CONSECRATED LIFE
Every Christian is called to love as Jesus Christ loved us. He gives us the perfect example of loving His Heavenly Father, the Greatest Commandment, when He teaches, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind’” (Mt. 22:37). Loving God with all our heart, soul and mind means also loving everything and everyone that God created. This is the second part of the greatest commandment that Jesus teaches us, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (Jn. 15:12).
Consecrated life is a particular way that some people are called to live their vocation to love. To be consecrated, at its core, is a call to be "set apart" for God, who is love (1 John 4:8). Consecrated persons devote themselves to loving God with an "undivided heart" (1 Cor. 7:34) and to following the demands of the Gospel in a radical way, which gives witness to our heavenly homeland. As we have all been called to union with God in love, some people are called to anticipate the wedding feast of the lamb (Rev. 19:6-9) through the gift of consecration.
My beloved is mine and I am his...
- Song of Songs 2:16
The firm conviction of being loved by God is at the center of your vocation: to be for others a tangible sign of the presence of God’s Kingdom, a foretaste of the eternal joys of heaven.
- Pope Francis
There are many different ways that people can live the consecrated life (see below). However, all consecrated persons make Jesus, who is "the chaste, poor, and obedient one...constantly "visible" in the midst of the world" by professing the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience.[1] Consecrated people are essential to the life and mission of the Church. They are a gift to all who profess themselves Christian, by witnessing to the "inner nature of the Christian calling" and encouraging all members of the Bride of Christ as they strive for union with her "one Spouse", Jesus.[2]
[2] Ibid, 3.
Forms of consecrated life include:
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Religious Life
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Monasticism
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Secular Institutes
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Societies of Consecrated Life
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Consecrated Virgins
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Canonical Hermits
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Institutes of Consecrated Life
RECOMMENDED READING
DISCERNMENT 180: A Six-Month Guide For Catholic Women To Discern Consecrated Life - Fr. Greg Gerhart
D180 is a six-month discernment plan to help men dive deep while discerning the priesthood. It lays out a clear “rule of life” including spiritual practices and specific discernment actions. The bulk of the book contains daily readings to aid in discernment. The goal is to grow in holiness, prayerfully consider the priesthood, and peacefully accept the life God has prepared for you.
Discerning Religious LIfe - Mother Clare Matthiass, CFR
When she was Vocation Director for the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal, Mother Clare Matthiass worked with hundreds of young women who felt called to religious life. Discerning Religious Life distills her wisdom into clear advice, especially for women who are struggling to discover their vocations.
To explore forms of consecrated life in the Archdiocese of Sydney, click here