Page 116 - Reflections on St. Joseph

who proclaims Christ to his brothers” (art. 11).
2. Here we find principles of spiritual theology in the context of Oblate spirituality, nourished by the
consistent teaching of the Founder St. Joseph Marello. Pope John Paul II has re-presented the
principles of the spiritual life in the encyclical Novo Millenio Ineunte, recalling all Christians to the
“heights of holiness.” The Congregation for Religious has recalled all religious to the duty of holiness
with the Instruction Starting Afresh from Christ, presenting Christ as the living foundation and
inspiring source for consecrated persons. The Instumentum Laboris for the XV General Chapter of
the Oblates of St. Joseph calls us, “in our specific Josephite-Marellian spirit, to place at the center of
our ‘being a sign’ for the Church, our living a life hidden with Christ in God, in imitation of St. Joseph”
(n. 3). There is then, even for us Oblates, the urgent call to take up again the discussion of the interior
life, as lived by St. Joseph.

3. Father Cortona, speaking to the confreres in 1921, confirmed that the Pauline text of
Colossians 3:3, “our life is hidden with Christ in God, was the favorite saying, that [Bishop
Joseph Marello] practiced and recommended to his children” (cf. Marellianum n.8, p. 16). And he
commented: “Since after the first General Chapter, we have the desire to perfect our
Congregation, we ought to begin by perfecting our spirit, which is the spirit that our Founder
recommended to us so much during all his life, since the spirit that forms a Congregation is the
spirit by which it given life. To second his holy intention, we ought to have a spirit of prayer,
holy recollection, and the practice of the presence of God reign in our midst, because these are
necessary for us to maintain our life of union with God which ought to be the soul of our
religious life, and, without which, our life would no longer be a religious life but confusion”
(ibid). There are harsh words, which we also need to hear as we prepare for the XV General
Chapter, the goal of which is to examine our identity as “Children of Marello, True Disciples of
Jesus Christ”. Fr. Cortona’s admonition that the “life of union with God ought to be the soul of
our religious life” is still true today. It is also true that if we are lacking in our interior life we are
no longer living a religious life but “confusion”. The word “confusion” comes from St. Frances
de Chantal, who said to her nuns: “A house where holy recollection does not reign is not a
religious family, but confusion”.

4. St. Joseph Marello presents to example of the Family of Nazareth to us: “Look to Jesus, Mary
and Joseph, the three greatest people who ever lived on the earth. What did they do in Nazareth?
Nothing great or extraordinary to all appearances; the only took care of the humble, ordinary
tasks of a poor, working class family. But since they were animated by a spirit of prayer and
union with God, all of their actions assumed an immense value and splendor to the eyes of
heaven. It is not, therefore, a matter of doing great and extraordinary things, but to do in all
things the will of God. Whether we are asked to do great or small things, it is enough that we do
them out of obedience to the will of God in order for us to acquire great merit” (Scritti, p. 247).
In this very simple teaching of St. Marello we find the secret of the contemplative dimension of
our life as Oblates, that of being “Carthusians indoors”, which is the prelude of being “Apostles
outdoors”, or better, that of being both Carthusians and apostles always, whether at home or
away, which will allow us to live constantly united to God and to always work for him. “In the
house of Nazareth, in fact, humility and fidelity, hidden life and silence, hard work and
dedication to the interests of Jesus were lived perfectly” (Instrumentum Laboris, n. 3).

5. From the above quotations, we can see the importance of adopting the still of life that was
proper to the Family of Nazareth, putting Christ at the center, as did Joseph and Mary. But it is

92 Reflections on st. joseph