TRANSFIGURATION

Prayer, the Central Vocation of the Community

According to the words of the psalmist, Tabor and Hermon rejoiced at His Name. Name fully manifested in the Epiphany of the uncreated light when the Lord showed His glory to His disciples as far as they could see it. Thus it is given to us to rejoice in the contemplation of what we have received as 'deposit' and of all which remains for us to receive of the inheritance the Holy Spirit, who completes His work on earth and who brings us the fullness of grace.

The goal of Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit, in the active vigil of the wise virgins who filled their lamps with that Holy Oil in order to greet the Bridegroom at His advent.

While He was praying, His face changed. We will consider prayer, in all its innumerable forms, as the means par excellence of acquiring the oil of the Spirit in this commerce of friendship with the Father. It is He who initiates this dialogue, and He is also its end; a dialogue which in the face to face vision, will be uninterrupted, for we shall be with the angels and with the blessed spirits who never interrupt their praise. We who desire to see God will take the means to pray unceasingly in the image of Christ and according to His Word. We will find in the exhortation of St. Paul an encouragement to persevere in thanksgiving, praise, intercession and meditation: "Be happy at all times, pray continuously, and in all things give thanks to God, for this is the Father's will for you in Christ Jesus."

"Rejoice in the Lord always, I say it again, rejoice! Let your moderation be evident to all. The Lord is near. Dismiss all anxiety; present your needs to God, having recourse to meditation and prayer, permeated by thanksgiving."

Let us erect three tents: the disciple pronounce words which go beyond their understanding, plunging into the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word Who has established His tent among us, and responding to the invitation of the eschatological community. They live a Pentecost in advance, forgetting that Jesus is in conversation with Moses and Elijah over his imminent departure for Jerusalem. The gospel account of the Transfiguration is preceded and followed by the announcement of the Passion. The Vision of Glory is given to the disciples who were to be present at Gethsemane so that they may go through the scandal of the Cross, be witnesses of the Night of God and run to the tomb on Easter morning.

The Glory and the Cross will mark our life of prayer. The superiors will take care to teach detachment from perceptible tastes during mental prayer so that it may only be lived as an act of pure love, of attachment to the person of Christ and of participation in the Trinitarian Life.

They will encourage the vocation of intercessors for the world, calling to mind the principal themes of intercession proper to the Community.

Parousia

For the Lord taught us to say: "Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." He teaches us also that the prayer of the elect can shorten the time of trial for the world. Finally, he invites us to respond to His invitation: "Watch and pray because you do not know the day or the hour." "Happy those servants whom the master finds watching when he comes."

Unity

We cannot believe that the prayer of Christ himself cannot be heard by the Father and granted when, prior to His Passion, He said: "I have given them the Glory that you gave Me, that they may be one as We are One: I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfect in Unity." But the Lord of Ages wisely and patiently follows out the plan of grace on our behalf, sinners that we are. In recent times more than ever before, He has been rousing divided Christians to remorse over their divisions and to a longing for unity.

We shall pray that the scandal within the very Body of Christ may cease, begging the Father to engender dialogue wherever there is obduracy, to inspire the leaders of the churches, and to give the passion for unity to all.

Vocations

The Holy Council affirms that the effective union of the whole people of God in fostering vocations is the proper response to the action of Divine Providence which confers the fitting gifts on those men divinely chosen to participate in the hierarchical priesthood of Christ and helps them by its grace.

Priestly vocations will be foremost in our intercessions, for already the fields are white for the harvest and the workers are few. We will also pray for all those who, in varying degrees, serve the Church of Christ, as well as for all religious families.

The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God and the Conversion of Souls

We will pray for all those who, by whatever right, proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of God. We will pray for the pastors, doctors of the Church, evangelists and for those who complete in their bodies that which is lacking in the Passion of Christ, that God may confirm their preaching by signs, wonders, miracles of all kinds, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His Will.

The Enlightenment of Israel

Saint Paul speaks to us of the mystery of Israel as connatural with the mystery of the Church when he says: "I do not wish, brethren, that you be ignorant of this mystery, lest you be conceited. One part of Israel has become hardened until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved." The full number of Gentiles and all Israel thus find themselves united in a common destiny. Intercession for the Jews will therefore occupy an important and privileged place in our prayer for the universal Church and for the fulfilling of the times.

We will consecrate the first five nights of the week to these subjects of prayer, whether we are waking or sleeping, since it is written: "I sleep but my heart is awake and all night long on my bed, I sought the one my heart loves." We will take a moment during the night, in community or individually, according to the custom of each house, to pour out our heart to the Lord our God. The nights of Friday to Saturday and of Saturday to Sunday will be reserved for the meditation of the mysteries of the Holy Saturday and for the joyful expectation of the Resurrection.

Liturgy

Longing for the return of the Lord, we already join in with the celestial liturgy of the angels who undenyingly celebrate God Most High: "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Sabaoth. The whole earth is full of His glory."

In the earthly liturgy, we participate in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy, which is celebrated in the Holy Community of Jerusalem toward which we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, a minister of the holies and of the true tabernacle; we sing a hymn to the Lord's glory with all the warriors of the heavenly army; venerating the memory of the saints, we hope for some part and fellowship with them.

As the Spirit of Christ in us cries: "Abba Father," we know that, in the liturgical office, it is Christ Himself who gives worship to God. He makes Himself present each time that the Church prays and sings, thus fulfilling His promise: "Whenever two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I."

Through the holy liturgy we participate in Christ's own ministry, manifesting our election according to the words of St. Peter: "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart to proclaim the praises of the One who has called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light." Prompted by the testimony of the early Church, "They devoted themselves faithfully to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers" the Community will give particular importance to the liturgy, "summit towards which the activity of the Church is directed and font from which flows all her power, and all sanctification."

The brothers and sisters of the Community will take care to be one Body and soul, thus manifesting in the liturgy the unity of the People of God.

They will draw from it fresh strength for the practice of charity. They will be predisposed to hospitality in order to be a sign for the nations.

The liturgy, as an irruption of the sacred into time and space, will allow us to participate in the eternity and infinity of God, and will thereby anticipate the coming of the Kingdom.

In the freedom of the children of God, we shall be able to celebrate our Lord with songs and dances, remembering David exulting before the Ark.

We could not better express our love for the Lord than by rendering to Him spiritual worship of pleasing fragrance. In order to witness therefore to the beauty of God, we will put special effort into the singing and the ceremonial of the office. Likewise, we will honour the Lord by a respectful and holy bearing in the places where He dwells. Clothed in the habit of the choir, we will manifest that "baptized in Christ, we have clothed ourselves with Christ."

As the Christians of the primitive Church who "every day with one accord, continued to meet in the temple and broke the bread in their houses," we will be faithful to the loving invitation of the Lord through the offices of the day Lauds, Vespers, Compline and the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, the summit of our prayers.

May we then, by our hymns and our songs of joy sanctify the Name of God to whom belong "Power, Honour and Glory."

Praise

Our contemplative vocation could not be lived fully without giving thanks at all times and in all places. "I will bless Adonai at all times, His praises will always be on my lips."

Christ makes each one of us a new creature, "a being of praise to the Glory of the Father." Therefore, with Saint Francis, we want to unite ourselves with all of creation and proclaim: "Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord . . . to Him highest glory and eternal praise be given."

We will find our joy in celebrating His Name for "It is good to sing to our God, sweet is His praise." May it reach the ends of the earth and free the hearts of believers from their chains. Strong in this promise: "The Lord dwells in the praise of His people, "through thanksgiving we will welcome the living presence of God and we will anticipate our calling in the Kingdom."