During the Year of Lasallian Spirituality, Christian Brothers Conference is publishing reflections to provide spiritual inspiration and stir continued dialogue around Lasallian spirituality.
By Brother George Van Grieken, FSC, Ph.D.
Lasallian spirituality is a topic that is so close to me personally and professionally that I don’t think I can adequately convey its nature or impact on my life in a short essay. A phrase attributed to T.S. Eliot comes to mind: “There are some things about which nothing can be said and before which we dare not keep silent.”
A spirituality tries to encapsulate – to tame? – something that may be a bright light in one person’s life but is a black hole for others. Common language is elusive here because, like love, any spirituality is something that must first be experienced before being brought up from its depth. Father Herbert McCabe, O.P., wrote that it is only by entering into a mystery that you develop the capacity for understanding it.
Depths of meaning are not found right away – you don’t fully understand “Macbeth” the first time you read or see the play. Meaning unfolds over time, through lived experience. Rushing the process only leads you to substitute slogans for the truth. If personal relationships take time and attention before you begin to understand what’s going on, then this is especially true of relationships with groups of people … which is what Lasallian spirituality is all about. Simply put, you cannot watch a 4-minute, 16-second YouTube video about Lasallian spirituality and expect to know what it is.
Thomas Groome, my Boston College professor back in the early 1990s – and still a good friend – once said in class that “spirituality” was a weasel word; anyone can use it about pretty much anything. A more formal articulation of that same notion can be found in the Institute’s 2019 “Lasallian Formation for Mission: The Pilgrim’s Handbook,” where “spirituality” is defined as “a person’s way of being, thinking, choosing, and acting in the world according to that person’s ultimate values.”
This simple and straightforward definition makes sense to me. Based on that general definition, Lasallian spirituality is described as a way of being “by which persons seek to integrate their lives through cooperation with God in the ministry of human and Christian education, especially with those who are poor, according to the vision of John Baptist de La Salle.” It is simple and concise – no details yet, but an accessible launching point.
The little 2023 book, “Lasallian Spirituality Today” brought our “capacity for understanding” a little further by articulating Lasallian spirituality’s development, dynamics, where it is found, how it is lived, and how best to learn about it: “The best way to learn about Lasallian spirituality is to be part of an authentic Lasallian educational community.” Very true! We learn best by being inside of and part of that which we seek to understand. For me, this booklet brought together the best of the last 20 years of Lasallian experience and recent Institute publications about our spirituality, condensing it into a readable, sensible, relatable narrative.
Here are some basic convictions that I currently have about Lasallian spirituality:
- It is centered around Lasallian life and its mission. We are all about schools, teaching, and bringing the Gospel to the educational world. Our focus is on education, young people and the poor. Anything that does not relate to these in some way may be wonderful and good but finally is not part of the Lasallian spirituality universe.
- It is lived out “together and by association.” This means that there are no “lone wolves” among genuine Lasallians. The whole point was to be able to do well, together, what had too often been done poorly by individuals. When we speak about Lasallian spirituality, it’s much more about “we” and “us” than it is about “me” and “I.” No community, no mission.
- It is shared much more than it is owned. Like passion for a team, cause or interest, there is a shared identity that lives in the doing of it. Nobody owns the copyright, except as commonly agreed. Life subsists in the lived charism; the owners are those who do it.
- It is overused, underappreciated and misunderstood. Everyone has an opinion about it – just look at me! – while few have a well-informed appreciation borne of studies and programs. Relative personal impact does not equate to accurate or universal insight, as great as that may be. Easily accessible does not mean easily understood … or lived.
- It is deeply Christian, Catholic and apostolic. De La Salle and the early Brothers launched a non-clerical educational movement within the Catholic Church, built on the Gospel, a deep prayer life and a solid commitment to one another. It is lived on the margins – in classrooms, lunchrooms, offices and sports fields. That’s where Christ is to be found. De La Salle said, “You are ambassadors and ministers of Jesus Christ in the work that you do.”
It is laudable that so many say so much about so small a phrase as “Lasallian spirituality.” While this should be supported, the reality of lived practice is much more important than the desire for verbal definition. Like most important things, understanding Lasallian spirituality emerges slowly, over time, through personal experience.
Recall that “God, who guides all things with wisdom and serenity,” works in an imperceptible way and over a long period of time. As individuals uniquely engage and live out their growing “definition” of Lasallian spirituality – and God is in there somewhere, whether you believe that or not – it is thoughts, choices and actions that give Lasallian spirituality substance and character.
Only when you’re gone down the road a bit can you look back to see the bigger picture. This lived unfolding cannot be truncated or forced. Artificial intelligence answers will not suffice. Realization emerges as one decision leads to another in a way that you did not foresee in the beginning.
So, let’s not put too much pressure on coming up with the right definition of Lasallian spirituality but rather focus on learning how to live it well. That’s the point of the whole thing.
Brother George Van Grieken, FSC, Ph.D., is the Lasallian resource coordinator of the Lasallian Resource Center.