Please pray for all consecrated men and women so we may allow ourselves to be convicted by the necessity of being joy-filled Christians!
1) Listening
Jesus
Christ offers us joy. "Joy is the messianic gift par excellence, as Jesus
himself promised: ...that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be
complete (Jn 15:11; 16:24; 17:13)" (no. 2). This promise of joy was
foreshadowed as God led His people through the Old Covenant. The prophet Isaiah
exemplifies the proclamation of this hope of joy. Jerusalem as mother is
offered as a consoling image of God's loving care for us. "It is a gentle
but true profile of a God who radiates maternal vibrations and deep, contagious
emotions. A heartfelt joy (cf. Is 66:14) that comes from God - with maternal
face and supportive arm - and radiates through a people who have been
crippled" (no. 2).
2)
Joy, the beauty of consecration
There is a joy
to be found in giving one's life to God, in being totally dedicated to the
self-giving service of God. Pope Francis warns us that we cannot become holy if
we are sad. "In the world there is often a lack of joy. We are not called
to accomplish epic feats or to proclaim high-sounding words, but to give
witness to the joy that arises from the certainty of knowing we are loved, from
the confidence that we are saved." (no. 3). We are called by God to
bearers of joy. However, we must pray to be docile to God's consolations and
first learn to experience this joy.
3)
Your calling
We are each by
name called by Jesus. This is a great joy that God has such a particular
concern for each and every one of us. Jesus chooses us (see Jn 15:16). A
calling is something always begins with God's initiative. We must continually
step out of ourselves and into God. The Pope "invites us to remain for a
long time, on an interior pilgrimage, before the dawn, when, in a warm
environment of friendly relationships, the intellect is led to open itself to
mystery, the decision is made that it is good to set out to follow the Master
who alone has the words of eternal life (cf. Jn 6:68). He invites us to make
our whole 'life a pilgrimage of loving transformation'" (no. 4). We must
turn our restlessness into a longing for the God who calls us out of that
restlessness into His rest.
4)
Found, touched, transformed
Consecrated
life is intended as a way to incarnate the Good News in one's life. In
imitation of Jesus, "it is a call to take up his way of life, to adopt his
interior attitude, to allow oneself to be invaded by his Spirit, to absorb his
surprising logic and hsi scale of values, to share in his risks and his
hopes" (no. 5). We must remain in Christ in order to continue to receive
life from Christ. It is thus that we are made to be like Christ, alive in us.
Jesus, then, gives the impulse to step outside of ourselves to share this life
with others. This is "the resltessness of love" (no. 5).
5)
Joy, a faithful 'yes'
"To
persevere all the way to Golgotha, to experience the lacerations of doubts and
denial, to rejoice in the marvel and wonder of the Paschal event, up to the
manifestation of Pentecost and the evangelization of the peoples, these are
milestones of joyful fidelity because they are about self-emptying, experienced
throughout life, even in the sign of martyrdom, and also sharing in the life of
the risen Christ" (no. 6). We must continue to resound our 'yes' by
commitment to living the faith in every moment of every day, especially in how
we make time for prayer and community. We must continually recommit ourselves to
God, so that it is renewed with joy and passion. "Love is never finished
and complete; throughout life it changes and matures, and thus remains faithful
to itself" (no. 6).
For
the full document, visit the Vatican website:
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccscrlife/documents/rc_con_ccscrlife_doc_2014020
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