jesus: suffering, glorious, Eucharistic, the Way, Truth and Life of men.
• She is the apostle of Jesus, not only in word, but in mind, will and heart.
• She always said what was necessary and essential: “Fiat.”
• Her actions were marked by constancy and perfection.
• Her entire will was committed; she lived by love.
 • As to her intelligence, from the moment of the annunciation she knew what a Son
was to be born of her.
• More than with ink, she wrote Jesus, that is, formed him of herself by the power
of the Holy Spirit, with her blood.
• Giving Jesus, she gave us the holy Gospel in him.
• Giving Jesus, she presents every perfection in him.
• Giving Jesus, she gave us the redemption, the eucharist, the life. “Hail holy
Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope….”
• Mary is therefore the apostle, the queen of Apostles, the exemplar of every
apostolate, the inspiration of every apostolic virtue. May the heavens sing to her!
May the earth sing to her! And through her, with her and in her, may all praise
rise to the Holy Trinity. (CISP 38)

Now we can understand what Queen of Apostles means. It was she who brought the
physical Jesus into the world. It is she who forms and nourishes the mystical Christ, the
Church.
She is the true apostle, with Jesus Christ and in dependence on Jesus Christ. All the other
apostles participate in the apostolate of Jesus and Mary. As planned from creation, Jesus
is the great Architect. Mary was made great, chosen among all creatures, raised up to be
the apostle.
Let us carry out the threefold plan of Jesus Christ: the apostolate of truth, charity and
grace. (Pr RA 168)

• We do not yet know enough about Mary as the Queen of Apostles. This is so true
that one time I heard this odd statement: in the image of the Queen of Apostles
there is nothing referring to the apostolate.1 But isn’t Mary depicted giving Jesus?
What else is the apostolate but the giving of Jesus? You do not distribute bread;
you distribute truth and by this you give Jesus to the world. (Pr RA 178)

• For the apostolate to be fruitful, it is morally necessary that it be accompanied by

devotion to Mary. Unhappy is he who with the passing of the years loses or
allows a weakening of this devotion! (HM II 10 69)

• It is said that with costs so staggering today it seems imprudent to build (the
shrine-church of the Queen of Apostles in Rome.) Many considerations could lead
to that conclusion and yet, if we do not do this, we will not even pay for other
things, not help our other works. To build a church dedicated to this Mother, who
deserves a beautiful one, is a duty. It is to dig a well from which water will come
for everyone and for everything. It is a need—a real need felt by all. (CISP 591)

• To avoid pain when teeth are pulled, what do we do? We take an injection. We
have to inject a little of the spirit of Mary into our lives. Certain kinds of
reasoning do not lift us two inches off the earth, whereas we must bring ourselves
to the height of God, seeing things from his viewpoint. (IA 4 133)
 1. An allusion to the painting representing Mary, Queen of Apostles, depicted by the Roman artist, G. B. Conti
at the suggestion of Fr. Alberione. In it, Mary appears at the center of the apostolic group in the act of
presenting her Son Jesus Christ to the world. He is shown with the scroll of the Good News in his hand.

5. ST. PAUL TODAY

In searching for the best guide to Christ’s full mystery for the salvation of mankind, Fr.
Alberione discovered St. Paul. He became one of modern time’s most ardent disciples
and imitators of the Apostle. Through his multi-form institutions and the media of social
communication used as an apostolate, he strove to revive within the Church the figure of
the Apostle of the Gentiles. What would St. Paul do today? How would he love Christ in
today’s milieu? What would he do to announce the message to men of our time? Thus, St.
Paul became the patron of two of his Congregations, a number of churches, hundreds of
book centers and film agencies and many other apostolic works which he wanted to be
nourished and sustained with the great openness and courage of the Pauline spirit.

• The Pauline Family was raised up by St. Paul as a means of continuing his work.
St. Paul is once more alive, but composed today of many members. We did not
choose St. Paul; it was he who chose and called us. We must do what he would do
if he were alive today. And if he were alive, what would he do? He would fulfill
the two great commandments as he knew how to fulfill them: loving God with all
his heart, all his strength, all his mind and loving his neighbor unsparingly
because he lived Christ. “Christ lives in me.”
• He would use the greatest pulpits of modern progress: press, film, radio and
television, to announce the thrilling discovery of the doctrine of love and
salvation found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. St. Paul made himself our “mold.”
(Pr SP 291)
• Before the Institute was placed under the protection of St. Paul the Apostle, very
much prayer was offered. A saint was needed who excelled in holiness and who at
the same time would serve as an example for the apostolate. In himself, St. Paul
had integrated holiness and apostolate. He truly loved Jesus Christ: “What will
separate me from the charity of Christ? Nothing. Neither life nor death.” After
having served Christ in life, he intrepidly faced the martyrdom of being beheaded.
“Neither life nor death will separate me from Christ!” Before rendering his
ultimate witness to the Master, he gave his whole life to the apostolate. We often
all attention to the activity of St. Paul, but first we should call attention to his
piety. (Pr SP 302)
• To St. Paul goes our most heartfelt gratitude as the true Founder of the Institute.
Indeed he is its father, teacher, exemplar and protector. He created this family by
intervening in such a physical and spiritual way, that not even now, in retrospect,
can we fully understand it, much less explain it.
• Everything is his. It belongs to him who was the most compete interpreter of the
Divine Master. It was he who applied the Gospel to nations and called nations to
 Christ. His presence in theology, moral teaching, church organization and the
adapting of the apostolate and its means to the times is still vivid and substantial
and will remain as such until the end of time. He moved, illumined and nurtured
everything. He was the guide, the bursar, the defender, the sustainer—wherever
the Pauline Family was established. He merited the first church and its great
sculpture (the “Glory of St. Paul” as the motherhouse) which shows him carrying
on his apostolate and represents his paternity toward Paulines. (CISP 147)
• Everyone who has developed a taste for reading St. Paul has become a sturdy
soul. (SP 414)
• St. Paul is the disciple who knows the Divine Master in all His fullness. He lives
Him completely. He searches the profound mysteries of His doctrine, heart,
holiness, humanity and divinity. He sees Him as the supreme Teacher, the Host,
and the Priest. He presents the total Christ as He had already defined Himself: the
Way, truth and Life. (AD 96)
• If St. Paul were alive, he would still burn with that double flame of the same fire:
zeal for God and His Christ and zeal for men of every land. And in order to be
heard, he would mount the most commanding pulpits and multiply his words with
the current means of progress: press, film, radio, television. His doctrine would
not be cold and abstract. Whenever he reached a given place he did not just give
an occasional conference. He stayed and he formed. He obtained intellectual
consent, persuaded, converted, united in Christ, started others on the road to a
fuller Christian life. He did not leave until there was the moral certainty that his
flock would persevere. Presbyters would be left behind to continue his work, but
he communicated often by word and writing. He wanted to hear news of them,
was with them in spirit and prayed for them. (CISP 1152)
• The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans is the first and principal example of the
apostolate of the editions, the example on which every Pauline book should be
modeled. For this reason, when the church dedicated to St. Paul was built at the
motherhouse, it was decided to depict the Apostle dictating his grandiose Letter to
the Romans. In its totality, the sculpture ideally represents the spirit and purpose
of our apostolate: to bring the Gospel to all peoples of every time and place.
(Pr A 135)
• His style of writing is highly personal, the mirror of a soul truly made to lead:
ardent, fiery, sure of truth, affectionate as a mother, strong as a father. (CISP 614)
• Why is St. Paul so great? How did he do so many wonderful things? How is it that
year after year his doctrine, apostolate and mission in the Church of Jesus Christ
become better and better known, admired and celebrated? He is one of those
saints who day by day are rejuvenated, stand out, and conquer hearts. Why? The
answer lies in his interior life. The secret is here. Inflated balloons empty
themselves and vanish in a day. But where there is richness, where there is true
doctrine, true merit, genuine interior life, seeds are germinated. The plant remains
hidden fro a while because everything is closed within the embryo beneath the
soil. Once the embryo develops, however, the seed begins to show itself as a
small plant, then as a sapling, finally as a great and magnificent tree. Now then,
the Apostle Paul was a man of great interior life. (Pr SP 259)
• The whole secret of St. Paul’s greatness is his interior life. It can be said that he
conquered from within: from his great spirit of poverty, study, profound
knowledge, love of Jesus Christ, spirit of mortification. We ask St. Paul in vain
for the grace to become heroes before men. Our first need is to ask him to obtain
the graces that will make us dear to God and only then the graces to become
apostles in the midst of the world.
• Children must resemble their father. Every friend of St. Paul must look to him and
learn his spirit. The more we read and are penetrated by the life and Letters of St.
Paul, the more we will love them and set out on the true path of sanctity and the
true spirit of the apostolate. (Pr SP 260-261)
• “You are a unique Congregation,” someone observed to me last week, “silent yet
always in motion.” St. Paul was like this. Our organization, our schedule, our
activity, our undertakings must be just as St. Paul would have them now if he
were alive today. Yesterday, returning from Bari, we saw the places where St.
Paul stopped on his way to Rome as a prisoner… the forum along the road
beyond Cisterna called the “Ribbon,” and a little way ahead, the Tre Taverne”—
two stops where he met Christians who had come from Rome in search of him.
But if St. Paul were making the journey today, he would not have traveled this
way. He would have boarded a plane and arrived as quickly as possible to have
more time for preaching and other work. (Pr A 34)
• Imitate the virtues of St. Paul better. He was a true man of God, a man who in an
exceptional way was overwhelmed by grace, a man who in a particular way was
entrusted with the things of God, a man obligated in a special way to God, a man
who could declare: “His grace has not been vain in me.” Singer of God’s praises,
herald of God’s grace. Promoter of God’s worship, champion of God’s law, set
apart by God, prisoner of Christ, living in Christ—this is St. Paul. (CISP 602)
• The saint is not a worn-out man, a half conscious individual who doesn’t know
how to take his part in life. For St. Paul, sanctity is the full maturity of man, the
perfect man.
• The saint does not wrap himself up in himself; he opens himself up to
development. He does not stay still; rather, his motto is growth and progress.
• Holiness is life, movement, nobility, dynamic enthusiasm—not the kind that falls
off but the good kind that keeps rising upward! But holiness will be only and
always in proportion to the spirit of faith and to will power. God is with us! We
cooperate with Him. (SM 26-27)
• “We strive and strain forward!” Always be mindful of what is lacking. There isn’t
time to congratulate ourselves on the past, to talk about the things that have been
done, or the results achieved in this or that diocese, in this or that exhibit, in this
or that Gospel, catechetical or Marian display, etc. There isn’t time! If we want to
be wise men and apostles formed after the heart of St. Paul, there will only be
time to recall what is still lacking. (Pr A 130)
• I have told you that St. Paul wrote fourteen Letters. In twelve of them he reproves
chatterboxes, because those who talk too much disrupt peace.
• Does this mean that we shouldn’t speak? Speak, but speak well, at the right time,
as duty demands.
 • You can make yourself holy, very holy, with good will, the absence of agitation
and active loving silence. (IA 4 110)
• There will be those who approve our apostolate and those who will not. But you
yourselves know that it is pleasing to God and useful to the Church. Know that
this is what God has called us to. God ahead, therefore, with courage,
remembering that “those who have worked and instructed others will be called
great in the kingdom of heaven.”
• Keep before you, also, the example of St. Paul working so hard and suffering so
much in the exercise of his apostolate. In the face of everything, he remained
tireless, up to the time when he declared: “I have finished my course.” You, too, if
you have exercised you’re apostolate with faith and zeal, will be able to say at the
end of your life: “I have accomplished the noble apostolate assigned to me and
now I await the reward.” (HM II 10 83)
• Vigilance and attention must be employed that the apostolate maintains the
pastoral level found in the Letters of St. Paul. The Love of Jesus Christ and of
souls will allow us to distinguish and clearly separate what is apostolate and what
is industry and business. The maximum criteria for judging is always the spirit,
notwithstanding its four aspects: the moral and intellectual aspects, apostolate and
poverty. Great is the program drawn from the tabernacle: “From here I want to
enlighten. Do not be afraid. I am with you. Be sorry for your sins.” The
Congregation has reached a third of its manifestation. (CISP 59)
• In the international book centers, let us be guided by this thought: what would St.
Paul say to the world if he came today? In particular, what would he say to the
country in which this book center is found? He would procure the best books
available in the country and from around the world and offer them first to the
clergy and then to the people.
• All assigned to the book centers should make the effort to be holy, preaching by
good example, praying daily in the Hours of Adoration, Communions, Masses
and rosaries to attract every social class to the truth and to spread it among them.
Their devotion to St. Paul should be fervent. And each evening they should
examine their consciences on this special point: how do I carry out my assignment
in the book center? (CISP 128)

6 THE WORD OF GOD

In the spiritual life and in the apostolate, Father Alberione always bases himself on the
Bible. Biblical instruction, meditations inspired by the sacred texts, the Gospel and
Letters of St. Paul, were the basis of the formation given by him to his religious family.

The Book of God displayed in every place of prayer, life and work, the publication of
countless editions of the Gospel and Bible, the institution of the fast of the Gospel and
that of Bible Week, the house-to house propagation of the Word by the Daughters of St.
Paul, whom he loved to refer to as the “postmistresses of God,” the Visit before the
Blessed Sacrament based on biblical reading—all of this recalls the fact that the font of
Pauline spiritual thought and apostolic action was and continues to be the Word of God.
• Believing souls know that every word and action of the Master contains a special
grace which facilitates the practice of virtue in readers and hearers. They adore
the Word of God hidden beneath its outer appearance and they pray to be
enlightened, to be able to understand, savor and practice its teachings. This
reading is like a meditation and a devout conversation with Jesus. And souls go
away from this colloquy more resolved to follow Him whom they admire and
love. (CISP 1155)
• The Bible is God’s letter to mankind. It is the first and principal book to be read,
especially the New Testament, in order to grasp the thought of God
• Truly devoted souls find their delight in the holy Gospels because it is here that
the teachings and examples of our Lord Jesus Christ are found. No better form
exists for satisfying our piety. No way is more effective in leading us to the
imitation of the Divine master. (CISP 1155)
• This is my wish for you: nourish yourselves on pure bread, the best bread (the
Bible) (Pr B 239)
• Those who read the Scriptures increase their faith. Those who prayerfully and
frequently take this book into their hands and make of it their daily bread
gradually become supernatural in their reasoning, supernatural in their judgment
and aspirations. They become the kind of people described by the Holy Spirit:
“the just man lives by faith.” (OA 11-13-1932)
• Love of the Gospel is the sign and characteristic of individuals whom God singles
out for great undertakings. (ICA 2-12-1933)
• It is said that the Gospel is difficult. No, it isn’t so. For the Lord made it precisely
for our heads, the way He made bread for our stomachs.
• When you are sad, open the Scriptures and you will find the passage that will
console you. Do the same in times of doubt and fear. During every uncertainty or
anxiety, the saints went to this fount. God will guide and direct you – how many
times have we been witnesses to this! (ICA 2-26-1933)
• The Bible should be read with simplicity. When your father writes you a letter,
you do not study it for grammar and syntax. You simply read what he wants to
tell you, the news he wants to give you. You look for the meaning of his
expressions. If one were to receive a letter from his father and set it aside without
reading, he would be blameworthy. Let us not go before the tribunal of God
without heaving read all of the heavenly Father’s letters, because he will say to
us: you had neither respect nor love enough for that which I wrote to you!
(EA 2-22-1961)
• And if we have not read the Bible, we deserve to be reproached at the judgment of
God. “You have not read my word. You did not want to know my will. You did
not read the letters I wrote to mankind.” (Pr CB 281)
• What a mistake it is to abandon the reading of the Bible, especially the Gospel, in
order to give preference to other books! What an impression it makes to go into a
religious house, ask for a Gospel and be told there isn’t one around! And yet,
there in the chapel pews are a great number of books, selected more or less wisely
—everything from sentimental outpourings to private revelations not yet
approved by the Church. (Pr CB 283)
• This continuing de-Christianization of life, art, thought, etc., is due to the lack of
liturgical-biblical oxygen in which we’ve allowed the people to live for centuries.
• The centuries-old phenomenon of separating the Liturgy from the Bible sadly
resulted in great numbers of people who had no understanding of the Mass, the
sacraments, liturgical celebrations…. Preaching that was not related to the Bible
was not heeded as the Word of God, but rather as human reasoning. (CISP 685)
• The Bible does not only teach us how to live well as individuals; nor does it only
teach us about domestic virtues, or only about what refers to religion. It also
teaches us about all that can be grouped under the heading of social virtues.
• The Bible teaches love among nations, love among the various social classes;
duties of owners toward employees and the duties of employees toward
employers. It teaches justice and honesty in commerce and business, love for
work, various forms of apostolate for the young, the elderly, and the sick. It
teaches the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. (OA 1-22-1933)
• Would we ever have understood the meaning of humility, gentleness, patience,
the bearing of wrongs, virginity, and fraternal charity spurred to the point of self-
immolation if we had never read and meditated on the examples and lessons of
our Lord?
• Pagan philosophers, particularly the Stoics, wrote some beautiful pages about
some of these qualities. But what a difference between their literary exercises and
the persuasive, powerful accents of the Divine Master! (SM 62-63)
• It is clear that a spirituality based on the Bible will give us a complete, full prayer
life, pleasing to God. (Pr VI 38)
• What can you give, therefore? Give God! Give His Word! How powerful you are
when you cite a phrase from the Gospel! The Word of God is the maximum
authority. Who can oppose God? We read in the psalms: “By reason of your
Word I am wiser and stronger than your enemies! Wiser than the elders who have
studied and gained experience.” Therefore, when you bring the Word of God to
others, and when your word is accompanied and affirmed by a scriptural phrase,
who could oppose it? (Pr A 188)
• Since we have to communicate divine doctrine,, we must on one hand be very
well enlightened and on the other be able to convey the wisdom of God. We quote
this author and that…. Quote God! Say: This is what God taught us! This is how
Jesus Christ preached! At times we want to display what we know….Let us
display what God knows and what God taught, because He came to teach
humanity. The truth which has to be followed is the truth which He revealed in
His sermons and teaching. (Pr B268)
• The writer-apostle must conform to the Bible as the model book. God created man
and knows very well how his heart is made. Therefore His word corresponds to
the deepest needs of the human heart, much in the same way that a mother making
clothes for her child prepares them according to size. (UPS III 10)
• The Bible is the book that we have to give, whether it is through film or print,
through radio or records, through filmstrips or other forms. We present it through
all the means that the Lord furnishes, just as we clothe and nourish ourselves with
what He created.
• It is prohibited for you to carry the Eucharist while traveling. But you can always
carry the Sacred Scriptures. This is like being accompanied by Viaticum. It is the
companion you must have beside you always. (Pr CB 277)
• These are the promises that the apostle of the editions should make, especially
those who do the editorial work:
--I promise to honor the Gospel with the veneration that is its due;
--to give the Gospel as the Truth, the Way, and the Life of my apostolate;
--to consider the Gospel as the Truth, the Way, and the Life of my apostolate;
--to read and meditate on the Gospel in keeping with the spirit of the Church;
--to spread it and work to multiply copies of it in tireless love;
--to conform my entire life to the Gospel; I want it near me in death and upon
my breast in my coffin. (RS 87-88)