THREE DIMENSIONAL SPIRITUALITY

                          THREE DIMENSIONAL SPIRITUALITY 

Thomas said to Jesus, “Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way? Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn: 14:5-6)

 Based on this passage of triple dimensions of Jesus, as Way, Truth and Life for the sanctification of the people,  Pope Leo XIII had brought out an encyclical called “Tametsi Futura” to counteract the current crisis of the time at the end of 19^th century.

 Deciding to do something in support of the Church Alberione who was just 16 years old at that time, was pleased to read the encyclical again and again and it stirred up in him a special interest in its content: Jesus as Way, Truth and Life.  It remained dormant in his mind for 23 years till 1923. 

 During these long years through his intimate experience of Jesus he developed a concept called “Master” and applied to Jesus the Divine Master.

Alberione also explained this concept and insisted that the person who is directly responsible for the formation must be called Master. He preferred this title, because, for him, the formator is more than a guide, teacher, rector or a director.

 According to our Founder, It is not enough to be a teacher giving lectures, but one has to be a master.  The master of the group is not only one who teaches but also one who is to be imitated, as he takes the place of Jesus the Divine Master.

He must continually deny himself in order to make himself a servant to the needs of his formees. He has to protect them from sin and be their constant companion.

He should be patient and prudent and possess a heart overflowing with supernatural affection for his spiritual children. He must be enthusiastic about his own vocation and teach the students by his example (cfr CISP, 750).

  Alberione, after studying various spiritualities which focus only one aspect of Jesus defined the Pauline Spirituality focusing all the aspect of Jesus by unifying “Master” and the three principles of Way, Truth, Life as: “To live integrally the Gospel of Jesus Master, Way, Truth and Life as he is interpreted by Paul, under the gaze of Mary Queen of the Apostles”. (UPS I, 51; AD 93).  It was officially approved by the Holy See after 35 years, on September 24, 1958.

 The wholeness of this new spirituality consists in the wholeness of human person and the wholeness of Jesus. It presents the whole Jesus. Jesus as truth to believe, Jesus as way to follow and Jesus as life to be shared.

It also presents the whole of human person, the whole formation, the whole of apostolate, the whole holiness and gives God, complete worship in Jesus and through Jesus leading the whole person with mind, will and heart to God.

 Our wholeness is achieved through the harmonious development of all our faculties of mind, will and heart without any mutilation or fragmentation.  Whenever these faculties are mutilated or disoriented, we become inhuman and ego-centric persons. Such persons according to our Founder cannot become “whole man”.  

 Having the faculties of the whole man, our mind, will and heart we automatically replace them with the same mind, will and heart of Jesus. In this way we become another Christs and do the works of Jesus though our apostolate. 

 Thus, Jesus the Truth sanctifies our minds; Jesus the Way strengthens our wills and Jesus the Life unifies our hearts.  Jesus the Way-Truth-Life helps us to grow our human faculties of mind, will and heart to reach the supreme height of our personality, state of perfection, sanctity, perfect happiness and union with God.

 Jesus the way-truth-life responds to the fundamental needs of our human nature which possesses an intelligence that needs to be enlightened, a will that needs to be directed to do good, a heart that needs to be unified. We will gradually begin to think as Jesus thinks, do as Jesus does and feel as Jesus feels.

 Thus, the three persons of the Holy Trinity, having perfect relationship with one another as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit becomes the perfect example of our life of unity in diversity. Our ultimate goal is to be with this Trinitarian God and to reach this Trinitarian God we follow Jesus the Way, Truth and Life.