Media Spirituality
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A Pauline presentation of a Spirituality for Communication
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Media Spirituality
- 7. The Medium is the Message “ You are the artist of yourself.” Blessed Alberione
- 11. Communication from I to us A Social & Cultural Revolution
- 24. Jesus not only gives us the image of the perfect communicator as our way and truth (fidelity). Jesus also gives us the ability to communicate – to restore communication as our life through grace (sacraments). Communication for us is giving of self in love.
- 29. The two great sources of our strength are the Word of God and the Eucharist .
- 40. ..discover, understand, interpret… Why did the Pauline charism arise in the Church? What was our Founder’s thought concerning evangelization through the means of social communication? What does Fr. Alberione mean when he said we must continually “move ahead”? James Alberione (1884-1971): Prophet of God in the World of Communication
- 56. Activity How will Pauline Spirituality evangelize the new media? What areas of this culture are good and what call for gospel transformation? Why?
Editor's Notes
- Covenant - As Christians we transform our suffering by entering into the Christian narrative of Jesus’ suffering and death. Jesus invites us to this transformation: “Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (Jn. 12:24). He opens up access to true life for us by letting himself be broken down and losing himself. [1] Suffering is a painful pedagogy. “Instead of fleeing from it, we are called to follow its trajectory and to make it our own…because one senses that it is the secret source of the only true life. In biblical language we can say that it is here that the heart of stone becomes broken so that it may be made into a heart of flesh.” [2] Transformation is not a technique or a formula. It is available to everyone called to great love and great suffering. Transforming our hearts, Thomas Aquinas said, is the greatest work of God, greater than creation itself. [1] CF. Ibid, p. 253. [2] Andre Louf, “Liturgy of the Heart ” Colloquium on the Syrian Fathers, June 23, 2008, http://avowofconversation.wordpress.com/category/syrian-fathers/
- Archbishop Celli Social Communications council "Our message is always the same -- Jesus of Nazareth must always be at the heart of our proclamation -- but how we present him to a changing world and how we communicate his message needs to be continually reformulated and adapted to the moment and the context.“ "It is in moments of solitude that the individual is unable to avoid a consideration of the ultimate questions concerning life and death and the point and purpose of his or her personal existence. It is perhaps for this very reason that so many humans seek to avoid such moments of solitude and are tempted to lose themselves in the world of constant communications and perpetual 'busy-ness.' … the questioning that arises in the depths of solitude is "a question about the very essence of their own existence. In the final analysis, the individual is confronting a question that is not merely the product of his or her own reflection but one that issues from beyond the existence of any one individual. It is this very question that mysteriously grounds the being of the individual.“ "If we are not attentive to this dimension of human existence, if we are deaf to the echo of the question which reveals itself in a desire for a destiny that can shape human life, we can never establish an authentic human relationship," Archbishop Celli warned, affirming that true communication between humans -- and it is precisely as communicators that we come together -- demands an openness to this basic yearning. … "today, we are faced with unprecedented challenges, as well as marvelous possibilities, magnified by the rapid development of technological innovation revolutionizing communication in all its different forms.“ He noted: "The cultural changes which have resulted from these developments require deep reflection and innovative thinking so that we can better reach out to others and better communicate the Good News to all humanity -- whether practicing Catholics or non-believers, whether in religious or overwhelmingly secular contexts.
- Video of Blessed Alberione’s Feast in Rome Achbishop Claudi Celli, Social Communications council “ Save ourselves, save the cinema!” said Alberione (Explaination of the Constitutions, to FSP, 1960). Don Sassi reminds us: We need to reflect on the model of our communication – interpersonal and mediated (anonymous) or transmissive model – Attempt now, he said, a participative model in all forms of apostolic communication – From being teachers to witnesses – think pastorally… (2009, letter to SSP)
- Through the writings of Blessed James Alberione, I have come to deepen understanding of balance in the spiritual life. Alberione considered everything a gift of God that invited our unwrapping and response. The gospel of John influenced Alberione’s spirituality: “We all live off his generous bounty, gift after gift after gift” (John 1:16) A Pauline charismatic element is “know the gift of God.” Alberione opened all the gifts available to him: scripture, great religious traditions in the Church, church documents, theology, the Eucharist, press, radio, television, etc. hoping to create a great synthesis in Jesus Master as he defined himself “way, truth and life” (John 14:6). Holiness consists, he wrote, in living in Christ as St. Paul lived Christ until we say it is no longer I who live, Christ lives in me (Gal. 2:20). Alberione sought and solicited the reunification of all sciences around theology, proclaiming the dignity of all branches of knowledge. According to him, whatever the subject studied, ultimately it was to study God, the author of all things, and of all the sciences which are the interpreters of created reality. Sanctity is the highest expression of human and Christian life, wrote Don Perino (former General of the SSP). Holiness must be considered in the individual, personal, social and communitarian dimensions (with Grace!).
- The often quoted observation of Marshall McLuhan - the medium is the message finds a renewed pertinence in this context. "For from the fullness of the heart, the mouth sings. A good person brings forth good out of a store of goodness" (Matt 12, 34-35). The Word of God became flesh so as to communicate himself to all men and women; a particularly privileged way of knowing this Word is therefore in encountering witnesses who make it present and alive Communication is a work of art (Vernon Gregson) - Our first work of art is our own living (Longergan) You are the artist of yourself (Alberione)
- The Task of Communication: The Christian message is to be preached and witnessed to in all cultures and to every development of conscience. (Vernon Gregson)
- Those wishing to communicate effectively and fruitfully must be both technically competent and fully attentive to the culture of the environment within which they are operating. I would suggest that there are two dimensions to this required cultural attentiveness; in the first place, it is important for the communicator or evangelist to know the general culture of his or her intended audience - to know their cares and concerns, their fears and their hopes; in the second place, he or she must be familiar with the specific culture challenges presented by the new media environment where significant changes in patterns of media consumption have been brought about by the changes in technologies. there is also the need to attend to the specific media culture that is coming into being in the context of the on-going revolution in the technologies of communication. We are living through a time of profound change in the world of communications. Commentators often speak of a digital revolution to indicate the extraordinary developments in the technologies of communications we have witnessed over the last two decades - computers are smaller, more powerful and more affordable, mobile telephony has connected people all over the world, satellites allow simultaneous global transmission of news and events and the internet itself has created new possibilities for the communication of information, knowledge and learning. It would be a mistake, however, to see these changes as merely technological; they have also revolutionized the culture of communications. They have changed the ways people communicate, the ways they associate and form communities, the ways by which they learn about the world, the ways in which they engage with political and commercial organizations. As a community of believers committed to making known to all people the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Church is challenged to consider how it will seek to communicate its message in the context of a new emerging culture of communications. Traditionally, we have thought of new means and technologies of communication as instruments to be put into the service of the transmission of the Word - Evangelii Nuntiandi characterized the new means as a "modern and effective version of the pulpit". The challenge today is to understand that the new technologies are not just instruments of communication but are profoundly affecting the very culture of communications. Archbishop Claudio M. Celli, NEA, January 30, 2009
- How we arrive at truth and value – not simply personal imperative but also communinity imperatives, all human endearvors.
- Stop after the “revolution” in families etc. section
- Recognize this from Media Mindfulness? (see chart in book or handout) What is going on What is really going on What difference does it make What difference can I make
- If the priority of evangelization defines the Church, we who are a part of the Church, must think and program our charism with the same mentality: the Congregation in the next six years can be imagined as starting from the mission of evangelizing the communication of today with the communication of today. Let us ask the Spirit, which has preceded us in the human story with gifts of new technologies for human communication, to open our eyes to the true nature of the current communication, on the changes of the models of communication, and on the shifting of fundamental anthropological categories which characterize the communicators of today. The Pauline charism reforms itself staring from the recipients which the communication of every historical epoch raises. The priority for the Pauline charism is communication because from a great instance communication is not only the variety of technologies but is the oneness of communicators. Fr. Silvio Sassi, SSP, Superior General
- spirituality n. , pl. , -ties . The state, quality, manner, or fact of being spiritual.
- Examples: Our commitment is to talk of everything in a Christian way… We have an apostolic method that takes community into account, and a community that adjusts to the needs of the apostolate. Today we speak about listening to the needs of the audience. We have a vision that situates itself in the supernatural, pastorally and in charity.
- Lectio Divina is a way to “pray” theology Theologians are men and women who study in order to understand the origins and sources of a religion and who try to communicate the meaning and significance of that religion to the culture in which they live … We do this in the culture of communication– so we can speak of a theology of communication. Theology and spirituality inform each other – just as Lonergan’s Method in Theology assists us in media literacy…
- Joan Chittister wrote that we are living in a world that constantly pulls us out of ourselves. That sounds good, right? Except that she explains this is because we live other people's lives - the characters on television and in the movies. Maybe we live the life of a celebrity and virtually feel good that "our celebrity" is reaching out to the disenfranchised with the wealth he/she could just store up. Reality Shows can place us in the dream of another and we can see those dreams shatter without suffering the pain of it. In fact we may even feel better about ourselves - for a moment. Voyeurs all, says Chittister. However I do believe we have the freedom to differentiate. That is really what a spirituality for the media is - a way to be mindful of the world we live in, our reactions in this world, and our communion with those in the "real" world in which we live in each day. E-noise can surround us yet we can turn it lower as we sit with the Word of God. Virtuality can tempt us to escape, yet we can be in communion with others through the Word made flesh.
- “ What is needed is witnessing,” says Fr. Silvio Sassi, “the type of witnessing that sustains the message with the example of one’s own dedication to an alternative, other-centered power. The more radical and counter-cultural the witnessing, the more effective it becomes. Apostles of communication do have to inculturate themselves in media culture, but paradoxically, they are also to challenge with their very lives whatever in that culture is opposed to the Gospel that they proclaim.” Divine Wisdom and goodness save humankind, not through forceful removal of evil, but the mystery of compassion and suffering, whereby evil is transformed into good. Vernon Gregson
- Re: number 2 – Leo XII called every new invention a Divine Spark.
- God’s love is God’s eternal self-communication to us. God takes the initiative to enter into communication with us. The greatest expression is found in the Incarnation. Jesus is the communication and response – As God Jesus communicates. As a human person, Jesus responds and opens up the channels of communication with God. “I have made know to you everything that I have learned from my Father (John 15:15). Jesus is the image of the Father: “The radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3).
- Jesus is a perfect communicator. He uses parable, symbol, word and image identifying himself with those who received his communication. The whole life of Jesus was communication as way, truth and life. He was able to open people’s hearts and heal them through gestures of love. His self giving was total. Parables are a great way to reveal values Life is the best narrative to reveal the depth of character – Jesus reveals the character of God.
- Communication for us is giving of self in love . It is more than the expression of ideas. Jesus not only gives us the image of the perfect communicator as our way and truth (fidelity). Jesus also gives us the ability to communication – to restore communication as our life through grace (sacraments). Christianity is a religion of communication and communicates, incarnates in all peoples – proclaiming the Word of God while sharing communication in the one body of Christ. The church exists, says Avery Dulles, to bring people into communication with God and thereby to open them to communication with each other. We are called to bring people out of isolation and estrangement into communion with God in Christ through the Spirit.
- To communicate is to imitate the divine. Communication spirituality is a way of life that harmonizes Gospel values with the means presented to us in modern communication technologies. It is not a matter of flight from the means or a condemnation of the means. It is accepting them as gifts of God for apostles of today, saints of today. Blessed Alberione wrote: “We cannot pass ourselves off as reactionaries or supporters of ignorance. We will not be heard. The Church fears only ignorance, falsehood and incomplete knowledge.”
- Paulines are called to be prophetic signs with radical roots in Christ. Sent to announce the gospel message we enter into a covenant with the divine initiative living the evangelical counsels set forth in the beatitudes and life of Christ. Pauline spirituality deepens relationship and communication with the Blessed Trinity. Technology and image are no longer lifeless instruments since love becomes flesh in these means. Mary was editor of Jesus – the Word made flesh – we are called to enflesh the Word so that it is no longer we who live but Christ who lives in us (Gal. 2:20).
- Pauline spirituality offers a unique “secret of success” in prayer. Blessed Alberione said we are David in front of Goliath. There is money behind much of the media influence. Consumerism can become a new addiction fed through advertising that encourages purchases. Money can become the measure of success. The temptation to power is always prevalent. Sexuality may be exploited by others while we want to witness profound respect for the human person. Placing the same means at the service of the gospel requires humility, trust and poverty of spirit. Handout from Blog - Kenosis
- Communication is essential for Paulines beginning with a shared life in the Trinity. It expands into the Pauline community, lives in reconciliation and ongoing conversion, and brings the other to life. This requires a self-emptying – a kenosis – and receptivity. Christ is the heart of all Pauline communication. Life in communion becomes a sacrament and expression of communion with the Lord. It is the greatest means of evangelization and the clearest word. Communication is a style of life for Paulines.
- Pauline Prayer To be sustained in a life of communion we ask that the Spirit pray and work in us to lead us to Trinitarian life. The two great sources of our strength are the Word of God and the Eucharist. Blessed Alberione writes: “The Bible and the Eucharist must be inseparable in your hearts. They must always be at the center of your life and apostolate – our spiritual nourishment.”
- Recognize this from Media Mindfulness? (see chart in book or handout) What is going on What is really going on What difference does it make What difference can I make
- Reminder of the four first tasks of theology 1. Research – or retrieve the past
- The Rule of Benedict demonstrated its continual influence on society even while newly emerging spiritual strains arise. Benedictine spirituality remained steady even as it evolved. Joan Chittister demonstrates this in her book The Rule of Benedict: Insights for the Ages . I want to identify the activity, data and action that I can take to achieve a deeper understanding of Benedictine spirituality in order to apply its model of renaissance to my own Pauline [1] spiritual heritage. St Bernard OSB Example of retrieving the past, discovering its meaning, constructing history and evaluating its significance.
- Benedictine spirituality was born within a particular culture and in response to a social shift. The questions being asked in the midst of growing secularism were: “How to you live a spiritual life? How do you recognize a spiritual person?” Benedict offered the transitional space needed for people to reflect, work and pray while the Roman Empire was breaking down around them. Handout on Rule of Benedict
- Why did the Pauline charism arise in the Church? What was our Founder’s thought concerning evangelization through the means of social communication? What does Fr. Alberione mean when he says we must continually “move ahead”? Fr. Alberione was formed in the context of a modern industrial society that claimed to be independent of the Church and of religion, and it was in this context that he nurtured his foundations. The modern age was built on the ideology that it is possible to attain the secular values of progress, science, reason, freedom, equality and democracy without the guidance of religion. During that same period (the second half of the 1800’s and first half of the 1900’s), modern communication exploded on the scene through the consolidation of the press, the proliferation of magazines and daily newspapers, the inventions of the telegraph, telephone, typewriter, cinema, radio, television, records, etc. Fr. Alberione intuitively grasped the fact that the instruments of communication could be used for evangelization and he shared with his followers his deep conviction that these instruments should be used for preaching. In fact, “Communication is not a supplementary aid to the pastoral work carried out by Paulines. Through the will of our Founder and the approval of the Church, it is a true and integral form of preaching.” [1] To communicate the Gospel (in the sense of truly preaching it), we must live Jesus Master Way, Truth and Life (Jn. 14:6). From this springs the inseparable fusion of spirituality and apostolate characteristic of the Pauline charism. Our spirituality gives inspiration to our apostolate and enables us to carry it out. To live the spirituality of communication means to put into practice our Founder’s frequently-repeated words: “An apostle is one who lives Jesus and irradiates him to everyone around him/her. […] Live Jesus and give Jesus!” [2] The great need of the FSP is to live a profound Master-disciple relationship, which in turn gives rise to the urgency to dedicate one’s life to communicating the Gospel “affectively and effectively” (cf. 2 Co. 4:11). Our Founder often reminded us: “The apostle of the press is formed by the Eucharist and the Bible. May the two be inseparable in you hearts. How can one love Jesus and not want his Word to reach the whole world?” [3] [1] Speech of Fr. Silvio Sassi, Superior General of the SSP, during an audience with Pope Benedict XVI, November 2005. [2] James Alberione, UPS IV, 277. [3] James Alberione, To the Daughters of St. Paul and HM, I (1941), p. 137.
- Today the FSPs live and communicate Christ in a post-modern context. They are called to live and communicate the Gospel in an inculturated way, through the language proper to their time and society. What is our point of reference in the areopagus of communication, now transformed into a culture? What values must we live (here we must distinguish between essential, that is, unchanging, values and secondary ones, which are subject to change) so as to be witnesses to the Gospel and communicate it fruitfully? Our model is St. Paul. Our 8th General Chapter reminded us that the Apostle of the Gentiles “is the model and inspirer of how to graft our life onto Christ and of how to carry out the mission of announcing the Gospel to all peoples (cf. AD 2, 64).” And it invited us “to keep vividly in mind our reference to Paul, coming to a deeper understanding of his apostolic personality by means of his letters.” [1] A value we must strengthen is that of integrality. This was always a major concern of our Founder, who based his theological, spiritual and apostolic vision on “the whole Christ.” He wanted to reach the whole person and he wanted the apostle to invest her entire being in the apostolate: “The whole person in Jesus Christ, so as to love God completely: mind, will, heart, physical energies. Nature, grace and vocation–everything is for the apostolate. Our ‘cart’ must move ahead on four wheels: sanctity, study, the apostolate and poverty.” [2] This gives rise to the need for an integral formation geared to our life and mission: a formation founded on “complete love,” on passion for God and for humanity. An integral Pauline formation includes specific formation to communication, but formation in this sphere can and must become an essential element of our overall formation program if we are to update our charism today. [1] FSP 8th General Chapter, Final Document, n. 30.1. [2] James Alberione, Abundantes Divitiae, n. 100.
- The Pauline charism must be lived in a radically new context, namely: the Church of Vatican II and the post-conciliar Church, the post-industrial and post-modern society, the culture of communication and the developments that characterize the beginning of the Third Millennium. Why not take today’s “new forms of communication” as a starting point for a new spirituality and a new formation? Fr. Sassi reminded the participants in the International Seminar on Formation that “communication is the engine that keeps us in step with every period of history…. It is the Paulines’ ‘Jordan River’–a river in which, like Christ, we must immerse ourselves if we want to baptize ‘in spirit and truth’ (Jn. 4:23).” [1] And he concluded with these words of Primo Maestro: “We need saints” because the Pauline apostolate “is not for dilettantes but for true apostles.” [2] [1] Silvo Sassi, Acts of the International Seminar on the Integral Formation of the Daughters of St. Paul, 1998, p. 128. [2] James Alberione, Vademecum, n. 959.
- Attentive and open to the “signs of the times,” today’s Daughter of St. Paul is aware of her urgent need to follow the chaste, poor and obedient Jesus in the “culture of communication,” in which she is called to “incarnate” herself so as to continue his mission. This journey is pointed out to us by Paul in his Christological hymn, in which he presents the Master’s kenosis (cf. Phil. 2:6-11). We must imitate the kenosis (self-emptying) of Jesus so as to love and serve everyone and humanize and revitalize modern culture through the proclamation of the Gospel, thus helping to promote “the dialogue between faith and culture.” [1] [1] Cf. Diventare Gesù per comunicare Gesù. I consigli evangelici nell’era della comunicazione. Secretariat for Communication and Formation, 2001, p. 35ff. We live this challenging mission together, in apostolic communities, where relations become a font of life if they are continually nourished by trust in the Gospel, in our sisters and in facing the new challenges presented by the culture of communication. In the age of communication, to live the evangelical counsels requires a transparent and innovative love that places all our creative energies at the service of the Gospel; a heart that is poor, free and open to a process of communication that fosters communion and collaboration with everyone; and a response that is obedient to the signs of the times, which encourage us to live in a state of continual discernment so as to carry out the Father’s plan of salvation as the Master did. Our mission as communicators will be fruitful if we live our consecrated life in communities that are open to hope, communication, communion and collaboration.
- Briefly turn to your neighbor and talk about Facebook or new Apps and how they are influencing culture and our spirituality – follow the pattern used in Media Mindfulness from Bernard Lonergan’s Method in Theology.
- After his baptism on the Street Called Straight in Damascus, St. Paul began the tireless Christian preaching that would characterize the rest of his life, which led to a narrow escape from Damascus (): At once he began to preach in the [Damascus] synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?" Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall. Paul himself later says that it was through a window that he escaped from certain death (2 Cor 11:32-33). Articulate the change Affirm the values Intergrate the values Communicate the values Example: from the life of a saint – Facebook is a way to meet your friends – can feed narcissistic tendency - is this true? How? What in my spirituality speaks to this? How will I communicate this in today’s language? Handout from Blog on Kenosis
- Intellectual conversion – how do you know what you say is true? What is your full range of evidence? (retrieve the past, discover its meaning) Moral Conversion – change from seeking pleasure and avoidance of pain to the mature criterion of what is really worthwhile, even if it is sometimes painful. We are not simply creatures responding to pleasure and pain as economic materialism (consumerism), scientific determinism (dna), Freudian ID Psychology and behaviorism say. We find truth in the saints who in their courage and creativity are willing to risk the pain of loss of reputation, or scorn of others to stand by what is true. Religious Conversion – the interior change whereby our ordinary cares are placed in the larger context of transcendanet meaning and value – Know who has the final word. Religious understanding is not just a fact it is a gift and does not narrow attentiveness, intelligence, reasonableness and responsibility.
- Conversion Contemplative Seeing Great teachers, says Rohr, remind us that we can’t start seeing or understanding anything until we start with a ‘yes’ of acceptance. This means letting go of labeling, judging and categorizing people and avoiding knee-jerk reactions and defensiveness. As soon as we judge we cannot love. Change of heart precedes any change of mind. [1] This requires a transformation of consciousness. [2] Contemplation can bring us to this “full-access knowing.” It is an exercise, writes Rohr, in keeping your heart and mind spaces open long enough to see other hidden material. [3] Even though transformation is not a process, in what ways we can we prepare ourselves to move beyond the complaining, rejecting, fearful and dualistic thinking that strengthens our false ego? In other words, how can we begin to take our eyes off of our selves, give up control and focus on God in a participative way? Participative meaning “outside of the mind,” overcoming the subject object split as we journey toward integration. [1] Richard Rohr, The Naked Now , (New York: Crossroads, 2009), 55. [2] Richard Rohr, Everything Belongs, (New York: Crossroads, 1999). 56. [3] Ibid, 39. Recently I attended an intensive contemplative retreat at the Desert Renewal Center in Arizona. The entire five days of retreat consisted of intense contemplative practice. My monkey mind flitted about from tree to tree, grabbing fruit, chattering, thinking of other monkeys – and through it all I sat in contemplative practice – waiting upon the hand of the wisdom master, Jesus, who would come when he would. It became obvious to me that I was not my thoughts. They were just too unpredictable. Little by little my mind was silenced. I realized that most of my interior noise was my super-ego’s death rattle. Finally my heart looked out over the desert and saw that it was good. Acknowledging that “I am not God” began overriding the “I am, comma, not God” that impedes the emergence of true self.
- We already mentioned an aspect of methodology: the search for interactivity and integration with regard to the content to be acquired, studied more deeply, assimilated and shared. Our formation does not lack content: what is lacking is our ability to transmit that content in such a way that it can be assimilated and re-expressed in our mission. Our Founder was deeply concerned about method and because of this he mapped out a systematic route for us to follow in the spiritual-apostolic life. He called it “the Pauline method.” [1] This method comes directly from Jesus and it became, for Fr. Alberione, the method, the sole method, the obligatory path for reaching God: “Our method is not ‘ours’ […]. Rather it is the method: the one our Lord taught by his very life. We must bring the whole person to God. We can’t make a person a Christian only under the aspects of prayer and work. The whole person must live in Jesus Christ with his/her entire being, because Christ is the sole way to the Father. We must see to it that the entire person becomes a Christian. Jesus Christ presented himself as Way, Truth and Life. Consequently, let us honor him as our model, as the obligatory route to God…. In substance, we must bring the whole person to God!” [2] Prayer life, apostolate, study, poverty: the whole person must be centered on the whole Christ. Speaking of study, Blessed James Alberione says: “The method that honors Jesus Way, Truth and Life must be applied to all the dimensions of our life, and in the first place to study.” [3] For Fr. Alberione, the purpose of study is to help us get to know Jesus Christ always more intimately, to the point that he is fully formed in our mind, will and heart. In this way, we will be able to communicate him as Way, Truth and Life through our mission. To apply Fr. Alberione’s thought in this regard to the current situation of our Congregation, the Progressive Itinerary for the Study of Communication takes as its starting point the global formation project for the Daughters of St. Paul found in the Institute’s General Guidelines for Formation and Studies (GGFS). These Guidelines ensure that the integral process of formation to communication in the Pauline life moves ahead in a unified way. [1] Silvio Pignotti, Integralità: Passione del Paolino, SSP Generalate, 1993, p. 3. [2] James Alberione, Pr.DM 81. [3] James Alberione, Alle Figlie di San Paolo, 1934-1939, p. 308.
- Intellectual Moral Religious conversion
- become “women of communication,” open to the changes taking place in society as a result of the development of communication, particularly the new media. The assumption of communication as a style of life and of the Pauline mission requires a Project that organizes the different aspects of the subject, chooses content and proposes methodologies regarding how to transmit information and assimilate it. But above all the Project should reinforce our passion for communication. It should include the various areas of the Pauline life because we are called to be apostles of communication, not simply professionals in this sphere. It is as apostles of Jesus Christ in the world of communication that we must help to build communion, up to our very last message. Falling in love with God is the CORE of conversion: “The love of God is poured into our hearts by the Holy Sprit who is given us.” Romans 5:5
- Film can provide a common ground that invites people to transformation and mindfulness. It can create a safe space for a facilitated dialogue, opening minds and hearts, uncovering fears and prejudice and strengthening relationships. Contemplative practice usually follows meditation and leads to actio in Lectio Divina. In Cinema Divina the scriptures are read and meditated on. They are read again through the story of the film. They are re-read at the end of the film leading to a time of mediatio. A sharing of the word in a social setting follows. A period of contemplatio allows the seed to fall into tilled soil. This seed becomes actio. St. Francis once said that "A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows." Film projects a beam of light that traces our shadows on the screen. Through Cinema Divina we receive an invitation to recognize our human story, reflect on it with the gospel and sit with it in contemplation. This experience can lead to an inner awakening. It can be a method, like centering prayer, which removes obstacles that stand in the way of bringing the mind down into the heart. [1] [1] Cynthia Bourgeault, Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening , (Chicago: Cowley Publications, 2004), 75.
- Possibly one of the last things you would pair up with contemplation is watching movies. Movies can be considered avoidance of reality or they can place before us a reality that challenges our insecurity, belief system, and common way of seeing: There is a deeper reality involved here since the very evangelization of modern culture depends to a great extent on the influence of the media, it is not enough to use the media simply to spread the Christian message and the Church’s teaching. It is also necessary to integrate this message into the new culture created by modern communications. [1] [1] John Paul II, encyclical letter, The Mission of the Redeemer , n. 37. 1990
- How to integrate spirituality & media stories (Sr Rose and Media Mindfulness) Be attentive – what is going on? Be intelligent – really going on? Be reasonable – difference does it make? Be responsible – difference can I make? One: Attending: requires paying remarkable attention to what is there; to experience film; summarize and restate the experience Two: Dialogue, listen, declare, note the patterns: how image and sound combine to make meaning Three : Learning; dialogue with the experience; contemplation; interpretation of the patterns and themes: their meanings and values; summarize and restate Four : Decision and action; incarnate the fruit of the experience, dialogue and conversation, reflection, viewing. Be aware of your own criteria for consuming media & understanding stories - keep it casual - keep it respectful - listen - ask questions Sr Rose Pacatte Sacrament as Communication of Transformation Communications as Sacrament of Transformation Allows common experience, common understanding (trust), common judgment, common values and decisions.
- Film presents us with the hero’s journey. At various times in our life we are called to be heroic. Tasks that we thought had already been accomplished are revised and tested: trust, autonomy, sense of purpose, sense of competence, being oneself, intimacy, taking care of others, and acceptance of what was and had to be. It is the hero who goes through this dark time of reentry through “stages of development” [1] leading to transformation. In our transitional and transformational experiences we are called to contemplation, living here and now the day in which we find ourselves. [2] Film can place the human story before us in a way that opens our minds and hearts to deeper realities. Our false self can peak out from behind its armor and wonder what it would be like to be free. Wonder is the beginning of wisdom. [1] CF: Erik Erikson, “Stages of Development,” John Shea, Pastoral Counseling Class Handout , April 2010. [2] Andre Papineau, Breaking Up, Down and Through, (New Jersey: Paulist, 1997), p. 113.
- Some challenges for today: relativism, pluralism, postmodernism, materialism, consumerism, post-christian world view (Anne Rice example) rapidly changing technologies. Answer: Moral conversion – our participatory style of evangelization with the media Intellectual conversion – our use and awareness of spirituality of communication Religious conversion – our vocation and ongoing conversion. “ If we are ‘colorblind’ to either how we know or how we choose to know what is really valuable, or to what is of ultimate value, then we will hardly be guides either for ourselves or others. We may likely mistake the false fo the true, the true for the false, the really valuable for the apparently valuable, and the apparently valuable for the really valuable.” Vernon Gregson
- From here I will illumine – our camera person and lighting expert – live with a captured heart – a penitent heart – so it is no longer you who live – but Jesus – Do not be afraid – I am with you. Fr Jeffrey said this is the reverse of the illuminative, purgative and unitive way – first Unitive (I am with you) second purgavite (be sorry for sin) third illuminative (I will cast light)…this is a fantastic reminder of our call to courageously and trustingly go forth – to be compassion to the suffering, and to be aware of the pain of purgation even in our communication culture – to light up the world as bright stars.