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POVERTY, CHASTITY AND OBEDIENCE
In the last INPUT, the focus was on final profession. However, this time I want to explore the meaning of each vow.
The call to religious He is a call to community. Each one of the vows is intimately linked to this call to community. We'll take each vow individually.
1 POVERTY: This has nothing to do with destitution. In fact, most communities could be described as middle class. Religious poverty means the members promise to share their material and spiritual resources with one another and with others. All money, for instance, goes to a common fund from which we all live. Education, food, insurance, rent, medicine, travel--are all paid from the pooling of money earned by the members, so that we can be better able to serve.
2 CHASTITY: A sister may be unmarried, but she's not alone. She is called to live
with a group from whom she receives love and gives love. Forms of this love are
affection, care, and concern. She pledges herself to the others and they to her. No
one is sent away due to poor health or retirement-- "for better or worse..." .
3 OBEDIENCE: A sister, as well as her community, desires to do God's will.
To better know (or discern) God's will for her and the community, they pray and they
meet to discuss and make common decisions about their day-to-day lives and their
mission.
Some communities take additional vows; such as, stability. This is more associated with contemplative orders, whereby the sister promises to remain in the one house until her death.
Jesus lived his public life in community with the disciples. They supported each other with prayer, sharing their goods, and listening to one another.
As Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there also I shall be."
NEXT ISSUE: OUTPUT
INPUT is a publication of the Pallottine Vocation Office
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