SPIRITUALITY OF RELIGIOUS LIFE

Spirituality of Religious Life

Name: Agedo Bento

Contents

History and it evolution Spirituality of religious life Religious spirituality today

LORD I OFFER MY LIFE TO YOU.mp4

1. History and it evolution: Form

Desert father and mothers

Spirituality of religious life first of all took a form in the desert father and mothers. They live far from the noise of the city and live in a solitude place. They lives their lives in abstinence.

“Mana” is a food for them. The spiritual food.

The designation “Desert Fathers and Mothers” refers to sources of ascetic literature from late antiquity that are associated with monasticism principally in the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Arabia, the Ancient World Prehistoric Eras to 600 C.E.

This way of life inspired and continues to inspire religious consecrated life today.

Paul of Thebes, by Mattia Preti. c. 1660

Monasticism

The Greek word ‘monachos’ –Lonely-later became the standardised description for all types of monk, including many destitute peasants during the fourth century, when the monasteries proliferated in Egypt.

Monasticism, which sought physical removal from the inhabited world, quickly identified with the uninhabited desert as a refuge from temptation and as a hostile environment in which to train the body and the mind toward the single goal of serving God.

Model of monastic life

Early form of monastic life

1. A group of religious people that live together in monastery.

2. Dedicated their life to prayer, to ponder the law of God day and night.

3. Live a life abstinence

4. God as ultimate friend

Mendicant

• Mendicant (Latin: Mendicare) ‘begging’ to ask for something.

• Some religious orders live their lives as a mendicants. Everything that they obtain from begging are shared to in common.

• The mendicant orders are the Franciscan friars, Carmelites and Dominicans.

• Mendicant Friars are members of those religious orders which, originally, by vow of poverty renounced all ownership not only individually but also (and in this differing from the monks) in common, relying for support of their own work and on the charity of the faithful.

Apostolic institute

• In 1500-1800, many men and women flock to apostolic institutes.

• The principle of stabilising the apostolic institutes was to responsd to the apostolic mission of the church.

• The focus of this institutes was apostolic works. E.g. Care for the sick and the poor, and education.

• Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556), established a group called: The Company of Jesus or the Jesuits.

• Angela Merici (1474-1540) was the founder of Ursuline institute. • The focus of this group of women was to work/minister to the

sick, elderly people and give education for young teenagers especially girls.

• A secular institute was also inspired by the work of Angela Merici.

Secular institute

The Community of Apostles/ Apostolic society

We are a “Society of Apostolic Life,” priests and brothers sharing a common mission of service to the Church, living a community life, sustained by a spirituality of the Blood of Christ. These are three pillars—mission, community, and spirituality—support our life and work together. We live our life in the service of God and his People

Missionary of the precious blood

Society of Apostolic life

• Religious life is the continuation of the “apostolic life” described in the Acts of the Apostles, in which the Jerusalem church “with one heart and soul… had all thing in common”( Acts 4:32).

• The one heart soul is the essence; the ‘all things in common’ is a sign that is an extension of the breaking of the bread which Jesus shared with His apostles (Acts 2:46).

• The essence of apostolic life is adoration and charity.

2. Spirituality of religious life

• Three characteristics: evangelical, ecclesial and the charism of the founder.

• Spirituality of religious life is about living to bring about the Kingdom of God in a special way.

• Following the footsteps of Jesus Christ in a radical way and being fully dedicated to Him, like the apostles.

• Spirituality of religious life is also about to living a life in accordance to the three evangelical counsels: chastity, obedience and poverty.

• These three evangelical counsels are taken as vows in religious life, as a response to the primary gift of God, a gift of love, which cannot be rationalized. It is something that God works in the person whom God has chosen. (Vita Consecrata 13)

• As a response to the gift of God, the vows are a triple expression of a “yes” to the one relationship of total consecration. (LG 44;PC 5;Evangelica Testificatio/ET 7)

• John Paul II: Vita Consecrata (consecrated life)- The foundation of religious spirituality or the consecrated life as being profoundly reflective of Jesus' teaching and as a model of Jesus.

• “It is a gift of God the Father to the Church through the Holy Spirit.”

• By the profession of the evangelical counsels: chastity, obedience and poverty, religious show by their lives characteristic features of Jesus "visible" in the midst of the world. Their lives direct the eyes of the faithful toward the mystery of the Kingdom of God already at work in history, even as it awaits its full realization in heaven.

• People who consecrate their life even if they don’t belong to the church’s hierarchy, are an important part of the church’s life and holiness.

• Religious life is not an office or a function, or particular work in the church. It is a state of being, state of grace that pertains to the order of life and holiness.

• Religious are servants of the church, but their specific role is not to be teachers or nurses or administrators.

• Their proper contribution is to be holy members, holy workers, witnesses to the one calling of all in Christ Jesus.

• The vocation calls religious to work in the church, but under the precise formality of manifesting holiness in the work.

What are the vows?

oVows are a commitment made by religious people with the promise to the service of God and the Church.

oGenerally, there are three vows in religious consecrated life.o Chastity, Latin castus, meaning “morally pure,” and preserving your

chastity means you are keeping your body pure and free from sexual relations.

oSome religious figures take a vow of chastity so they can focus their thoughts on their faith.

oObedience, conformity to a monastic rule or the authority of a religious superior, ultimately to God.

oPoverty, in religious life, to live simply life in accordance with the Gospel. No private ownership. Everything owned together, sharing everything in common.

3. Today’s religious life

• The influence of the early forms of religious life have inspired many ways of religious life today:

Congregation of Charity Sacred Heart Missionaries Sisters of Holy Spirit Canosian Sisters Redemptorist brothers Passionist bothers Sisters of Mercy and so on.

VowsChastity Obedience

3

Poverty

discussion

What do you think about religious life today in AustraliaOr

Any thoughTS about this presentation?

References

Books:

Casey, Maria, RSJ, Breaking from the Bud: New form of consecrated life.(Sidney. Sister of St. Joseph, 2001).

Oliger, L. (1911). Mendicant Friars. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved August 21, 2014 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10183c.htm

Documents:

King, Geoffrey, SJ. Ed. An Introduction to the new code of canon Law (Sidney, The canon law society of Australia and New Zealand) , 1982.

Ernest E. Larkin, Religious life in the light of Vatican II.

Pope John Paul II: VITA CONSECRATA (The Consecrated Life), Apostolic Letter given on March 25, 1996. Electronic Copyright © 1999 EWTN. Retrieved from: www.ewtn.com or

Shepherd,Kevin R.D. : Commentaries on Anthropography - History of philosophy - East and West - Citizen philosophy - History of religions,(Friday, 5 October 2012. Retrieved from http://kevin-rd-shepherd.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/desert-fathers.html

PicturesRetrieved from internet, 07/08/14

http://earlyworldhistory.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/persepolis-susa-and-ecbatana.html.

http://www.kcprovince.org/society-of-apostolic-life.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Origin+of+Monasticism&FORM=RESTAB.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Religious+men+with+vow&FORM=HDRSC2#view=detail&id=3B795FEDA05067B9E3FE49952F840EAFCA301DF2&selectedIndex=911.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Father+of+desert+picture&FORM=HDRSC2.

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