Why Consecrated Life?

By Fr. Steve DeMaio, SDB

Yesterday, Wednesday, February 2 was the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, a day that we traditionally celebrate the gift of Consecrated Life in the Church. This weekend, Saturday, February 5 through Sunday, February 6, we will celebrate the World Day of Consecrated Life in the parishes. I find this to be an opportune moment to raise this question—why do we still have the vocation to consecrated life? All people are called to attain the heights of holiness and become saints and, in the words of Pope Francis, "evangelical radicalness is not only for religious: it is demanded of all."[i] We acknowledge that all the baptized are in fact consecrated and are called to an authentic and radical following of Jesus, and I know we have all met many lay people who are living in their daily lives the poverty, chastity and obedience that we profess. To focus even more specifically on the Salesian vocation, it is not necessary to be an SDB or FMA, to be a youth minister, educator, or mentor. So, I ask myself, why consecrated life?

Pope Francis and the many reflections after Vatican II can give us a way forward. We are being invited to move away from a description of consecrated life as better, deeper or a higher calling. Just by being consecrated doesn’t necessarily mean we are living our Christian life in a more perfect way than a baptized lay member of the Church. I have met plenty of lay people who are living a more radical discipleship than I am. However, in acknowledging the radical call of all the baptized, Pope Francis continues by saying that "religious follow the Lord in a special way, in a prophetic way." We, as consecrated religious, are being called to be "experts of communion"[ii], to offer a radiant and attractive witness of fraternity, to become, as a united community, "splendid witnesses, effective proclaimers, companions and neighbors"[iii] to all people we meet along the way. Consecrated life is "placed in a privileged position in the line of evangelical prophecy," whereby its “charismatic nature” and communal discernment of the Spirit "makes it capable of inventiveness and originality."[iv] By our consecration and our daily response to God’s call, we are being completely freed, radically sent out as community to the "ends of the earth" in order to be available, generous and to dedicate ourselves completely to the mission entrusted to us. Because we are not married and do not have our own children, we can be conformed to Christ in a unique way, both personally and communally, and so be made like him in "his way of dealing with the poor, his actions, his integrity, his simple daily generosity, and finally his complete self-giving."[v]

Again, all Christians are called to be conformed to Christ through a deep friendship with him, however, consecrated religious are meant to do it together. We have not accepted a call to be zealous lone rangers or saintly hermits. We must remember that "community is the first and most believable gospel that we can preach."[vi] By our vows and the support of our community we are given the opportunity to be sent where we are needed and to trust that God will provide everything necessary for us to be his joyful witnesses to the world. Our communities are meant to give a prophetic witness to an authentic fellowship between people of different cultures, different ages, different backgrounds, each endowed with various gifts and talents as well as our weaknesses and character defects. It will be our daily and simple life of communion that will have the power to "wake up the world" and invite everyone to live and to love in the way that we have been created; that is, diverse communities bonded not by blood but by grace and to give a taste of how we will all live in Heaven. We are freed through our consecration to enter into the world and give a joyful prophecy of unity in diversity, peace amidst difference, love that doesn’t count the cost, and the giving of oneself for the other without expecting anything in return. I believe it is here that we bring Christ to the world in a special way that lay people and families can’t necessarily bring on their own. Our Eucharistic communities should radiate throughout our local neighborhood, giving hope, drawing forth gratitude, offering peace, embracing each person with the loving kindness of the humble and meek Jesus. Our vocation is not "higher" and alone we are really no different than the other baptized members of the Church.

As consecrated religious, it will only be as a community that we make any sense at all; only by the prophecy of our communion will we be faithful to our consecration and have any significance in this world; and only in our radical fellowship will we draw new vocations. The call for us as consecrated members of the Salesian Family, both male and female, is to live our community life with an intense and intentional love that requires generosity, forgiveness, listening and a desire to "waste" time with each other. Work together. Pray together. Have fun together. It is the simple life of gentleness and loving kindness that gives witness to the Gospel as a Salesian Family. It is here that we find our reason for existence. We recognize that the Holy Spirit works through all people, but it is the communities of consecrated men and women who are being called to give a prophetic witness to the world of the inner life of God; the beautiful fellowship of unity in diversity: Father, Son and Spirit.

[i] Wake up the World! Conversations with Pope Francis about Religious Life
[ii] Vita Consecrata, 46.
[iii] Rejoice! A Letter to Consecrated Men and Women, 1.
[iv] New Wine in new Wineskins, 32.
[v] Evangelii Gaudium, 265.
[vi] Rejoice!, 9.