The moment you've all been waiting for...

[zunshynn]

Well here it is everyone!

I have to admit... I'm a little dissatisfied with it... so don't laugh at me.

But even if my writing is weak, the stuff the Church says is sweet.

I hope you enjoy it!

I'll follow up on my grade.

Edited March 16, 2006 by zunshynn

[zunshynn]

Umm, technical difficulties... here it is... it's long by the way.

Jennifer
AP English II. Period I
13 March 2006
Mulieres Consecratæ

The number of Catholic men and women belonging to institutes of apostolic and contemplative life is more than a million—they are still a minority, amounting to 0.12 percent of Catholics throughout the world, and three fourths of this number are women (1994 Synod). The consecrated women of the Catholic Church have been called the “first feminists” for the unconventional path of evangelical poverty, perfect chastity and obedience that they have chosen to take, regarded in some ways rebellion against the expected role of a woman throughout history. Some have been devoted to prayer, or the contemplative life, and others in apostolic life have dedicated themselves to service in various fields. Historically, they were a group marked by some mystery. Throughout history there has also been debate as to whether the existence of nuns or religious sisters is really important. Indeed, in response to the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council of the mid-twentieth century, many women left the religious life and others remained but abandoned much of the distinctive traditions of religious life, such as communal living, traditional prayer, the religious habit, and often, markedly reduced deference to the Magisterium, or teaching office of the Catholic Church in a desire to be more approachable. The reaction, however, was instead a sharp and drastic decline in both numbers and, more importantly, the efficacy of religious life. The number of nuns in the United States has fallen from 181,000 at the close of Vatican II in 1965 to 84,000 at the turn of the twenty-first century, and the average age of consecrated women is around seventy years old (Carroll 97). It would seem that the idea of consecrated women truly have become archaic remnants of a bygone, perhaps repressive age.
That is, unless the decline was the direct result of the laxity that infused the religious life after Vatican II, in contradiction to the aim of the Council to revitalize consecrated life and the Church at large. In an interview during the summer of 1984, Pope Benedict XVI, while still a cardinal and prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith presented an interesting take on the phenomena of religious life declining amongst women in particular because the acceptance of “often uncritical and hitherto unknown values of modern secular society” into religious life “has led to the burning problems of identity and, with many women, to the collapse of motivations sufficient to justify religious life” (Ratzinger 100). This has sparked a peculiar movement taking place in the religious life which shows that young women are most definitely embracing their femininity, but in a way that is demanding in its adherence to the evangelical counsels of poverty, obedience and chastity, and boasts of radical and countercultural fidelity to the teachings and traditions of worship, faith and morality of their Church. Thus, the need for consecrated women is absolutely paramount “gift of God the father to his Church through the Holy Spirit,” so long as it is “deeply rooted in the example and teaching of Christ the Lord.” (Vita Consecrata 1)

Contemplative Life
A Doctor of the Church is a title conferred upon a saint whom the Church finds has contributed significantly to some type of theology. Of the thirty Doctors of the Church, three are women: Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena, and Thérèse of Lisieux and, interestingly, all three were cloistered nuns. Teresa and another saint, John of the Cross, restored the Order of the Carmelites after the order had strayed from its original rule. Catherine of Siena boldly left her convent to convince Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome after the papacy had been exiled to Avignon, France for thirty years (“Catherine of Siena, Saint”). Thérèse entered the cloister of Mount Carmel at age 15, after procuring the permission of Pope Leo XIII to override the minimum age limit of 17. While in the cloister, she developed her “Little Way”—a spirituality which emphasized simple, childlike faith and devotion—and a prayerful devotion to the world missions (Story of a Soul). In 1992, Pope John Paul II declared her the patron of missions, along with St. Francis Xavier, a Jesuit missionary of Asia. Scores of people were shocked, and even angry, that the pope would declare a woman that had never stepped foot outside the enclosure of her convent the patron of those that have dedicated themselves to the missions.
His declaration is evidence of the importance of one of the chief purposes of consecrated life, and contemplatives in particular, who can seem particularly ridiculous in a world that measures worth by action and proof of success. It is a powerful testimony to the Church’s confidence in the efficacy of intercessory prayer, for while “in some cases they have no direct relations with their contemporaries, still in a deeper way they have their fellow men present with them in the heart of Christ and cooperate with them spiritually, so that the building up in society may always have its foundation in the Lord and have him as its goal, else those who build it may have labored in vain (Lumen Gentium 46). Cloistered women are sustained by a belief that their sacrifices and prayers do benefit the Church and the world, even if they will never see the fruits of it in their lifetime. Contemplative nuns strive to observe the apostolic command of St. Paul to “pray without ceasing” (Ephesians 6.18) in concrete ways through the celebration of Mass, recitation of the Divine Office—a medley of readings from scripture and the saints and sacred hymns prayed in choir at regular intervals throughout the day so that, “in keeping with ancient Christian tradition...the whole course of the day and night is made holy by the praise of God” (Sacrosanctum Concilium 84)—in addition to their work and other devotions and meditation. Indeed, their entire horarium, or daily agenda, should revolve around prayer so that the religious “are joined with the unceasing and universal prayer [of Christ] that gives glory to the Father and implores the gift of the Holy Spirit upon the whole world“ (Catechism 1196).
Thus their voluntary seclusion from the world allows them to serve those in the world through prayer, and the different vocations sustain each other, even if indirectly. The very nature of the Church as a whole is missionary, though it is applied imperfectly because of human weakness in myriad ways (849), and contemplatives are not an exception. It is for this reason that the young women that are drawn to contemplative life want it to be a radical, demanding commitment, for the sake of their own holiness, and for the sake of the people of God.

Apostolic Life
St. Paul pioneered the theological concept of the people of God as “one body” with “many members,” though “all the members have not the same office” (Romans 12.14). It is an important picture in understanding the vast variety of orders of consecrated women, particularly in apostolic, or active, life—consisting of those women that have undertaken to live in the world to fulfill a call to serve working in the realms of education, medicine, communications, law and very nearly any other sphere of work. In the Summa Theologica, St. Thomas Aquinas rationalizes, “The obligation to devote oneself wholly to God's service is common to every religious order…But the difference is in respect of the different things wherein one may serve God, and whereby a man may dispose himself to the service of God” (II.ii.188.1). The diversity of orders provides for a diversity of focus of, in a sense, different aspects of one faith and one mission. Whereas “contemplatives are a special image of Christ praying on the mountain,” those “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’” (Vita Consecrata 32). They do so in many different ways, employing the distinct gifts of each individual and bringing it together with a unified purpose, to serve the people of God in every aspect of the human person so that they might demonstrate the love of God.
Traditionally throughout history, active nuns have predominantly worked in education and healthcare, and they played a substantial role in the construction and organization of hospitals, schools and other institutions. These arenas have been affected the most palpably by the decline of religious life. For example, prior to Vatican II, parochial schoolchildren were almost always taught by nuns and priests, and because they had taken a vow of poverty, the cost of sending one’s children to parochial school was generally quite affordable. In the wake of the rapid decline of consecrated women, many lay men and women took on these positions, requiring that the tuitions at parochial schools increase significantly in order to provide a reasonable salary to live on, making it inaccessible for many.
Every order has an apostolate, the work or type of service that the members of an order are committed to, and a charism, or spirituality which drives and unites the community in their purpose and devotion, which are approved by the Church that it meets “all of the objective requisites for achieving personal or communal perfection according to the Gospel” (93). John Paul II further insists that “it is precisely the spiritual quality of the consecrated life which can inspire the men and women of our day, who themselves are thirsting for absolute values,” underlining the need for orders to remain faithful to the spirit that the founders intended for the order (93). Thus, we see that it is absolutely necessary for apostolic orders to be well grounded in faith and prayer, that a contemplative dimension is still vital to an active apostolate, because every service must be done out of love for Christ with the aim of perfecting charity. As good as any work may be in and of itself, if it is not driven by love of God it is not sufficient to sustain the religious life, because it is not simply a career or an occupation, but a calling by God and an integral part of a person in the same way a family is.

Obedience
John Paul II explains, “Obedience reproposes the obedience of Christ to the Father and, taking this mystery as its point of departure, testifies that there is no contradiction between obedience and freedom.” The vow of obedience is a response to distorted uses of freedom, which is a genuine good in and of itself, which lead to violence and injustice. The practice of obedience is intended to foster a greater respect for the individual in that it “shows awareness that they are children of God and wish to obey the will of their Father… growing in the full truth about themselves, remaining in touch with the source of their existence” (Vita Consecrata 91). Moreover, the religious find increased clarity in discerning the will of God through vowing obedience, as well as resolve to obey it more faithfully, in pursuit of peace from doing the will of God, through the trust that is placed in superiors.
Community is a clear manifestation of the evangelical counsel of obedience, for “fraternal life is the privileged place in which to discern and accept God's will, and to walk together with one mind and heart” (92). John Paul II further insists that obedience allows the individual and his unique gifts to be appreciated, while it also “unites the members in their mission” (92). As such, obedience to a superior is an expression of the harmony and freedom that comes from following the will of God, “in spite of the human limitations of those who represent him” (92). The importance of community in the life of religious women is constantly reinforced in Church documents, and strong community life is extremely important to the young women looking into religious orders. After Vatican II, it was not uncommon for religious women to live outside of their community, especially in large orders numbering in the hundreds, to live and work outside of their community in apartments. However, Perfectæ Caritatis, the Vatican II document on the renewal of the religious life, stressed the parallel of the common life of religious communities to that of the early church, and upheld the importance of communal prayer, that the community is “a true family gathered in the name of the Lord by God’s love” (15). Prior to this, religious orders were separated into choirs which caused status distinctions within convents, a practice which the Council abolished, because they deemed it debilitating to community life, and hoped for a closer sense of kinship (15).

Perfect Chastity
Pope Pius XII affirmed that virginity is only a virtue when it is voluntarily embraced “for the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 19.12), and never out of renunciation of marriage as something vile (Sacra Virginitatis 13). A consecrated virgin “sets herself forth to love the multitude” with a greater capacity than the married woman who “seeks out of the multitude the love of one” (De Virginitate 11). As St. Paul exhorted the Corinthians in his first epistle, “the virgin thinketh on the things of the Lord: that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she that is married thinketh on the things of the world: how she may please her husband” (7.34). Thus, virginity is considered the greater of two goods, because it is means to devote oneself undividedly to God, in a relationship that is like a spiritual marriage (De Virginitate). The ancient rites of consecrating a virgin were very much like the wedding of the modern day. Throughout the history of the Church, consecrated virgins were considered the “Brides of Christ” and John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation Vita Consecrata affirmed that consecrated virginity is an “eschatological sign” of the Church’s relationship to Christ, her Bridegroom, “an anticipation of the world to come” (26). Consecrated virginity “attests that what many have believed impossible becomes, with the Lord's grace, possible and truly liberating” and is a necessary demonstration of the joy and “interior honesty” of the different forms of chastity found in every state of life because it is so misapprehended in our “hedonistic society” (88). John Paul II further expounds that consecrated virginity is not a rejection of marriage, but is a deep assent “in the spousal order: the gift of self for love in a total and undivided manner” to Christ himself (Mulieris Dignitatem 20), and indeed she takes on a capacity for spiritual motherhood as well (21).

Evangelical Poverty
The vow of poverty is exercised in different ways by different religious orders, but each strives to attain simplicity not only in reality, but in spirit (Perfectæ Caritatis 13). John Paul II declared, “Poverty proclaims that God is man's only real treasure. When poverty is lived according to the example of Christ who, ‘though he was rich ... became poor’ (2 Corinthians 8:9), it becomes an expression of that total gift of self which the three Divine Persons make to one another” (Vita Consecrata 21). Embracing poverty is not intended to deny the reasonable desire to have personal possessions any more than embracing celibacy is a rejection of sexuality or obedience opposition to freedom, but rather, it demonstrates a consciousness of the human tendency to hold up legitimate goods as higher than their creator and “points to God as the absolute good” (87). Through poverty, the consecrated woman begins to appreciate Jesus’ preferential love for the poor, and above all, understands the dignity of the people that she serves because empathy comes from experiencing their poverty and hopefully calls for an end to oppression (Verbi Sponsa 33), and allows her a greater capacity to serve others without concern for her own fortune. As a community, poverty allows its members to become closer through resignation to trusting that God will take care of every material need. A tangible demonstration of the vow of poverty is the religious habit of consecrated women, which the council reaffirmed should be “simple and modest, poor and at the same time becoming” as an “outward mark of consecration to God,” but also called for amendment of habits that were not conducive to the demands of the community’s apostolate (17), though many individuals and communities disposed of their habit entirely. The habit is a reminder of God—it is “a sign of consecration, poverty and membership in a particular religious family” (Vita Consecrata 25). The spirit of poverty is as important to the vow of a consecrated woman as concrete poverty is, and the habit embodies both, because she is not thinking about what she is wearing. Many people find that seeing a consecrated woman, even in passing, often breaks down barriers so that people feel they can talk to her about faith and ask for prayer in ways that they would not with most strangers or even family and friends, because in wearing a habit, she chooses to represent Christ instead of herself. It is a quiet witness to Christ, because regardless of religious convictions, it forces people to think about God on some level, and oftentimes give people a sense of people, to a degree that she may never realize. Furthermore, the habit is her “wedding dress” is a reminder to the woman wearing it that she is espoused to Christ, and should act in a way that gives a fitting witness to her faith.

John Paul II suggested that consecrated women are a remarkable demonstration of the balance between the feminine and the masculine that was ordered by Jesus Christ. As the priest acts in persona Christi, he is married to the Church, the mystical bride of Christ, the consecrated women is a sign of the fidelity of the Church to Christ, in a spiritual espousal to Jesus Christ (Mulieris Dignitatem 20). They serve others and God in substantial ways, through both prayer and active service, and as signs and examples of sanctity through vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, while pursuing a unique path of holiness for themselves and intimacy with God. As such, they add a critical dimension to the Church which complements those in other states of life. Lumen Gentium, the dogmatic constitution on nature of the Church of the Second Vatican Council proclaimed that “The state of 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” (44). Indeed, the “Brides of Christ” do, unquestionably, serve a vital and essential purpose to the Church they serve, and by extension, the world—and the efficacy of their work, whether it be spiritual or corporeal, is proportionate to the level of its radicality.



Works Cited

Aquinas, Saint Thomas. Summa Theologica. Trans. Fathers of the English Dominican Province. Perrysburg: Benziger Bros., 1947.
Bible. Douay Rheims Version.
Carroll, Colleen. The New Faithful: Why Young Adults are Embracing Christian Orthodoxy. Chicago: Loyola Press, 2002.
Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith. Catechism of the Catholic Church: Modifications from the Editio Typica. 2nd ed. Trans. United States Catholic Conference of Bishops. New York: Doubleday, 1997.
Of Hippo, St. Augustine. De Virginibus. The Early Church Fathers. Vol. 12. Ed. Kamel, Dr. Maged N. Zeitoun: WinHelp, 1996.
Pope John Paul II. Mulieris Dignitatem. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1988. <http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/
hf_jp-ii_apl_15081988_mulieris-dignitatem_en.html>
Pope John Paul II. Vita Consecrata. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1996. <http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/
hf_jp-ii_exh_25031996_vita-consecrata_en.html>
Of Lisieux, Saint Thérèse. Story of a Soul. Trans. Jonathon Beevers. New York: Doubleday, 1989.
Pope Pius XI. Sacra Virginitatis. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1954. <http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xii/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_25031954_sacra-virginitas_en.html>
Ratzinger, Joseph Cardinal with Vittorio Messori. The Ratzinger Report. Trans. Salvator Attanasio and Graham Harrison. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1985.
“Saint Catherine of Siena.” Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. 1999 ed.
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. Lumen Gentium. Ed. David Sayre. Vers. 3.1 Manassas: Catholic Resource Network, 1996.
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. Perfectæ Caritatis. Ed. David Sayre. Vers. 3.1. Manassas: Catholic Resource Network, 1996.
Somalo, Eduardo Cardinal Martinez. Verbi Sponsa. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1999.

Edited March 16, 2006 by zunshynn

[zunshynn]

And keep in mind that I was writing it for an audience that knows nothing about religious life so if it may be like, well duh, to all of you.

Actually, I'm still not sure that it will make much more sense to them than my draft... but I did try.

pray that it does!

Edited March 16, 2006 by zunshynn

[HisChild]

It is much better than your draft, well thought out, and professional. Good job!

God bless you.

[brandelynmarie]

I think you explain the topic well...well written! Brandelyn

[Laurentina1975]

What did you get on it?
I hope nothing less than an "A".

[zunshynn]

[quote name='Laurentina1975' date='Mar 16 2006, 08:35 AM']What did you get on it?
I hope nothing less than an "A". 

[right][snapback]913236[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]

He hasn't graded it yet, but I'll let you know when he does. I'm not sure that it will be an "A."

But more than a good grade, I really hope that it is effective in giving Glory to God. Of course, an "A" would also be very very nice.

I'm glad that ya'll have liked it so far.

Edited March 16, 2006 by zunshynn

[zunshynn]

[quote name='PCPA2Be' date='Mar 15 2006, 07:18 PM']

It is much better than your draft, well thought out, and professional.  Good job!

God bless you.
[right][snapback]913017[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]

Thanks! I have you to thank for that! Thanks for taking the time to give me advice.

[HisChild]

Awww shucks.

[Laurentina1975]

[quote name='zunshynn' date='Mar 16 2006, 11:40 AM'] He hasn't graded it yet, but I'll let you know when he does. I'm not sure that it will be an "A."

But more than a good grade, I really hope that it is effective in giving Glory to God. Of course, an "A" would also be very very nice. 

I'm glad that ya'll have liked it so far.
[right][snapback]913238[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]


What is your teachers number? ahahhhahahaa
Seriously...I'd love to debate the grade with him, unless you do get an "A", then I will be satisfied. I know how hard you worked on it. It's not like you "threw it together", after all you sent it to me three weeks ago, so like you have been working on it forever....I have a taste for chocolate...not like anyone cares or anything...anywhoo...
Keep me apprised of the grade situation.. Prayers for an "A"
Heck...I wasn't asking for an "A+". Sheesh.

[zunshynn]

I got an A!

[HisChild]

Congratulations! You deserved it. Go treat yourself to a caramel macchiatto! LOL

[Laurentina1975]

[quote name='zunshynn' date='Mar 20 2006, 10:39 AM']I got an A!

[right][snapback]915574[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!! All that time you spent working your booty off really paid off! I am soooooo happy for you! See, I told you! Now I don't have to call your teacher..hahahah

[quote name='PCPA2Be' date='Mar 20 2006, 10:46 AM']    Congratulations!  You deserved it.  Go treat yourself to a   caramel macchiatto!  LOL
[right][snapback]915582[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]

Caramel macchiatos are me favorite drink!

[zunshynn]

Y'all crack me up.

By the way, if anyone had trouble reading it, I put it on my livejournal at: [url="http://factussanctus.livejournal.com/"]http://factussanctus.livejournal.com/[/url]

Thanks for everything! Edited March 20, 2006 by zunshynn

[OLAM Dad]

Definitely 'A' work. Congratulations on your grade.

:applause: