Found Among Sinners

Found Among Sinners

Joseph De PiroAn inspirational life

Fr Martin Cilia mssp

“Jesus prefers those

who wish to remain hidden.

When He chose me

to be one of His ministers,

He found me among sinners.

More even now,

if He expects anything from me

He must find me

among His chosen ones…”

Copyright © 2010 Missionary Society of Saint Paul Publications

Book Design: Giovann Tabone mssp

Printing: Gutenberg Press Ltd.

Published in June 2010,

to mark the Centenary of the Missionary Society of St Paul

All revenues from this book will go towards vocational promotion and

formation programmes of the MSSP

The biblical citations were taken from

The Holy Bible: New International Version

The page quotation in the beginning of every chapter are from

Joseph De Piro’s writings

All rights reserved. No part of the book may be reprinted or used in any way

except without the express permission of the author, Fr Martin Cilia mssp

Email: [email protected]

ISBN: 978-99932-0-893-8

I dedicate this work

to those I journeyed with as their Formator

&

the MSSP Lay Community at St.Venera

With gratitude and love

9

ContentsForeword 13Preface 19Abbreviations 23

Charism: A Gift of the Spirit 27

Gift from God 27Charism 30Creative Fidelity 32The Life of Joseph De Piro 35The Missionary Spirit of the Time 38

Missionary Spirituality 45

Spirituality Defined 46A Cloud of Witnesses 48De Piro’s Understanding of Spirituality 49Listening in Faith 53Mary, a Path to God 54A Missionary Spirituality 56Pauline Inspiration 61Spirituality of Hope, Trust and Authenticity 63

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Spirituality of Prayer: Rooted and Transformed 73

Jesus the Model and the Way 74Incarnation: the Heart of God Revealed 76God’s Will 78Surrender in Love 80Characteristics of De Piro’s Prayer Life 84God Within 86Faith as a Gift 87Transformed in the Image of the Son 90Solidarity with Humanity 95

Spirituality of Ministry: Your Kingdom Come 101

Called to Love 102Discernment: A way of Life 106Availability 109Solidarity with All 111Living with Orphans 117Working for Justice 118Missionary Involvement 120Missionary Awareness 123Help and Support to Missionaries 124Missionary Vocations 125The Power of the Cross 128Members Leaving the Order 130God’s Providence 133Bethlehem full of Enchantment 135

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God’s Spirit: A sweet breeze 136 Unity: ‘May they be one’ 137Unity in the Missionary Order 139

A Spirituality that inspires all 145

Charism renewal 146God Bestowed Special Love on Us 147A Fire that Needs to be Rekindled 148Making the Original Inspiration Our Own 152Conclusion 154

Bibliography 163

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Foreword

100 years ago, around 1910, the French artist Marcel Duchamp was creating a revolution in the art world. He began exhibiting ordinary objects that he exhibited as works of art, such as an inverted bicycle wheel mounted on a stool or a urinal that he described as a fountain. This idea that objects, chosen precisely because of their ordinariness, could through re-contextualization be transfigured and become supremely valuable was, in a poll taken at the beginning of the 21st Century, pronounced to have been the greatest influence on the art history of the previous 100 years. In fact, my own deepest aesthetic experience occurred some 50 years ago when I watched the film Umberto D. In the film the actors are not well known stars but ordinary people picked out from the streets and in which the story is a snapshot of the most ordinary experiences of daily life.

At roughly the same time, in Malta, a young priest from a noble family, called Joseph De Piro, started to propagate a new style of sanctity on principles astonishingly similar to those of Marcel Duchamp in art. Following Duchamp, it began to be said that the artist

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was not an extraordinary kind of man, but that every man was an extraordinary kind of artist. Somewhat likewise, in religion, it was said that the saint was not someone who performed extraordinary deeds such as miracles, but a person who carried out his ordinary duties extraordinarily well. This concept still expounded the idea of exceeding the norm.

Theresa of Lisieux became the most popular saint of that time as a result of proposing her “little way”. Sanctity could be attained not through the achievement of extraordinary virtues, but simply by placing oneself in God’s arms: One could reach the great heights not through one’s own effort and skill in climbing, but by getting on the lift or elevator that was provided by God’s grace. The novelty of this doctrine was not so much in its content but in the simplicity of its expression. Joseph De Piro was obviously adherent to this, but he went even further. He presented the loving embrace of ordinariness - without it even producing a visible transformation such as that undergone by Theresa in the eyes of those around her - as the characteristic way to sanctity on which his own personal experience of encountering God allowed him to guide others. His disciples were to be like Duchamp’s urinal; it still looked just like an ordinary urinal, but by being placed in a sublime context, like De

15

Forward

Piro’s disciple in that of the Divine plan of Salvation, it became a fountain of beauty.

Fr. Martin Cilia’s account of Joseph De Piro’s spirituality did more than just enable me, who only knew before the external and certainly far from utterly unexceptional facts of his life, to discover that De Piro had in an essential way anticipated “the invention of the everyday” for which the Jesuit Michel de Certeau has become famous. Fr Martin provides us with at least three keys to enter into communication with the unobtrusive originality of this outstanding man who made concealment of his exceptionality the characteristic of the heritage he passed on to his disciples.

Firstly, he highlights one of the rare striking expressions of a really impressive insight of Joseph De Piro. This is as evocative of the discoveries that Freud was accomplishing at the time as is Duchamp championing the ordinary. “The key word is articulation. The man who can articulate the movements of his inner life, who can give names to his varied experiences, need no longer be a victim of himself, but is able, slowly and consistently, to remove the obstacles that prevented the Spirit from entering.” De Piro’s recognition of the therapeutic effects of bringing to explicit consciousness the causal factors of

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neurotic trouble is by itself proof of his genius as a spiritual master.

Secondly, if Bernanos was right in believing that there is a particular moment in Christ’s life which is the particular vocation of those called to sanctity (all of us) to participate in, as the agony in Gethsemane was for the Cure’of Ambricourt. Fr Cilia indicates that Christ’s birth at Bethlehem was the moment for Joseph De Piro. Its attraction for him was that it is an archetypal beginning, and De Piro had intuitively understood St Paul’s concept of Grace as a gift of a fresh beginning. Another way of formulating the vocation to ordinariness that De Piro passed on to his disciples is a call to enable others to undertake fresh beginnings.

Thirdly, Fr Cilia continues to bring out how De Piro went on to spell out the Pauline dimension of his community’s charism by adopting as a refrain in his discourse the image of sailing boat voyage, facing storm and possibly shipwreck. The wind being assimilated with the breath of the Holy Spirit, and also more distantly with the breeze within which Elias heard the voice of God. De Piro, despite of the constancy of the overtones of joy that mark a true believer in Christ’s Resurrection, was aware that to embrace the ordinariness of human life meant the companionship of sinners. Paul himself had long before Duchamp used similar imagery

17

Forward

to that of the urinal to describe how the world would consider the missionaries of Jesus. De Piro speaks of the humiliation, the pain and the persecution that were the angry waves that could easily wreck the material vessels that had to be used to accomplish the Mission. He also speaks of the life of the spirit in a community of ordinary people that could not be damaged as long as love in them is stronger then the aggression that could lead only to death.

Peter Serracino Inglott

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Preface

I have come to love Joseph De Piro and it is my wish that by reading this book you come to love him too as you explore and as you delve deeper in the inner dynamics and passions of his heart that made him such a unique person. The more I have come to know him, the more I fell in love with his spirituality and with the One he surrendered his life to.

This book is the result of years of reflection and study and my wish in writing this book is that you will open this untapped resource and let yourself be influenced by De Piro’s spirit. This book is by no means a hagiography of a pious person or a biography of an important man coming from a noble and influential Maltese family. It delves into the spirituality of Joseph De Piro; what lies hidden in his inner life that gave him such a unique freedom of spirit to follow God. Any attempt to put Joseph De Piro on a pedestal would be in contrast to what he stood for. De Piro was, and is, no more than a window through which we may catch a glimpse of the

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One who had called him to follow Him in such a radical way.

I wish to make it clear that I can not discard my personal influence in this work as an artist who paints a portrait. It bears my imprint, as I am highly influenced by the way I see reality, by my personal questions and by my own spirituality. The spirit of the era inevitably influences a painter working on a portrait. In fact I am more than conscious of my limitations in the interpretation of this spirituality and by no means profess to be the expert or to have the last word on the subject. I wish to merely serve as a guide and I wish to help you to come to the sources and appreciate the depth of De Piro’s spirit. Throughout this book I seek to help you to be able to hear his voice and to experience his spirit.

As a member of his Society, it had always been my dream to study and articulate the spirituality of our founder. This year, as we celebrate the 100 years of our foundation, I felt that time was ripe to write this book. I seek to show the relevance of De Piro’s thought and charism for today’s culture. This book in fact traces the original sources but then goes beyond the literal or historical reading of the texts as it tries to interpret and apply them to the contemporary understanding of

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Preface

spirituality.

The main objective of this book is to correlate insights from the past with present day modes of perceiving and living spirituality. It aims to do so by exploring the meaning of spirituality in general as well as the missionary spirituality in particular and how these were lived and assimilated by Joseph De Piro, thereby integrating in a unique way contemplation and action through his life of prayer and ministry.

My wish is that all who read this study will develop a deep respect for a man who is not that well known but who consciously chose to make God the centre of his life. My hope is that those who come to admire him will follow suit.

This book was written and made ready for

publication with the support of many friends. First of all, I would like to thank the members of my formation community, who made this book possible and from whom I always received great support and encouragement. This book is truly the result of a community endeavour.

I would like to thank Fr. Tony Sciberras who dedicated his life to the study of the founder and who

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made the archives of the Society available.

A special word of thanks goes to Fr. Peter Serracino Inglott for writing the foreword, Micheal Falzon for proof reading the text and David Schembri for the cover art. I wish to thank Br. Giovann Tabone for his work in the edition and artwork of this book.

I am grateful for our Regional Superior, Fr. Louis

Mallia, who always encouraged and helped me in my ministry and urged me to publish this book.

Your encouragement, concrete suggestions and help, brought this book to its completion.

Finally, I would like to thank God for blessing me with all these people whose support, guidance and encouragement made my dream come true.

Fr. Martin Cilia mssp

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Abbreviations

Regole Della Compagnia Di San PaoloRule of the Society of St Paul

1R Volume 12R Volume 23R Volume 3

Ġ. De Piro, Predikatur Imħeġġeġ tal-Kelma ta’ AllaJoseph De Piro, Preacher of the Word of God

1P Volume 12P Volume 23P Volume 3

Il-Qaddej ta’ Alla Ġ. De Piro: KorrispondenzaJoseph De Piro, Servant of God: Correspondence

1K Volume 12K Volume 23K Volume 3

AM Almanac of the Institute of Missions

D Mons. Ġ. De Piro; Djarju 1889 – 1909 Diary of Joseph De Piro 1889 – 1909

S Twemminu f’Kitbietu: Sayings ta’ Mons. De Piro Sayings of Joseph De Piro: His Beliefs in Writing

Life The Life of Joseph De Piro - Alexander Bonnici

MSSP Missionary Society of St Paul

Note: The number before the abbreviation refers to the Volume Number whereas the numbers following the abbreviation refer to the page number. The last number is just a reference to facilitate my work.

Example; 1R; 50:3 – Regole Della Compagnia Di San Paolo; Volume 1, p. 50

“God shows himself as a Father

who gives Himself as a gift ...

The highest and final stage of love lies

in the union between the

lover and the loved one.”

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Charism Gift of the Holy Spirit

“La Vita di ogni Santo non e’ cheuna pagina nuova nella storia

dell’amore verso Dio.”1

Gift of God

When God gives us a gift it always comes wrapped in a person. The spirituality of Joseph De Piro has been marked by a call that he received in a particular moment of his life, a moment of deep inner light that changed him forever. It has been a call that shaped his being, as he decided to surrender his heart to God and become a priest. This book is being written as the Church celebrates a year dedicated to the priesthood. I believe that only in the context of his priestly call, can the spirituality of our founder find its understanding.

1. 2P; 239:1 “The life of every saint is nothing less than a new page in the story of our love towards God.”

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The deepest desire of Joseph De Piro was to love God and to make him known. His very life and choices become for us a keyhole through which we can peek into the inner dynamism of his soul. His life story becomes the soil and the roadmap for our spiritual quest, of which he becomes a primary witness. De Piro in fact never wrote treatises or books on prayers or ministry. The main insights are the testimonies of the people who lived with him, his letters, his diaries, personal notes, homilies and his Almanac for Missions. De Piro rarely worried about style. His talks and writings are never elaborated or refined. He does not search for originality of expression or doctrine. He insisted on certain fundamental elements and re-proposed his preferred concepts over and over again. Only between the lines of these resources can we understand who he really was and one cannot not be struck by the ideas he brings about.

De Piro always claimed that when God called him he found him among sinners. He felt that the gift that he received he wanted to pass it on through his ministry by being for others not only a shepherd but also a father, a friend and a missionary. Rediscovering Joseph De Piro’s spirituality can be for the members of the Missionary Society that he founded, lay and religious alike, an opportunity to go back to that first love. It can help

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Charism

the Christian community to open up to the same Spirit that inspired him ‘to breath in our sails’, to give us the necessary power and strength to trust with hope in the One who is sending us to the ends of the earth.

This book is an attempt to search in the depths of the heart of Joseph De Piro, a man who was called by God to serve the Church at a particular time, culture and vision. Studying his spirituality can help us not only to know Joseph De Piro better, but more importantly to reach for an experience of God ourselves. Spirituality is not an ideology that one can discover and possess. It is more of a call to become, a journey to be made till we are transformed in God’s image and likeness. This is why discovering the spirituality of Joseph De Piro can help us to understand and to own the original grace, welcome the signs of the times, and undertake with courage new endeavours.

Discovering the spirituality of Joseph De Piro is by no means a question of repeating in an identical way the works that he did or dissecting his thoughts. It is much more than this; it calls for an open spirit, courage to be led once more by grace and live the missionary Charism for today’s times. Spirituality must always be rooted in the Gospel, planted in the fertile soil of the Church and

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open to the world. Spirituality gives us courage to live with hope. It is the look of the sentinel who is not weary to scan the horizons for a possible new incarnation of the Gospel, who is convinced that each twilight harbours a new beginning, a glimmer of Resurrection.

The life and works of Joseph De Piro can be synthesised in his deep spiritual life which was reflected in his social action, pastoral love and in his missionary spirit, desiring and praying that the Kingdom of God be present everywhere.

Charism

Throughout the history of the Church, the Holy Spirit, inspired and called different people in different cultures and at different times to be prophets in their own world. It is a call to live the Gospel in a way that inspires others to follow their footsteps. A founder receives a special charism from God, specifically given to the Church at a particular time in history. Joseph De Piro is for the church of Malta a new page and a new insight in one’s response to God’s love and call.

A charism within the Church is a special gift that enriches the whole Church. It is rooted in God’s call and

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Charism

inspired by the Holy Spirit:

“It offers the human race the light and the strength to respond to its highest calling…The Spirit’s presence and activity affects not only individuals but also society and history, peoples, cultures and religions. Indeed the Spirit is the origin of the noble ideas and undertakings that benefit humanity on its journey through history…leads us to broaden our vision in order to ponder his activity in every time and place.”2

Charisms are gifts of the Spirit for the benefit of the Church. Each charism received, lived out and transmitted is given to the Church and humanity at a specific moment in history. This intuition has neither boundaries nor precise direction; time and space do not limit it. Yet, this new and pressing experience of the Holy Spirit energises founders to transform their lives and also the life of the people around them who become the bearers of these gifts.

Transformation in the life of founders is characterised by a greater awareness towards the poor and a decision

2. Redemptoris Missio, n.28

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to be in solidarity with them, resulting in the gradual emergence of the need for a specific type of presence in the pursuit of a work or a multiplicity of works. At each turn, confusion and risk mark this re-orientation. However the sense of urgency prevails over the uncertainty. The keen evangelical insight becomes a force and a power that moves the person beyond his imagination and leads him to live life in a prophetic and evangelical way.

Creative Fidelity

The mission of particular Orders differs according to the originality of the founding charism. Fidelity to the Order’s distinctive character demands of the entire community a continuous discernment of the original inspiration so as to deepen its roots and identify new ways of how to implement itself to the evolving, changing times. There is a need to re-create the freshness of novelty but at the same time remaining faithful to God’s calling. Hence what is needed is ‘Creative Fidelity’.

At the closing of the Synod on Consecrated Life, Pope John Paul II specifically invited the Religious Orders to reclaim the enterprising initiative, the creativity and holiness of their founders, and to develop a dynamic fidelity to their mission, adapting new forms to new

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Charism

situations and to the different needs of society. Such discernment leads to a radical conversion and fidelity in accomplishing the founding evangelical vision.

Special attention is required to re-focus, to inculturate and to communicate the original vision. The destiny of these precious traditions is in the hands of those who inherit them today, but it is the same Spirit who grants the wisdom to revise and incarnate the charism in a relevant and significant way for each era. One must study the past, reflect and make choices, in order to shape the future more effectively. To speak about charism necessarily means to, “Courageously propose anew the enterprising initiative, creativity and holiness of our founders.”3

The challenge of ‘creative fidelity’ demands above all the knowledge and study of the original gift given by the Spirit to the founder and to the first companions. Charism gives the Order its identity, and the spirituality of a founder gives the Order a direction that helps members to follow and relive in their own time the charism that has been entrusted to them. Spirituality is the fire of that originating energy and if it is lost or not continuously re-discovered the evangelical intuition will no longer inspire others and it can be lost for ever.

3. Vita Consacrata, n.37

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The charism bequeathed by the founder is never static. It summons the followers to new frontiers; it demands the courage to go beyond its incarnation in the particular context from which it sprang, and be applied to today. This compels the followers not only to perceive and to live differently, but also to consider new ways of living the vision. It is a time that invites for “dynamic fidelity”,4 for recreating rather than repeating. It is a time to:

“Reproduce with courage and audacity the creativity and the holiness of Founders as a response to the signs of the times that arise in the world of today.”5

Religious Orders undertook with insight and courage the Church’s post-conciliar invitation to carry out the renewal of their Orders. The renewal was not simply to adjust to the demands of the world to redefine in fidelity the meaning of religious life and their particular charism. Such creative fidelity calls for new responses to the way of living and translating the charism of the founders. Such endeavours prompt the need to re-discover and revive the genius and impulses of the heart, as well as the zeal and

4. ibid., n.375. ibid., n.37

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Charism

the boldness that characterised the founders.

The life of Joseph De Piro

Joseph De Piro was born in Malta on November 2nd, 1877 into a wealthy and influential family to the Noble Alessandro De Piro and Ursola, neé Agius, the seventh of nine children.

He excelled in the art of painting during his primary and secondary education. He entered the Royal University of Malta as a student in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Between 1897 and 1898 he started reading law. While still studying at the University he also served in the Royal Malta Militia.

At the age of 21, he felt the call to the priesthood and on May 8th, 1898, whilst praying to our Lady of Pompei, decided that he should follow the vocation. In 1898 he enrolled as a student at the Carpranica College, beginning his studies in Philosophy and Theology at the Gregorian University in Rome. He was ordained priest at St. John Lateran on the 15th of March 1902.

He was involved in different ministries within the Church, but his main concerns were the missions and

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work amongst the poor. Between 1902 and 1904, he convalesced from a sickness at Davos in Switzerland. He returned to Malta in 1904 and spent three years of pastoral work in the Parish of Qrendi. In 1907 he was appointed Director of Fra Diegu’s Orphanage for Girls in Ħamrun. In 1911 he was nominated canon of the Cathedral of Malta. In 1915, the then new Archbishop of Malta appointed De Piro as his secretary. De Piro served as Rector of the Major Seminary of Malta in Mdina between 1918 and 1920. During that same period, De Piro was one of the Maltese leaders during the Sette Giugno disturbances of 1919. In 1920, he was nominated dean of the Cathedral Chapter. During this period, De Piro was a member of the National Assembly. In 1921 the National Assembly was able to bring a new Constitution to the Maltese islands.

During 1922 De Piro served as a substitute parish priest for seven months in Gudja. De Piro also served as director of various orphanages; St. Joseph’s Home, Ħamrun; Jesus of Nazareth Institute, Zejtun; St. Joseph’s Home, Għajnsielem, Gozo; The Home for Children, St. Venera; St. Francis de Paule Institute, B’Kara.

In 1930 he served as intermediary between the Church and Lord Strickland in a political religious conflict. Continuing his involvement in Maltese politics,

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Charism

a common practice by church members in the early history of Malta, De Piro served as a Senator in the third Maltese Parliament.

As a young priest he began to work towards bringing to fruition his long cherished dream of establishing an order of priests and brothers committed to the spreading of the Good News. June 30th 1910, was the foundation day of the Missionary Society of St Paul. He founded the Society with two members and called the Order the Small Society of St Paul, to its first members, he passed on his missionary zeal and his love for those in need.

In 1927 he sent his first missionary, Br. Joseph Caruana, to Ethiopia. Br. Joseph spent 48 years in this country without returning to Malta. Six years later De Piro himself together with two other members was going there to help consolidate this new mission so as to realise the dream of his life that of being a missionary. But on September 17th, 1933, he died unexpectedly at the age of 56 when he collapsed during a liturgical service.

He left behind a small group of priests and brothers with no leadership. The small Society went through difficult times since “with his death the society seemed to

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have lost its soul.”6 What we find in these poor beginnings is a Society for which Joseph De Piro was everything. Everything rested on him: the charism, the financial situation, the reputation, the vision, and the structures. Then he suddenly disappeared. The first community members received the gift of his Charism and spirituality under shock, in a moment of bereavement, trying hard to survive in the midst of difficulties. The superiors appointed to lead the community were not even part of the Society and knew very little, if anything, of the spirit and charism of the Founder. This fact left a big mark on the historical development of the Society and years had to pass by, until the Society was able to re-discover the person, charism and spirituality of its founder.

The Missionary Spirit of the time

It is clear that Joseph De Piro’s personal call and Charism were prompted by the missionary consciousness that characterised the context in which he grew up. He was open to the signs of his time and knew that: “the conversion of pagans has never been in such large numbers as in this century of ours.”

“The nineteenth century brought a new

6. Life; 392

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Charism

missionary consciousness to the Christian world, a revitalisation to the mission spirit heretofore unknown, that affected Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox, the clergy, religious and laity alike.”7

In fact many missiologists refer to this century as the Great Century. When studying the missionary projects and endeavours happening in this period, one cannot but emphasise the role played by missionary societies: “the nineteenth century is in fact sometimes referred to as the century of missionary societies.”8 Among the pioneers of this missionary zeal were the old religious Orders such as the Jesuits, Dominicans, and the Franciscans. However new male and female religious Orders were emerging in the world; specifically founded for missionary work.9

Such spirit was fully backed by the Church. Encyclicals written published on missionary theology and action. Popes such as Gregory XVI, Leo XIII and Benedict XV were all very enthusiastic about these new missionary endeavours and did their best to help and support all new initiatives. De Piro writes:

7. Louis Luzbetak, The Church and Cultures; (New York: New Orbis Books Maryknoll, 1993) 978. ibid., p.979. ibid., p.99, 560

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“Moved by the Holy Spirit these last three Popes did their best to advance always the evangelization of the infidels. Although they are pressed by the troubles of the whole world, they put this matter of the missions at the top of their apostolic ministry.”

De Piro was deeply influenced and caught in the missionary enthusiasm of his time. In his diary we find “I feel that God wants to start in Malta a congregation of priests called after the name of St Paul.” It is in these early years of his studies that the dream of forming a missionary Order in Malta was born.

This is the context in which Joseph De Piro grew and lived, and it gives us a picture of the many factors that helped give birth to his missionary charism. Such endeavour helps us not only to contextualize the missionary charism, but also to understand it in order to extract its core essence.

“The gospel event of the widow’s mite

encourages us to look upwards

and put our hope in Him

who is our most beloved Father.

When God is building,

those who build do not labour in vain…

God’s power,

which made everything out of nothing

and the power of Jesus,

who fed thousands of people

from five loaves,

has never changed and is still there forever.”

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Missionary Spirituality

“La vita interiore deve essere l’anima delle nostre azioni esterne,

e senza la quale poco si potrebbe sperare dalle opere di Missione.” 10

An introduction to Missionary Spirituality must begin with a definition of the terms themselves. I use the term Spirituality with some hesitation. Spirituality has been defined in innumerable ways and can be approached from different points of view. Such variety about the definition of spirituality shows that there are various ways how one can view the subject. For the sake of clarity, I will develop the theological aspects of Missionary Spirituality, by defining the terms as used in my work and as understood by Joseph De Piro.

10. 2R; 18:2 “The interior life must be the soul and the aim of all external actions, otherwise very little can be expected from our missionary work.”

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Spirituality Defined

Spirituality is a broad term and there are different points of views about the very meaning of the word. In defining it we are limiting the term itself to a definition that suites our purpose. In Sandra Schneiders’ words, “spirituality is the experience of consciously striving to integrate one’s life in terms not of isolation and self absorption, but of self transcendence towards the ultimate values one perceives.”11 Schneiders highlights the problem in defining spirituality:

“I have been challenged by theologians who think that spirituality, like brushing one’s teeth, is absolutely necessary but should be done in private; by historians who think that spirituality, like happiness is a term that should not be applied until its subject is quite dead; by psychologists who think that spirituality is the word pious type use for what normal people would call good mental health; and by scholars of religion who maintain that the competent study of any religion will include an objective account of

11. Sandra Schneiders; Spirituality in the Academy, (Theological studies 50, 1989) 684.

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whatever the terms spirituality covers.”12

I narrow down my options to define spirituality as a gift from God’s spirit that helps in adopting and developing certain attitudes that shape one’s inner being. It implies a vision of life itself, which is not reflected primarily in actions but rather in a stance towards the world.

“Christian Spirituality involved the human capacity of self-transcending knowledge, love and commitment, as it is actualised through the experience of God, in Jesus, the Christ, by the gift of the Spirit. Because God’s Spirit comes to us only through experience and symbols inseparable from human community, Christian Spirituality includes every human dimension of human life.”13

Christian spirituality includes one’s whole reality as rooted in God with a deep sense that one belongs to community, which expresses its sense of the sacred through words, gestures, actions, events, tradition and community. Christian spirituality then is not a push from below but a

12. Sandra Schneiders; ‘Spirituality as an Academic Discipline: Refl ections from experience’, (Christian Spirituality Bulletin 1993) 10.13. Joann Wolski Conn; Women’s Spirituality: Resources for Christian Development., (New York: Paulist Press 1986) 3.

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gift from above. Hence, spiritual experience becomes the focus and the centre of spirituality. It demands choices to be made consistent with the upheld ultimate values. As Wilkie Au puts it “the word signifies our whole interior and spiritual life, and it includes mind and will, knowledge and love. It is not primarily head, action oriented, or moralistic, but rather, it is a matter of being caught up in a dynamic loving relationship with the Lord and others.”14

A cloud of witnesses

“Spirituality in history is the story of flesh and blood people who lived lives that only later generations came to see as smooth sailing down an easy street called the spiritual life.”15

A “cloud of witnesses”16 marks the story of spirituality, people who tried their best to seek appropriate ways to live the fullness of life in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. So even if there is only one Way, who is Christ, the Spirit works in different cultures and at different times, calling forth expressions of the Christian life appropriate

14. Wilkie Au, By way of the Heart: Towards a Holistic Christian Spirituality; ( USA: Geoffrey Chapman, 1990) 3.15. Michael Downey; Understanding Christian Spirituality; (New York: Paulist Press 1997) 64.16. Hebrews 12:1

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to the respective cultures and times. Christian spirituality is not one dimension of Christian living but it is Christian life itself. The way in which Therese of Lisieux lived the integration of her contemplative and missionary call is altogether different from the way Ignatius of Loyola lived them and Joseph De Piro saw them both as models and light in his path to God.

De Piro’s understanding of Spirituality

De Piro was convinced that Christian spirituality must be rooted in the affirmation of a personal God, who is active in the history of humanity and who is active in his personal life; “everything that we have, indeed all that we are, everything is a gift that God has bestowed on us.” From an early age, his desire was to be in tune with God and to do God’s will by developing an intimate relationship with the Lord. He believed that experience was important for faith and he understood that “A good thought is a seed that Our Saviour throws in our soul.” This was quite unusual for his time as spirituality then tended to be more theoretical rather than experiential. Little awareness existed that experience can be the point of entry into the spiritual life.

This characteristic is what Karl Rahner years later articulated so well when he “recognised human experience

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as a locus of God’s revealing self disclosure.”17 For Rahner human life and activities, events and history, are capable of disclosing the presence and action of God. Thomas Merton in his book, ‘Contemplative Prayer’ writes:

“We are a word spoken by God, and God does not speak words without meaning. Therefore our true identity is hidden in God’s call to us and our response. All of us need a certain amount of interior silence and discipline to maintain our human and Christian identity…There is no magical system. What counts are faith, openness, attention, reverence, expectation, supplication, trust and joy…. Having a contemplative attitude is more important than the way or the number of times we pray.”18

Joseph De Piro saw his story as a gift from God, believing that for those who love God, all things help them to be of good to others. He felt that God speaks in many ways but especially in his personal story. The most basic notion of De Piro’s Christian spirituality was to see his reality and all that happened to him in the light of faith:

17. Michael Downey; Understanding Christian Spirituality, (New York: Paulist Press 1997) 33.18. Thomas Merton; Contemplative Prayer; ( New York: Doubleday & Company) 66.

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“God’s visits are those movements in our heart which help us to follow truth.”19 God spoke to people in their story, in their very slavery and heard their cry by sending them a Saviour. De Piro was convinced that God speaks in history especially in the person of his Son Jesus Christ; God became one of us in order to save us. In the same way, God enters our own personal history.

De Piro’s spirituality can be defined as learning to read his story and events in the light of God’s story. When he accepted his reality as a gift from God, he started living with the conviction that God turns everything into good for those who love. He believed that, that which to us appears wrong will not be other than a wise disposition of Him who is protecting us and we are to turn to Him. This attitude can be traced back to early in his life. When all the family was bereaving the early death of his brother De Piro wrote to his mother:

“I think I am the last of all my brothers that can give you any consolation. It is clear that God and the Blessed Virgin have not forgotten us. They often present to us incidents through which we show always our trust in them. As regards Berti we can say that he is better off

19. 1P; 33:9

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than we are and that he finds himself with the other good souls who left before him…After the accident that happened to us, it is also a clear and doubtless fact that Our Lady had accepted the supplica he had addressed to her on the 8th of May so much so that he had not yet had the time to thank her with the usual novena of thanksgiving as she had already taken him with her to Heaven. Last year the same Virgin made me offer myself to her son on this earth, while this year, my dear mother, she gave Bertie to Him in Heaven. So I say to all at home, who like me are very sad about this, to thank Mary for having permitted things to happen in the best way possible and let us declare to her that this circumstance in the future will be another golden link that keeps us united to her. This is the only comfort that helped me and I cannot find better words than “Let God’s will be done.”

In reading his story De Piro had to listen to God in faith: “Those who do not believe, think that everything happens by chance, but, to us who have faith, we quickly perceive the hand of God.” So deeply rooted in Him was this attitude, that he was convinced that:

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“During sorrow and disappointments, even in the face of death itself, I try to raise my mind and heart towards the heavenly father and tell Him “Thy Kingdom come.”

Listening in Faith

To read his story in the light of God, and to be in tune with the One who loved him and called him, De Piro was more than aware of the need to listen to the voice of God who speaks in the silence of the heart. “Do you know what the most important thing is?” He writes, “It is to listen and follow God’s word that is much more worthy than the whole world with all that it can offer.”20 He founded his spiritual life on: “the duty to stay always near God, to listen to His voice.”21 This was the beginning of his radical commitment to others and his steadfast perseverance to his vision and dream, convinced that “the ear of your soul should be always ready to hear His voice.”22 On the contrary he defines ‘deafness’ to this voice as, “the terrible consequence of sin.”23

20. S; 2:221. 3P; 288:222. 3P; 288:323. 1P; 6:2

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Mary, a path to God

De Piro chose Mary as the model of the one who listened to the voice of God. We cannot but notice his Christo-centric Mariology. Mary was for him a model of discipleship. He reflects on the gospel passage when a woman praised Mary with the words: “Blessed is she who begot you and who suckled you” and on Jesus’ response “Blessed are those who listen to the word of God and keep it.”24 About Mary’s faith De Piro writes:

“She saw her son in the cattle shed of Bethlehem and believed He was the creator of the world. She saw Him fleeing Herod, and yet she believed He was the King of kings. She saw Him being born and she believed He was eternal. She saw His poverty and believed He was omnipotent. She noticed that He did not talk and believed He was infinite Wisdom. She heard Him cry and believed He was the joy of Heaven…Mary saw Him crucified, and at the same time she believed He was God. And... after the Ascension, it was Mary who, as a torch, kept alive the faith in the heart of the Apostles.”25

24. S; 11:325. 2P; 195:1

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De Piro was grateful for the gift of faith freely given by God. “We must be careful that we never fail to give thanks to God for the gift of faith that He granted to give us without any merit on our part, and we should try to keep in us the fervent wish to attract the unbelievers and make them come and share with us this great gift.”26 Every Marian title is nothing but a starting point of a deeper grasp of the whole mystery of the God. Choosing for our Society the Assumption, he clearly shows where our hearts should desire to be. He highlights the destination and continues to stress the holistic approach as she was assumed body and soul into the heavens. Gratitude permeated his life and was the starting point of his missionary zeal: “Jesus, help me to spend the rest of my days thanking you.”27 Listening to the voice of God, having faith and doing God’s will, were pure gifts of the Spirit:

“Without God’s grace all that we have said now would be only a dream, an illusion. Man’s strength and energy, if they are not controlled by faith and given direction by grace, cease to be a protective force, but become an oppressive tyranny.”28

26. S; 11:327. 3P; 285:228. 1P; 123:1

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A Missionary Spirituality

The mission of the Church is essentially a spiritual activity; the real agent of all missionary work is the Holy Spirit. The effectiveness and true success in mission cannot be measured except in terms of the supernatural. Behind every human effort there must be the free power and the free gift of God. Missionary spirituality is founded on the one truth that without the power of God, nothing is possible at all. Jesus said: “without me you can do nothing”.29 Without the Holy Spirit the Church would be a lifeless body. Paul VI writes, “There can be no evangelization without the co-operation of the Holy Spirit.”30 Behind every missionary activity there should be the guiding hand of the spirit of God.31 Louis J. Luzbetak says:

“If the role of the Spirit is as important as we say it is, it must follow that the effectiveness of mission and the solution to its problems must first and foremost be sought not in human’s cleverness, no, not even in anthropology but elsewhere. The most important and most desirable ingredient in a person engaged in

29. Jn; 15:530. Evangelii Nuntiandi, n. 7531. ibid., n.75

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mission is a genuine and deep spirituality.”32

De Piro insisted that, “the missionaries should remember that once God had chosen them, He expects them to surrender their hearts all to Himself.”33 He insists so much on the love of God, that he makes it a prerequisite for one to join the Order. This thought echoes Benedict XV’s writings, a pope whose work De Piro quotes often in his Almanac for the Missions.34

“For those who enter upon the apostolic life there is one attribute that is indispensable. It is of critical importance… that they have sanctity of life. For the one who urges others to despise sin must despise it himself… give the missionary if you will the most extensive learning and the most brilliant culture. Unless these qualities are accompanied by moral integrity they will be of little or no value in the apostolate…”35

Accordingly the heart of missionary spirituality is:

32. Louis J. Luzbetak; The Church and Culture, (New York: Orbis Books Mayknoll, 1993) 2.33. 2R; 15:234. AM; 5:135. Maximus Ilud, n. 26.

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“to communicate to others by entering ourselves first of all into the centre of our existence and become familiar with the complexities of our inner lives. As soon as we feel at home in our house, discover the dark corners as well as the light spots, the close doors as well as the drafty rooms, our confusion will evaporate, our anxiety will diminish, and we become capable of creative work. The key word is articulation. The man who can articulate the movements of his inner life, who can give names to his varied experiences, need no longer be a victim of himself but is able slowly and consistently to remove the obstacles that prevented the spirit from entering. He is able to create space for Him whose heart is greater than his, whose eyes see more than his, and whose hands can heal more than his.”36

Penetrating the inner self therefore becomes the soil in which missionary activity can grow and be effective. Nouwen summarises this very well:

36. Henry Nouwen; The Wounded Healer; (New York: Doubleday,1971) 38.

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“This articulation, I believe, is the basis for a spiritual leadership, because only he who is able to articulate his own experience can offer himself to others as a source of clarification. The Christian leader is, first of all, a man who is willing to put his own articulated faith at the disposal of those who ask his help. In this sense he is a servant because he is the first to enter the promised but dangerous land.”37

De Piro believed this to be the only way in which the Word of God can be accepted by people; “Every member of the Society should do his very best to be able to deliver the Word of God as worthily as possible. His way of life should be in conformity to what he is preaching.”38 In fact, Thomas Merton deepens this thought and goes as far as to say that:

“He who attempts to act and do for others or for the world, without deepening his own self understanding, freedom, integrity and capacity to love, will have nothing to give to others. He will communicate to them nothing but the contagion of his own obsessions, his

37. ibid., p.39.38. 1R; 17:1

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aggressivity, his ego-centred ambition and his own delusions about means and ends.”39

A real missionary spirituality then must be grafted in a deep relationship with the Lord who loves us, who calls us and who commissions us. Convinced of the importance of such a relationship De Piro wrote: “missionaries must be careful not to neglect the advance of their own soul by thinking of saving that of others.”40 He was more than convinced that only those who have a personal experience of God can preach the truth; one can only transmit truth fully if in the process one has made it one’s own. This insight is very prophetic and in line with what Paul VI wrote years latter in Evangelii Nuntiandi: “More than ever before, the witness of our lives has become an essential requirement if our preaching is to be effective.”41 De Piro writes that: “the spiritual life must be the aim of all external actions, otherwise little or nothing will be obtained from missionary work.”42 In fact De Piro concludes that:

“On this earth the missionary enjoys the real peace and calmness in his heart as a reward

39. Thomas Merton., Contemplation in a World of Action; (New York: Doubleday & Company 1972) 15.40. 2R; 11:341. Evangelii Nuntiandi, n.7642. 2R; 18:2

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for all his struggles, pains and persecutions. This gift of peace, which only God can give and which the world can never offer, is a gift reserved only for the followers of Jesus Christ.”43

Pauline Inspiration

One cannot speak of missionary spirituality, especially as understood by De Piro, without reference to Pauline spirituality. Paul’s question and deep search inspired De Piro; “Lord who are you?” And “Lord what do you want me to do?”44 To know and to deepen the knowledge of and the relationship with Christ were for Paul the essence of his very life; “life for me of course is Christ”45 and the very essence of his mission. The second question was a logical consequence of the first: his missionary endeavours were for Paul the result of his relationship with Christ. There was no dichotomy between his spirituality and his ministry.

Joseph De Piro’s motto was to give to others what Paul gave to us (Maltese).46 “God” he said “had been greatly loving to us when he permitted St Paul, as the first missionary,

43. S; 57:144. 2R; 3:245. Phil; 1:2146. S; 57:4

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to come over to our island and convert us from the darkness of paganism and give us the light of the Christian belief.”47 This gratefulness for the gift of faith was the source of his inspiration to form an Order of missionaries under the guidance and patronage of the missionary Paul.

As an intimate follower of St Paul De Piro had an altogether Christ-centred thought. De Piro saw in Paul not only the hand of Divine providence but an example of a true spirituality for missionaries. “Paul’s heart” he writes “is the heart of Christ.”48 “Paul was always ready to do all that God asked him to do.”49 Such openness and willingness was De Piro’s wish and desire for each member of his Order. He defined Paul as “a heart burning for the love of God”50 and nothing and nobody could quench that fire. Paul knew himself well and was aware that Christ was his life and his message: “if you read my words you will have some idea of the depths that I see in the mystery of Christ.”51 De Piro desired to be nourished and sustained with his great depth and openness. He desired his courage and his freedom of spirit.

47. S; 29:148. S; 71:149. S; 81:150. S; 81:251. Eph; 3:4

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At the heart of Paul’s spirituality and his missionary activities was Jesus Christ. This total conviction in the centrality of Christ led him to a total commitment. He knew that he was only a servant of the message that he was proclaiming:

“Paul always saw himself as an authentic messenger entrusted with an authentic message. The message he brings is not some human concoction. It is simply, God’s message to man. Paul is its bearer, not its author.”52

This reality lead Joseph De Piro to pray with all his heart; “Let us pray to Paul to give us more missionary vocations and instill in their hearts the desire for suffering, the fervour to be of help to others, and to love the Divine Master with the same love which he felt burning in his heart and which made him often suffer for his brothers.”53

Spirituality of Hope, Trust and Authenticity

Hope is an important Christian virtue and is an essential virtue in a missionary spirituality. To hope is to

52. Bernard T. Smith; Paul, the Man and the Missionary; (London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 1988) 93.53. S; 82:1

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be nurtured and sustained by a great faith, based upon a promise made by a power beyond one’s own; that of God. Hope is believing in the promise of God and that God has the power to fulfil that promise. To hope is to let the ideals of the Gospel lead and shape one’s life in such a way that even when everything seems impossible, one holds firm to the promise, since the one who made the promise is faithful:

“The task of a missionary is to go to places where he is not wanted, to sell a pearl whose value, although of a great price, is not recognised, to people who are determined not to accept it as a gift… to accomplish this he need not be a saint but he must come close to passing one. And in order to achieve this hoax, he must do so many things that a saint does, that it becomes for him a serious question if the easiest way is not simply to be a saint in the first place and be done with it.”54

A missionary spirituality must be hopeful. Joseph De Piro believed in the Divine words: “Unless the Lord

54. Louis J. Luzbetak; The Church and Cultures; (New York: Orbis Books Maryknoll, 1993) 2.

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builds the house its builders labour in vain.”55 These words reflected his trust in God’s help. When thinking about founding the Missionary Society of St Paul he felt it was nearly an impossible task. In his diary he wrote: “knowing that the Maltese priests love their native country very much, it must be through some miracle that my ideas can become realities.”56 Nevertheless he stood firm hoping in the One who made the promise:

“When we are securely rooted in personal intimacy with the source of life, it will be possible to remain flexible without being relativistic, convinced without being rigid, willing to confront without being offensive, gentle and forgiving without being soft and true witnesses without being manipulative. Therefore to be a fruitful Christian leader one needs to move from the moral to the mystical.”57

Such hope beyond rationality becomes the characteristic of the missionary. The missionary becomes for De Piro someone who takes steps beyond what is purely

55. S; 1:156. D; 5:257. Henry Nouwen; In the Name of Christ; (New York: Crossroad, 1989) 35.

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secure and reliable, trusting only in the One who calls him. Cardinal Martini writes:

“I am what I am meant to be in the measure in which I follow that tendency to trust in hope. It is from man’s innate tendency to move beyond himself, to make an act of faith in an other person, that society is born, as are friendships, love and brotherhood. If no one ever takes a risk, nothing happens. It is this trust in the promise of Jesus the Word, which makes salvation possible, it is a very special kind of trust that makes evangelization possible. The evangelist is formed as he learns to surrender himself at Jesus Word.”58

Surrendering in faith and hope in the hands of the One who calls, becomes the foundation stone of a spirituality of hope and trust. To hope is to believe that there is something holy and something hidden in the most ordinary situations. Helping people growing in faith is therefore the greatest possible service that one can render to society. If it is true that humans have different needs, their deepest need is surely for faith, hope, and ultimately love.

58. Carlo Martini; Ministers of the Gospel; (USA: Paulist Press, 1993) 46.

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The missionary must be ready to understand people’s most hidden needs, the most subtle needs, emerging from their innermost being. If one wishes to preach the Gospel to others with compassion and conviction, one must open one’s heart to experience the unlimited compassion of the Lord: “it is essential that our eager zeal for evangelization should have its source in a true sanctity of life…this world is looking for preachers of the gospel to speak to it of God whom they know as being close to them, as though seeing him who is invisible.”59 Paul VI comments: “The men of our day are more impressed by witness than by teachers and if they listen to teachers it is because they also bear witness.”60 Joseph De Piro gives advice that: “each one is to be very careful to avoid even the least idea of giving a bad example.”61

A spirituality of hope and trust lived to the full is a witness that the Gospel is Good News, and that Jesus is not a moral reformer of humanity but a manifestation of the unlimited and boundless love of God. A spirituality of hope is a conviction that in any human situation there is a profound thirst for truth, justice and brotherhood, and that

59. Evangelii Nuntiandi, n.7660. ibid.; n.4161. 1R; 16:1

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at the foundation of all, there is a sincere thirst for God.

A true missionary spirituality, according to Joseph De Piro, holds the conviction that those engaged in missionary work and in any ministry must be above all individuals of deep living faith. God must be the very heart and centre of their lives and they must sincerely believe what they preach. De Piro was aware of what Evangelii Nuntiandi articulates so well; “our age is thirsting for sincerity and honesty. Young people in particular are said to have a horror of falsity and hypocrisy.”62 This implies that Christians should take to heart the words of St Paul, “to put on the mind of Christ”63 to such extent that De Piro could say “for me life means Christ.”64 “It is not we who are living, but Jesus Christ who lives in us.”65

It is clear that there is an intimate connection between spirituality in general and missionary spirituality in particular. De Piro’s spirituality in fact calls for a balance between the busy hands and the praying hands; it demands an attitude of life which vitally blends contemplation and action, the love of God and the love of others.

62. Evangelii Nuntiandi, n.7663. 1 Cor; 2:1664. Phil; 1:2165. 3P; 303:1

“Lord see that my heart be similar to yours,

that the saying, ‘the priest is another Christ’

assimilates more in me.

My heart is poor,

you enrich it with your heavenly gifts;

My heart is weak,

you give it life with your love;

My heart is restless

you strengthen it with your blessings

My heart is blind,

you shine with your divine light.”

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Spirituality of Prayer Rooted and Transformed by love

“Cosi lontano dal mio paese…Non mi restava altro che la preghiera,

mia ottima compagna ed ho pregato, pregato, pregato.”66

The life of prayer of Joseph De Piro forms the backbone of his spirituality; it is the energy and the power that transformed his whole life and formed the very pulse of his work. In the midst of everything that he was engaged in, prayer was his constant source of strength. In studying De Piro’s writings I realised that for him prayer was not just a duty or a private devotion but a friend and a lifelong companion. Prayer and contemplation were for him a means and a source behind his entire pastoral ministry. Prayer led him to ministry and ministry created in him the need for prayer. It was for him a process of letting go of his old self and surrendering to God’s will with trust and love.

66. D; 3:1 “So far from the place where I wanted to put my ideas in practice I found great comfort in prayer, my intimate friend, and I prayed, and prayed and prayed.”

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Jesus, the model and the Way

The model and the way for Joseph De Piro’s prayer life was Jesus Himself: “all our religion” he said, “consists in the idea that God is present in our midst.”67 De Piro was fascinated by the apostles’ request, “Lord teach us to pray.” It is a simple, profound and direct question. The apostles do not ask Jesus how to work miracles, how to preach and teach, or how to lead the Church.“Lord teach us to pray” is the one and only requisite on which all other things depend upon. They ask the Lord to help them be in touch with their inner reality that brings them closer to the Father. The apostles realise that prayer is the secret behind Jesus’ personality. De Piro writes:

“In the Holy Gospel, almost in every page attention is drawn on the need to pray. This Truth is also taught by the example of Jesus Christ who used to spend nights praying…We see him pray before he begins some important action, before he chooses the Apostles, before Lazarus’ resurrection. We see him pray in the Garden before his passion. Now, if the need to pray is so great, it is as much difficult to know how to pray well. By himself, man would have

67. 3P; 389:1

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Spirituality of Prayer

never succeeded in finding the way to pray. When we remember the foundation of the Church, we find the Apostles, who are certain of the real need to pray but who do not manage to pray, and so they go near Jesus and ask Him to teach them how to pray.”68

De Piro’s prayer life was centred on Christ; “a characteristic of the Catholic faith is to offer oneself to God and pray to Him through Jesus Christ.”69 Prayer consists of listening to the voice of God who speaks through His Word; “The ear of our soul should always be ready to hear His voice.”70

“To find the very Sacred Heart of Jesus there is no need to go up to Heaven, to go up to the right of the Father, because Jesus is here with us. Jesus still lives on earth, among us, and we can go near Him any time we want. And He is always ready to welcome us and open to us His Heart to live in it…Enter this heart and you will find your safety.” 71

68. 2P; 276:169. 2P; 189:170. 3P; 288:371. 1P; 161:1

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If Jesus is the Word of God, then those who decide to follow Him must be ready to listen to His voice. It is an essential shift towards listening, from telling God what to do, to accepting from God every Word that comes our way. It is a difficult but necessary shift for someone who wants to have a life of prayer. It calls forth for an inner silence which speaks more than words. It allowed De Piro the space to be with his own reality and with his God.

Incarnation: the heart of God revealed

De Piro believed that Christianity does not consist of abstract notions about God, but of faith in a person, a God with us. Jesus became “the image of an invisible God”72. Through prayer, De Piro developed a relationship which touched a basic fundamental need; “Man’s heart is intended for God. The primary need of the human soul is to move towards God, to go near Him, to unite with Him. In God alone can man’s heart finds its life, peace and happiness.”73 De Piro writes: “In the incarnation the Divine nature is united to the human nature.”74 The incarnation of Jesus plays a central role in his writings. In this mystery he finds a source and a meeting point for his interior, missionary

72. Col; 1:1473. 2P; 183:174.1P: 77:1

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and apostolic life.

“In His generosity Jesus has abandoned everything. As the Word He left Heavens, and all that He enjoyed in the presence of his Father; the peace of eternal joy. As a man He left everything to embrace a life of suffering and sacrifice.”75

In line with the spirituality of his time, De Piro developed a spirituality of the heart through a devotion to the Heart of Jesus. Such devotion grew in response to his ever-growing awareness of God’s love for him. The image of the heart was a favourite one:

“The heart is the most important part of the human body. In fact, with a never-ending effort, it preserves our life and our health. And when in the evening after a day’s work, one’s arms are tired, one’s eyes are shut and the mind is paralysed by sleepiness, the heart keeps operating; it continues to beat and to see that life is preserved, because this is its grave responsibility.”76

75. 3P; 419:176. 1P; 133:1

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This image helped De Piro to articulate that the love of God is always present. He contemplates that God “never sleeps nor slumbers.”77 He contemplates that “this heart with all its light, all its love, all its treasures of His Grace, comes and lives in us.”78 Such devotion allowed De Piro to delve deeper into the love of God and find safety and shelter in it.

God’s Will

Discerning and doing God’s will was for De Piro his very life. In a letter to his sister he writes: “There is only one good wish I accept with all my heart: that I may be able to recognise God’s will and follow it faithfully. This is enough for me.”79 He was convinced that it is not enough to say yes to God once, not even for a year, but one must live it throughout his life to the end in spite of everything, day after day. In De Piro’s writings we never find nostalgic and sterile ruminations on the past. His look was very much towards the future. De Piro shows that a person’s greatness does not depend on his place in society or his role in the circles of the church. All these things can be taken away overnight. They can all disappear in an instant.

77. Ps;120:378. 1P; 138:179. Life; 32

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A person’s greatness resides in what is left to him precisely when everything that gave him outer brilliance and balance fades away and what he is left with, is the inner call that creates inner resources and depth of spirituality built not on results, but on faithfulness to God’s call:

“We must be ready to follow God’s Will with a real generous heart convinced in our motto, “We will follow you whenever you may go”.80

In fact this was his daily prayer: “After communion the grace that I ask for is that the Lord will help me to discern His will.” Many authors describe spiritual life as a struggle, a battle of wills and a moulding of beings. For De Piro, Mary is an excellent example of this struggle and surrender in faith: “I shall mention to you her obedience, and the manner in which her will was always and only the will of God.” Such trust emanated out of her faith in God’s love for her. Mary was a model for De Piro:

“The devotion towards Mary consists in obeying her. She herself says to us, ‘do what my son Jesus orders you to do’ ... In Mary you have found a treasure of holiness, grace and glory.”81

80. D, 1:781. 2P; 215:2

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Surrender in Love

“To go into your inner room means that you enter the room that is within you, where your thoughts are locked up, the place that contains your feelings. This room of prayer is within you at all times. Wherever you go, it is a secret place and what happens there is witnessed by God alone.”82

This quotation is a good summary of De Piro’s life. In a culture where doing was very important and where the value of the person was tied to one’s work, the call to enter the inner room of his feelings was quite an important and at the same time difficult task for De Piro. With a busy programme as his, De Piro was convinced of the need and the necessity to take time to explore his inner reality and discern the spirit that gives strength to and direction to his work.

“Prayer is the means that makes us receive treasures of graces from God… and such wonderful treasures such as faith, heaven, the love of God and neighbour are not deprived of a key, and this key can be found by any baptised

82. St. Ambrose, Divine Offi ce, Vol.III ( Dublin: Talbot press 1974) 613.

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person through prayer.”83

Wilter J. Burghardt defines contemplation as, “a pure intuition of being, born of love. It is an experiential awareness of reality and a way of entering into immediate communion with reality.”84 Thus to be contemplative and have a contemplative stance is to see life as the fruit of love and to see that all that happens is the result of this story of love between oneself and God. Out of this experience of love that transcended the level of thought, De Piro was able to integrate the emotional side with his rational side and live by this force of inner love.

De Piro compares contemplation with falling in love: “Why does the Lord order us to love him with all our heart, our soul and strength? Because he wants us to be happy, and we cannot be happy unless we love Him.”85 He felt born out of love, his life experiences were a window into that love given freely to all. He prayed: “Accept our prayer as a hymn of gratitude for many blessings we have received… fully untied with you, we may forever sing the hymn of love.”86 Only after falling in love could he be ready

83. S; 85:284. Walter J. Burghardt. Contemplation: A long loving look at the real (Church, Winter) 1989. 85. 1P; 37:186. Life; 337

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to proclaim that same love to others, “He who loves Jesus Christ will do his best to make all people of all nations love Him.”87 In love, De Piro found the reason not only to exist but to also live a fully human life: “We are tied not by iron chains, by moral duty, sin, or fear of hell, but by the sweet chain of love of our Lord.”88

To be in love with God and with creation is not just a romantic sensation; “Even our soul has to undertake a long journey through the desert of this life, and it needs to maintain its own forces.”89 Both Scripture and Christian mystical tradition speak about the desert or the dark night of the soul in this process of union with God. Contemplation does not always end up in delight. The desert, in biblical tradition, is the place where one has to face one’s inner demons. De Piro had to face his own self but he was able to acknowledge the hand of God in every difficult moment.

“God’s works bear contrariety as a sign…For the span of about fourteen years, there were so many difficulties, one after the other, that they would have tired everyone. But as it was God who set to work at the task, His servants

87. AM; 19488. 1P; 59:189. 1P; 81:1

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never lacked courage. Moreover, like a firm and sweet breeze, God’s Spirit that always accompanied the difficulties, blew in the sails of our poor boat troubled so much by the waves.”90

Contemplation for De Piro, is the knowledge of the One who loved him even in the most difficult situations. He let this love so penetrate his whole being that it strengthened him to love in return. De Piro believed in the transformation that such love could bring. Francis of Assisi and Therese of Lisieux were living examples of such personal change that they allowed God to change them and give them a vision, which they passed on to the world they lived in. “Therese and Jesus weren’t two anymore, but Therese had disappeared, as a drop of water in the sea, and Jesus remained alone.”91 What De Piro writes about Therese, very well describes his own life. “To touch men and women like these and you will touch the stars, will touch God.”92

To enter in the dwelling of his feelings was for De Piro an opportunity to fully experience the love of God. Such love helped him to experience his own weakness as well

90. AM: 409-41091. 2P; 264:192. Walter J. Burghardt; Contemplation: A Loving Look at the Real, (Church, Winter 1989) 18.

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as his need for the One who loved him. Experiencing that love was for him an experience that transformed his work into prayer and his whole being into a dwelling place for God. It also gave him the gift of inner freedom and he could also live with the freedom of others, as when the first priest of the Society asked to leave the Order. The attitude of the founder showed clearly an incredible inner freedom. The first priest giving witness in his old age gives an impressive picture: “he came and gave me the dispensation and told me that the bishop had accepted me in his diocese. Then he left the room quietly and went straight to the chapel and stayed there praying in silence holding face in hands.” Only in these moments of inner pain his spirituality is highlighted. Through these glimpses we can see his inner greatness and his inner resources. These experiences enabled him to be silent and to reflect, and the conviction became clear that he was only a servant. He firmly believed that a single tree makes much noise as it falls but no one hears the growing of the forest. De Piro understood that human greatness does not reside in what is visible but in what lies hidden in the heart: “il chiasso non fa bene, e il bene non fa chiasso.”

Characteristics of his Prayer life

Joseph De Piro believed that prayer is a relationship, and as all human relationships, it was prone to change. He

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changed and matured in his understanding of God and of his own self: “As physical life grows in stages, so the spiritual one…wait with patience and trust in the help of the Lord, wait for his mercy.”93

In studying his writings, there’s a difficulty in understanding De Piro’s soul. Where the need for prayer is well articulated, we find little about the way he prayed. What happened in these secret moments of prayer lead to a certain way of wisdom that is hard to express in words.

One of the experiences that marked his spiritual journey was his time in solitude in Switzerland. Soon after his ordination he feel ill and the doctors asked him to spend time in the mountains to recover his health. This was a time when he had to live the first months of his priesthood in isolation far from what he had imagined. In his personal diary which he use to write and from his letters, we know that the solitude and silence of Davos started to echo with a thousand noises. Here his ideas and dreams took root in his heart. This silent period in his life was a blessed one for him as he could do nothing more than pray. At the solitude of the mountains he reflected and prayed, coming to a deeper knowledge that, what was being asked from him was not his work but God’s work. Here he reflected

93. 3P; 422:2

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once again on the fragility of human life and learned from a very early stage in his priesthood to detach himself from his personal plans. This experience, though it’s not highly articulated, becomes a mystical one. One can consider it as his novitiate inaugurating him to his new life.

In spite the personal nature of prayer and the reserved character of Joseph De Piro in intimate matters, I will still attempt to read between the lines and articulate his prayer life, to bringing out the different characteristics. Here I do not intend to dissect De Piro’s thoughts but rather as it were, prayerfully wish to revolve his words over and over, trying to grasp different facet of lights. My wish is that reading his spiritual thoughts and quotations, be by itself an inspiration, having in turn the potential to become a prayer that can transform you.

God within

The first characteristic is the belief from a God who is above to a God who is within him. It is the realisation that God dwells in his heart and in his life, and it is through reality that God speaks to him.

“It is for our sake that God can be found everywhere; He has not chosen a particular

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city or sanctuary, but one can find Him in every corner of the city, in the country, on the mountains, in the valleys. He wants to stay among those dear to Him.”94

The relational aspect of prayer is very clear: “Prayer removes our distance and unites us with God. It is the noblest vocation; it gives us strength, comfort, joy and life. It is grace, indeed a source of grace.”95 It calls one to delve deeper, into one’s own room, inside the heart and meet God there, in secret:

“Always keep your soul as the temple of God should be; and when you cannot do meditation, when the short time of your communion has passed, don’t get discouraged but enclose yourselves for a moment with God inside your soul, and talk and pray with Him continuously.”96

Faith as a gift

“May the Lord, through His spirit, enable you

94. 1P; 93:195. 3P; 282:196. 3P; 288:4

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to grow firm in strength with regards to your inner self, so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then, planted in love and built on love, in all God’s holy people.”97

De Piro was convinced that, like all human relationships, there is a particular paradox about prayer. It is a gift from God but at the same time it depends on one’s openness to it; “if the need to pray is deep, it is as much difficult to know how to pray well. Let to his own devices man would have never succeeded in finding the way to pray.”98 De Piro knew by experience that he had to surrender into the reality of being loved by God. At the same time, he struggled to let go of his own defences in an act of self-surrender. He developed a very simple child-like attitude but it took him a life long journey to achieve it.

De Piro was very much in touch with his own weakness, and conscious that he shared in the weakness of all humanity. Humans by nature are weak; they are slaves of evil, so they need to unite themselves to God.99 Weakness for De Piro was not only moral but also physical. To his bishop Maurus Caruana he writes, “as you know, last

97. Eph; 3:16-1898. 2P; 201:199. AM; 60

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year I suffered a breakdown, that has weakened me, I lost energy and strength to keep up with my activities.”100 Such weakness was never a source of discouragement. On the contrary, it drew him more and more to root his strength in God as he prayed:

“Lord see that my heart be similar to yours, that the saying ‘the priest is another Christ’ assimilates more in me. My heart is poor, you enrich it with your heavenly gifts. My heart is weak,you give it life with your love. My heart is restless you strengthen it with your blessings. My heart is blind, but you shine forth with your divine light.”101

Basic to De Piro’s prayer life was to learn to be in tune with the voice that was calling him in his story and to “judge everything with the eyes of faith.”102 In order to develop such an attitude, one needed to be near the Lord, “as water is necessary for the tree so is prayer for the soul

100. Life; 347101. 1P; 144:2102. S; 11:2

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that believes. As long as we go on praying we get stronger in virtue and in the grace of God.”103

Transformed in the image of the Son

The spirituality of Joseph De Piro centres round the fact that the spiritual life finds its fulfilment in bringing one’s entire life into a transforming, loving communion with the ineffable God “who in the most intimate union with us transform us in Himself.”104 This communion becomes the raison d’etre and the fulfilment of De Piro’s deeper self: “The one who loves, finds himself similar, or strives to resemble the person he loves.”105

Many mystics developed a spirituality based on the mystical union with Christ. John of the Cross defines prayer as a meeting with the One who loves us. Dietrich Bonhoeffer speaks of Christ as the One in whom we can find all that we have a right to expect from God. In Christ we find everything we need if we are open enough to listen to His voice.

De Piro saw Jesus as the way to the Father, and so he

103. S; 85:3104. 1P; 77:1105. 2P; 216:1

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had to be grafted in Him. He was called to live the life of Christ; “indeed” echoing the words of Paul, “it is Christ who lives in me.”106 Christianity was much more than an expression of brotherly love, more than philanthropy. Rather it is a call to be transformed; “that all live the life of Christ is not just an idea suggested by mystical exaltation, but it is the real sense of the Christian life.”107 He realised that to be a Christian, implied a life rooted in the Risen Christ.

Joseph De Piro leads us along a journey of inner self- transformation by the grace of God. James Finley puts it:

“The self that begins the journey is not the self that arrives. The self that begins is the self that we thought ourselves to be. It is the self that dies along the way until in the end ‘no one’ is left. This ‘no one’ is our true self… It is the self in God, the self bigger than death yet born of death, it is the self the Father forever loves.”108

John of the Cross defines contemplation as: “El

106. 1P; 77:3107. 2P; 237:2108. James Finley; Meton’s Place of Nowhere, (USA: Ave Maria Press Indiana, 1985) 17.

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amado con el amada, el amada en amado transformada.”109 Contemplation defined De Piro’s life: “We lean towards union, and the more the union is near, the more love grows.”110 It echoes the theology of the Eastern Fathers who believed that our vocation is divination…to become like God: He became human so that humanity can become God. De Piro explains this transformation in metaphors and images:

“God shows himself as a Father who gives Himself as a gift to His own children. Then the final and highest stage of love lies in the union between the lover and the loved object. As iron moulds by the fire, so the soul, which receives Holy Communion, becomes Jesus.”111

De Piro was aware of a link between his humanity and his spiritual process: the two were never divorced from one another but had a mutual influence on each other. By being open to prayer he was also open to receive God’s gift of love in his weakness and every day reality. On Francis of Assisi he writes:

109. Kathleen Jones, The Poems of St. John of the Cross: Spanish and English Texts, (New York: Burnes & Oates, 1993) Author’s translation: The lover with the beloved, the beloved in the lover trans-formed. 110. 2P; 276:3111. 1P; 20:2

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“These words of St Paul synthesise the story of the soul of Francis of Assisi. They express the life of the man transfigured by means of grace, transformed in another Jesus Christ… Indeed, he had the mission to do reform, according to Christ’s teachings, to make Christ live in the midst of society, and he himself had to be full of this divine life. And he, more than others, could repeat the words of Saint Paul: “vivi vero in me Christus.”112

De Piro saw Francis as a model and a friend in this process of inner transformation.

“In the solitude of Ravenna, one day while Francis was lost in contemplation on the suffering of Christ, he felt such a deep love that he himself changed into Christ.”113

Transformation in Christ is the aim and the result of his prayer life; “the most intimate union with us is to transform us in Himself.”114 One would not expect such depth in De Piro’s spirituality given the kind of active person he was.

112. 2P; 236:2113. 2P; 233:1114. 1P; 77:1

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“Christ lives in me”, was for him the membership card to enter heaven.115 Furthermore it was the proof of his love for Christ: “one cannot demonstrate a bigger witness of one’s love than when he is prepared to give his own life for Him whom he loves.”116 The result of this love that overflows from his encounter with God was the deep conviction that: “Everything that happens during the day, whether it is to our liking or not, let us always be ready to repeat the words of our heavenly Father: your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”117 This was articulated so well by John Paul II when he said:

“The man who wishes to understand himself thoroughly and not just in accordance with immediate, partial, often superficial and even illusory standards and measures must…draw near Christ. He must, so to speak, enter him with all his own self, he must ‘appropriate’ and assimilate the whole of the reality of the Incarnation and Redemption in order to find himself. If this profound process takes place within him, he then bears the fruit not only of adoration of God but also of deeper wonder of himself.”118

115. 2P; 238:1116. 2P; 239:3117. S; 78:2118. Veritatis Splendor, n.8

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Solidarity with humanity

“Whereas speech is the mark of community, silence is what characterises solitude…We should be silent at the opening of the day so that God has the first word, and be silent at the end of the day so that God will have the last word. True silence is the consequence of spiritual stillness. After we have been silent for a time, we meet the world and other people in a new and fresh way.”119

Bonhoeffer’s words echo DePiro’s thought. Prayer is not an end in itself but a means; “God’s love should be the cause of the love of our neighbour.”120 Here lies the roots of a radical commitment towards others, as prayer resulted in service:

“Those who have Christian blood in their veins will naturally feel in their heart the desire to help their neighbour, which is the same desire of the heart that would like to follow the Divine Master Jesus Christ.”121

119.William O.Paulsell, Rules of Prayer (New York: Doubleday & Company, 1975.) 87.120. 3P; 403:1121. S; 34:1

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This marks the move from prayer as a personal private affair to solidarity with other human beings. Being alone with God leads us to be aware of and getting involved in the struggles of others. Thus prayer becomes radical: “one can be exempted from praying, fasting and doing common acts, but never from loving one’s neighbour.”122

De Piro realised that prayer leads to love otherwise it is not real Christian prayer; “the treasure of all treasures is love, it is the king of all virtues, the fullness of perfection, God himself.”123 From his writings it is evident that ministry was intimately related to De Piro’s spiritual life as a minister. His spirituality and life of prayer were never by any means an escape from the hot issues of his time. In Joseph De Piro we have a model of a minister whose ministry and spirituality were never separated; both ministry and spirituality were a way of life, his life.

Prayer for Joseph De Piro was a constant growth in faith through which he developed a vision that guided all his life. He learned that God will work all things for the good of those who love him. So prayer becomes a way to meet God the Father through His Son. The path, once taken, becomes less and less the focus of the journey; the

122. 3P; 409:1123. S; 33:1

Young Joseph (3rd from the left, sitting on the chair) with his brothers

Joseph in his youthful days with his family in their residence in Mdina

De Piro as a seminarian during his years of priestly formation in Rome

Joseph De Piro, as a young priest

De Piro, on pilgrimage to Lourdes

Joseph De Piro, leading a pilgrimage in Rome

A representation of the suffering Jesus, drawn by Joseph

Joseph De Piro with the first members of his Society

Joseph De Piro at St Joseph ‘s Home for boys (above)and

Fra Diegu Home for girls (left)

Left: Joseph De Piro with the architect at the site of the Motherhouse of the Society, St Agatha in Rabat, Malta

Right: Extract from the original hand written rules of the Society;a deep reflection on St Paul’s canticle of Love (Page116)

Joseph De Piro: active priest of the Church of Malta

Joseph De Piro and Archbishop Mauro Caruana

Loyal friend and callaborator of the Archbishop of Malta

Joseph De Piro with two members of the Society, John Vella and Joseph Caruana

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goal becomes the all-pervading concern. Thomas Merton writes that: “Jesus is not the goal but only the way to it.”124 To be one with Christ is to be fully in the path as Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and no one can go to the Father expect through Him.”125

In prayer Joseph De Piro learnt to love, forgive, serve, follow and let himself be moulded by the hands that created him, in an act of total self-surrender. Prayer was the path to seek the face of God, in his story, in his brothers and sisters, and above all in his own soul and deep inspirations. Prayer enlarged his vision of reality and helped him to enter the inner room of his heart, and to feel safe in the loving hands of God.

124. Thomas Merton, The Humanity of Christ in Monastic Prayer, (New York: New Directions, 1967) 87.125. Jn; 14:6

“God’s works bear contrariety

as a sign…

Since it was God who

set to work at the task,

his servants never lacked courage.

Moreover, like a firm and sweet breeze

God’s Spirit always accompanied

the difficulties and blew

in the sails of our poor boat

troubled so much by the waves.”

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Spirituality of MinistryYour Kingdom come

“L’amore di Dio e’ e deve essere il motivo dell’amore

del prossimo.”126

The Christian message is by its very nature a message of hope, love and service. The Word of God is “Spirit and Life” and in the spirituality of Joseph De Piro these two realities go hand in hand; so much so that one is the logical consequence of the other. Jesus’ incarnation calls for a faith that implies involvement in the world through values such as solidarity, availability and hope. This way of living out the faith is, in itself, evangelisation. Nouwen writes:

“When we have met our Lord in the silent intimacy of our prayer, then we will also meet him in the campo, in the market, and in the town square. But when we have not met him in the centre of our hearts, we cannot expect

126. 3P; 403:1 “God’s love is, and should be the cause of the love of one’s neighbour.”

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to meet him in the busyness of our lives… This viewpoint explains why true ministers, true missionaries, are also contemplative. Seeing God in the world and making him visible to each other is the core of ministry as well as the core of the contemplative life.”127

In this chapter, I would like to delve deeper in the spirituality of ministry as understood by Joseph De Piro. I will try to link his spirituality of prayer with his missionary spirituality by highlighting some fundamental characteristics of the way he lived his Christian calling.

Called to love

Louis J. Luzbetak says that “a spirituality of mission presupposes a deep but humble and obedient sense of personal mission, a conviction tied to an unshakeable trust in God.”128 De Piro’s spirituality of mission starts with the basic notion that he felt called by God. Defining one’s calling is difficult:

127. Henry Nouwen; Gracias: A Latin American Journal. (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1983) 21.

128. Louis J. Luzbetak, The Church and Cultures, (New York: Orbis Books 1993) 6

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Spirituality of Ministry

“A Christian vocation is a gradual revelation of me to myself by God. … In this vision, a vocation is not some external role visited upon us. It is our own religious identity; it is who we are, trying to happen.”129

In this light, we can understand the importance that De Piro attaches to his vocation. Joseph De Piro was essentially a priest and his manifold works sprang basically from a vivid awareness of his priestly commitment. He made the calling for priesthood as the cornerstone of his life. He recalls the experience on the 8th of May, 1898, as the moment when he made the decision to follow this inner voice: “Last year it was the same Madonna who offered me to her divine Son on this earth.”130 He felt a strong desire to become a priest and it was accompanied by a deep mature process of discernment which had to pass the test of time. In this process he proves to be not only a spiritual person but someone who deeply knew himself with strength and weakness. His calling had big consequences on his life. Coming from a very rich family, he had countless possibilities ahead of him. He had to give up his studies in Civil Law. He however saw God’s providential hand in

129. Whitehead and Whitehead, Seasons of Strenght: New Visions of Adult Christian Maturing(New York: Doubleday) 22.130. Life; 34

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everything, even in the unexpected death of his father who had objected to the idea of his son entering the priesthood. In a letter to his mother, De Piro wrote:

“According to our judgement, this year has been a year of misfortune. This is our way of looking at it, because God does nothing that is not perfect, and his works cannot be but good. On this occasion I can say without fear that the consolations we have experienced have been greater than the grief caused through our great loss.”131

De Piro’s calling was rooted in the awareness that “Jesus prefers those who wish to remain hidden. When He chose me to be one of his ministers, He found me among sinners.”132 He understood his vocation as the answer and as a deep desire to be near the One who called him. De Piro deeply believed that, “we have been created just to love Him,”133 and that “God will give Himself completely to those who leave everything for His love.”134

This deep awareness of being called played a central

131. Life; 22132. Life; 88133. AM; 90:1134 Life; 343

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role in De Piro’s life. The Lord Jesus was his life and his model; “Jesus’ life on earth has been an act of self-giving and He wants his followers to follow His steps.”135 The uniqueness of Christ lies in the fact that He followed the will of the Father fully with all its consequences, even unto death. De Piro reflected on Augustine’s words that, “He who gave him all he had, wanted him to give him all he was.”136 De Piro reflects on the words of the prophet Isaiah and prays:

“You have never liked sacrifices and holocausts. You have given me a body. Indeed, you have given me a body, a heart, a soul. Behold I offer them to you, I consecrate them to the souls’ glory.”137

Having said all this, we still fall short of understanding the depth of De Piro’s calling. In his own words, “It is fitting that some secrets of the heart are left only to Jesus.”138 On the other hand, his writings clearly show that for him following Jesus meant, first and foremost, to know and chose in daily life God’s unique calling for him. De Piro made the question of the young man in the gospel his own:

135. 3P; 418:1136 AM; 126137. 3P; 418:2138. AM; 440

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“O good Master, what should I do to obtain eternal life? Follow me. Behold, in this consists our calling!”139 The idea of viewing his own vocation as a valuable starting point for his spirituality thus developed. De Piro’s only wish was to “remain a priest without honours; for me the priesthood is the highest honour.”140 The motto that inspired all his life, deeply shows that for him discipleship was always very central. The Lord was always the very centre of his whole spiritual life.

Discernment: a way of life

One cannot speak of a vocation to ministry without referring to discernment. De Piro was formed in the Jesuit tradition and through this influence he adopted discernment as a way of life. In the most important and crucial moments of his life we cannot but notice that discernment was his greatest concern and he decided in a very mature way. Richard Hauser provides this definition:

“Discernment is the art of listening to our inner selves and learning to recognize (discern) movements that arise from the Holy Spirit

139. 3P; 284:1140. Life; 89

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(our true selves) from those which do not.”141

Discernment was as natural to De Piro as breathing. When he was discerning his vocation he wrote on a piece of paper what led him to enter the priesthood and what were his deepest fears. When he had to discern where to live, he came to the conclusion that “if I live with my family, I shall be tempted to grow attached to worldly goods. Even if I do not get attached, money and wealth will take up much of my time and make me think of these matters frequently.”142 On this basis, he chose to live with the orphans, the poor of his time. De Piro was very much in tune with the fruits of discernment. To feel peace of heart was for him a sure sign that he was doing God’s will: “everybody desires peace of heart and will remain unhappy if he does not succeed in finding it even though he might be occupying high places in society. Man finds his calmness when his heart is at peace with God, even though he might be the most looked down upon being on earth. 143

Another important aspect in his discernment were the inspirations of his heart. He trusted these inspirations and

141. Richard Hauser, Each Mortal Thing Does One Thing and the Same-Selves: An Approach to Christian Discernment., in Handbook of Spirituality for Ministers (Mahwah: Paulist Press 1995) 207.142. Life; p.99143. S; 74:2

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saw in them a window that opened unto God. “God,” he writes “shows us His will not only by things external to us but also by means of inspirations...We should pay great attention to our internal inspirations.”144 Such was his belief in inspiration that in the Rule for his Order he wished the members to, “make others share the holy inspirations, which the Lord would have inspired in them.145 In doing so, value was given to what is human and ordinary in every day life as he thought that spirituality is about holistic formation and involves the person in his totality. In the Rule, De Piro seals this reality saying; “one must not fail to notice that all one’s natural and human gifts received from God are helping greatly for the welfare of the Order.”146 “Outward appearance is the reflection of the inner self; as the fragrance of a vase of flowers, so virtue cannot hide itself.“147 Discernment led De Piro to an integration of his whole life. He was convinced that:

“As a Christian, in every action one should imitate the example of Jesus Christ. One should imitate His innocence, and so try to remove any dishonest action, whilst being loyal to God’s commandments, always and everywhere. One should imitate His

144. AM; 77145. 2P; 11:4146. 2R, 12:1147. 3P; 280:1

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humility and so avoid self-praise. Moreover one should not pride on one’s social position, nor on the praise received from others.”148

Availability

Robert Wicks defines availability as “an opportunity to be spiritual, to be open to relationships in the deepest and most elegant sense of the term…without a sense of availability to self, others and God, life loses its spirituality.”149 Joseph De Piro lived his vocation open to others and with a strong involvement in the world he lived in. It was not born out of pure generosity or kindness but out of a deep personal and religious conviction. Through obedience, he saw the possibility of offering himself in total availability to God in response to the availability of God’s love for him:

“Obedience is the Society’s characteristic virtue. It is clear that its members should not obey only in serious matters. They should try to be perfect in such excellent virtue, thus imitating Jesus Christ, a real perfect example, and His Apostle and our Father, St Paul, who with meaningful words answered his call:

148. 3P; 424:1149. Robert Wicks; Availability. (New York: Paulist Press, 1986) 34.

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“Lord what do you want me to do?” and offered himself as a sacrifice to God, putting in practice Christian obedience.”150

De Piro like Paul tried to live primarily this virtue in his own life. His decision to live in St Joseph’s orphanage was based precisely on this attitude of availability towards God. “In St. Joseph’s Home it will be easy for me to focus on the virtue of obedience, without binding myself with the vow.”151 He developed an attitude of allowing himself to be accessible and available to all. Such attitude involved the risk of the unknown, the loss of control and the loss of the ability to predetermine his life. It was an attitude that led him to freely give this control to God. This developed in an attempt to move to the unknown, guided only by the light of his faith. Such availability involved a sense of emptiness which led to active receptivity. As founder and superior, he felt obliged before God to do much more than he counselled others to do. The prayer of Thomas Merton articulates well the importance of availability for De Piro:

“I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know

150. 2R; 3:1151. Life; 99

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that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it.”152

Solidarity with all

“Christianity is first of all a way of life, rather than a way of thought. Merely to study Christian truths and gain intellectual understanding of them is not enough… It is only by living the Christian life that we come to understand the full meaning of the Christian message.”153

Letting go and letting God be, inevitably led De Piro to social involvement. In a world in which poverty was the norm, De Piro could not but get involved and contribute to be there for people who needed help. Karol Wojtyla defined solidarity as:

“A natural consequence of the act that a human being exists and acts together with others. Solidarity is also the foundation of a community in which the common good conditions and liberates participation, and participation serves the common

152. Thomas Merton (New York: Strauss and Giroux, 1956) 50.153. ibid., 77.

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good, supports it, and implements it. 154

Jesus was the inspiring force behind De Piro’s solidarity with all. In Jesus he saw a missionary who redeemed people by being with them and by showing them the Father’s love. The incarnation was for him the cornerstone of such spirituality. The mystery of Christmas was for him a light and a refuge. He reflects:

“You can tell Jesus that he did not have to be born in a stable in the cold winter; you can tell him he did not have to suffer for us; you can tell him he did not have to shed his precious blood for us. He will answer that he could not help doing all this for us. His heart could not but love us; and he could not help trying to make us understand his infinite love for us. This heart that has loved human beings so greatly.”155

It was this conviction and the desire to be one with the Lord that opened him to “a selfless dedication to the needs of others.”156 Solidarity was not an option but a basic

154. Donal Dorr, Option For The Poor, A Hundred Years of Vatican Teaching, (Dublin: Gill and Macmillan, 1983) 245-246.155. Life; 328156. Evangelii Nuntiandi, n.79

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constitution in De Piro’s spirituality. There was a form of inner fire burning inside of him which consumed him. It was a divine generosity, bursting to be bestowed on others. Paul writes: “I will gladly spend myself…for your sakes.”157

Spending oneself for others becomes an important dimension of a true missionary spirituality. As St.John puts it: “the way we came to understand love was that He laid down His life for us; so we too must lay down our lives for our brothers.”158 This implied for De Piro a daily self-giving. Louis Luzbetak puts it: “the most painful and most important but generally unrecognised form of self immolation is the call to small but real and continuous daily sacrifices.”159

It was such deep solidarity that prompted De Piro to reflect on the canticle of love. He proposed it to all the members of his Society in their original Rule. He makes Paul’s words his own, knowing that love always comes at a price. In his reflection which can be considered as a ‘Lectio Divina’ of the Pauline text, he give the DNA of a spirituality of communion, having as the best guide St Paul of whom he made himself an ardent disciple and imitator. He wished

157. 2 Cor; 12:15158. 1Jn; 3:16159. Louis J. Luzbetak.; The Church and Cultures, (New York: Orbis Books, 1993) 5.

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and proposed a way of achieving this attitude of solidarity in daily life. He writes:

“Everyone should be convinced as regards to the need of reciprocal love. The power and efficacy of our Society’s pastoral work, towards the glory of God and the redemption of humankind, depends upon the unity of our Society members. This bond can only be possible and reachable, if one accepts and tolerates the defects and weaknesses of others. Following Paul’s words: ‘Carry each other’s troubles’, we should always carry each other’s burdens, having the well-being of others as our first priority rather than our personal interest.

‘Love is ready to endure whatever comes,’ as with a calm spirit, one accepts the persecution he receives.‘Love is always ready to forgive,’ as it repays wrong with goodness.‘Love is never jealous,’ as it is not envious of the wealth of others.‘Love is never boastful,’ as it is not boastful about material wealth.‘Love is never conceited,’ it is not malicious, ambitious or crafty

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as God is everything to them, they will enjoy everything in Him.‘Love is never rude or selfish,’ since nothing is its possesion and God is everything for it. ‘Love does not take offence, is not resentful,’ It does not take revenge and does not bear a grudge towards those who cause them harm or injury.‘Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins,’ because it delights in the truth and always thinks of what is good in others.

For this reason, everyone should be careful and discreet of how he speaks of himself and others. One should never degrade his brothers’ self-esteem. On the contrary, he should consider others better than himself and be very respectful and attentive in showing respect to everyone.

No one should give orders to others unless one has got such authority. One must always try to seek and to help others when asked or even when not asked for, especially when one knows that his actions will be well received. Without going beyond one’s potential or what one can endure, one should always do his utmost to help in fulfilling others aspirations.

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When the missionaries are going to correct each other, they should make sure of their good intentions and do so with delicacy and lot of love. May they be ever ready to forgive, when they hurt or feel hurt due to human weakness. One should be honoured to be the first to apologise, leading to true reconciliation even when it is not his fault or else when he is hurt. This should not be postponed to the day after. One should follow Paul’s words; ‘Never let the sun set on your anger’ and never go to rest before doing so.

Living this love and following the words of our Apostle father, the missionary will have the courage to say the words; ‘Just as I try to be helpful to everyone at all times, not anxious for my own advantage but for the advantage of everybody else, so that they may be saved’ ”.160

These words reflect the heart and attitudes of De Piro. Solidarity meant for him loving others. Service was the expression of his search for God and not just the desire to bring about social change. In fact, his spirituality is not just an expression of human brotherly love embedded in religious

160. 2R; 13:2

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jargon. It is much more than philanthropy. His writings show clearly that solidarity comes from community and communal love, knowing that the Christian community is the body of Christ in space and time.

In reading the signs of his times,De Piro felt that he could live out his solidarity in society by being involved in various fields of ministry. I will only focus on two main areas; his involvement with orphans and his involvement in politics.

Living with Orphans

The founding of St. Joseph’s Home caught the imagination of Joseph De Piro; “the desire to live with the priests in St. Joseph’s Home had been constantly present in De Piro’s mind and heart even while he was still a student in Rome.”161 Reflecting on what he wanted to do after his ordination he wrote: “I kept on thinking constantly whether I should go and live in St. Joseph’s Home.”162 Living in this house with more than two hundred boys, De Piro could live concretely his solidarity. Compassion was evident in his life. He could be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion

161. Life; 203162. Life; 204

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meant for him full immersion in the condition of the poor and the weak of his time.

Working with the orphans was dear to De Piro’s heart and his sense of availability and obedience led him to accept the direction of not less than six different homes for boys and girls.

Working for justice

De Piro held that “Faith will bring freedom with it.”163 Solidarity led him to be seriously involved in politics. His spirituality was not lived in a storm-free zone but in the reality of life; hence, his spirituality implied social involvement and action. As the representative of the Maltese clergy in the National Assembly he felt duty- bound to give his share.

De Piro proclaimed forcefully that “man’s heart is intended for God. The primary need of the human soul is to move towards God, to go near Him, to unite with Him. Man’s heart finds its life, its peace, its happiness only in God.”164 When speaking on education he said: “In the schools, not only intellectual culture is necessary

163. S; 12:1164. 2P; 183:1

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but essentially the careful training of the heart.”165 In the discussion about the health scheme problem De Piro insisted that: “In hospitals the sick need not only material solace but also spiritual uplift.”166 De Piro never refrained from speaking for social justice. He was aware that even in the Church, people can become slaves of public opinion, and would not speak out because of fear of what others might think about them. This was even more so because of the sociopolitical conflict of his time. However he held the belief that: “if the Holy Spirit descends upon you, you shall confess your faith courageously in Jesus Christ. You should not take heed of respect for public opinion: acknowledge God’s commandments, do not be ashamed to say no.”167

De Piro believed that this was part of his priestly vocation; “the priest should cry out and raise his voice as a trumpet, and keep alive the flame of the Catholic faith. When selfishness triumphs and the poor are ill-treated, the priest who preaches the commandment of evangelical charity with apostolic courage should remind all of justice.”168 He was conscious of this prophetic calling: “the priest reminds you that the surplus of wealth does not belong to you, it is the patrimony of the poor. Help the poor, love him because

165. Life; 284166. Life; 285167. 1P; 16:1168. 1P; 66:1

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he is your brother.”169

In order to respond to this inner call without any fear, De Piro knew that he needed the strength and the inspiration from the Lord who called him. He shares with his fellow priests:

“I know you will not be surprised if I tell you that I really felt God was guiding me to speak that evening in the Senate… By the grace of God I did not utter a word which could offend anyone, which later I would have regretted saying… allow me first of all to thank God for his help.”170

Missionary involvement

De Piro’s entire pastoral ministry, reflections, prayers and writings reveal a man inspired by missionary zeal. Kosuke Koyama defines a missionary as “anyone who increases by participation the concretisation of the love of God in history”. De Piro was aware that this concretisation of God’s love was a gift that God wanted to give to the Church through him “The future of the missions lies in the hands of everyone.”171

169. 1P; 70:1170. Life; 295171. AM; 208

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His missiology was Christo-centric, and the more he tried to assimilate the vision of Christ, the more this missionary zeal grew in him: “The Lord Jesus Christ taught us to embrace the whole world.”172 Reflecting on the purpose of missionary endeavours, he came to the conclusion that “the Church sends its missionaries all over the world to extend more and more the Kingdom of the Sacred Heart of Jesus present in the Eucharist. This heart does not know limits: it wants to include all nations, all men, no one excluded.”173 This attitude of openness to the entire world was inclusive of all races and peoples since, “according to divine institution there can be no difference of race in the Catholic Church.”174

Another important truth central for Joseph De Piro was that missionary work is above all the work of the Holy Spirit. The missionaries are only instruments, relying on the power of the Holy Spirit: “The Holy Spirit has descended not only to fill the apostles with love, but also that they might impel others with the fire of their own tongue.”175 Such mission prompts the heart of ministers to embrace the entire world. His belief was that the ministry of Catholic ministers should includes the whole world:

172. AM; 154173. 1P; 129:1174. AM; 162175. 1P; 18:1

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“The priest, apostle of Jesus Christ, does not limit his mission to one single country, one single city, to his motherland, and his country. Indeed, since for him distances do not count, he leaves his fatherland, says goodbye to his friends, his relatives, his father and mother with only the power of the Word as his weapon.”176

De Piro’s desire that he himself would go one day to the missions was never realised. He had everything planned to go and visit Br. Joseph, the first missionary of the Order working in Ethiopia. De Piro was eagerly waiting this day but unfortunately, due to his unexpected death in September 1933, his wish was never realized. He had also so many unrealized projects, projects of which he only saw the very beginning or their very seeds. However, the more we explore the heart and attitudes of this man, the more we realise that he was much more than a missionary, even though he never set foot on a missionary land. His zeal and eagerness make him not only missionary at heart but founder of a missionary Order. De Piro’s great desire is being realised each and every day when members of his Order, inspired by his charism, fulfil in ministry his inspirations and dreams.

176. 1P; 66:2

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Missionary Awareness

Joseph De Piro believed that the first step to missionary involvement was missionary awareness. He felt the need to instil in the Maltese people a sense of what mission, missionaries and missionary work was all about. Loving and working for missions meant for him having the love of the redeemer who “leaves the ninety-nine sheep in order to seek the one which withdrew from the bosom of the flock of the church.”177 He knew that missionary awareness had to reach out to as many people as possible and that he had to work and pray hard so that the “light of Christ shined everywhere.”178 As a means and an effective tool to achieve this he made use of printed material:

“The printed material is one of the best servants to proclaim the missionary thought, to form the mind and heart of youth, to raise up and gather missionary vocations, and also to ask for temporal help.”179

The outcome was a newsletter: ‘St Paul: Almanac for Missionary Institute’ and almost every article published in

177. AM; 171178. AM; 404179. AM; 343

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the Almanac was written by De Piro.180 The aim was two-fold. Firstly he wished to create awareness of missionary work and to make available documents and reflections about missionary endeavours in the world. In this way, he showed different ways of how one can be a missionary. “If we cannot give our work because we have not been called for it,” he wrote, “if we cannot give temporal wealth because we lack it, let us at least not leave undone what we can do, that is to pray for missionaries.”181 Secondly, he wished to make known his missionary Order and to invite young people to consider the missionary vocation.

Help and support to Missionaries

De Piro was conscious that “It is not enough to send a missionary and leave him on his own. One must support him and give him the help which he needs.”182 De Piro was a very pragmatic person and knew that various types of help were needed if missionaries were to achieve their aim. Br. Joseph’s letters manifest the great care that De Piro had for this first missionary. Br. Joseph found in De Piro a father and a person who really supported him. Expressing his sincere gratitude he writes: “Dear Father, even though so far

180. Life; 142181. AM; 152182. AM; 195

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away, you help me in my spiritual duties. I thank you Father and hope that Jesus will repay you for all you do for me.”183 With all the different works he was responsible for, De Piro felt called to support the missionaries in many ways:

“No, we will not forget you; we will be with you in our thoughts, during our work, when we are helping you. You pray for us and we will pray for you. In this way our heart, immersed in that of precious heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ, will keep beating for you although far away from each other.”184

Missionary Vocations

Another field into which De Piro invested energy was vocational work: “one of the best efforts of missionary work is to help to promote other missionary vocations.”185 Besides promoting and supporting missionary vocations at home in Malta, De Piro had a prophetic vision of promoting indigenous vocations.

The very foundation of the Missionary Society of St

183. FG; 14:1184. S; 38:1185. S; 55:1

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Paul was a clear answer to missionary vocations. With the deep conviction that “instilling a Missionary vocation is a very precious thing in God’s eyes,”186 Joseph De Piro tried his best to create the right environment where such a vocation could become a reality. He expressed great happiness when one of his members was ordained priest:

“As the birth of a new member in a family brings great joy…the same thing happens in our religious family at the sight of a new priest joining the life of the society. The joy is even greater for us in our beginnings, when priests are so badly needed to work in the vineyard of Christ.”187

His need and wish for missionary vocations were always accompanied by the awareness that such a vocation was not easy, and that it demanded, by its very nature great sacrifice. He made it clear to anyone who aspired to join his Order that:

“A missionary vocation is a great honour and the sacrifice it demands is also great. The missionary has to be separated from the

186. S; 63:1187. Life; 256

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world, his native land and his family. Those who are called walk happily on the way of the cross, and with a generous heart make their sacrifice in abandoning all for Jesus, a step rewarded with great happiness. It is a wonderful and admirable call and we must help all concerned.”188

Furthermore, De Piro gave importance to the formation of what he called the indigenous clergy. He realised that only by forming leaders from the local cultures would the gospel really be implanted in the roots and hearts of these people.

“The formation of the indigenous clergy is one of the best means to announce the gospel of Christ. When the people see a priest from the same country in front of them they feel more confident and accept his word more willingly. Likewise it is much easier for the indigenous priest to divulge the doctrine of Christ because he recognises better the character of his people.”189

188. Life; 344189. AM; 172

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The power of the Cross

One cannot speak of a truly Christo-centric spirituality without a reference to the cross as the path to new life. De Piro calls the cross, “the most powerful tool against one’s enemies.”190 In line with Pauline theology he knew that the message of the missionary is “Christ and Christ crucified… power of God and the Wisdom of God.”191 Here lies the challenge to follow Christ. De Piro’s faith challenged him to see the cross as a sign of God’s presence. He held that:

“To find his cross the Christian does not need…to undertake long journeys and strain himself. What he has to find is not a material cross, but a spiritual one, which lies around him and behind him in such a way that if he were to flee from it or avoid it, he would not succeed.”192

Hans Kung says that, “Faith is challenged to see the cross as a sign of God’s presence in God’s very absence, as a sign of life through death. Following Christ does not simply imply imitating Him. It also implies, to act in a way

190. 1P; 48:1191. 1Cor; 1:23192. 1P; 48:2

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analogous to and correlative with Christ’s way of acting… the message of Jesus Christ must always be translated.” De Piro, through his union with the Lord, was able to accept in faith the cross in his life. He was convinced of the Lord’s love: “Who will separate me from the love of God?”193 Even when caught in the web of meaninglessness and suffering, De Piro never lost hope in the Lord.

This process of being one with Christ in His suffering meant for him absolute dependency on God. For him the cross of the Lord meant a deep conviction that in his insecurity, anxiety, darkness, loneliness and failure, God was always there for him and with him. This attitude of trust is at its best when De Piro faced the death of some of his family members. He was well able to unite his humanity with his spirituality: “It is natural for us to weep when our heart is breaking with sorrow, but when God permits that we should suffer, this very grief becomes our treasure.”194 Nothing is more dramatic in the life of faith as when one encounters the silence of God. When the only light in the journey is the experience of God, that is what one holds on to. De Piro believed that God had called him to accomplish a work but then there were also moments when the results at hand were very discouraging. It is precisely at these

193. 1P; 44:2194. Life; 33

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moments when the holiness of Joseph De Piro shines forth, as he had to journey in total darkness believing in God’s promise even though it seemed that suddenly God himself had lost interest in the work. There were moments when he felt alone, forgotten, rejected and made fun of from members of the church.

The Cross made it possible for De Piro to see meaning in very difficult situations, to hope against all hope and to trust in his dreams and his call: “I thank God for visiting us in the midst of our rejoicing, with some set-backs. After all, He is quite capable of using this mishap for the good of the work that is coming to life.”195 In the words of Hans Kung, the virtue of hope inspired by the crucified Christ made him able not only to act but also to suffer, not merely to live but also to die.

I shall explore two main features from De Piro’s life that show how he lived this conviction. Firstly the number of members who left his Order in its very beginnings. Secondly his deep faith in God’s providence.

Members leaving the Order

A constant source of disappointment in his life was

195. Life; 230

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when some members left the Order after years of education and formation. He writes:

“From the beginnings to this very day, each day has had its heavy burden. I have had disappointments and suffered humiliations. Three students, in whom I had placed my faith, left, and this hurt me, for they had been considered very promising at the institute. On the other hand, Divine Providence has never failed to lighten my burdens. I do not wish these events to overshadow others which have given me great happiness.”196

The above quotation shows clearly an ability to feel the hurt and to unite his suffering with the Crucified Lord in full trust of divine providence. De Piro’s reaction and his deep compassion for those who left the Order is impressive. He was so united with Christ that Christ’s attitude acted as a guiding light in such situations:

“One day a priest of deep spirituality… said to him: ‘Don’t you see people are fooling you, and robbing you?’ De Piro calmly answered with his typical kindness of heart, so much a

196. Life; 108

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part of his nature: ‘no… never mind if they get free schooling and then leave me. What they have learnt will not be lost, and for me, it is enough that I have done some good. In time to come, they will remember the benefits they received. Jesus never compelled the Apostles to remain with Him, so how can I compel these young boys to do so…Good may come from the very fact that they joined the Society and then left it.”197

De Piro knew that true love leads to freedom and not domination. “When an action is done for God’s glory, there is to be no fear of any frustration.”198 In face of all the difficulties he could not but feel that “this hope of ours seemed to be thwarted by mysterious adversity, as if we would never be able to realise it. However, whatever God wills nobody and nothing can impede.”199 Faith in the crucified Lord permitted him to experience internal freedom in the belief that: “when we work for God’s glory obstacles abound, but our heavenly Father’s loving hand has been extended to aid his faithful servants.”200 He was more than convinced that he was the steward and not the owner;

197. Life; 148198. S; 20:1199. Life; 368200. Life; 371

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the dream was God’s and not his. This helped him never to despair. When caught in situations where success was totally absent, he persevered and prayed:

“May we be strengthened in the truth that God started this work and that our hope in God’s help, which is so necessary will be strengthened.”201

Such deep spirituality of acknowledging one’s limits and limitations and believing in what was humanly speaking impossible, lead De Piro to a deep belief in God’s providence.

God’s Providence

God’s providence meant for Joseph De Piro a deep trust in the Lord of history. He believed in an attitude of active passivity and of trusting the guiding hand of God. His trust in God “who does not fail in his promises”202 translated itself into a deep conviction that all will be well.

De Piro’s trust in Divine providence revealed a belief and a certainty “that we can say that our work, in its

201. AM; 416202. Life; 349

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foundation, was moved and led by Divine providence.”203 Whatever happened to him did not happen just by chance but “in his great providence God reserved this work to the society of missionaries.”204 All this points to De Piro’s conviction that mission has its origin in the heart of God. God is the source of this sending love, in which he felt privileged to participate and give his share.

The smallness of his Order did not make him lose heart. On the contrary, he saw the humble beginnings in line with the Gospel:

“The gospel event of the widow’s mite encourages us to look upwards and put our hope in Him who is our most beloved Father because when God is building, those who build the walls do not labour in vain… God’s power, which made everything out of nothing, and the power of Jesus who fed thousands of people from five loaves has never changed and is still there forever.”205

De Piro was convinced that mission did not depend

203. AM; 414204. AM; 335205. AM; 412

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on numbers but on people full of enthusiasm who were in love with the Lord and who were drawn by a desire to share this love with others. Two important images for De Piro emphasise this.

Bethlehem full of enchantment

Images help us more than words because they catch our imagination and leave open the doors of interpretation. De Piro was more of an artist and a poet so he thought in pictures. The image of the stable in Bethlehem was for De Piro an icon, a window into a greater reality. It is an image, which links in a profound way, a vision, a theology and spirituality. In the opening of the first house of the Order, De Piro recalled this image while addressing the bishop of Malta. He states: “we feel a certain reluctance in presenting to your grace such a poor and humble beginning, but the mystery of Bethlehem fills us with courage.”206 Cardinal Piero La Fontaine was impressed by the Grotto image and elaborated on it in response:

“God will bless you even more because you compare the beginning of your work to His coming into our world. Bethlehem is full of enchantment. It is impossible that the modest

206. Life; 79

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House of St Paul, in its humility, will not grow. Who knows, perhaps there might be the flight into Egypt…or even Calvary…But in these circumstances the hand of God is obvious and faith will yield its fruit.”207

Once again the spirituality of De Piro proves to be Christo-centric and biblical in nature. The incarnation, as we have detailed earlier, was central in his understanding of missionary spirituality, and smallness, failure, and disappointments were for De Piro signs that he was on the right path, following the footprints of the Lord.

God’s Spirit: a sweet breeze

Another strong and important image that De Piro used to articulate his thoughts and his vision was that of a ship in the sea. He understood this image to be a mysterious call from God saying; “one can find God’s call in a mysterious dream.”208 He recalled this dream just few days before his death:

“I found myself in a ship and as we were sailing along, suddenly there was damage in

207. Life; 82208. AM; 91

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the propeller. I went down wanting to repair it myself but I was not in time, because I found a young lady beside me who said: ‘Leave it to me. Now I will carry on guiding it’ ”.209

The image of the small boat in the sea helped him see the Order as totally dependent on the Spirit of God. He writes: “Like a firm and sweet breeze, God’s Spirit always accompanied the difficulties and blew in the sails of our poor boat troubled by the waves.”210

These images show how De Piro’s faith was based on the conviction that God chooses the weak, the poor and the small to show His strength in weaknesses. Trust in God’s providence led him to entrust himself in the guiding hand of God whom he saw as the real founder of his dream.

Unity: ‘May they be one’

De Piro’s missionary spirituality was built on a great desire for unity, in the Church in general and in his Order in particular. In his life he worked towards this goal. He knew that without unity evangelization would not have the desired effect. This vision for unity was prophetic in De

209. Life; 388210. AM; 410

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Piro’s time; he was convinced that there could be no real ministry if it did not have at its core and aim unity with God, with others and with other Christian Churches.

De Piro believed in God’s dream “that unity was a must in order for the world to believe.”211 He writes: “I must gather them! One cannot but rejoice at the consoling prophecy which pleased the Divine heart of our Lord…and they will hear my voice and there will be one flock and one shepherd.”212 Missionary work should fulfil such a wish of the Master with responsibility. De Piro made his own the vision of the prophet Isaiah:

“The wolf and the lamb meet together; they eat from the same grass and drink from the same valleys. They unite their forces so that hand in hand they try anew to befriend other animals. Yes, diverse races join together the black with the white, the savage with the mild the destitute with the righteous, the poor with the rich, the old with the young, without considering their diverse nature they unite together in one thing and one force. They eat from the Eucharistic bread which makes them

211. Jn; 17:21212. Life; 339

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one nature, one body, one blood, one soul under one Lord who does not wish anything except unity, belief, justice and mercy.”213

Unity in the Missionary Order

De Piro’s dream of a missionary Order was based on the conviction that where unity resides there lies strength. “Every member should be convinced of the need to love each other. In fact the more the members of the Society will be of one heart and soul between them, the better the Society will be.”214

This dream for unity was based on another important value; the need for reconciliation. De Piro knew from experience that a real missionary spirituality must be based on the Johannine principle “he must increase and I must decrease,”215 a principle that De Piro adopted as a way of life for himself and as a way of life he proposed for his Order. De Piro never sought to be placed first and never pushed himself to the front of the world stage, even when opportunities came forth. Koyama calls this principle “the secret of the dynamic identity of the Christian missionary.”216

213. Life; 435214. 2R; 13:2215. Jn; 3:30216. Gerald H Anderson, , (New York: Paulist Press, 1974) 131.

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De Piro held that in order for unity to be achieved one must be moulded in the Gospel values and in the Pauline idea that, “love does not insist on its own way.”217 His practical advice is that:

“In case someone has been offended or he himself has suffered an offence, every effort should be quickly made to ask forgiveness for any harm caused and one should be proud to be the first to humble himself in doing so… Following St Paul’s advice no one should go to sleep before having reconciled himself.218

This spirituality of unity was so much part of De Piro’s missionary spirituality that in his spiritual testament he wished:

“To the members of the Missionary Society, without any distinction superiors and subjects alike, I earnestly request that they do their utmost to love one another in Christ. They must be certain that nothing will glorify God and benefit the Society and be of spiritual advantage to them and their ministry more

217. 1Cor; 13:5218. 2R; 15:1

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than love, according to the words of our father St Paul: “it is love which leads us.” ”219

Joseph De Piro’s spirituality of ministry reveals a man who chose to allow the mysterious and all pervading presence of God to give meaning and purpose to his life, his choices, his work and his vision. The continual discovery of the mystery of the Incarnation allows De Piro to meet God in human reality. For De Piro his ministry and active commitment were not peripheral to his Christian living but part of his spiritual journey which became incarnated in reality and in his spiritual insights which were rooted in concrete human experiences. To be in solidarity meant to love people and to wait for others in their becoming. His understanding of justice was more than just proclaiming what is just; he had to be just. His motivation and deep desire was that people see him as “a priest according to the heart of God.” 220

219. Life; 400220. 1P: 71:1

“I earnestly request that they

do their utmost

to love one another in Christ.

They must be certain that

nothing will give glory to God,

benefit the Society

and be of spiritual advantage to them

and their ministry more than love,

that they must maintain among them

according to the words of our Father Paul:

“it is love which leads us.”

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Spirituality that inspires all

“Sorgi e corri…Porta loro il lume della verita’.

predica, evangelizza, spingiti fino agli estremi confini della terra

e porta loro la Mia vita.”221

Whoever speaks or writes about Joseph De Piro without having come to know him deeply at a very close range, easily risks distorting him. If we were to see him only for all the works that he accomplished and all the initiatives in which he was involved into, some of which he himself had started, we would have a hundred motives for seeking him as a man always on the move, nearly a workaholic, a man always on the run, short of time and rarely available. This picture can diagnose De Piro on a neurotic slant but how far from reality such a misconception would take us! Certainly De Piro was a man of action, of ministry and of service. He was unwilling to fall short of whatever he saw as his duty, he rarely allowed himself a holiday but at the same time,

221. 3P; 294:2 “Awake and run… Bring them the light of truth. Preach, evangelise, go to the extreme ends of the earth and give them my life.”

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from his writings and reflections we discover a priest living his ministry fully, knowing that without roots there are no fruits and without prayer there is no ministry.

Vatican II and post-Vatican II documents all stress the essential and continuing role of founders in religious Orders. This role is not limited only to research in archives; on the contrary, it is a continuing ever-founding activity of the Holy Spirit within an Order… the same Spirit that moved the founder of that particular Order in the first place. There is an intimate interplay between the past, present and future. There is a pastoral implication of the missionary spirituality of Joseph De Piro for today. When we speak of spirituality we always speak of re-interpretation of new conditions and a need to decontextualize, as holy people are never an end in themselves.

Charism renewal

‘Perfectae Caritatis’ mentions the return to a founder as one of the essential elements in the revitalisation of a charism. This must be accompanied by a return to the gospel because it is Jesus who calls. In sharing in the life and mission of the Church today, the spirituality must be aware of the world in which it must be put into practice. Discernment must lead us on to how we can answer to the

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emerging needs of the Church in line with the original charism. Top priority must be given to spiritual renewal as the irreplaceable basis for an authentic spirituality.222

If the return to the founder is not done through this wider perspective it could easily be misleading. The return to the past must facilitate the rediscovery of the spiritual heritage. At the same time one must never underestimate the active presence of God in the present situation. The charism is more than a past incident; it is a dynamic ever-presence of the creative Spirit. Thus the purpose of our return to the founder is to deepen our awareness of our identity so that we may see how best we can be formed and help form others in return. The integration of fidelity and creativity is probably one of the greatest challenges we face today.

God bestowed special love on us

Renewing a particular charism implies particular consequences. To reduce renewal to a purely natural or sociological study is not only an impoverishment but also a serious misunderstanding of the original inspiration. De Piro was more than convinced that what gives us identity is not what we do but who we are. Secondly, an increased

222. Perfectae Caritatis, n.2

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spirit of prayer and reflection is an essential ingredient for renewal in order to build on sound foundations. Such a contemplative attitude must influence the ministry itself. If change is to occur, it must leave its mark on ministry. A missionary spirituality cannot separate the two; both are essential and both enrich each other.

Sociology and strict historical research are needed if one is to understand Joseph De Piro properly. It would be short sightedness to underestimate them. At the same time, it would be dangerous to neglect the importance of faith in God’s Providence. To reduce everything to a purely human level does not do justice to all the facts. Faith in God’s Providence is a vital aspect in De Piro’s spirituality. Throughout his life, he had to face what seemed like insurmountable obstacles. With every obstacle overcome, the more he became convinced that God was with him. If such belief in Providence is neglected, what is left is a view of the world and of spirituality that is completely out of harmony with that of De Piro.

A fire that needs to be rekindled

One piece of historical evidence does perhaps call for reflection. In the past the most effective and vital reforms in religious life took place as a result of returning to the

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original “rule” of the founder. This involved more than just a return to a radical way of life. It was a determined, radical, enthusiastic return to the founder’s original concept of the charism. It involved a return to what was clearly an alternative way of life; alternative not only to the world, but also, very often, to the main body where this spirituality had to be applied. That is why there is a constant need of reform. The return to the original inspiration of the founder, therefore, is a challenge to re-kindle the original fire that moved the founder and their followers. The re-lighting of that fire is a grace freely given by God, just as the original fire was. One can only pray for it humbly and with courage because it will not come merely from human efforts and will inevitably involve sacrifice.

One is tempted to think of some original golden age to be imitated. Studying the history keeps us in touch with reality as we realise that there was no golden age. The first years were difficult and were no better than our own. However a difference exists in that in the founding moments there was a sense of freshness, of novelty, of adventure, of relevance. A fire was burning and in order for this spirituality to be renewed this original fire needs to be rekindled. Without this renewal in fidelity all new endeavours and all pastoral ministries will become a heavy burden, rather than a source of renewal.

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This calls for discipleship. True renewal must be sown in the soil of prayer. The practice of genuine prayer should involve fearless listening to the Word of God. Prayer involves openness to the Spirit of God; openness to the same Spirit that set fire to and inspired the vision of Joseph De Piro himself. In the words of Paul, this Spirit “moves us to pray”223 and “pours God’s love into our hearts”224 leading us to active compassion for others.

Joseph De Piro clearly intended his charism to be essentially missionary and open to evangelise communities and individuals in different parts of the world. The spirituality needs to be embodied in structures and in every work because the very essence of this spirituality is to be open for others. A return to the founder, therefore, calls for openness to the world and to different cultures in the spirit of the Gospel. One cannot be in harmony with De Piro unless one tries to be a missionary today as De Piro was in his time.

To follow his spirituality is to feel moved to go to the areas where Christ is not effectively present. That is, to those who do not know him; to those who are disenchanted with religion, indifferent to it and even hostile to it. The

223. Rom; 8:15224. Rom; 5:5

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good news needs to be proclaimed to the oppressed, to the marginalized, to the poor; to those who have lost their meaning in life and to those who thirst to deepen their love for Lord.

Although the spirituality of Joseph De Piro is clear, it still allows for a variety of emphasis. As a result, different people at different times will bring to the fore their own legitimate interests, preconceptions and needs; they will look at the same reality from a different perspective. The way we put facts together, the emphasis we give them and the conclusions we draw will vary according to the sort of questions we ask. A genuine return to the founder does not result in stereotypes. The return is rather an attempt to re-awaken the inspiration and dynamism that characterised him; to make his basic concerns ours.

If a return to the Founder is to be creative in our time, the values need to be continuously discerned and re-evaluated. There are values that transcend all times and must be upheld, whereas other values are only applicable to a particular time. We cannot take everything that the Founder said or did as absolute, otherwise all present sorts of choices and actions have to be justified accordingly and no creative freedom is left. However we are likewise misled if we put the needs of our own time as absolute. Therefore,

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a continuous dialogue must be kept between De Piro’s original inspiration, the Gospel, and the signs of the time.

There is very little, if anything, in our Founder’s works that is original with regards to religious life. He used material that existed already. De Piro mentions the Society of Jesus: “the Society bases itself on the book of the spiritual exercises of Ignatius of Loyola and takes from it the rules and constitutions.”225 In other words, he followed the commonly accepted views of his time. We should not however underestimate Joseph De Piro in this regard. He selected his sources only after much deliberation, and made them his own and adopted them for the Order he was founding. De Piro wanted his followers to have their own special identity and mission, even if he was highly influenced in implementing his dream. De Piro’s main motivating force was a deep personal call from God; to share with others what he had experienced himself.

Making the original inspiration our own

Joseph De Piro’s founding experience has three inseparable aspects. First, there is a deep personal conviction of God’s love for humanity and the world. Secondly, there is an awareness of the need and urgency that the good

225. Life; 74

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news be proclaimed to all those who never experienced it. Thirdly, there is a conviction that such a mission could only be undertaken if the ones being commissioned are in communion, with a common vision and a common spirit.

Joseph De Piro did not only experience God’s love and the needs of the world. He understood that he had to give his share. He felt sent by God into the world with the deep conviction that “if the Lord does not build the house in vain do its builders labour.”226 His experience of God was essentially missionary. He understood well that to be a missionary is not just a question of a geographical endeavour but an attitude of the heart. What forms a missionary is the readiness to answer to God’s call in his personal life.

Consequently, everything centres on De Piro’s experience of being called, of being loved and of being sent to share Christ’s own mission into the world. This was achieved by his surrender to the loving hands of God and by letting himself be transformed by the very love that he was called to proclaim.

226. Ps 127

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Conclusion

Joseph De Piro’s intuition is that mission has its origin in the heart of God. God is the source of all commissioning love. There is a strong correlation between finding God and understanding mission. Being missionary, according to De Piro calls for an attitude of faith that is open to the novelty and to the mystery of God. Outside this ongoing Christian journey, mission loses its meaning.

This implies that the spirituality of De Piro is not built on action: teaching, preaching, running parishes, forming communities and going to foreign lands to proclaim the Good News. The main mission is to make people aware of the love of God which De Piro himself freely received and experienced. De Piro believed that ministry should always point to the presence of Christ.

De Piro lived this spirituality in ordinariness, in simplicity and in lack of pretentiousness. His trust in God’s providence led him to find God in the bits and pieces of everyday life and saw his vocation as being the yeast that causes the dough to rise. His life reveals that an authentic proclamation of the Gospel must always be marked by an attitude of humility and service. The mission and the message is God’s and not his own. He was a faithful servant who answered with generosity to God’s call, “God in whom

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I placed my trust, wanted to use me to found this Society.”227 His conviction was that the Holy Spirit is the real founder and an experience of the Spirit must precede any reflection or proclamation of the message. This reality permeated De Piro’s life and was a wellspring in his journey. Gustavo Gutierrez offers a contemporary paraphrasing:

“To respond creatively to the new demand of the gospel… we need a vital attitude, all embracing and synthesising, informing the totality as well as every detail of our lives; we need spirituality… Spirituality is a concrete manner, inspired by the Spirit, of living the Gospel… It arises from an intense spiritual experience… Spirituality means a reordering of the great axes of the Christian life in terms of contemporary experience… This reordering brings about a conversion into life, prayer, commitment and action.”228

De Piro shows clearly that mission is an attitude rather than a geographical land; “to know if we have God’s love in our heart we need only look within us and see whether we

227. Life; 386228. Gustavo Gutierrez, (New York: Orbis books, Maryknoll. 1985) p.309.

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have the wish that His name be known everywhere.”229 He had cultivated the missionary ideal ever since his youth. He had a true missionary vocation that he was able to realise through his spirituality, his life, and through the Missionary Society of St Paul that he had founded.

De Piro’s spirituality is rooted in the continual rediscovering of the mystery of the Incarnation, which allowed him to meet God in all of human reality, especially in his story and that of others. His spiritual journey was not a means of alienation from reality, but an experience lived in daily life. He understood that the missionary task is to discern and discover God’s presence in each encounter and to make known the new faces of the Pascal mystery that are constantly being revealed. In hope, De Piro committed himself to seek and do God’s will and set his vision on the broader horizons that a faith perspective offers. For De Piro hope is not wishful thinking but an option based on faith.

De Piro’s missionary spirituality is founded on the experience and the intuition that everyone is deeply loved by God and on the reality that upon discovering such a basic reality one’s life changes completely. When one discovers who he is, what one should do, follows naturally. Missionaries must help people discern the signs of God’s love present in them and in the world in which they live, and their mission

229. AM; 429:2

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is to work for a world more reflective of that love. Jose’ Comblin writes: “Truth is not a doctrine, a teaching, a series of concepts. Truth is a force that denounces and destroys the lie. Truth is the birth of a new reality. Through their activities, the communities give birth to a new reality: the reality of humanity.”230

My conclusion is that the spirituality of Joseph De Piro must lead us to be faithful to the beginning of the Society but at the same time, be courageous and open to novelties and to change. The structures where this spirituality was once incarnated need to pass through a re-founding experience. Fidelity to the founder cannot but be dynamic, and this requires above all a documented research, an attentive study and a profound assimilation. Dynamic fidelity to the spirituality inherited from the founder requires an actualisation in the present and must take into consideration the vocation of lay people who desire to be nourished by the same spirituality in their spiritual quest. One must first be faithful to the Gospel. De Piro always points to Christ and asks all who follow him to undertake first and foremost the journey of being disciples before being evangelists.

The spirituality should be lived through initiatives that seek a balance between contemplation and ministry, of which

230. Jose’ Comblin, Retrieving the Human: A Christian Anthropology (Maryknoll, N.Y, Orbis books 1990) 3.

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De Piro is the primary example. They must unite together the religious and the lay in a new way. In turn each must challenge the other to live what one is called to live. De Piro lived his spirituality rooted in the experience of God’s love that directed his attitudes in life towards a total availability to God’s will. Those who follow De Piro’s spirituality must live a harmonious synthesis between deep spirituality and ministry. If conversion and transformation are the very goals of missionary activity, a missionary spirituality must consist first and foremost of a conversion and transformation of all those who are being sent. Authentic proclamation must always be thoroughly intertwined with witness.

The aim of this book is to give a new perspective on how the missionary spirituality of Joseph De Piro is relevant in today’s world. The spirituality of Joseph De Piro requires fresh study in every age; otherwise it remains encapsulated in the jargon and terminology of his time.

De Piro’s unexpected death left the first community facing difficult choices. A re-founding experience was deeply necessary from the start: “At his death, it was as if the whole Society lost its soul…we were bewildered and astounded because of what happened to us… We found ourselves in the wilderness, in the desert, surrounded by darkness and open space without any help, although deep down we felt that

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help was near; that it was with us; that it was in our soul.”231

The evidence from the first members shows clearly that what the first community lived through and what is going on today are not new to its short history. The first members had to hold firm in the hope that: “if he provided us with all our needs while he was with us, how can he abandon us, now that he is in heaven… Now we expect the mercy of God’s providence.”232

Such witness gives us courage to look forward with hope. De Piro’s deep conviction is that if “God is with us, indeed, one should not get discouraged. God is with us, there is no doubt about this, our part must be just this: to listen to the voice of the One who calls us to follow.”233 This voice was the force and the reason behind this book. It is a call to explore and discover in a new way the spirituality of Joseph De Piro which will always lead us:

“Never to cease from exploring,and the end of all our exploring

will be to arrive where we started,and know the place, as if, for the first time.”234

231. AM; 452:1232, ibid., 452:2233, 3P; 288:1234, Anthony J. Gittins; Bread for the Journey: The Mission of Transformation and the Transformation of Mission. (New York: Orbis books 1993) 3.

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Bibliography

Official Church Documents

Benedict XV, Maximus Ilud.John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio, Libreria Vaticana, 1991.John Paul II, Veritatis Splendor, Libreria Vaticana, 1993.John Paul II, Vita Consagrata, Libreria Vaticana, 1997.Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi, Libreria Vaticana, 1975.Vatican II Documents: Perfectae Caritatis, 1965.

MSSP Archival Documents

Almanac of the Institute of Missions. Casa San Giuseppe, Ħamrun, Malta 1922 –1936.

Mons. Ġ.De Piro Predikatur Imħeggeg tal-Kelma ta’ Alla. Volumes 1-3., Postulazzjoni Kawza ta’ Mons Ġ. De Piro, 1987.

Il-Qaddej ta’ Alla Ġ. De Piro: Korrispondenza, Volumes 1-3. Postulazzjoni Kawza ta’ Mons Ġ. De Piro, 1990.

Mons. De Piro; Djarju 1889-1909. Postulazzjoni Kawza ta’ Mons Ġ. De Piro, 1988.

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Regole Della Compagnia Di San Paolo, Volumes 1-3. Postulazzjoni Kawza ta’ Mons Ġ. De Piro, 1988.

Twemminu f’Kitbietu: Sayings ta’ Mons. G. De Piro. Vol.1; Postulazzjoni Kawza ta’ Mons G. De Piro, 1996.

Sciberras Tony, The Incarnational Aspect of the Spirituality of Joseph De Piro, 2005, Pontifi cia Universitas Lateranensis

These Documents can be found in the Archives of the Missionary Society of St Paul, Rabat, Malta.

Books

Anderson, Gerald. Mission Trends Volume 1. New York: Paulist Press, 1974.

Arbuckle, A. Gerald. Out of Chaos: Refounding Religious Congregations. New York: Paulist Press, 1988.

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Baltahasar, Han Urs Von. Prayer. London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1963.

Beumer, Jurjen. Henry Nouwen: A Restless Seeking for God. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1999.

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Bonnci Alexander, Mons. Guzeppi De Piro: Fundatur tas-Soċjetà Missjunarja ta’ San Pawl, Vol .I. Malta: Edizjoni Soċjetà Missjunarja ta’ San Pawl, 1982.

Bonnici Alexander, Mons. Ġuzeppi De Piro: F’kull qasam ta’ l-istorja ta’ Malta, Vol .II. Malta: Edizjoni Soċjetà Missjunarja ta’ San Pawl, 1982.

Bonnici, Alexander. Giuseppe De Piro: Founder of the Missionary Society of St Paul. Malta: P.E.G. Ltd., 1988.

Bouyer, Louis, Introduction to Spirituality. London: Longman &Todd, 1983.

Bosch, David. Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theolgy of Mission. New York: Orbis Books, Maryknoll, 1991.

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Butler, B. C. Prayer: An Adventure in Living. London: Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd., 1961.

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Conn, Wolski J. Women’s Spirituality: Resources for Christian Development. New York, Paulist Press, 1986.

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Faricy, Robert. Praying. Dublin: Villa Books, 1979.

Finley, Finley. Merton’s Palace of Nowhere: A Search for God Through Awareness of the True Self. USA: Ave Maria Press, 1978.

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Greer, Windy Wilson. Henry J.M. Nouwen: The Only Necessary Thing. USA: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 2000.

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Merton, Thomas, Contemplation in a World of Action. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1971.

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