October 27, 2007
At this late stage of my life spanning well over eight decades, I have had the distinct privilege of facing audiences of all ages, of different nationalities, of divergent stations in life, occupations, and vocations… from young students to professionals, from Asians to Europeans and Americans, from teen-agers to married couples, fjrom lawyers to doctors, from judges to justices, from consuls to ambassadors, from priests to bishops and archbishops.
But this is my first time, I have been invited to address an impressive gathering of religious Sisters – and I have never prayed harder than I have ever prayed before in preparation for this evening’s “Good Night Talk”.
A “Good Night Talk” – that was what Sr. Alice called it in her “Letter of Instructions” dated September 12, 2007. It is also the very first time, I get very kind and specific written directions for my talk, defining my topic, and strictly limiting my speech to only “thirty minutes”. I humbly and respectfully obey. When I was a young professor teaching “Public Speaking” during my early twenties, I used to emphasize to my students that the worst fate that can befall any speaker is when his audience falls asleep. Tonight, however, I have a strangely different mission — I shall be a dismal failure if my talk does not put you all to sleep in thirty minutes.
The theme for your XXII General Chapter Convention is: “Called to be, today, sign and expression of the foreseeing love of God”.
The message more simply is:
“God is love”. Love is often described as “giving, giving, and giving, until nothing more is left to give.”
You are here tonight, dear Sisters, because you gave God all that you have, and all that you are, and all that will ever be in your life here and hereafter. But Scripture tells us that God cannot be outdone in generosity because God so loved us that He gave up His life for us.
On your part, you have given up the privilege, the pleasure and the comfort of your family home, to live, to work and to pray in unity, in togetherness, and in collaboration as a spiritually consecrated community.
While love does reign within the family circle, the love within your Salesian community spreads out its blessings in a larger measure because it transcends the limits of house walls, it effaces national boundaries and it completely encompasses the whole wide world of Salesians united in love.
Love can be received only when it is first given. Love can be given back only after it has first been communicated. The givers and the gifts must mutually come from opposite ways, and meet together from converging directions — love is not a one-way street.
Love is mutually felt, mutually manifested and mutually expressed. I remember my father’s constant reminder. Whenever we, his children, kissed him in parental greeting, he never failed to kiss us back. I once dared to ask him why, and he replied: “When you kiss me, you are saying that you love me. I kiss you back to tell you that I love you, too.”
The ideal that governs your life in the sacred vocation you have embraced is to become “Mary-like”. But our Blessed Mother taught us the simple and humble way of salvation, when in the wedding feast at Cana, Mary told us: “Do whatever He tells you.” (Jn. 2, 5)
Hence, to be “Mary-like”, we must also be “Christ-like”. And so, like Christ you have indeed become devoted teachers of the young and loving providers for the poor.
The primary meaning of poverty is lack of money. In that aspect, our country is over-populated by the poor. But to St. Ignatius of Loyola, poverty does not only mean deprivation of material resources. Poverty includes the poor in health, those distressed by human ugliness, those afflicted with physical disability, those suffering from failures, from cruelty, from maltreatment, from dire misery.
As teachers of our youth, like Christ and like Mary, you instill in young children the moral values and intellectual perspectives, the basic concepts of right and wrong, the commandments of rights and obligations, the religious tenets of a clean conscience.
As dedicated providers for the poor. Like Christ and Mary, you participate in the guidance and support of the suffering masses towards the solution of psychological problems, the diminution of their dismal misfortunes, the guidance of their faltering steps towards proper equilibrium, and their attainment of social stability.
All these guidelines of action, all your missions of responsibility, all your philosophies of spiritual service to the youth and to the poor will be tragic frustrations unless they all become parts of your lives, parts of yourselves, unless you give and give, and give until there is nothing left to give.
In fine, that is what it means to be “Mary-like”, to be “Christ-like”. That is how we attain the PEACE we seek for ourselves, and the PEACE we strive to attain for others.
One who is not at peace with his or her conscience, cannot bring peace to the conscience of others.
What one knows, what one believes in, what one is — always find reflection in what we do, in what we say, in how we live.
You finally found PEACE, and Heaven began for you when you left home to be a Salesian. You offered your earthly life, you sacrificed your entire past, present, and future human roles as loving daughter, faithful wife and caring mother, when you solemnly pledged to embrace your religious vows.
In your new house of prayer, you have assumed your eternal roles. You are the daughter of Blessed Mary, you are the spouse of Christ the Lord, and you are the Mother of the Holy Child Jesus.
Always remember in your minds and in your hearts that this doctrine, this mystery, and this reality of Jesus Christ still appearing to us today both as the Blessed Baby from Bethlehem and as the Risen Christ from Calvary, was solely intended and specially meant by Almighty God for each and everyone of you.
The life you chose is truly Heaven on Earth. It is in fact Eternity in Time.
Dear Sisters, Good Night and many flights of angels join you in your dreams.
