Ho passato 8 anni ad Anosibe An’Ala. Là ho costruito una sala parrocchiale e una casa per i catechisti, un edificio di 30 metri. Visto questo successo edilizio i superiori mi hanno chiamato a dirigere la costruzione del Tempio alla Trinità a Moramanga.
Nel 1981 fui chiamato nella Capitale come Superiore, Delegato Generale e Maestro dei giovani chierici. Ma, appena due anni dopo, sono stato coinvolto a operare nelle carceri di Antananarivo come cappellano.
Nei primi tempi la mia azione era solo a carattere religioso e spirituale. Negli ultimi anni abbiamo lavorato nel campo giuridico a difesa dei diritti umani, tanto che sono stato fatto membro della prima Commissione nazionale dei diritti umani del Madagascar, unico non malgascio.
L’attività delle carceri, che proprio non pensavo di fare, mi ha preso più di tutto, non per bravura mia, ma perché un insieme di circostanze e di persone provvidenziali che si sono associate a collaborare, hanno fatto sviluppare un organismo multifunzionale l’ACP (Aumônerie Catholic des Prisons) a favore dei carcerati, delle loro famiglie, specialmente dei figli e dei ex detenuti, ecc.
Confrontando l’opera sorta e le mie limitate capacità ho capito il grande Amore di Dio-Trinità per la sofferenza disumana, atroce, ingiusta a cui erano sottoposte tante persone che per la maggior parte avevano la sola colpa di essere poveri. Un’opera carismatica trinitaria riconosciuta da tutti i vescovi locali.
original spirit and charism. In both cases, the response on the practical level has been varied in degree and intensity. One of the signs of the effectiveness of renewal in religious life is the fidelity to Christ and the Gospel, which should be reflected in fidelity to the original spirit and charism. Mere external changes are no guarantee to spiritual renewal. Interior renewal asks for a greater and more profound identification with Christ. In writing about our configuration to the Crucified Christ, our reformer remarks: “It means going forward in the footsteps which Christ walked in His passion and humility. More than an external imitation, it is a participation, communion, and vital insertion into Christ’s self-emptying. The Trinitarian is forged in the model of the Redeemer.” Many wonderful ecclesial documents have been issued. Similarly our own religious Order has produced some rich and relevant publications which enshrine the spirit of our fathers. However, the more fundamental question of personalizing and living out those noble ideals and principles takes much attentive listening and collaboration with the Holy Spirit.
Certain Gospel values and religious ideals, such as the spirit of prayer and penance, effective fraternal and redemptive charity, the spirit of poverty and simplicity, the spirit of silence and interior recollection, the sense of the sacred, etc. started to diminish during the times of the reformer and similar trends have become manifest in our own times. The individualistic tendencies of the religious, seeking personal comfort and fulfillment over and above the charism and mission of the community undermines the core of religious life, namely, the following of Christ radically. According to the Reformer, following of Christ is equivalent to allowing oneself to be configured to the Crucified One. It is here that we need to understand our Saint’s insistence on the centrality of the Cross which is intrinsically connected to self-denial. The Trinitarians whose mission is to incarnate the redemptive love of Christ through the ransom of the captives and care for the poor and suffering, cannot be disassociated from the spirituality of the cross and sacrifice. An effective detachment from those things that hinder our union with God and our communion with the poor and suffering brothers and sisters is a necessary step in following Christ closely.
The innumerable and indescribable sufferings the reformer underwent were seen as means to achieve his mission as reformer of the Order. He was intensely conscious of the good that would come about as a result of his configuration with Christ. He realized that the reform of the Order was for the common good and the salvation of souls. He used to refer to the “advancement of many souls,” “the profit for the brothers,” “the salvation of people” and “bringing souls to God” when defining the ultimate goal of the Reform and the reason underlying his sufferings. His awareness of his apostolate as being a personal share in the redemptive work of Jesus gave him courage and strength to endure everything in union with Christ. What an inspiration and model do we have in the Reformer to goad us on to a renewed spiritual life! His personal life, his dauntless courage, unflinching apostolic zeal and the great wealth of wisdom and spiritual nourishment found in his abundant writings are an inexhaustible spiritual and charismatic treasury for us Trinitarians and for others. It would be a great tragedy if we, his sons, did not tap into this fount of grace to be energized to live our vocation more faithfully especially during this jubilee year of his death.
As I conclude this letter, let us remember that the heroic life and the arduous work of the reform of St. John Baptist of the Conception were instrumental in contributing considerably to the great treasury of sanctity of the Order and the Church at large. Fr. Pedro Aliaga, O.SS.T. in his short biography of the Saint has summarized this beautifully: “The best fruit of the origins of the Trinitarian Reform are its saints. Father Antonino of the Assumption (+1943), one of the greatest of experts of the twentieth century in the study of holiness, liked to say that if we had conducted the canonization process of the first generation of the Discalced Congregation, we could count more than forty saints.” What a wonderful tribute to our Reformer! May St. John Baptist of the Conception inspire, awaken and deepen within us the roots of our Trinitarian vocation, so that we may become more Christ-like ourselves, and at the same time, help others grow in holiness.
I wish you all a Happy Feast of the Reformer and a Blessed Jubilee Year!
Fraternally yours,
Rome, January 28, 2013
Feast of Saint Agnes
Jose Narlaly, O.SS.T.
General Minister
achieve his mission as reformer of the Order. He was intensely conscious of the good that would come about as a result of his configuration with Christ. He realized that the reform of the Order was for the common good and the salvation of souls. He used to refer to the “advancement of many souls,” “the profit for the brothers,” “the salvation of people” and “bringing souls to God” when defining the ultimate goal of the Reform and the reason underlying his sufferings. His awareness of his apostolate as being a personal share in the redemptive work of Jesus gave him courage and strength to endure everything in union with Christ. What an inspiration and model do we have in the Reformer to goad us on to a renewed spiritual life! His personal life, his dauntless courage, unflinching apostolic zeal and the great wealth of wisdom and spiritual nourishment found in his abundant writings are an inexhaustible spiritual and charismatic treasury for us Trinitarians and for others. It would be a great tragedy if we, his sons, did not tap into this fount of grace to be energized to live our vocation more faithfully especially during this jubilee year of his death.
As I conclude this letter, let us remember that the heroic life and the arduous work of the reform of St. John Baptist of the Conception were instrumental in contributing considerably to the great treasury of sanctity of the Order and the Church at large. Fr. Pedro Aliaga, O.SS.T. in his short biography of the Saint has summarized this beautifully: “The best fruit of the origins of the Trinitarian Reform are its saints. Father Antonino of the Assumption (+1943), one of the greatest of experts of the twentieth century in the study of holiness, liked to say that if we had conducted the canonization process of the first generation of the Discalced Congregation, we could count more than forty saints.” What a wonderful tribute to our Reformer! May St. John Baptist of the Conception inspire, awaken and deepen within us the roots of our Trinitarian vocation, so that we may become more Christ-like ourselves, and at the same time, help others grow in holiness.
I wish you all a Happy Feast of the Reformer and a Blessed Jubilee Year!
Fraternally yours,
Rome, January 28, 2013
Feast of Saint Agnes
Jose Narlaly, O.SS.T.
General Minister