De La Salle’s primary occupation was to lead his Brothers to live in a manner conformed to the purpose of their Institute, i.e., according to the Gospel. He wished to help them become interior men, capable of recognizing and responding to God’s presence in their lives; internalizing the significance of their vocation and desiring to live out their personal, communal and apostolic lives in a Spirit of Faith and Zeal. His primary concern and most difficult task was the formation of his Brothers, their interior education and formation for contemplation. In each of his writings De La Salle spells out the necessity of the Brothers to be interior men.

Lasallian interiority is relational and dialogical; it is a relationship in which God takes the initiative. God, in relationship of union, takes possession of the Brother and incorporates him more fully and deeply into Jesus Christ. In this process the Holy Spirit reveals the will of the Father and gives the Brother the courage to embrace the Father’s will and the dynamism to carry it out, i.e., the Spirit of Faith and Zeal. The Holy Spirit invites the Brother to take on the interior dispositions of Jesus in order that he may re-present Jesus to his students. This same Holy Spirit inspires the Brother with a filial love for God and a fraternal love for his Brothers, his students and all other persons.

The first 15 chapters of the Rule of 1718 concern themselves with how the Brothers are to relate to God, to one another, to their students and to all other persons. Chapter sixteen of the Rule of 1718, on regularity, highlights these relationships. This chapter is of late origin, dating from 1718 and represents one of the principal additions to the text of 1705. De La Salle’s understanding of regularity is not a time schedule but rather the principles underlying how the Brothers are to relate. The emphasis De La Salle gives to this chapter is evident from the fact that it is a new composition as well as from where he places it in the sequence of chapters. The 15 chapters preceding this chapter are the principles of relationships, while all the following chapters address the practical matters of the community and school.

Chapter 16 begins: “It is necessary that the Brothers take for the foundation and support of their observances of the Rule what St. Augustine says at the beginning of his Rule: …that those who live in community should before all else love God and their neighbor because these are the principle commandments given to us by God and because any observance of the Rule is useless for salvation because it is established in communities only for the purpose of giving its members facility to observe with exactness the commandments of God.”

Regularity then is about how the Brothers are to relate to God, one another, their students and all other persons. De La Salle in his practical mysticism the goes on to instruct the Brothers in the means necessary to realize these relationships. He says: “The Brothers shall look upon the following observances as the most essential of their Institute: the four interior supports of their Institute, the Spirit of Faith, interior prayer, the presence of God and interior recollection…”

Since De La Salle says these supports are most essential, it seems to reason that they must have first place in the spiritual lives of the Brothers. In the context of our present day experiences as Brothers, how do we integrate these most essential practices into our daily lives? First, we must believe they are most essential. Second, we must confront those aspects of our modern American and secular society that mitigate against these essential practices: for example, the pervasive influence of modern media; the seductive attraction for instant gratification; in a word, anything that is an obstacle to developing habits of solitude and silence. We are reminded in both the Rule of 1718 and the Rule of 1986 that the foundation of our lives is to live a life of Faith and Zeal: “to look upon everything with the eyes of faith; to do everything in view of God and to attribute all to God.” Without a daily dose of interior recollection, interior prayer, attention to the presence of God, developing a Spirit of Faith and Zeal is impossible.

Each day begins for me sitting in my room for 30-45 minutes thanking God for the gift of another day, contemplating the Word of God in Scripture and letting the presence of God wash over me. After attending Eucharist it is important to maintain an attitude of interior recollection throughout the day. Minimizing the use of electronic devices goes a long way in helping me to maintain an atmosphere of solitude and silence. Several five minute respites during the day are wonderful ways for me to attend to the remembrance of God’s presence. The hour preceding evening prayer is spent in spiritual reading, either lectio divina or some book or magazine article. As a “retired” Brother I realize that I have the luxury of more time than my Brothers who are still fully engaged in their ministry; however, these practices are incumbent on all of us if we are to become and remain interior men. The final paragraph in the Rule of 1986 says: “Filled with the spirit which he left them as their legacy, the Brothers grow in the living tradition of their Institute. In communion with those who have gone before them they continue to respond with ardent zeal to the appeals of the Lord, the Church, and the world in order to procure the glory of God.”

Without these most essential practices it is impossible to grow in the tradition of the Institute or to maintain communion with those who have gone before us. If I have been able to remain faithful as a Brothers over these fifty-four plus years, it is due first to the miracle of God’s grace and to my daily attention to these most essential practices of our Institute. I shudder to think what kind of man I would be without them!

Brother Malachy Broderick, FSC
Martyrs of Turon community
Washington, D.C