Writings and Thoughts of Saint Guido M. Conforti

Selected Writings

Spirit of Living Faith

(The Father’s Word, pg 37)

God is our beginning and our ultimate goal, and this is the reason why we must aspire to God with all our being. Our intellect was given to us in order to know, our heart in order to love, our will in order to act. Our purpose then for being in this world is to know, to love and to serve God.

Anyone, therefore, who would like to reflect from this angle as to what Christian perfection is, and to make a decision which would embrace all the decisions one could possibly make, need only determine to fix their mind on a desire to see God, to love God, and to seek God in everything.

 

 

Christ, the Center of our Life

(Pastoral Letter on his entry as Bishop of Ravenna, Italy)

I will come as one sharing the mysteries of God, one who proclaims that word of life which on the lips of the Apostles renewed the face of the earth; one who wishes you to know and love our Lord Jesus Christ, because this is the real purpose of the life of the spirit, which we need to constantly nourish - to know God and God’s Divine Word, Jesus Christ, sent by God, in whom alone we can expect salvation.

For this reason my guiding sentence will always be the one I chose for my Episcopal coat of arms: “Christ is all, and in all”. Yes, my dearest children, in all that we do we must keep Christ as our goal, and we must try to please Christ, since He is the source and reason of all that is good for us, both in the realm of nature and the realm of grace. Without the action of God’s life-giving Spirit, humankind would fall back into the abyss of disasters and of material and moral upheavals from which Christ redeemed it through His infinite love. What would in fact be our fate without the redeeming action of Christ ?

 

 

The Cross and Mission

(DP 16)

Your mission and your project of life are beautifully drawn up in the Crucifix, which I have just handed over to you and you have placed with joy on your heart. It seems to me that through this Image He is speaking to you in those same words he addressed to his Apostles and to the crowds two thousand years ago, as proof of the divinity of his mission: “When I am lifted up from the earth, on the Cross, I will draw everyone to myself”.

In these few words we find the reason of His mission and the secret of its victories. And the mission of Christ becomes also your own mission, the secret of its victories must be the secret of your own successes: the Cross, the sacrifice of yourselves.

Jesus Christ wants to draw all peoples to Himself, because He wants to reign over the minds of all with His divine teaching, and over the hearts of all with His love.

And you have been called to gather all peoples around the Throne and Vision of His Cross, so that they may be able to recognize His rule, to accept His teachings, and to taste the ripe fruits of that love which He sealed with His divine blood.

 

 

Passion for the Gospel

(DP 19)

The love of Jesus Christ is your motivation for making this great sacrifice. Today you stated why you are doing it: “The love of Christ impels us”. The example of the One who gave Himself up completely for our sake is your inspiration: “He gave himself up for us” and this same Person has left us a commandment to love our brothers and sisters in the same way He loved us: “As I loved you”
How I hope that during your life you will tell us of the large number of people brought to the faith, of Churches you built, of schools you have established, of hospitals, of homes, of kindergartens you have opened, of the many and varied projects which the love of Christ will inspire you to become involved in. It is for this purpose, and for this purpose alone, that you are going to other lands. You are not driven by a desire for fame, by greed to pile up wealth, by a fixation to visit new countries, or to encounter new people or become acquainted with different customs. “The love of Christ impels us”: this is the motivation of your life; all your desires and goals are expressed in one sentence. Your aim must be to gain everybody for Christ with the power of persuasion and the lure of love.

 

 

To Suffer for the Reign of God

(DP 2)

Let nothing upset you, nothing cause you to be afraid. Let the crucifix which you carry around your neck comfort you; that crucifix must be your joy, your everything. And from the One who shed his blood down to the last drop in order to ransom us, learn to sacrifice yourselves for your brothers and sisters.

God’s grace, which will always be with you, will comfort you. That grace enables us to do anything, and will act as a reminder to us in the midst of the worst trials:

 

 

Global Mission

(At the Consecration of Bishop Calza, 12 April 1912)

The plans of God, plans of goodness and of love for all, must not, and cannot fail and for this reason Jesus Christ, before going up to heaven, left behind people here on earth to share His own power and authority, and He entrusted them with the command to continue the great work He had begun.

These people are called by Christ in special way: at times he calls them ‘His dear ones’, ‘His chosen ones’, at other times he calls them ‘brothers and friends’, “His closest friends in whom He confides”. But even that is not enough.

Now He calls them to share in His trials and become His co-workers in His divine mission. Sometimes, using an expression full of deep meaning He calls them ‘salt of the earth’ and ‘light of the world’, and still, as if all this were not enough, He goes as far as to tell them: “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”, and as if to identify them with Himself adds: “Whoever listens to you, listens to me; and whoever rejects you, rejects me.”

 

 

One World - One Family

(DP 14; 16)

e are told in the Gospel that one day our Lord Jesus Christ looked over at the small group of followers surrounding him and told them: ‘I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd’. These words of our Divine Savior, so full of concern, showing his concern for the salvation of all, found a response in generous souls who declared themselves ready and willing to obey the divine call…

…And this is the biggest challenge which we must face with urgency, because all peoples have the right to redemption. Jesus Christ stated that He was determined to lead all sheep to the fold, and these sheep are scattered all over the face of the earth. Christ’s salvation is meant not for one or another specific people, not for one or another specific nation, but for the whole world…

 

 

Family Spirit

(DP 17; 12)

Love, above all, one another; let this love bring you ever closer to one another, so that you may be united heart and soul in such a way that your joys and sorrows will be shared by all. You will then gain an invincible strength, against which all your enemies’ efforts will crash and fail…” “Yes, go and preach the universal mission proclaimed by Christ, whose goal it is to break down all barriers and to make of humankind, without usurping different nationalities and their specific values, one single great family, united by the common seal of Christian charity.”

 

 

Opened to the World

(FR 52-60)

issionaries (and candidates in particular) should possess a suitable intellectual ability, good judgment, sound physical health, a temperament which is consistent and easy to get along with, and above all a concern for personal sanctification and the salvation of souls.

Our young students should be convinced that our Congregation is not limited to the contemplative life, but that it is an active Congregation dedicated to the proclamation of the Reign of Christ. As a result they should possess a diversified and uncommon formation ...

As efforts are made to choose a general plan of work and study, while keeping the doors open to other possibilities, it is worth keeping in mind the words of St Paul: “Finally, my brothers and sisters, fill your minds with whatever is true and worthy of praise” (Phil. 4,8).

 

 

Live the Dream ... Join the Journey

(DP 17)

Are you determined to follow God’s Will and Call? If you are, make sure you have, first of all, a Living Faith in your Divine Master. Let that faith permeate all your thoughts, your affections, and your actions. Place that faith before all your encounters, in all situations, and behave according to what it tells you. That faith must be your constant guide.
Love, furthermore, one another. Let this love bring you ever closer to one another, so that you may be united in heart and soul in such a way that your joys and sorrows will be shared by all… And remain intimately united to Christ, as a branch is united to the vine – united in heart and mind, united in meditating on Jesus’ teachings, united in the Eucharist, united in prayer, united in the constant effort to be like Him…
In this way alone will your ministry be fruitful allowing you to produce true fruits… And, at the same time, remember what He assured you: “Let nothing trouble you, or cause you fear. Your sadness will turn into joy.”