DIVYODAYA JMJ SPIRITUALITY CENTRE, SIRUMALAI
The rejuvenate salutation of Spirituality is Ushodaya
The sparkling rays of Spirituality is Suryodaya
The evergreen message of Spirituality is Vidyodaya
The pure oil drops of Spirituality is Divyodaya
‘Divyodaya’ means Divine awakening which stands for the ability to experience the merciful, forgiving and compassionate love of God the almighty Father. ‘Five Diyas’ are connected with five great mysteries in this world; the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, the Creation and the Redemption. It also signifies that everything in nature is made up of five basic elements: earth, water, fire, air and space. A life path of five tends to seek freedom constantly, seek self transformation and diversity in all walks of life, indicates fullness of life and holistic encounter with the Divine.
We, the sisters of the Congregation of Jesus Mary Joseph chose the theme always “Encounter God’s holy will through an ever adaptable, apostolic availability” as vessels of hope to accompany one another in our spiritual journey and renewal programmes through Divyodaya, JMJ Spirituality Centre. We are ever indebt to our Superior General Rev. Sr. Innamma Yeruva and the General Council Sr. Vijaya Udumala, Sr. Valsa Koreth, Sr. Mary Karickakunnel and Sr. Chandra Thainese for their spirit-filled leadership and good governance, along with the energetic and dynamic team of Provincial Superiors Sr. Anthony Mary Dasari, Sr. Tresa Kandlakunta, Sr. Mukta Xess, Sr. Mary Kutty Pottananiyil, Sr. Sundari Singareddy, the Regional Superior of Ghana & Council of all the Provinces to realize the Direction Statement of First Congregational Chapter 2018, i.e to foster a deep spirituality, being conscious of our new identity as Congregation of Jesus Mary Joseph that energizes prayer, community life, ministries and strives for the wholeness of creation.
Desire to encounter God of mercy
Intimate moments with Divine love
Very pure and fresh Air
Yearning to live new life
Original feel of silence and serenity
Dance of the silver oak trees
Art of the waving artistic leaves & flowers
Yield to the renewed spirit
And cherished experience with the God of encounter
The Spirituality of the congregation of Jesus Mary Joseph
Fr. Mathias Wolff, a Jesuit himself lived the spirit of St. Ignatius. His whole life was concerned with the ‘ad majorem Dei gloriam,’ a Latin phrase meaning “for the greater glory of God” Fr. Wolff directed himself to God in such a way that he does not desire anything but what God
asks of him. In such a heart and mind he experiences that everything is guided by God’s providence. His whole being is directed to God’s glory. P.M.109.
People experience him as a man of unshakable trust in God. Convinced of God’s mercy for himself, Mathias Wolff wanted to make this mercy known. “I wish to execute my priestly task from an attitude of gentleness, helpfulness and I wish to be there for everyone. I wish to be merciful and easily approachable for the sinners. (M.W) Mathias Wolff allowed God to order his life according to His will: “We must surrender to God. Our only prayer should be, Your will be done.” This attitude forced him to be ready to take on the responsibility of God’s redeeming and liberating message in imitation of Christ. His whole life and numerous texts indicate his apostolic zeal.
- “I wish to work like a giant, certain of God’s continual help”
- “I wish to work without ceasing”
- “I wish to redeem as many people as I can
- ” Fr. Wolff spirit proceeds along two lines:Ascending to God. Descending to the people.
The Spirituality of the Pedagogie Chretienne
In the preface of the ten day retreat Fr. Wolff summed up what he viewed as the spirituality of his congregation: ‘The Spirit who moves us is the same spirit who moved Jesus’. Moved by the Spirit, Jesus went from city to city to bring good news to the poor. He did not himself choose the route he had to travel; it was the Spirit who sent him. Moved by the Spirit, Jesus in turn sent the disciples out ‘to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal’ (Lk9:2).
Inspired by this Gospel text, Fr. Wolff wrote: ‘Like the apostles of long ago, so we today are sent out to give education to poor children and to administer mercy. (Sent by the Lord page 13 & 14)
The Spirit of the CJMJ is a sharing in the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
As there are two natures in Jesus Christ, a divine and a human, so also is the spirit of a true JMJ, two fold and we can speak of an interior and exterior spirit.
Interior Spirit
A true member of CJMJ is interiorly possessed by God, and this state of being filled by God;s will
influences her external works and inspires her to seek in everything only the greater glory of
God.
The interior spirit consists of
(Sent by the Lord Pg.18)
- A deep spirit of self-denial
- A comparative insight into the comparative value of what is earthly
- Extensive knowledge of spiritual matters,
- The enjoyment of God and a taste for the Divine
- A fervent prayer life; great love of prayer
- Unremitting trust in the Holy Spirit
- Inner freedom of heart
- A fervent zeal for everything that concerns the honour of God.
Exterior Spirit
A true JMJ sister should confirm her normal way of life to that of other people. She is obliged to
devote herself to the tasks with the apostolic dedication and the love of her neighbor.
The following is needed to form this exterior spirit:
(Sent by the Lord Pg. 19 & SC 61)
- Obedience
- Modesty in external behavior
- Incessantly thoughtful – Constant recollection
- Courageously carries out the tasks assigned to her – Great courage in apostolic works
- Is cautious in speaking – a great prudence in speaking.
- Does not put herself in the foreground
Our Spirituality is a perfect integration of interior and exterior spirits which is reflected in the
following key statements –
Thus the spirituality of the Congregation of Jesus Mary Joseph, is an ever renewed search for
God’s will, a spirituality of ongoing discernment in integration of both interior and exterior spirit.
(Const No:3)
- With Lord of the World; for the World of the Lord
- Ascending to God; descending to the people
- Ora et Labora
- Contemplation in action
THE CHARISM OF THE CONGREGATION OF JESUS MARY JOSEPH
Charism is a gift of the spirit who grants to a person certain sensitivity for a special aspect of the mystery of God in Christ. The Charism of the Congregation of JMJ bears the zeal of the Founder Fr. Mathias Wolff. It is his personal charism – being always ready to save souls and working like a giant, which he passed on to his foundation under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. God’s redeeming and liberating message in imitation of Christ.
The Founder gave the charism to his Congregation as its Characteristic feature, “An ever adaptable Apostolic Availability”. We are thus invited to live out this dynamic charism courageously following the footsteps of the Founder in response to the signs of the times emerging in today’s world. This presupposes that we are continually intent on the most Holy Will
of God.
The person and the charism of the Founder as seen in his first sisters: He always stirred them
up to obedience.
Three instructions accentuated by Fr. Wolff in 1827 are:
Religious Spirit: “My intention is not to make of you Christian daughters, no, I want you to become perfect religious.”
Spirit of Obedience: “You must have a perfect obedience, to go wherever the superior will send you.”
Significance of Meditation: “One should omit oral prayer and reading rather than miss meditation, the divine food.”
Concerning obedience to the guidance of the Spirit, our founder urged the sisters: ‘When you are where God wants you to be, stay there, but when He wants you somewhere else, depart’. This unconditional pliability with respect to the-never-to-be-predicted, never-to-be-comprehended, nowhere-to-be-fixed will of God, always challenging us with new demands; we want to keep this as the most precious heritage of our Congregation. (Const No. 3)