The February Promoter

Spotlight:

World Day of Prayer for

Consecrated Life

February 3, 2008

In 1997 Pope John Paul II declared Feb 2, the celebration of the Presentation of the Lord, as the day to be a special day of prayer for Consecrated Life in the Church.  In the U.S. we celebrate it the Sunday after Feb 2, so that it can be included in our weekend liturgy and have a greater influence on parish life.   

In response to this desire of the Church to appreciate and promote consecrated life more, it seems appropriate we should take this opportunity to learn more about it and its place in the Church.  In 1996 Pope John Paul II wrote an apostolic exhortation, Vita Consecrata (The Consecrated Life), in which he communicated the conclusions that came from a Synod of Bishops and consecrated men and women. He had initiated this meeting because, as he stated, “the role of consecrated life in the Church is so important, I decided to convene a Synod in order to examine in depth its significance and its future prospects, especially in view of the approaching new millennium.”  This document is a useful resource, not only to understand better what the Church means by the term “consecrated life,” but the important role men and women who follow this vocation have to fulfill in the life of the Church. 

Consecrated Life in the Church is defined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church #914 as “The state in life which is constituted by the profession of the evangelical counsels, while not entering into the hierarchical structure of the Church, belongs undeniably to her life and holiness.”  Pope John Paul II explains more deeply in Chapter I of Vita Consecrata this call to live the evangelical counsels as a consecrated man or woman:

By professing the evangelical counsels, consecrated persons not only make Christ the whole meaning of their lives but strive to reproduce in themselves, as far as possible, “that form of life which he, as the Son of God, accepted in entering this world.” By embracing chastity, they make their own the pure love of Christ and proclaim to the world that he is the Only-Begotten Son who is one with the Father (Jn 10:30, 14:11).  By imitating Christ’s poverty they profess that he is the Son who receives everything from the Father, and gives everything back to the Father in love (Jn 17:7, 10). By accepting, through the sacrifice of their own freedom, the mystery of Christ’s filial obedience, they profess that he is infinitely beloved and loving, as the One who delights only in the will of the Father (Jn 4:34), to whom he is perfectly united and on whom he depends for everything.   

This special vocation has given innumerable persons who dedicate themselves entirely to spreading the Gospel a way to live, pray, and work with a purity of intention that has influenced the world in so many positive ways.  This way of following Christ goes back to him as its origin: “Jesus himself, by calling some men and women to abandon everything in order to follow him, established this type of life which, under the guidance of the Spirit, would gradually develop down the centuries into the various forms of consecrated life.” (#29 Vita Consecrata) 

There are various forms of consecrated life that the Holy Spirit has brought into being: monastic life, orders of virgins, hermits, widows, institutes devoted to contemplation, apostolic religious orders, secular institutes (seeking to live out their consecration to God in the world) and societies of apostolic life. In all these forms men and women live out the evangelical counsels through vows or promises according to their specific charism and mission, uniquely given by the Holy Spirit. “The various ways of living the evangelical counsels are, in fact, the expression and fruit of spiritual gifts received by founders and foundresses. As such, they constitute an experience of the spirit transmitted to their disciples to be lived, safeguarded, deepened, and constantly developed by them” (#48 Vita Consecrata). What a grace to have so many ways for generous souls to build the Church and bring the light of the Gospel to all.  In Section III of Vita Consecrata, “In the Church and for the Church,” we see the different and concrete ways that consecrated life adds to the sanctification of humanity, while at the same time supporting the Pope and Bishops:

In this perspective, common to all consecrated life, there are many different but complementary paths.  Men and women Religious completely devoted to contemplation are in a special way an image of Christ praying on the mountain.  Consecrated persons engaged in the active life manifest Christ “in his proclamation of the Kingdom of God to the multitudes, in his healing of the sick and the suffering, in his work of converting sinners to a better life, in his solicitude for youth and his goodness to all.”  Consecrated persons in Secular Institutes contribute in a special way to the coming of the Kingdom of God; they unite in a distinctive synthesis the value of consecration and that of being in the world, “they strive to imbue everything with an evangelical spirit for the strengthening and growth of the Body of Christ.”  For this purpose they share in the Church’s evangelizing mission through their personal witness of Christian living, their commitment to ordering temporal affairs according to God’s plan and their cooperation in service of the ecclesial community, in accordance with the secular way of life which is proper to them.

Promoting Vocations 101

Think big using small steps – each little seed planted today will bring change to the landscape of our world tomorrow.  

Form Yourself – taking the time to study different aspects of the life in the Church will help you as you step out to promote vocations.  Consider it as sharpening the tools we want to give God to use.  The documents of the Church are helpful resources for us to better understand our faith and Vita Consecrata, in particular, is a treasure for us.  An extremely helpful guide for better understanding the document is Catholic Catechism on Consecrated Life by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. which is in a question and answer format that goes through the content of Vita Consecrata.  This book can be found in our online store and is recommended for all promoters to help others, young and old, to see the Consecrated Life as the gift that it is and grow to appreciate all those living this God-given vocation. This will help us to be a witness of the depth that Christ has given us in his Body, the Church.  We are here to support each and everyone in his or her vocation.  It is important for promoters to see the blessing that each vocation to the priesthood and consecrated life is for the Church and develop a real appreciation and sincere prayer for them.

Quote Corner:

 “In every age there have been men and women who, obedient to the Father’s call and to the prompting of the Spirit, have chosen this special way of following Christ, in order to devote themselves to him with an “undivided” heart (1Cor 7:34).  Like the Apostles, they too have left everything behind in order to be with Christ and to put themselves, as he did, at the service of God and their brothers and sisters.  In this way, through the many charisms of spiritual and apostolic life bestowed on them by the Holy Spirit, they have helped to make the mystery and the mission of the Church shine forth, and in doing so, have contributed to the renewal of society.”

Pope John Paul II, Vita Consecrata

Monthly Mission:

Get to know a little about any religious order that serves in your area (parishes, retreat centers, schools, hospitals etc.)