Papers by Renessa Tang Pacl
contemplation or the works of the apostolate, for Societies of Apostolic Life, for Secular Instit... more contemplation or the works of the apostolate, for Societies of Apostolic Life, for Secular Institutes and for other groups of consecrated persons as well as for all those individuals who, in their inmost hearts, dedicate themselves to God by a special consecration. The Synod was a tangible sign of the universal extension of the consecrated life present in the local Churches throughout the world. The consecrated life inspires and accompanies the spread of evangelization in the different parts of the world, where Institutes from abroad are gratefully welcomed and new ones are being founded in a great variety of forms and expressions. Consequently, although in some parts of the world Institutes of Consecrated Life seem to be experiencing a period of difficulty, in other places they are prospering with remarkable vitality. This shows that the choice of total self-giving to God in Christ is in no way incompatible with any human culture or historical situation. Nor is the consecrated life flourishing within the Catholic Church alone. In fact it is particularly vibrant in the monasticism of the Orthodox Churches, where it is an essential feature of their life. It is also taking root or reemerging in the Churches and Ecclesial Communities which originated in the Reformation and is the sign of a grace shared by all of Christ's disciples. This fact is an incentive to ecumenism, which fosters the desire for an ever fuller communion between Christians "that the world may believe" (Jn. 17:21). The consecrated life: a gift to the Church 3. Its universal presence and the evangelical nature of its witness are clear evidence-if any were needed-that the consecrated life <is not something isolated and marginal>, but a reality which affects the whole Church. The Bishops at the Synod frequently reaffirmed this: "<De re nostra agitur>" ("this is something which concerns us all").[1] In effect, <the consecrated life is at the very heart of the Church> as a decisive element for her mission, since it "manifests the inner nature of the Christian calling"[2] and the striving of the whole Church as Bride toward union with her one Spouse.[3] At the Synod it Digital Printed in Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Province, OP VITA CONSECRATA 4 was stated on several occasions that the consecrated life has not only proved a help and support for the Church in the past, but is also a precious and necessary gift for the present and future of the People of God, since it is an intimate part of her life, her holiness and her mission.[4] The present difficulties which a number of Institutes are encountering in some parts of the world must not lead to a questioning of the fact that the profession of the evangelical counsels is <an integral part of the Church's life> and a muchneeded incentive toward ever greater fidelity to the Gospel[5] The consecrated life may experience further changes in its historical forms, but there will be no change in the substance of a choice which finds expression in a radical gift of self for love of the Lord Jesus and, in him, of every member of the human family. <This certainty>, which has inspired countless individuals in the course of the centuries, <continues to reassure the Christian people>, for they know that they can draw from the contribution of these generous souls powerful support on their journey toward the heavenly home. Gathering fruits of the Synod 4. In response to the desire expressed by the ordinary general assembly of the Synod of Bishops which met to discuss the theme "The Consecrated Life and Its Mission in the Church and in the World," I intend to set forth in this Apostolic Exhortation the results of the Synod process[6] and to point out to all the faithful-Bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons and laity, and to any others who might be interested-the wondrous things which today too the Lord wishes to accomplish through the consecrated life. This Synod, coming after the ones dedicated to the lay faithful and to priests, completes the treatment of the distinctive features of the states of life willed by the Lord Jesus for his Church. Whereas the Second Vatican Council emphasized the profound reality of ecclesial communion, in which all gifts converge for the building up of the Body of Christ and for the Church's mission in the world, in values of monastic life>,[10] which appeared at the dawn of Christianity and which still flourishes in their territories, especially in the Orthodox Churches. From the first centuries of the Church, men and women have felt called to imitate the Incarnate Word, who took on the condition of a servant. They have sought to follow him by living in a particularly radical way, through monastic profession, the demands flowing from baptismal participation in the Paschal Mystery of his Death and Resurrection. In this way, by becoming bearers of the Cross (<staurophoroi>), they have striven to become bearers of the Spirit (<pneumatophoroi>), authentically spiritual men and women capable of endowing history with hidden fruitfulness by unceasing praise and intercession, by spiritual counsels and works of charity. In its desire to transfigure the world and life itself in expectation of the definitive vision of God's countenance, Eastern monasticism gives pride of place to conversion, self-renunciation and compunction of heart, the quest for <hesychia>, or interior peace, ceaseless prayer, fasting and vigils, spiritual combat and silence, Paschal joy in the presence of the Lord and the expectation of his definitive coming, and the oblation of self and personal possessions, lived in the holy communion of the monastery or in the solitude of the hermitage.[11] The West too from the first centuries of the Church has practiced the monastic life and has experienced a great variety of expressions of it, both cenobitic and eremetical. In its present form, inspired above all by St. Benedict, Western monasticism is the heir of the great number of men and women who, leaving behind life in the world, sought God and dedicated themselves to him, "preferring nothing to the love of Christ."[12] The monks of today likewise strive to <create a harmonious balance between the interior life and work> in the evangelical commitment to conversion of life, obedience and stability, and in persevering dedication to meditation on God's word (<lectio divina>), the celebration of the Liturgy and prayer. In the heart of the Church and the world, monasteries have been and continue to be eloquent signs of communion, welcoming abodes for those seeking God and the things of the spirit, schools of Digital Printed in Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Province, OP VITA CONSECRATA 7 faith and true places of study, dialogue and culture for the building up of the life of the Church and of the earthly city itself in expectation of the heavenly city. The Order of Virgins; hermits and widows 7. It is a source of joy and hope to witness in our time a new flowering of <the ancient Order of Virgins>, known in Christian communities ever since apostolic times.[13] Consecrated by the diocesan Bishop, these women acquire a particular link with the Church, which they are committed to serve while remaining in the world. Either alone or in association with others, they constitute <a special eschatological image of the Heavenly Bride and of the life to come> when the Church will at last fully live her love for Christ the Bridegroom. <Men and women hermits>, belonging to ancient orders or new Institutes or being directly dependent on the Bishop, bear witness to the passing nature of the present age by their inward and outward separation from the world. By fasting and penance, they show that man does not live by bread alone but by the word of G o d ( c f . M t . 4 : 4 ) . S u c h a l i f e " i n t h e d e s e r t " i s a n i n v i t a t i o n t o t h e i r contemporaries and to the ecclesial community itself <never to lose sight of the supreme vocation>, which is to be always with the Lord. Again being practiced today is the consecration of <widows>,[14] known since apostolic times (cf. 1 Tm. 5:5, 9-10; 1 Cor. 7:8), as well as the consecration of widowers. These women and men, through a vow of perpetual chastity as a sign of the Kingdom of God, consecrate their state of life in order to devote themselves to prayer and the service of the Church. Institutes completely devoted to contemplation 8. Institutes completely devoted to contemplation, composed of either women or men, are for the Church a reason for pride and a source of heavenly graces. By their lives and mission, the members of these Institutes imitate Christ in his Digital Printed in Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Province, OP VITA CONSECRATA 8 prayer on the mountain, bear witness to God's lordship over history and anticipate the glory which is to come. In solitude and silence, by listening to the word of God, participating in divine worship, personal asceticism, prayer, mortification and the communion of fraternal love, they direct the whole of their lives and all their activities to the contemplation of God. In this way they offer the ecclesial community a singular testimony of the Church's love for her Lord, and they contribute, with hidden apostolic fruitfulness, to the growth of the People of God.[15] Thus there is good reason to hope that the different forms of contemplative life will experience <continued growth in the younger Churches> as an evident sign that the Gospel has taken firm root, especially in those areas of the world where other religions predominate. This will make it possible to bear witness to the vitality of the traditions of Christian asceticism and mysticism, and will contribute to interreligious dialogue.[16] Apostolic Religious Life 9. The West has also known down the centuries a variety of other expressions of religious life in which countless persons, renouncing the world, have consecrated themselves to God through the public profession of the evangelical...
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Papers by Renessa Tang Pacl