29 Chapter I CHARITY AS THE BASIS AND SOURCE OF THE SPIRITUALITY OF THE RELIGIOUS LIFE The central character of supernatural charity as the essential and unifying factor of the spirituality of the religious life is clearly noticeable in all of Stanislaus Papczyński’s writings, as well as in the important documents of the early tradition of the Congregation of Marian Fathers. The Marian Founder outlined his new community’s general and specific goals in the first chapter of his Norma vitae, indicating supernatural charity (charitas) at once as the means for their realization. Let us note that this interpretation gives an original view on the religious life – also expressed in a legal manner (the religious constitutions) – and an emphasis on the spiritual and evangelical contents. Without a doubt, we may consider this to be Fr. Papczyński’s personal contribution to the concept of the religious community, because “up until the 19th century, neither the tradition nor the Holy See came up with any guidelines for composing a religious order’s constitutions.”1 Furthermore, Fr. J. Kałowski, MIC, believes that such a structure in the Norma vitae suggests that Fr. Papczyński might have modeled his work after some earlier religious rules, such as the Rule of St. Augustine, the Camaldolese constitutions or the rule of the Ferriolacensis monastery. However, all these works set charity in the background and give it a slightly different meaning. Fr. Papczyński’s other writings on the spirituality of the religious life treat the topic of love/charity similarly, emphasizing its fundamental importance for the comprehensive idea of the spirituality of the religious life. This is true for his Inspectio cordis, as well as for his less extensive works.2 The author of the Regula 1 J. Kałowski, Norma vitae. Pierwsze konstytucje Zakonu Marianów, in: “Prawo Kanoniczne” 26(1983) nr 3-4, p. 122. 2 It seems necessary to mention here that the matter of supernatural love, as the essential goal of the religious life, has not only a theoretical and programmatic character for Papczyński, but also a vital and practical character, meaning that it
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI2Mw==