The charism of Mother Clelia has its origin in the Heart of the Church which is the Heart of Christ!
Clelian Charism
The charism was given as a gift of the Holy Spirit to the Foundress for the good of the Church and the benefit of the people of God. It originates in the Heart of Christ pierced by the lance on the Cross for the redemption of the world (John 19:34). To be an Apostle of the Love of Christ is what identifies the Apostle of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the light of Jesus’ words to Mother Clelia, “Be the Apostle of my love,” the life of an Apostle witnesses to the active charity that Jesus had towards all.
The mission of the Apostle is to love the Heart of Jesus and make him known, loved, and served in all circumstances and in every type of apostolate. For Mother Clelia, reparation was a characteristic of the love which consumed her being and gave life to her mission. She made of her life a daily offering to the Heart of Jesus for the conversion of sinners. The Apostle, following Mother Clelia’s example, strives to miss no opportunity to do good. She offers Jesus all the works of charity asked of her by obedience.
With a compassionate heart, the Apostle is committed to restoring the image of God in all the realities that disparage human life: the disintegration of the family, moral relativism, abuse of power, unjust political, economic, and social systems, and various forms of discrimination.
Following in the footsteps of Mother Clelia along the pathways of the world, the Apostles are called to live the vision, values and mission of the congregation, fundamental elements to guide the life and actions of the Apostles in their service to God and humanity:
Vision
To Be an Apostle of Love.
Values
Union with the Heart of Jesus
Union with the Heart of Jesus, lived and cultivated in the encounter with Him in the Eucharist and in the Word, is a way for the Apostle to assimilate His sentiments and express them in community and apostolic life. “If it’s true that you love Jesus, make your love transform your loving soul into a person loved by dear Jesus (Mg. I, p. 79; WTR 265; cf. Phil. 2:5 and Jn 15:5).
Humility and Charity
In Mother Clelia’s teaching, teaching, humility is the way to holiness and charity is its expression par excellence: “My good Jesus makes me understand that humility is the mother of charity. He wants me to treat everyone with respect and goodness and to find my happiness in the delicate attention and loving kindness that Christ’s true charity inspires and humility carries out” (Diary, p. 175). “Having acquired this virtue (humility), you will certainly also have charity, and therefore you will be the joy of Jesus, as every Apostle should be” (Mg. I, p. 159; WTR 108).
Forgiveness
“[Jesus] wants me to love those who have offended me, as He has loved us” (Diary p. 192; WTR 512). Trusting fully in the mercy of Jesus, Mother Clelia teaches by the heroic nature of her forgiveness not only to forgive from the heart all wrongs received from those who offend us, but also to do them all the good we can, “especially to pray much for them, to show them compassion and excuse them, and to desire that they share in His glory in Heaven” (Diary p. 192; WTR 512). The Apostle is urged to live reconciled with God, herself and others (cf. 2 Cor. 5:11-21).
Reparation
Reparation is a response of love to the Heart of Jesus. The Apostle knows she is part of humanity wounded by sin and offers herself “without limits and reservations” (MDir., p.92, n.4, p. 82) in sacrifice, prayer, and acts of charity for the promotion of human dignity and the reconstruction of the image of God in all wounded realities, so that Jesus, the One who makes true reparation, may heal them with His Love. “Offer the merits of the most precious Blood to the Eternal Father for the conversion of sinners” (Diary p. 137).
Apostolic Zeal
The Apostle, following the example of the first Apostles, animated by ardent zeal and within the limits of her own strength, is called and sent to bring to everyone and to all places the tenderness of the Heart of Christ (cf. MDir., 212, n.4, p. 144). The strength and creativity of apostolic zeal depend on her profound love for God and for all (cf. MDir. 212, n.4, p. 144): “ My wish for you is that Jesus will give you that spirit of zeal which knows how to find all the best ways to lead souls to his divine Heart;” (Mg. II, p. 119; WTR 95) and “... I leave you in that furnace of love, which you must not leave until you are transformed into a true Apostle of the Heart of Jesus “(Mg. II, p. 119; WTR 95).
Mission
To love and make the Heart of Jesus loved by bringing his tenderness to all.
Open to the signs of the times and faithful to the Pope and the Magisterium, the Apostle is concerned with the formation and integral development of the person. Through prayer, witness and action, she collaborates in evangelization and in the transmission of human and Christian values in every reality. She is particularly attentive to the existential peripheries and seeks a newness of presence with courage and confi dence (cf. MDir. 1, no. 3, p. 15), faithful to the Foundress’ will: “The more good we see that has to be done, the more we must do, and never say enough.” (Mg. I, p. 100; WTR 198).
