George Matulaitis Journal

October 17 Our task must be to seek perfection: to perfect ourselves and to help perfect other people and their works. We deepen our spiritual lives by selecting those spiritual exercises that best help us live the supernatural life with greater awareness: as, for example, a pure, supernatural intention (this should become a daily habit), the general and particular examinations of conscience, meditation, spiritual reading, a good and conscientious confession, and a monthly account of our spiritual progress given to our director in all candor and sincerity. In all other areas let us seek perfection by using our time as productively as possible by acquiring some special skill in addition to our general education, and by giving our superior a complete account of our external life and work. As we ourselves make progress, we must also try to help others move forward. In serving others and contributing to their greater perfection, we rise higher as well and become more perfect. October 18 Although we have joined an old Congregation, 1 we must rebuild and recreate everything all over again. We have to draw up rules and regulations for ourselves. 2 What would be the best way of doing this? First of all, of course, we must seek guidance in prayer, but we also have to do whatever we can ourselves. It seems to me that the best method would be the following. a. First, we should find out what others have attained in those areas that concern us; investigate where their experience has led them, what their studies and life itself have shown so that we would not waste time duplicating what has already been done. b. Then we must try to adapt the insights, directives, and instructions of our predecessors to the circumstances in which we now happen to live and work. In short, we must set up regulations drawn from the material we have gathered. 33 1 The Congregation of Marians under the title of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary was founded in Poland by Stanislaw Papczynski in 1673. Matulaitis is the Renovator of the Congregation. 2 The new Constitutions drawn up by Matulaitis had been sent to Rome in May of 1910 and were approved by Pope Pius X on November 28, 1910. The regulations spoken of here are the Directory, rewritten to fit modern times.