As you may know, each religious family or religious congregation has particular devotions to Jesus, to Mary, and to the saints. We would like to share one of our Pauline devotions with you. First, though, I want to focus on “devotion” and what it means. Blessed Timothy Giaccardo, one of the first Pauline priests and the first Pauline to be beatified, said this about what devotion to Jesus is and what devotion means:
“Devotion means…to give ourselves totally to Jesus, in such a way that we live in him and he lives in us.”
So devotion is not a set of practices— Blessed James Alberione used to say this, too—devotion is not a set of practices, but a way of life. Devotion to Jesus is a way of giving ourselves to him, of handing our whole life over to him. In a gradual process of spiritual growth, we are called to more deeply enter this intimate communion with Jesus, as Blessed Alberione told us: “If I am docile, it is Jesus who lives in me. He lives in me; he loves in me; he wills in me; he works in me; he carries out the mission in me.” To put it more briefly, the devotion to the Divine Master has as its aim that we live Jesus in order to give Jesus to the world.
The Daughters of St. Paul, and the whole Pauline Family, honors Jesus under the title: “Jesus, the Divine Master, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” This is an unusual title; you may not have heard it before. Why Jesus, the Divine Master, Way, Truth, and Life?
First of all, Blessed James Alberione said that this is the most complete self-definition that Jesus ever gave of Himself. As you know, Jesus makes many “I am” statements in the Gospels—I am the Good Shepherd, I am the Light of the world, I am the Vine, etc. But according to Blessed James, when Jesus says, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” this is the most complete description of who Jesus is—who He is in Himself, and who He is for us.
The Truth, the Way, and the Life means all of Jesus, the whole Jesus. Also, Truth, Way, and Life sort of describe all of who we are, the totality of our person. We are humans, so we are mind, will, and heart. Jesus is Truth for our minds; Jesus is Way for our wills; Jesus is Life for our hearts. Every part of Jesus maps onto every part of us.
But why “Master”? This comes from the Latin and the Italian—in Latin the word is “Magister” and in Italian the word is “Maestro”—and these words mean Master but also Teacher, Guide, Giver of life and Holder of hearts.
So Jesus the Divine Master is the Divine Teacher who gives us the Truth. He is the Guide who not only shows the way but is the Way. He is the One who gives us life, not just any life, but His very life.
When we pray to Jesus Master together, this is the invocation we use: Jesus Master, Way, Truth, and Life, have mercy on us. We invite Jesus Master as the Way, the Truth, and the Life into our lives and into our hearts with His mercy. His mercy is the greatest expression of His love, so we are opening ourselves wide, raw, and vulnerable to His love and His mercy. This is the devotion to Jesus, the Divine Master.
We invite you to ponder and enter into this devotion a little bit, too. As you do, you are welcome to pray these “Invocations to Jesus Master” written by Blessed James.
Invocations to Jesus Master
Jesus Master, sanctify my mind and increase my faith.
Jesus, teaching in the Church, draw everyone to your school.
Jesus Master, deliver me from error, from vain thoughts, and from eternal darkness.
Jesus, Way between the Father and us, I offer you all and await all from you.
Jesus, Way of sanctity, make me your faithful imitator.
Jesus Way, render me perfect as the Father who is in heaven.
Jesus Life, live in me, so that I may live in you.
Jesus Life, do not permit me to separate myself from you.
Jesus Life, grant that I may live eternally in the joy of your love.
Jesus Truth, may I be light for the world.
Jesus Way, may I be example and model for souls.
Jesus Life, may my presence bring grace and consolation everywhere.
