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Fr. Rino Benzoni being interviewed by Fr. Tony Lalli, Editor of the Xaverian Mission Newsletter |
r. Rino
Benzoni, s.x., elected Superior General of the Xaverian Missionaries at the XIV General Chapter of 2001, held in Guadalajara, Mexico, paid his first visit to the USA Xaverians this past March. Asked for an interview for this Xaverian Mission Newsletter he graciously acceded to our request, and answered our questions as follows:
The Xaverian Missionary Charism
Xaverian Mission Newsletter: What are your first impressions of the American Church? And how does the Xaverian missionary charism and presence fit into this local Church?
Fr. Rino Benzoni, s.x.: Since this is my first visit to the USA, and a short one at that, I am primarily interested in getting acquainted a little with the Xaverian reality here and in meeting and knowing the confreres who work in the USA. But, I must say, I've had a glimpse of the reality of the Church in America through the witness and the work of these confreres.
It seems to me, then, that the Church here is living a particular moment of its history, in which the Lord is present and many Christians are dedicated for a coherent witness of life and the proclaiming of the Gospel. There are new challenges which will lead the Church here to find new ways for the Gospel to be proclaimed, guided by the Holy Spirit. It's a journey in which the Xaverian missionaries have their little but significant contribution to make.
The Xaverian presence in the American Church is small, but it means to remind it of an aspect important for every Church, that is, of the necessity to continue to announce the Gospel to every human being, overcoming the temptation to close itself within its own boundaries and its own problems, temptation common to all human reality, especially when it goes through difficult moments.
So, what we, as missionaries, can do for this Church at this moment in history is to invite it to find again its Gospel center and to proclaim it beyond its own boundaries, because the Church exists to evangelize and not merely to save itself or its own structures. In this sense, we can also see that certain weaknesses and problems, causes of suffering, may be a call of the Spirit to overcome barriers and to leave beaten paths which in the past were strong points, but which have now become inadequate or heavy and to rediscover the freshness and the novelty of the gospel and the beauty of its proclamation. The knowledge we missionaries have of other churches and of other experiences of that proclamation can be of help also to this North American Church, just as our knowledge of this Church can contribute to the Journey of other churches.
Our recent General Chapter, held in Mexico, has offered us the document "Ratio Missionis Xaveriana" (RMX), which is our Mission Statement, and urges us to again make of the Gospel and of its first proclamation the center of our mission. We read there: "Our mission asks to proclaim the Kingdom wherever it is still unknown. The Gospel we announce ... is the most precious gift that we can share with humanity; the most fitting and radical proposal in the search for solutions to the most serious problems afflicting humanity;... the answer to the most Profound aspirations and needs of the human soul' (RMX 6).
This is what constitutes the Xaverian charism wherever we find ourselves, and hence also in the USA, both through direct proclamation and through inviting the church not to forget this which is its primary task. Evidently this is true for ourselves first of all: "An ongoing personal and communal conversion to the Gospel is a necessary condition of the credibility and efficacy of our mission; this conversion leads us to identify with the love of Christ that is capable of filling our entire life and transforming the life those we address. It is by letting ourselves be evangelized that we evangelize others" (RMX 9).
Tied in with this, in this specific moment of human history, as missionaries we can also share with the Church and with the world the experience we acquire from our living and working with different peoples and from our knowledge of the often-suffering situation of great part of humanity. We can thus help so that peoples come to know each other and become aware for the need for mutual collaboration rather than for clash of various cultures. This is a task that takes time and patience, but one that is today more than ever necessary also in view of conditions for a lasting peace.
Signs of Renewed Hope and Challenging Witness
XMN: In Europe and in North America the number of religious and priestly vocations has decreased greatly. What do you make of it? And are there signs of hope you can point out for us?
Fr. Benzoni: It is true, and for everyone to see, that in countries where up to few decades ago religious and priestly vocations were numerous, today they are really few. This goes also for missionary vocations. This fact is a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is for us to live our vocation in such a full and joyful way as to appeal also to others. The opportunity consists in the fact that our vocation can become a more challenging witness today. When becoming a religious was often seen as a profession like any other, it could be taken more for granted. Today it can provide a stimulus for those who meet us and act as an invitation to them to question themselves about life choices. Evidently, this happens only to the extent that our answer and manner of living our vocation shuns mediocrity.
While on the one hand we must seek to favor in every way vocations, on the other we cannot lose our deep serenity, certain that we are not the masters of the harvest and of vocations. In other times the Lord has asked the Church to serve him and be his witnesses through numerous and grandiose works which required a great commitment of personnel and great visibility and weight in society. Today, perhaps, he is asking us to serve him in weakness and with less ostentatious labors and works.
"The Religious Life is Like Falling in Love"
XMN: How do you "justify" religious life in this "worldly-minded" culture and society of ours? How does it "prove" itself?
Fr. Benzoni: On the one side, I believe that the fact that we live in a culture which is excessively centered on imminent values justifies and enhances religious life. The witness of a life founded on eternal values and on relationships of freedom between persons is particularly necessary today in a world where all is reduced to market relationships and, hence, it can have an especially radiant witness value. The world has need of lives heedful of the weak in society when everything tends to pay attention and give priority to the strong.
On the other side, religious life does not at all need to "justify or prove itself' except to be lived in fullness.
A young man who falls in love does not feel the need to justify himself with anyone because he has chosen a certain young lady: this love gives him a new identity and a joy unknown to him before. The same is true of the religious and missionary life. The encounter with the Lord can even today fill a life to such an extent that one gives it totally and freely for Him and so that it be recognized by others as well. On two conditions: that it be true love and that it be lived to the full. Nothing more than this, nothing less than this!
(From Xaverian Mission Newsletter)