[김애란] Two smaller front wheels

Two smaller front wheels 

By Kim Ae-ran

Relying on the wheelchair or rolling chair for about a month, I noticed two interesting things that I did not realize before.

One thing is that the wheelchair can rotate 365 degrees in its position without deviating. That is, the wheelchair can turn around at an all-around angle in one position, handling the push rim to move the front two small wheels. Turning two caster wheels at the front, the two larger rear wheels just go along for the ride.

In the beginning, without knowing the possibility of turning all-around in one position, I tried to push the wheelchair ahead to make a turn. As time went on, I realized how not to waste energy but to just handle the chair easily according to my intention.

The second thing I realized is the importance of the front wheels, which are much smaller than the two wheels at the back. The two much larger wheels at the back just follow the direction handled by the small front wheels. Everything depends on the two front caster wheels. How crucial the frontier role and spirit of the front wheels is!

If the front wheels are filled with selfish desire and instinctive ambition to go faster than others, what would happen to the cart? The cart will just enjoy a speedy rapidity, and it might result in a tragic accident in the end. The car is the same.

On the other hand, the car will move ahead and go around with serenity, peace, integrality, joy, composure, solidarity, especially when four wheels are properly arranged to go on while keeping the car's balance, when the driver of the car has prophetic and sensible vision, and when she or he practices the examination of self-consciences constantly to discern and work for the common goodness.

When our founder, Beatified Fr. James Alberione (1884-1971) founded the Pauline Family which consists of five religious Congregations (Society of St. Paul, Daughters of St. Paul, Pious Disciples of the Divine Master, Sister of Jesus the Good Shepherd, Sisters of Mary Queen of the Apostles), four aggregated Institutes (St. Gabriel the Archangel for lay consecrated men, Mary of the Annunciation for lay consecrated women, Jesus the Priest for diocesan clergy, the Holy Family for married couples) and the Association of Pauline Cooperators, he created the concept of "four wheels of the cart" to educate the importance of the integration of life to the whole members.

According to Fr. Alberione, four wheels of the cart are piety, study, poverty, and apostolate. Keeping the balance among those four spiritual elements is most essential to living the truthful messages of Christ and to give those happy messages to others for the glory of God and the peace of people. 

Among the four wheels, the two front wheels are prayer and study. The most important wheel is, of course, prayer life, in other words, piety that includes various forms of prayer life such as Mass, Sacrament, Eucharistic adoration, Confession, Examination of conscience, Reflection, Contemplation, and so on. Without prayer, nothing can be sustained. Even though the cart goes forward, it will arrive in the place out of the goal. 

Study means to learn something from every situation. Study prepares us to be an instrument of the truth, and study requires constant self-discipline, moderation, and ongoing self-formation.

The future of the personal and communal life of poverty and apostolate totally depends on the quality of prayer life and study. Thus, our Founder always emphasized the priority of prayer, saying "Pray first, pray above all, pray among others, pray anytime and everywhere…" 

The whole world will be transformed marvelously if each of us reflects and contemplates even some minutes a day. What a mysterious and concrete idea of four wheels of the cart in our life!

The author is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul (Figlie di San Paolo) living and giving the Good News to the world by means of social communication. Learn more about the congregation at fsp.pauline.or.kr.