Blessed James Alberione

Devotion to Jesus Master sums up and completes all devotions. In fact, it presents Jesus Truth in whom to believe; Jesus Way, who is to be followed; Jesus Life in whom we…participate… Speaking of Jesus Master, we must keep in mind a much broader sense. He not only communicates knowledge, but he also transfuses his life into the disciples, making them similar to himself. He develops the divine life in them and guides them to eternal life.

A Personal Encounter with Jesus Master, Way, Truth, and Life

Blessed James Alberione’s spirituality is a synthesis of some of the richest passages of the New Testament, particularly in the Gospels and the Pauline letters. Beginning with the disciples’ initial experience of Jesus as "Teacher" or "Master" in the Gospel, Father Alberione chose to use the word "Master" to describe the personal and unique relationship Jesus has with each of his disciples. Although the connotations of this usage can sometimes be negative (e.g., ownership, domination, or abusive power over others), Jesus overturns our understanding of "mastery" in a stunning reversal: "You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet" (John 13:13-14, New American Bible). Jesus gave the term "master" a whole new meaning: Jesus is Master in the sense of servant, empowering the disciples to live in the fullness of freedom and love. As our true Master, Jesus is the One who gives the deepest meaning to our lives, and we are his inasmuch as we were loved into being through him, he died to save us, and he constantly reveals his loving care for us.

Father Alberione focused on the heart of Pauline teaching to delve more deeply into the meaning of the term "Jesus Master": "It is no longer I who live, it is Christ who lives in me!" (Galatians 2:20), and "For me, to live is Christ" (Philippians 1:21). Blessed Alberione placed Saint Paul’s concept of a central and vital relationship with Jesus in the context of Christ’s profound self-definition, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6).

Thus the heart of Alberione’s Pauline spirituality can be summed up in this one phrase: Jesus Master, Way, Truth, and Life. Father Alberione saw Jesus’ self-definition coinciding with the three essential aspects of each person: mind, will, and heart. Alberione believed that it is through Jesus Master, Way, Truth, and Life, that the various aspects of the human person could be integrated in a balanced, holy, and holistic way. We are invited to a personal relationship with Jesus Master who calls us to live in him and who becomes our Way, Truth, and Life.

Pauline spirituality is all about developing a personal relationship with Jesus Master who is our Way, Truth, and Life. Jesus not only proclaims the truth, but is himself the Truth because it is in him that we discover the loving face of God. Jesus shows us the Way to the Father by the example he gave in living among us, but also by walking with us on our journey. As our Life, Jesus saves us from the darkness of sin and invites us to the deepest possible fulfillment by sharing in the mystery of his life, death, and resurrection. When we enter more deeply into relationship with Jesus, Way, Truth, and Life, we discover that our daily life begins to change and grow. Our relationship with the Lord begins to impact our relationship with others and with the world itself.

Excerpt from Life for the World by Marie Paul Curley, FSP. Life for the World offers a new way of Eucharistic adoration and includes 12 complete hours of adoration for personal and group use, as well as a rich treasury of popular Eucharistic prayers. Click here for information on how to obtain your own copy.

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