George Matulaitis Journal

with its noisy life, where it is so easy for people to forget their spiritual needs, and toward all other countries. If the true spirit of the gospel prevails among us, I am certain that there will be no lack of volunteers in our Community willing to go out and work among the pagans and heretics. It is true that in the Constitutions we have specified that, whenever possible, superiors should try to assign each religious to his own country, but it seems to me that this should be taken to mean that one nation will not try to exploit another, will not use its numerical advantage in the Community to stifle a less well-represented nationality. Instead, the brothers of one nation should help another nation, especially when it does not yet have any members in the Community; otherwise, we would not be able to spread out everywhere, if such were God’s will. We must learn to rise above national quarrels and prejudices to serve everyone equally and to be willing, first of all, to go wherever we can do most for the greater glory of God. This paragraph of our Constitutions often distresses and worries me, lest we restrict ourselves to our own nation when we should be prepared to go to other lands and other countries where the greater glory of God and the good of the Church requires it. I would be happy if we would consider ourselves primarily dedicated to the service of God and of His Church and detached from everything else. Although our main objective is not missionary work among the pagans but work within the Church itself, we don’t mean to give up the idea of going to the missions. It is right for us to send our members to work in their own countries, but let us not forget the needs of the entire Church. Let us foster a spirit which would inspire a greater number of us gladly to volunteer for work among the people of other countries, not only among our own countrymen. Here too, we should walk in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd, who was concerned about bringing into the fold those other sheep that did not yet belong to it: “And there will be only one flock and one shepherd” (Jn 10:16b). We must ardently pray that a true Catholic spirit would flourish among us so that we would be willing to give up everything and go to work, to do battle wherever we may be needed, and to give our lives, if necessary. In this respect may St. Paul, St. Ignatius Loyola, and many 68