Charity as the Basis and Source of the Spirituality of the Religious Life 95 implementation is charity (charitas). Although this is a rather unusual approach to the religious life, especially because it is not concerned with the rule but the basic laws of the Order, there is no doubt that this was the Founder’s intention. According to J. Kałowski, several factors speak in favor of it: among others, the placement of the chapter entitled De Charitate directly after the first chapter that deals with the Order’s character, its general and specific goals, the principles of admitting candidates and their formation, etc. The very composition of the chapter De Charitate, as well as its contents, indicates that it is entirely with reference to the means necessary for the realization of the above-mentioned goals. Chapter II would be incomprehensible and senseless if it did not contain instructions as to how to achieve the above-mentioned goals. This chapter discusses all aspects, manifestations, and the order that must be followed in practicing the virtue of supernatural love.197 We may assume that a more meaningful reason for this structure of Norma vitae was Fr. Papczyński’s purpose for including abundant theological and spiritual elements in the Constitutions – a document defining the legal and organizational character of the newcommunity –which would give better grounds for the approval of the Congregation Religionum, ita vester communis debet: maius incrementum divinae gloriae et cum seria ad perfectionem tendentia propriae salutis cura. «Quis enim prodest homini», docente Salvatore, «si mundum universum lucretur, animae vero suae detrimentumpatiantur?» [Mt 16:26]. Ne tamen otiosi stetis in Vinea Domini, cultum Immaculatae Conceptionis electissimae Dei Matris Virginis pro modulo virium vestrarum promovebitis et fidelium defunctorum piacularibus paenis addictorum animabus praecipue militum et peste extinctorum, summo studio, pietate, fervore, suffragabimini. 3. Quanquam non prohibebuntur, qui fuerint eiusmodi talentis dotati, parochos in laboribus ecclesiasticis humiliter adiuvare...”. NV I, 2-3. Statuta are basically repeating the same methodology, changing only the order of the goals (first: promoting devotion to the Immaculate Conception and then: “teaching the Christian faith to simple folks,” missing in this reading from Norma vitae, and helping the deceased: “In primis finem vocationis suae quisque vestrum quotědie diligenter, et devote expendat, nempe majus incrementum Divinae gloriae; cultum Immaculatae Conceptionis electissimae Dei Matris Virginis promovere, ac eiusdem virtutes in Regula descriptas, omni studio mediante Divina gratia imitari, cum seria ad perfectionem tendentia propriae salutis curae, et proximorum praecipue quoad erudiendam in Doctrina Christiana rudem plebem quilibet incumbat, ac maxime Fidelium defunctorum piacularibus poenis addictorum animabus omni pietate, et orationum assiduitate suffragari conetur”. Statuta I, 1. 197 Cf. J. Kałowski, “Norma vitae”. Pierwsze konstytucje..., pp. 125. 122-123.
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