Blessed James Alberione and his Thoughts

"Those who imitate Saint Paul, 

imitate Jesus Christ! 

Those who have the heart of Saint Paul, 

have the heart of Jesus Christ! 

(Blessed James Alberione, SSP) 

Venerable Thecla Merlo and her Thoughts

“I entrust everything to you, Mary: 

my entire being, with all my senses; 

my soul with all its faculties. 

I place everything in your hands. 

I know that I am in good hands and that is enough for me.” 

(Venerable Thecla Merlo)

The Way to Holiness

But to know what is the way to holiness, we must go with the Apostles up the mount of the Beatitudes to draw near to Jesus and listen to the words of life that come from his lips. Today too he says to us again: 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven! The divine Teacher proclaims "blessed" and, we could say, "canonizes" first of all the poor in spirit, that is, those whose heart is free of prejudices and conditionings, and who are therefore totally disposed to the divine will. Their total and trusting fidelity to God presupposes renunciation and consistent self-detachment. 

Blessed are those who mourn! This is the blessedness not only of those who suffer from the many misfortunes that belong to the mortal human condition, but also those who courageously accept the sufferings that result from the sincere profession of Gospel morality. 

Blessed are the pure in heart! He proclaims blessed those who are not content with outward or ritual purity, but seek that absolute inner rectitude which excludes all deceit and duplicity. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness! Human righteousness is already a very lofty goal, which ennobles the heart of whoever pursues it, but Jesus is thinking of that greater righteousness which lies in seeking God's saving will: blessed above all are those who hunger and thirst for this righteousness. For Jesus says: "He who does the will of my Father who is in heaven shall enter the kingdom of heaven" (Mt 7: 21). 

Blessed are the merciful! Happy are those who overcome their hardness of heart and indifference, to recognize in practice the primacy of compassionate love, following the example of the Good Samaritan and, in the last analysis, of the Father "rich in mercy" (Eph 2: 4). 

Blessed are the peacemakers! Peace, the sum of all messianic blessings, is a demanding task. In a world marked by tremendous antagonisms and barriers, fratern

al harmony inspired by love and sharing must be promoted by overcoming hostilities and conflicts. Blessed are those who dedicate themselves to this most noble endeavor! 

The saints took these words of Jesus seriously. They believed that they would find "happiness" by putting them into practice in their lives. And they realized their truth in everyday experience: despite their trials, moments of darkness and failures, they already tasted here below the deep joy of communion with Christ. In him they discovered the initial seed, already present in time, of the future glory of God's kingdom. 

(Blessed John Paul II)

Jesus is the Way

The Pauline Family, sons and daughters of Blessed James Alberione, ssp, will be celebrating the feast of Jesus, our Divine Master, Way, Truth and Life on October 27. Let us reflect together this truth so that we can go deeper into the life of Jesus who loves us all without conditions.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6). Jesus did not say He was a way” to God; He did not say He “knew the way” to God; He did not say, “He had the way” to God; He did not say He was “the best way” to God. Jesus said, “I am the Way.”

There is no need to look for a way to find the Way. He is the one-way, the straightway, the narrow way, the uncluttered and unhindered way—without crooked places, U-turns, or dead-ends. Every other way is the broad way, the perilous way, and the rough way. All other ways lead in the wrong direction.

Jesus is the right way, the true way, and the only way to God. His way is the highway of holiness, the roadway of righteousness, and the pathway of peace. He is the way to everything good, right, just, and holy. His is the way to love and He is the way of love.

Because He is the Way, we can seek Him, receive Him, follow Him, walk with Him— full of faith, full of hope, full of joy, full of purpose, full of light.

Bienaventuranzas de las Hijas de San Pablo

Celebramos el aniversario de nuestra fundación el 15 de junio y querríamos compartir con todos vosotros las Bienaventuranzas de las Hijas de San Pablo escrito por nuestro Fundador, el Beato Santiago Alberione.

Dichosos los pasos de quien anuncia el bien, de quien anuncia la paz.

Dichosas las siervas de la Iglesia, que poseen el corazón de esta madre.

Dichosas las caminantes de Dios, que en el silencio místico de la comunidad estudian los caminos del mundo que manana recorreran para llegar a la gente.

Dichosos estos ángeles del Señor en busca de los hombres que han perdido o nunca han conocido el camino de la Iglesia.

Dichosas las portadoras de Jesús, que llevan a todas las familias la buena noticia del amor.

Dichosas las colaboradoras de la misión sacredotal, que anuncian en silencio a Jesucristo, camino, verdad y vida.

Dichoso el perfume de pureza, de amor y de humildad que dejan a su paso.

Dichosas las imitadoras de María, que presentó a Jesús a los pastores, a los magos, al templo, a los discípulos y al mundo.

Dichosas las Hijas de San Pablo, que tienen el corazon de este padre, dan la palabra del padre, y sufriendo, rezando y actuando con  él, realizan la tarea que el Señor les ha encomendado.  

Desde todas las partes del mundo los caminos convergen en un punto de encuentro: ahí está Jesús, que os ha dado una cita: “Venid, vosotras, benditas de mi Padre, heredad el reino preparado para vosotras desde la creación del mundo” (Mt 25,34).  

Descienda sobre ellas la bendición de Dios, Padre, Hijo y Espíritu Santo, y las acompañe para que caminen y lleven frutos duraderos, para gloria de Dios y paz de los hombres. Amén.

¿Señor, qué quieres que hagamos, como misioneras Paulinas?

San Pablo, apóstol asumió plenamente el mandato de Jesús: "Id al mundo entero y proclamad el Evangelio". Hacia el final de su vida declarará, escribiendo a los Romanos: "Ya no tengo campo de acción en estas regiones (del Oriente Medio) y pienso haceros una visita de paso para España".

Es decir, el Apóstol cambia con decisión su marco geográfico conocido con tal de anunciar a Cristo en los confines del mundo, en las tierras situadas en el extremo Occidente.

Su actividad misionera no conocío pausa después de haber encontrado a Cristo en el camino de Damasco y rendirse a él, "profundamente convertido" de perseguidor en loco enamorado suyo.

Señor, has instruido a todos los pueblos con la predicación del apóstol Pablo: concedenos a caminar hacia Ti siguiendo su ejemplo.

Celebramos la solemnidad de la Pascua de Pentecostés

Cristo resucitado también se hace presente en nuestras vidas en la medida en que somos coherentes con su mensaje de amor, un amor que ha de vencer todas las resistencias, todos los miedos y complejos.

Pentecostés, la celebración posterior a la Pascua, cincuenta días después, supone un nuevo impulso a la acción misionera, a la vida de la Iglesia, a la fe de cada persona creyente. El Espíritu viene en nuestra ayuda. Y la espiritualidad nos puede ayudar a ser más conscientes y coherentes.

¡Ven, Espíritu divino! Colma de paz mi corazón e impúlsame a hacer el bien para que mi vida se convierta en un constante milagro de fraternidad. 

The Church celebrates the 46th World Communications Day

We, the Daughters of Saint Paul, missionary sisters of the communications media, join the whole Church in the celebration of the 46^th World Communications Day on May 20. It is the only worldwide celebration called for by the Second Vatican Council and is marked in most countries, on the recommendation of the bishops of the world, on Ascension Sunday, a week before Pentecost Sunday.

For this year’s theme, Pope Benedict XVI selected: “Silence and Word: Path of Evangelization.” In his annual message in this yearly communication event, he explains that “it concerns the relationship between silence and word: two aspects of communication which need to be kept in balance, to alternate and to be integrated with one another if authentic dialogue and deep closeness between people are to be achieved.”

In a time when messages and information are plentiful – the Pope says - silence becomes essential if we are to distinguish what is important from what is insignificant or secondary. He mentions the role of search engines, social networks and the internet and pointed out that people today are frequently bombarded with answers to questions they have never asked and to needs of which they were unaware.

And he says that amid the complexity and diversity of the world of communications many find themselves confronted with the ultimate questions of human existence: Who am I? What can I know? What ought I to do? What may I hope?

It is important – the Pope continues- to affirm those who ask these questions, and to open up the possibility of a profound dialogue, not only by means of words and interchange, but also through the call to silent reflection, something that is often more eloquent than a hasty answer and permits seekers to reach into the depths of their being and open themselves to the path towards knowledge that God has inscribed in human hearts”.

So, the Pope points out that attention should be paid to the various types of websites, applications and social networks as well as making space for silence and occasions for prayer, meditation or sharing of the word of God.

In conclusion, Pope Benedict says “learning to communicate is learning to listen and contemplate as well as speak. This - he explains - is especially important for those engaged in this task of evangelization”.