Consecrated Virgin In The World - 50 Words Or Less

[Cecilia]

Sponsa Christi, Thank you for the effort you give to comment – however your answers bring questions yet. I do not understand how you prove your positions still. You quoted #944 in the Catechism – but you do not address the entire chapter it accompanies. #944 is one of the summary sentences – at the end of the long chapter on consecrated life.

 

If the entire chapter is read – it is evident that #944 is a summary sentence that applies to religious life – even though it says consecrated life in the sentence. It is evident the sentence uses <<consecrated life>> loosely. This is indisputable and based on a reading of the chapter as a whole – this entire chapter of the Catechism is devoted to teaching the faithful how forms of consecrated life vary – how the public profession of evangelical counsels is one way – among several – of how persons are consecrated. Indisputably all consecrated persons are called to live the spirit of the evangelical counsels – in different ways -- however not all are consecrated by means of publicly professing the counsels. Respectfully -- you cannot decide to use the sentence from #944 out of context and be reputable in your position – how do you answer the Church’s teaching in that chapter on consecrated life? I will put items from the Catechism below.

 

 

You quoted only this --

 

944   The life consecrated to God is characterized by the public profession of the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience, in a stable state of life recognized by the Church.

 

 

You did not quote any of this from the Catechism --

 

Consecrated virgins and widows

 

923   â€œVirgins who, committed to the holy plan of following Christ more closely, are consecrated to God by the diocesan bishop according to the approved liturgical rite, are betrothed mystically to Christ, the Son of God, and are dedicated to the service of the Church.”⁴⁶⁴By this solemn rite (Consecratio Virginum), the virgin is “constituted... a sacred person, a transcendent sign of the Church’s love for Christ, and an eschatological image of this heavenly Bride of Christ and of the life to come.”⁴⁶⁵ (1537, 1672)

 

Religious life

 

925   Religious life was born in the East during the first centuries of Christianity. Lived within institutes canonically erected by the Church, it is distinguished from other forms of consecrated life by its liturgical character, public profession of the evangelical counsels, fraternal life led in common, and witness given to the union of Christ with the Church.⁴⁶⁸ (1672)

 

Secular institutes

 

928   â€œA secular institute is an institute of consecrated life in which the Christian faithful living in the world strive for the perfection of charity and work for the sanctification of the world especially from within.”⁴⁷²

 

929   By a “life perfectly and entirely consecrated to [such] sanctification,” the members of these institutes share in the Church’s task of evangelization, “in the world and from within the world,” where their presence acts as “leaven in the world.”⁴⁷³ “Their witness of a Christian life” aims “to order temporal things according to God and inform the world with the power of the gospel.” They commit themselves to the evangelical counsels by sacred bonds and observe among themselves the communion and fellowship appropriate to their “particular secular way of life.”⁴⁷⁴ (901)

 

Various forms of sacramentals

 

1671    Among sacramentals blessings (of persons, meals, objects, and places) come first. Every blessing praises God and prays for his gifts. In Christ, Christians are blessed by God the Father “with every spiritual blessing.”¹⁷⁷ This is why the Church imparts blessings by invoking the name of Jesus, usually while making the holy sign of the cross of Christ. (1078)

 

1672    Certain blessings have a lasting importance because they consecrate persons to God, or reserve objects and places for liturgical use. Among those blessings which are intended for persons—not to be confused with sacramental ordination—are the blessing of the abbot or abbess of a monastery, the consecration of virgins and widows, the rite of religious profession and the blessing of certain ministries of the Church (readers, acolytes, catechists, etc.). The dedication or blessing of a church or an altar, the blessing of holy oils, vessels, and vestments, bells, etc., can be mentioned as examples of blessings that concern objects. (923, 925, 903)

 

 

I will put comments in another post – so it is not too long here.

[Cecilia]

Sponsa Christi, there is a logical problem with your positions still. If you decide to use #944 out of context – to decide that secular institutes are not completely <<consecrated life>> because the explicit commitment – given by members of secular institutes -- to the evangelical counsels is not public – then you must also decide – to be logical – that consecrated virgins are also not <<completely consecrated>>. Consecrated virgins become consecrated in a liturgy – a liturgy is public – and are consecrated by the Church. They are not consecrated by the public profession of the evangelical counsels.

 

If you want to use #944 in the Catechism as your only authority – and disregard the other Catechism teachings above – then you must conclude consecrated virgins are not really in the consecrated life. You want to say consecrated virgins <<implicitly>> vow the evangelical counsels publicly – however this is only the fruit of your own hopes and ideals. Respectfully – your position denies Church teaching on how a consecrated virgin is consecrated. Your position also denies Church teaching – from the Catechism above – that religious differ from all other forms of religious life in being consecrated by public vows – and that consecrated virgins are consecrated via a solemn liturgical right. Your position also denies Church teaching – from the Catechism above – that people in secular institutes are entirely consecrated – because they <<commit themselves to the evangelical counsels by sacred bonds>> -- that is the quote from the Catechism.

 

I do not understand why you refuse to consider what the Church teaches - each answer you give in this topic is more confusing. You comment with your hopes and ideals for this vocation – instead of what the Church teaches. I ask questions – trying to understand you – then you neglect to provide authoritative sources or else you disregard them – this is seen in the above where you quote a sentence – out of context – from the Catechism and disregard the teachings in the rest of it.  I do not understand this. Our vocation is superb. It does not need to be <<religious>> in order to signify.

 

One more – you say often that <<scholars>> do not agree on a point -- or <<some scholars think>> this or that – but you never provide scholars to support your hopes and ideals – why? Why do you use comments that <<scholars>> have various opinions – but you do not quote their scholarship to demonstrate this? There is no debate – as you say there is – in the Church – about whether secular institutes really belong to consecrated life. Canon law – and the Catechism – and other Magisterial documents often from Congregations devoted to these topics -- teach about them as part of consecrated life.

 

You say that <<theologians and canonists>> debate this – but you provide nothing to demonstrate it. You say <<secular institutes>> are too different from other forms of consecrated life to be fully consecrated – but you are using your own categories to decide this – you are not using the Church’s categories. There is nothing the Church teaches that says lay persons cannot be consecrated. By including secular institutes in her teaching on consecrated life – the Church teaches the opposite of what you are saying – that lay persons can be consecrated. How do you disregard the fact that the Church always places secular institutes within her categories of consecrated life?

 

The more you comment on your positions – the more confused I am. You want to say unless a member of a secular institute publicly commits to evangelical counsels – he or she is not really consecrated. You disregard the direct quotation from the Catechism – that the life of people in secular institutes is entirely consecrated. You want to say a consecrated virgin is consecrated by publicly vowing the evangelical counsels – in order to say this you have to say this is <<implied>> in the Rite – because it is not really there. How confusing. It is not really there – because the consecrated virgin in the world is not consecrated by public vows – she is consecrated by the solemn Rite. The Catechism teaches this. The Catechism teaches the religious is consecrated differently from all other consecrated persons – by publicly vowing the evangelical counsels. I do not understand why you ignore all of this. Blessings to you.

[Cecilia]

Sponsa Christi –Are you a consecrated virgin? I thought you are – however possibly I misread something.

[Cecilia]

I will put quotes from two Magisterial documents below -- to demonstrate the Church teaches members of secular institutes are lay people -- and they are also fully and really consecrated. The documents show there is no debate in the Church -- Sponsa Christi, as you have said there is -- about how members of secular institutes are understood.

 

 

[Cecilia]

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccscrlife/documents/rc_con_ccscrlife_profile_en.html

 

THE CONGREGATION FOR INSTITUTES OF CONSECRATED LIFE
AND SOCIETIES OF APOSTOLIC LIFE

… 

The Congregation is responsible for everything which concerns institutes of consecrated life (orders and religious congregations, both of men and of women, secular institutes) and societies of apostolic life regarding their government, discipline, studies, goods, rights, and privileges. It is competent also for matters regarding the eremetical life, consecrated virgins and their related associations, and new forms of consecrated life. Its competence extends to all aspects of consecrated life: Christian life, religious life, clerical life; …

 

INSTITUTES OF CONSECRATED LIFE
SOCIETIES OF APOSTOLIC LIFE

 

Religious institutes and secular institutes are the two main categories which constitute the state of consecrated life through profession of the evangelical counsels in the Church. Societies of apostolic life (can. 731.1) have canonical legislation which is in some respects similar to that governing institutes of consecrated life, though they form a separate category.

…

RELIGIOUS INSTITUTES

 

The religious state is a public and complete state of consecrated life. As well as the precepts which are to be observed by all, religious observe the three evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty, and obedience. They bind themselves to observe these by means of vows, which are either perpetual or temporary but renewed when they expire (can. 607.2). These vows are always public vows, i.e. recognized as such by the Church (can. 1192.1). This religious state requires fraternal life in community and also a degree of separation from the world in conformity with the character and purpose of the individual institute (can. 607.2 and 607.3).

…

SECULAR INSTITUTES

…

Christians consecrated to God in Secular Institutes follow Christ by undertaking to observe the three evangelical counsels by means of a sacred commitment, and they dedicate their life to Christ and to the Church, by devoting themselves to the sanctification of the world, particularly by working within the world (can. 710).

 

The word "secular" is meant to underline the fact that the persons who make profession in this state of consecrated life do not change the status they have as in the world, and they continue to live and to work in the midst of the people of God in the normal conditions of their own social setting (can. 711; can. 713.2) according to the secular style of life which is proper to them.

…

[Cecilia]

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccscrlife/documents/rc_con_ccscrlife_doc_20020614_ripartire-da-cristo_en.html

 

CONGREGATION FOR INSTITUTES OF CONSECRATED LIFE
AND SOCIETIES OF APOSTOLIC LIFE

 

STARTING AFRESH FROM CHRIST:
A RENEWED COMMITMENT TO CONSECRATED LIFE
IN THE THIRD MILLENNIUM

 

Part One

CONSECRATED LIFE:
THE PRESENCE OF THE LOVE OF CHRIST
IN THE MIDST OF HUMANITY

 

...

 

5. Considering the presence and many commitments of consecrated men and women in all areas of ecclesial and social life, the members of the Plenary Session wanted to express to them their sincere appreciation, recognition, and solidarity.

 

…

 

Consecrated persons—monks and nuns, contemplatives, religious dedicated to the works of the apostolate, members of Secular Institutes and Societies of Apostolic life, hermits and consecrated virgins—truly deserve the gratitude of the ecclesial community. Their existence witnesses to their love for Christ as they walk the path proposed in the Gospel and with deep joy commit themselves to the same style of life which he chose for himself.¹⁹

 

^…

A Walk in Time

 

6. It is precisely in the simple day-to-day living that consecrated life progressively matures to become the proclamation of an alternative way of living to that of the world and the dominant culture. Given this style of life and the search for the Absolute, it suggests, as it were, a spiritual therapy for the evils of our time. Thus, it is a blessing and a reason for hope, in the heart of the Church, for human life and the very life of the Church.²¹

 

…

 

 For the Holiness of the Whole People of God

 

8. The call to follow Christ with a special consecration is a gift of the Trinity for Gods Chosen People. Recognizing in Baptism the common sacramental origin, consecrated men and women share a common vocation to holiness and to the apostolate with other members of the faithful. By being signs of this universal vocation they manifest the specific mission of consecrated life.²⁵

 

Consecrated women and men have received a call to a “new and special consecration”,²⁶ for the good of the Church, which impels them to live a life in imitation of Christ, the Virgin, and the Apostles with impassioned love.²⁷ In our world this lifestyle stresses the urgency of a prophetic witness which entails “the affirmation of the primacy of God and of eternal life, as evidenced in the following and imitation of the chaste, poor and obedient Christ, who was completely consecrated to the glory of God and to the love of his brethren”.²⁸

Consecrated persons extend a persuasive invitation to reflect upon the primacy of grace and to respond to it through a generous spiritual commitment.²⁹ Despite widespread secularization, there is a widespread demand for spirituality which is often expressed as a renewed need for prayer.³⁰ Life's events, even in their ordinariness, present themselves as challenges which should be seen in light of conversion. The dedication of consecrated persons to the service of an evangelical quality of life contributes to the keeping alive in many ways the spiritual practices among the Christian people. Religious communities increasingly seek to be places for hearing and sharing the Word, for liturgical celebration, for the teaching of prayer, and for accompaniment through spiritual direction. Thus, even without realizing it, this help given to others offers mutual advantages.³¹

 

…

 Open to the Spirit

 

10. This is a time when the Spirit is breaking forth, opening up new possibilities. The charismatic dimension of the diverse forms of consecrated life, while always in progress, is never finished. Cooperating with the Spirit, consecrated persons prepare in the Church for the coming of the One who must come, the One who is already the future of humanity in progress. Like Mary, the first consecrated woman, who in virtue of the Holy Spirit and her total self-giving brought Christ into the world to redeem it through a loving self-sacrifice, consecrated persons, remaining open to the Spirit are today called to stake everything on charity, “living the commandment of a practical and concrete love for every human being”.⁴⁰ There is a particular bond of life and dynamism between the Holy Spirit and consecrated life. For this reason, consecrated persons must remain open to the Creator Spirit who works in accord with the Father's will, praising the grace which has been given to them in the beloved Son. This same Spirit radiates the splendour of the mystery on all of existence, spent for the Kingdom of God and the needy and abandoned multitude. The future of consecrated life is therefore entrusted to the dynamism of the author and donor of ecclesial charisms which are placed at the service of the full knowledge and realization of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

 â€¦

 

Rediscovering the Meaning and Quality of Consecrated Life

 

The evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience, lived by Christ in the fullness of his human nature as the Son of God and embraced for the love of God, appear as a way for the full realization of persons opposed to dehumanization. They are a powerful antidote to the pollution of spirit, life and culture; they proclaim the liberty of the children of God and the joy of living according to the evangelical beatitudes.

 

…

 

If in some places consecrated persons become little flocks because of a decrease in numbers, this can be seen as a providential sign which invites them to recover their very essential tasks of being leaven, sign and prophecy. The greater the mass of dough to be raised, the greater the quality evangelical leaven called for, and the more exquisite the witness of life and charismatic service of consecrated persons.

 

The growing awareness of the universality of the call to holiness on the part of all Christians,⁴³ far from making the belonging to a state of life particularly adapted to the realization of evangelical perfection superfluous can become an added motive for joy for consecrated persons. They are now closer to the other members of the People of God with whom they share a common path in the following of Christ, in a more authentic communion, in mutual respect, without being superior or inferior. At the same time this awareness challenges them to understand the sign value of consecrated life in relation to the holiness of all the members of the Church.

 

If in fact it is true that all Christians are called “to the holiness and perfection of their particular state”⁴⁴ consecrated persons, thanks to a “new and special consecration”⁴⁵ have as their mission that of making Christ's way of life shine through the witness of the evangelical counsels, thereby supporting the faithfulness of the whole body of Christ. This is not a difficulty, it is rather a challenge to originality and to the specific contribution of the charisms of consecrated life, which are at the same time charisms of shared spirituality and of mission which fosters the holiness of the Church.

 

Clearly these challenges can constitute a powerful call to deepen the living of consecrated life itself whose witness is needed today more than ever. It is fitting to remember the ability of holy foundresses and founders to respond to the challenges and difficulties of their times with a genuine charismatic creativity.

  …

 

Prayer and Contemplation

…

 

Every vocation to consecrated life is born in contemplation, from moments of intense communion and from a deep relationship of friendship with Christ, from the beauty and light which was seen shining on his face. From there the desire to always be with the Lord—and to follow him—matures:“how good it is for us to be here” (Mt 17:4). Every vocation must constantly mature in this intimacy with Christ. “Your first task therefore”—John Paul reminds consecrated persons— “cannot not be in the line of contemplation. Every reality of consecrated life is born and is regenerated each day in the unending contemplation of the face of Christ”.⁷⁷

 

Monks and cloistered nuns like hermits dedicate more time to praise of God as well as to prolonged silent prayer. Members of Secular Institutes, like consecrated virgins in the world, offer to God the joys and sorrows, the hopes and petitions of all people and contemplate the face of Christ which they recognize in the faces of their brothers and sisters, in the historical events, in the apostolate and in everyday work. Religious men and women dedicated to teaching, to the care of the sick, to the poor, encounter the face of the Lord there. For missionaries and members of Societies of Apostolic Life the proclamation of the Gospel is lived according to the example of St. Paul, as authentic cult (cf. Rm1:6). The whole Church enjoys and benefits from the many forms of prayer and the variety of ways in which the one face of Christ is contemplated.

 

 ...

 

In this openness to the world which must be ordered to Christ in such a way that all realities find their true meaning in him, consecrated lay men and women who are members of Secular Institutes hold a privileged position. Sharing the common conditions of life, they effectively work for the Kingdom of God by participating in the political and social reality bringing to them a new value, in view of their following of Christ. Precisely through their consecration lived without external signs, as lay people among lay people, they can be salt and light even in those situations in which a visible sign of consecration would be rejected or serve as an impediment.

 

  …

 

On May 16, 2002 the Holy Father approved this Document of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

Rome, 19 May 2002, The Solemnity of Pentecost.

Eduardo Card. Martínez Somalo
Prefect

Piergiorgio Silvano Nesti, CP
Secretary

[oremus1]

Sponsa Christi –Are you a consecrated virgin? I thought you are – however possibly I misread something.

 

She definately is, she has a internationally famous blog!

 

I have found YOUR comments most informative and interesting. perhaps you can expand what you regard to be the distinctions between the call to becoming a CV and the call to a secular institute, since onein a secular institute theoretically could live alone in the world, consecrated to God, visually similar to the CV, and in their heart have a spousal and nuptial relationship with the Lord, and not be obliged to any particular apostolate.

[Cecilia]

Oreumus1, Thank you -- I am trying with all of us to learn and express what the Church teaches. I hope to meet with a woman who is in a secular institute next month -- she lives alone. Your question is timely. I want to talk with her. This will aid me in answering some questions -- how does her life differ? How does she understand her calling? I do not think I can answer your question until I meet with her -- because my understanding right now of secular institutes is from paper -- Church documents -- not members who live it.

[Cecilia]

Oremus1, Thank you for responding. Sponsa Christi, will you show me your blog?

[cmaD2006]

Sorry -- I use colour because my eyes are poor and I see letters better in colour -- but I can type in colour and change it to black before posting. That is fine -- it will look better with other posts. When I read comments I copy them -- and change the font and colour. I change colours because it is less tedious -- welcome to my rainbow thread. :)

 

:) Thanks.  I was really joking about the colors (I know -- a joke may not come across as one all the time especially in a written environment).  But it is much more legible to see black/while and maybe highlight particular txt in a color.  I was having a hard time dealing with the colors myself (and I love color!)

 

At least now we understand why one post was a color, the next was another, etc. :)

[oremus1]

Oreumus1, Thank you -- I am trying with all of us to learn and express what the Church teaches. I hope to meet with a woman who is in a secular institute next month -- she lives alone. Your question is timely. I want to talk with her. This will aid me in answering some questions -- how does her life differ? How does she understand her calling? I do not think I can answer your question until I meet with her -- because my understanding right now of secular institutes is from paper -- Church documents -- not members who live it.

 

That would be awesome, can you please post on here what you learn?

 

Oremus1, Thank you for responding. Sponsa Christi, will you show me your blog?

 

i hope i am not out of place for posting a link, it does not seem private as it has the same name and logo from sponsa's avatar, and she does have a link to it on her phat profile.

 

it is internationally renowned almost as much as the USACV website. a grand job sponsa!! http://sponsa-christi.blogspot.co.uk/

[Cecilia]

Sponsa Christi, A question – however only if you do not mind. Do you wear a veil? If you don’t, why? Have you asked your bishop’s permission to do so? I ask – because if you think it is praiseworthy – and a diocesan bishop can permit it – probably you would then want to do it.

[Cecilia]

The Code of Canon Law -- does not mention public witness of consecrated virgins or members of secular institutes -- it mentions public witness only in section on religious life. I will also put below comments from a priest on what this public witness means.

 

Code of Canon Law

Title II: Religious Institutes

Can. 607 §3 The public witness which religious are to give to Christ and the Church involves that separation from the world which is proper to the character and purpose of each institute.

 

 

 

http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Religious_Life/Religious_Life_049.htm

 

Public Witness and Religious Identity: The Public Witness of Religious Life

Rev. John A. Hardon, S.J.

 

The new Code of Canon Law could not be more clear. It declares that, “The public witness to be rendered by religious to Christ and the Church entails a separation from the world proper to the character and purpose of each institute” (Canon 607, §3).

 

There are seven basic elements in this canon and each deserves careful explanation. On the faithful living out of these elements depends the future well-being and even survival of religious life in countries like the United States.

 

Religious

 

Who are religious? They are persons who have voluntarily consecrated themselves by the public vows of chastity, poverty and obedience and who live community life. They manifest in the Church the “marvelous marriage established by God as a sign of the world to come” (Canon 607, §1).

 

It is not unimportant to know that we are here speaking of religious, and precisely not of any other persons who may also be living a consecrated life.

 

Witness

Religious, we are told, are to give witness. It was Christ who first told the Apostles on Ascension Thursday that they were to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and even to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). The inspired word used by Christ for “witnesses” was martyroi, or “martyrs.” Religious are to be nothing less than martyrs. They are not only to testify to what they believe, but testify under duress and in spite of opposition. Religious life on these premises is to be a living martyrdom. The world must see that religious pay, and pay dearly, for their faith convictions; otherwise the sign-function of their witness will not have been achieved,

 

Public

At first glance it might not seem necessary to emphasize that religious are to give public witness. What other kind of witness is there, we could ask, except one that is public? In fact, if it is not public, it is not even witness.

But there is more here than meets the eye. The witness of religious is to be public three times over:

• It is public because the testimony they give is out in the open, for everyone to hear and see. In this sense, every true follower of Christ is to be His witness so that others may see the good works which faith inspires and give glory to God whose grace alone makes the practice of Christian virtue possible.
• It is public because religious are to give overt testimony of their consecrated profession. Indeed this is the distinctive feature of the apostolate of a religious, as compared with a secular institute. As the Church’s history makes clear, the primary apostolate of religious is not so much in what they do but in who they are, that is, persons whose “whole existence” is seen as a “continuous worship of God in charity” (Canon 607, §1). That is why the habit is an essential element of religious life. Either their garb gives constant public evidence of their dedicated state of life, or religious are untrue to their principal apostolic responsibility.
• Finally the witness of religious is public because they are to testify not only to their personal consecration, but to the consecration of their community. This is why the habit of religious is to be a sign of dual consecration: once of themselves as individuals, and once again as members of a dedicated society. A uniform habit, therefore, distinctive for each community and the same for all its members is essential if religious are to give public witness to their own and their community’s collective dedication to Jesus Christ.

To Christ

 

Religious are first of all to witness to Christ, as He made it plain to His Apostles. Convinced on faith that Jesus is the Son of God in human form; certain that the One in whom they believe deserves their total loyalty; knowing that Christ is one with the Father; that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life; loving Him therefore with all their hearts and giving up everything the world calls precious— it is no wonder that, because of what they have heard in the depths of their souls and seen with their own eyes, enlightened by faith, religious can say to others “we are giving our testimony, telling you of eternal life which was with the Father and has been made visible to us” (I Jn 1:1-2).

 

To The Church

 

It is not only Christ to whom authentic religious are witnesses. It is also to the Church, of which Christ is the Mystical Head. This bears all the emphasis possible in our day. True religious know that Christ cannot be divided. In testifying to the power that Christ gives those who love Him, they witness to the fact that all grace comes of course from Christ, but through His Church. No one can have God for his Father who does not have, and obey, the Church, as his Mother. By their lives of humble submission to the hierarchical Church, of which Peter is the visible head, religious witness to that critical truth expressed by the Savior when He told the Apostles and their successors, “Anyone who welcomes you, welcomes me” (Mt. 10:40).

 

Separation From The World

 

The witness of religious is a paradox. They testify to Christ’s own great love for the world, for which He died, and yet, like Him, they are to show themselves “not of this world” (Jn. 18:36). Physical separation to form a separate community is only part of their “otherworldliness.” Their manner of dress, their distinctive daily order, their observance of cloister, their own horarium of liturgical and private prayer, their routine of life that is consciously different not only from the laity but from other consecrated persons—all of this is part of their distinctive following of Christ. When He told His disciples to leave all things to follow Him, He gave some of them the grace to do this literally. Religious today are heirs of this grace, in order to “consummate the full gift of themselves as a sacrifice offered to God” (Canon 607, §1).

 

According To Each Institute

 

There is great wisdom in the Church’s telling religious that their separation from the world should be “proper to the character and purpose of each institute.” It is precisely here that one institute differs so much from another. Each community has its own special charisma and its corresponding apostolate. The key to giving witness is to be true to the spirit of the institute to which a religious belongs and remain faithful to its sound traditions. No doubt every religious family, if it is authentic, requires a degree of separation from the world. But the amount of this separation and especially what form it will take, can differ immensely. These differences are part of God’s providence and a condition for His blessings on the witness that religious give to Christ and His Church.

 

Religious Life: What the Church Teaches - A Study of Five Aspects
Institute on Religious Life © 1985, pp. 27-30

Copyright © 1999 by Inter Mirifica

 

Edited February 7, 2014 by Cecilia

[abrideofChrist]

The Code of Canon Law -- does not mention public witness of consecrated virgins or members of secular institutes -- it mentions public witness only in section on religious life. I will also put below comments from a priest on what this public witness means.

 

Code of Canon Law

Title II: Religious Institutes

Can. 607 §3 The public witness which religious are to give to Christ and the Church involves that separation from the world which is proper to the character and purpose of each institute.

 

 

 

http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Religious_Life/Religious_Life_049.htm

 

Public Witness and Religious Identity: The Public Witness of Religious Life

Rev. John A. Hardon, S.J.

 

The new Code of Canon Law could not be more clear. It declares that, “The public witness to be rendered by religious to Christ and the Church entails a separation from the world proper to the character and purpose of each institute” (Canon 607, §3).....

 

 

Thank you, Cecilia.  These are some of basic principles I referred to earlier in this thread when I was discussing a well rounded formation for people who write or speak on the CV vocation publicly.  It is clear in her writings both on this phorum and on her blog that Sponsa Christi does not understand the concept of "separation from the world" as being proper strictly speaking only to religious.  Perhaps in this last year of her schooling in canon law, when her university gives a course on consecrated life law, she will start to grasp some of these concepts better than she has previously.  Until then, you are doing a great work in providing citations and logical arguments showing the fallacy of her positions.  For what it's worth, I have noticed that it is mostly traditionalist minded young idealists who follow her blog and ideals because they have been taught that religious life is the epitome of consecrated life and that anything without a habit, rule of life, and other religious life aspects are suspect.  Women who have held jobs in the real world and who have more years of life experience tend to see things in a more mature and nuanced way.  They know you can't be a manager in large business with a veil (unless your culture has women wearing veils on a daily basis).  I have many friends in secular institutes and some have confided to me that they regarded their institutes with contempt for not wearing habits until they were better catechized.

 

Edited February 8, 2014 by abrideofChrist

[God's Beloved]

God’s Beloved, Blessings to you. Your inquiry to the Vatican I saw many years ago – you put it online on another website – it aided my understanding. It was the answer I sought -- to whether diocesan bishops could permit daily veils – it also matches Raymond Cardinal Burke’s comments -- that the consecrated virgin in the world is generally less like leaven – though he does not think daily veils are ideal and does not think consecrated virgins in the world should be visibly different as religious are. Of course also he does not deny the Vatican provides that women in secular institutes may receive the consecration.

 

Cecilia , Blessings to you too.

I think sometimes CV spend a lot of time discussing about externals and peripheral matters related to the vocation ....which the official Rite clearly says is left to the CV and the Diocesan bishop to decide together according to local circumstances. There has always been a tendency in the West to generalize the life-style in any particular vocation. Uniformity among members of the same vocation around the whole world is according to my analysis...one of the causes of the decline of religious life. It may give an identity to the institute but it becomes less practical for evangelisation and service.