Significantly for a Daughter of St. Paul, both saints are also writers. Inspired writers of the Bible itself! And just the other night, I was finishing our Founder's reflections fro 1954 and came upon his remarks about writing as a mission field. Actually, he used the word "redazione" (redaction) which sounds more like an editorial function, but for him it was all that stage of "preparing the message," whether it was in writing a book, a screenplay, a radio script...
Without further ado, I present you a very rough, literal translation of Blessed James Alberione on writing:
Writing/editorial
this means many things. In general [our] publishing is the preaching
of the doctrine of Jesus Christ; complete doctrine, concerning the
dogmas, truths, and moral teaching, teaching about the spiritual
life, the liturgy, the sacraments, the Mass. Preaching can be done
either through the spoken word or through writing, and it can be
transmitted in various ways, for example with television, radio. It
is always an editorial task, whether for the press, or cinema, or
radio, or television. The object is the same: the word of Jesus
Christ, the word of the church.
Therefore
we have to consider as sacred the apostolate of the Pauline Family.
At the same time we have to include what the Pope said to Catholic
editors a few days ago. It is not necessary that we always speak of
religion. Everything that is good, is Catholic. And this includes
all of the branches of knowledge, the way of teaching them and of
promoting them. When the Lord, in creation, ended each day,
according to the Bible's way of putting it, "He saw that it was
good": (cf Gen 1:4). So we are like loudspeakers that repeat
what was in the creative design of God, even when we publish about
the natural sciences; we are [God's] loudspeakers even more when we
publish Divine knowledge, that which Jesus Christ preached and the
Church handed on by tradition, so that the multiform wisdom of God
might be diffused and known everywhere [cf Ephesians 3:10].
Then
we have to note: the writer/editor/publisher is one who communicates
his or her thought. The thoughts that he/she formulates have to
enter in to enlighten the mind of the readers, of the radio audience,
of the viewers of the film and of television. The writer/editor has
to be a person full of faith above all, and at the same time must be
well informed; he or she must be a person full of hope, who looks
toward heaven, whether in the his or her own work done for God, for
His glory as well as with respect to the reader whom he/she wants to
lead to paradise; he or she must be a person full of charity, that
is, one who really loves the Lord and really loves souls. The three
theological virtues, therefore, deep in the soul of the writer. He
or she takes inspiration from the dispositions and the style with
which St. Paul dictated his letters.
Then
the writer/editor must consider him or herself [living and acting] in
Christ, ... who
for us men and for our salvation descended from heaven and was
incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary.
The writer/editor must be/make one who really lives among the
people. Thus, like Jesus, he or she must turn toward the masses, to
the greatest number of souls, to the multitudes who compose society
for the most part; and then to everyone, as did Jesus, who "lived
among the men" [Bar 3:38], as the Scripture says, to save
us through the word of truth [cf
Ephesians 1:13].
And
the readers? They too must be guided by faith, or at least have the
dispositions to receive the truth. There are always those who
welcome the truth and those who are deaf to it. "His
own received him not; to those who did receive him, he gives power to
become children of God"
[John 1:11-12]. Docility is required in the one who reads, in the
one who listens, in the one who watches.
How
can we turn toward Mary or address ourselves to Mary with regard to
writing/editorial work? As a general principle: all grace came
through Mary. Above all, grace includes the truth. Man must unite
himself to God but above all with the mind. Grace includes eternal
life; it includes interior and exterior holiness. Everything has
passed through Mary and thus the truth as well. If we have learned
from the divine model, [we know that] everything has come through
Mary.
....We
have to do this: consider the needs of humanity; then go to Jesus,
consider the sacred sciences, make a beautiful visit to the Blessed
Sacrament, and therefore, drawing from Jesus that knowledge of which
the world has need, and breaking it for the little ones. One must
always say, "there was no one who would break it for them”
(Lam. 4:4). Humanity has need of bread, of the bread of which Jesus
Christ spoke: not from bread alone does man live, but from every word
that comes from the mouth of God" (Mt 4:4)
Two
things, therefore: 1. Consider the needs of mankind, then consider
those persons whom we must address, whether they are children,
educated people, or pagans. To take the truth from him who is Truth
itself, and therefore Wisdom itself, and break it for the people who
need this bread. Sometimes the need is so great they don't even feel
hungry, as happens when someone is extremely weak.
And
further, ask Mary the dispositions for writing/editorial.
I
have accented the three theological virtues which form the pedestal,
the three feet on which writing/editorial has to support itself:
Faith, Hope and Charity. But beyond this it takes prudence, love of
the truth. Feel the heart full of the truths that one learns, that
one is studying. Feel a holy fire in the soul. That these souls be
saved, that they reach heaven.
Mary
is Queen of writing/editorial; and so never attempt to write without
having invoked her aid.