Modeling ourselves on Mary, whom we honor as the Queen of Apostles and of every apostolate, we bring Jesus to all humanity with great fervor, proclaiming the Truth that saves, the Way that leads to the Father, and his Life of grace.
We are striving to reach the same goal as the Apostle Paul: "It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me". To attain this objective, we draw light and support from the Eucharist, the Word of God, daily prayer and fraternal communion, all of which give us the strength we need to carry out our many-faceted apostolate. They are also the fonts that help us discern the signs of the times so as to respond to the needs of the Church and world.
According to Fr. Alberione, the spirituality of “Jesus Master, Way, Truth, Life” presents an integral view of everything. In this Pauline Method of Jesus Master Way, Truth, Life, there is completeness: It presents the complete Jesus, complete religion, complete human person, complete redemption, complete formation, complete apostolate. Pauline spirituality presents Jesus as truth to believe, Jesus as way to follow and Jesus life to share in. Such devotion, according to Fr. James Alberione, leads the whole person—mind, will, heart—to God.
Blessed James Alberione’s spirituality is founded on the Eucharist and the Word of God. His daily celebration of the Eucharist and the four or five hours he spent in adoration and contemplating the Word of God became the focal point of his day, sustaining an immensely hectic and active apostolic lifestyle. His holistic spirituality responds in a unique way to the yearnings of people today for healing and fulfillment.
Today, our society is troubled by a deep spiritual poverty and an inability to integrate the various aspects of life. Each of us has experienced times of fragmentation, when our thoughts lead us one way while our feelings pull us in another direction. When this happens, we tend to ignore our feelings or we act against our better judgment instead of letting our actions take into account both what we feel and what we think. We make decisions based on the “role” we are playing at the moment rather than letting our words and decisions flow from the essence of who we are.
Bl. James Alberione’s holistic approach challenges our tendency to break up our lives and to stuff the fragments into separate compartments where they never relate to each other. According to Alberione, Eucharistic adoration is a true encounter with Jesus, Way, Truth, and Life. Jesus who invites us to drop our masks in front of Him and, in the comfort of His love, to come to appreciate and respect our deepest and truest selves. In the security of His love, we can open ourselves to the transforming power of His grace in all the areas of our lives, so that we can gradually become ever more faithful instruments of His love for transforming the world.
“Devotion to Jesus Master sums up and completes all devotions. In fact, it presents Jesus Truth in whom to believe; Jesus Way, who is to be followed; Jesus Life in whom we participate. Speaking of Jesus Master, we must keep in mind a much broader sense. He not only communicates knowledge, but He also transfuses His life into the disciples, making them similar to Himself. He develops the divine life in them and guides them to eternal life.”
In the Eucharist, we encounter the Divine Master in a unique way. For Father Alberione, the Eucharist was the secret, transforming power of his life, and he encouraged all the members of the Pauline Family to center their lives on the Eucharistic Master. Out of humility and wisdom, Alberione insisted that the members of the Pauline family consider Saint Paul as their spiritual father, and thus both Alberione’s spirituality and the family he founded are called “Pauline.” Jesus invites us to share in his own intimate relationship with the Father; and how we are called to listen to the appeals of the Spirit in history today, and to respond in a prophetic way. Alberione’s Pauline spirituality could easily become the keystone of mission-oriented spirituality for all Christians who breathe the culture of communications today.