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There are in the Church very many communities, both clerical and
lay, which devote themselves to various apostolic tasks. The gifts
which these communities possess differ according to the grace which is
allotted to them. Administrators have the gift of administration,
teachers that of teaching, the gift of stirring speech is given to
preachers, liberality to those who exercise charity and cheerfulness to
those who help others in distress (cf. Rom. 12:5-8). "The
gifts are varied, but the Spirit is the same" (1 Cor.
12:4).
In these communities apostolic and charitable activity belongs to the
very nature of the religious life, seeing that it is a holy service and
a work characteristic of love, entrusted to them by the Church to be
carried out in its name. Therefore, the whole religious life of their
members should be inspired by an apostolic spirit and all their
apostolic activity formed by the spirit of religion. Therefore in
order that their members may first correspond to their vocation to
follow Christ and serve Him in His members, their apostolic activity
must spring from intimate union with Him. Thus love itself towards
God and the neighbor is fostered.
These communities, then, should adjust their rules and customs to fit
the demands of the apostolate to which they are dedicated. The fact
however that apostolic religious life takes on many forms requires that
its adaptation and renewal take account of this diversity and provide
that the lives of religious dedicated to the service of Christ in these
various communities be sustained by special provisions appropriate to
each.
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