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Religious Life, A Gift And Responsibility
My dear
sisters, Pope Francis would say about the religious that I cannot imagine of
the church without the religious. When he declared the year of the consecrated,
he said this. And then he acknowledged the contribution the tremendous
contribution that the religious congregations, the religious, consecrated people
have been doing to the church. And now today, we are going to reflect upon
religious life is a gift and the responsibility. First, I would like to dwell
upon
Religious
life as a gift. Yes, it's an unmerited, free gift of God. Even Jesus, for him,
the vocation that he received, is not because of him, because he received it
from the Father. So even for Jesus, it was a gift, the vocation that he
received to be the priest and the victim is again a gift from his father. And
that's why we read in the letter to the Hebrews, chapter five, verses four to
five. So beautifully St. Paul, the author of the letter to the Hebrews says,
and one does not presume to take this honor, but takes it only way when called by God. Just as Aaron
was, again in verse five we read. So also, Christ did not glorify himself in
becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, you are my Son, today I have begotten
you. So even in the case of Jesus, we know that Jesus accepted it as a gift from the Father. That's why Jesus tells us we read in the Gospel of St.
john chapter 15, verse 16, the first part, you did not choose me, but I chose
you. You did not choose me, but I chose you. It's I who have chosen you, you are
mine. So, it is Jesus who has called us it is Jesus who has chosen us. Again,
we'll read in Mark's gospel, chapter three, verse 13. He called those whom he
wanted, he called those whom he desired. So, he wants us and He calls us. So,
it is a gift from the Lord. We read in the Bible, various vocation narratives.
Everyone in the Bible is called by the Lord. It's not because of their merit.
But it is purely out of the love that God had for them. So today, I and you are
called, not because of any of our merits, not because of our talents, not
because of our efficiencies, but just because he loves me. He wants me He desires me. So, we need to be convinced
of being wanted by the Lord, we need to be convinced of being called by the
Lord, we need to be convinced of receiving the gift from the Lord. it’s nothing of my merits, purely his own free
gift, because he loves me, he gives me.
Look at the life of
Abraham. Abraham was called by God, Abraham never thought that, Abraham never
knew about it. But Godchooses Abraham, because God wants him. So, he calls him,
he gives him that gift to belong to God.
Again, in the
case of Moses, normally speaking, that was the Edict of Pharaoh. At the time,
when Moses was born, every male child of the Hebrews should be put to death.
And the midwives were well instructed, but Moses remained alive. Then Moses is
brought to the palace of Pharaoh, all this because God wanted Moses, all this
because God is giving Moses the gift of life, the gift of vocation, the gift of
being belonging to God. And then he shares that vocation, to do the work that
God himself has to do.
Look at Saul, the
first king of the Israelites, did Saul wanted to be a king, not at all. He was
in fact searching for his lost donkeys. But God picks him up and anoints him a
king. Again, none of the merits of Saul.
The case of
David, a small boy, even his father didn't find him fit to be a king. That's
why he kept him in the fields looking up to the sheaves. The other sons were
kept in the house, when Samuel came to anoint one of his sons as a king. So,
from the worldly point of view, David was not at all fit, not at all expected
to be a king, but God wanted him. again it is a gift from God, that David
receives. No one can say, I will become a priest. No. and No one can say I will
become a religious, you cannot say that.
Being in the formation, I have experienced
this. There were so nice with all the qualities sincere, clever, efficient,
talented, and so much we had expectations that he would make a very good
priest. He will be a great asset to
the church,
but they don't they didn't become priests. They decided to go back and choose
their vocation to a family life. So, it is purely the gift of God.
Again, we
see. So since, we know that it is a gift of God, we should be grateful to that
gift. The one who does not sufficiently thank God for the gift that he has
received, he does not know what vocation is, he does not understand the
greatness and the importance of vocation, he does not understand the greatness
and importance of religious life.
So, two ways
of responding to the vocation, the religious calling that we have received is
One is to be grateful to it.
And one
another one is to be faithful to it,
To be grateful. We need to sufficiently thank
God for this wonderful gift of vocation that we have received. Every moment we
should be grateful to it. For me, it has become a habit, that every day, at the
end of the day, when I go to bed, sitting on the bed, I used to look at myself
and say, Oh, I am a priest and sing the priests? What guarantee do I have? I am
weak, vulnerable. I can lose it. Anything can happen in my life. But God keeps me in the gift that He has given me. Because he wants me, he desires me. So, every day when I before going to bed, I sit on my bed and turn to the Lord and say, Lord, I thank you, for still you're keeping me as a priest, we should be able to thank the Lord. Because it is such a wonderful gift for which I am not worthy . So religious calling, religious life is a gift from the Lord. It's an unmerited, free gift of God to each one of us. Also, I would like to see how it is a gift we can also see within our life.
The religious
life can be explained through the need
theory, which the psychologists use it the needed theory, they
explained the human person, the
whole life project of the human person, through a need theory, though we don't
accept it.But we can explain this
need the life of a religious through the NEED theory, they would say for
example, a child is born. And then the moment the child is born to this earth
from that moment, different needs are before
the child. The whole life of that human person who is born or born to this
earth is fulfilling need after needs, you've tried to fulfill one need, another
need arises and you fulfill that another need arises
till you step into the grave, you
have been fulfilling the needs of your life, the various needs of your life.
That's how they explained the human life. And we can also take that a child as
soon as it is born, the first need of
the child is to breathe. And that's why is struggling to breathe, that becomes
like a cry. And so,the child the moment the child starts breathing, everything
is cleared, smoothly breathing, then the other need arises, that child wants
milk hungry, then it drinks milk. So, when we in that development of the human person, we find the needs
keep changing, and the person keeps fulfilling those needs. And then finally,
when the child grows, becomes an adult, the different needs are coming.
Three basic needs come into every human person's life. That is
i.
the need for companionship,
ii.
The need to warn or possess things for life. Then
iii.
The need to make
one's own decisions.
These are the big three basic needs of human life and the person's life is built on these three needs. So every human person experiencing these three basic needs and tries to fulfill that needs and his whole life is centered around those three needs. For example,
A girl marriageable age, she feels the need for a companion in a life
partner, the desire to marry, either she will find a boy or the home people
would find a companion for her. Once that is done, that need is fulfilled, the
second need of possessing some things, a house, a job, all the other things required
for the life. And so, in this way, the second need it will be fulfilled. Till the end of
life different things are needed for life, and they will be fulfilling it, then
they have to make decisions in life to make
one's own decisions. So, in this way the life is being lived.
In our case, when we are in need of a companion, Jesus enters into our
life, takes our name and request says Francis, would you like to become my life
companion? Would you like to accept me as your life companion? And I say yes.
And that's my call. That's my vocation. So, Jesus becomes my life companion. I
and Jesus together, we start living. And that is the evangelical Council of chastity. Since I have Jesus as my
life companion, I don't need anyone else. I don't need any other human person
to become my life companion. Because I have the life companion Jesus Himself,
Then the second
need, that need to possess things, Jesus is everything for me. And so, I don't
have to depend on the things of this world. I need to depend on Jesus who is my
life companion who is everything, who is the creator of the whole universe. So
there comes an evangelical Council of
poverty,
Then to make
decisions in life. I know Jesus knows all that I need. Jesus knows much more
about me than anyone. And so, I listened to him. He knows what is best for me.
And so, I obey
Him. So, the evangelical Council of obedience, this is all the Life Project, the religious life, the religious calling, which is a gift that we have received. And why it is a gift again, it's a gift of Jesus in my life.Because in my life, I am in need of fulfilling, I am in need of fulfilling these three basic needs of my life. And Jesus steps into my life, gives himself as a gift for me. And then fulfills these three needs in a much wonderful, beautiful way hundred percent. A human companion will not be that faithful, a human companion will not be 100%, loving, but Jesus who is a gift for me, through vocation I have received; he becomes 100%, faithful partner with me. He is my true-life companion. That's why in my one life project, when I am in need of the three basic needs, Jesus offers himself as a gift to fulfill my need. And so, my vocation, to be a religious is a gift from Jesus. And that gift is Jesus Himself as my life companion.
And that how we
have to look at the religious life. So, the religious life really is a
tremendous gift. And this gift is a most beautiful thing which can never be
compared to anything else, Jesus, the creator of the whole universe, the second
person of the Trinity, and in Him the father is present, his spirit will
receive such a wonderful gift through our religious calling we receive. And so,
I must live that life with the Lord, a life of
love relationship with him, a life of intimacy with him. That's the
essence of my call to live for Jesus.
That's why the little flower would say, not
even an atom of my love belongs to anyone else, except
Jesus.
And she would also say, at last, I found my vocation at the heart of
the church. That is, I will be loved. So, our call is a call to
intimacy. The religious life is a call to intimacy. The religious life is a
call to a life of love and a love with Jesus. When I love Jesus, as he loves
me, that's the command that the Lord gave us. Love one another as I have loved
you. When I love Jesus as He loves me the consequence of loving Jesus as He loves me. I become chaste
like Jesus, I become poor like Jesus, I become obedient like Jesus, and that how the evangelical councils become my
lifestyle. So, it is a consequence of loving Jesus, as he loves me. So that is
what that's why the religious calling is a beautiful gift for us.
Now, this gift the
religious calling, the religious vocation, this gift as an eternal character,
that also we should keep in our mind. It's an eternal character. The book of
Jeremiah, chapter one, verse four, and five, the call of Jeremiah, what do we
read there?
Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, before I formed you in the
womb, I knew you. And before you
were born, I consecrated you, I appointed you, a prophet, to the nations, how
beautiful it is. This
not just telling Jeremiah, today we should be able to hear this being addressed to us. Jesus telling me,before you were formed in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I consecrated you. I appointed you, as a religious to live and work in the church. That's what the Lord is telling us. Are we aware of it?
Today, we religious, live our life, but we don't realize the greatness of our religious life, the greatness of our vocation, the importance of our vocation, that we cannot sufficiently understand it. So, this religious calling is a gift. And so, we should sufficiently thank the Lord for this unmerited free gift that the Lord has given to each one of us. Now, this gift, has its responsibilities, the responsibilities attached to this religious calling. It's the life of total dedication, and service. And it is the life of the religious. However, it's so beautiful, so important, so great occasion. But it is not a bed of roses. Today, in the midst of difficulties and challenges, it seems to be losing ground. Today, in the midst of all the difficulties challenges, the life of the religious today, it seems to be that religious life is losing ground
Pope Francis said that the
contribution of the religious to the church and the world cannot be measured.
The during the year of consecrated life, Pope Francis gave a message for
that year. And the message was so beautiful. In short, I can just tell you,
first he said, religious, put Christ at the
center of your life, let your life become Christocentric. Christ centered.
That's the thing that he
asked all the consecrated religious, but unfortunately, somehow this was
just ignored. After saying this, only
Pope Francis said, religious wake up the world. That slogan was taken up. And
everywhere it was focused in all the articles, in all the magazines, in all the
seminars. Everywhere it was said, Pope is calling in the year of consecrated
life to wake up the world, religious wake up the world, and how you wake up the
world, by being. by being joyful, by being brave, by being people of communion
by being people of communion. So, by being joyful, by being brave, by being
people of men and women of communion,
this was the message that Pope Francis gave for the year of consecrated life,
but this is, this would have been possible only. The first thing what Pope
Francis said, religious make your life Christocentric
that's what the gift our life is a gift and the gift is Jesus. So that gift is
to become center. It has to become
Christocentric. This is what Pope Francis told. At the same time, we have the
other side, while majority of the religious live a very committed holy lives, there
are still some living scandalous lives, which affect the church. Scandalous
life these days we hear of religious priests committing suicides, people,
ordinary people cannot somehow understand that. religious priests who are
supposed to instill hope in the life of the
people, they are committing suicides.
There are
scandals, scandalous lives, scandals, emotional immaturity,crossing the
boundaries and violating the boundaries of sexuality, financial irregularities,
conflicts in relationships, lack of collaboration and teamwork. So, this is
what we find sometimes now in the life of the religious and this affects the
church so much. So, our responsibility today comes from this. We need to live a life of intimacy with the Lord.
I would also like to say this, all scandals, all these things come up because
we have not understood the greatness and the importance of the religious life.
The greatest
danger in religious life is and among the consecrated people is that we take
things for granted, taking things for granted. Our religious life, we take it
for granted. Vocation, take it for granted our consecrated life, we take it for
granted. Another thing I would always say that we cannot this is another danger. We consider the religious
especially the women religious they consider them like any other ordinary women, they are not. They
are consecrated people, they are set apart, just like a chalice which cannot be
used to drink tea and coffee. It is set apart for the Holy Eucharist, its set apart for to pour the blood of Jesus. It cannot be used for the other way. So
similarly, a consecrated religious is not an ordinary human, the moment that
she makes her profession, the moment she commits herself to Jesus for life, she
is consecrated, she is set apart. And she is meant to only for Jesus, that
Jesus whom she sees in every brother and sister, it is for that Jesus she is
meant for. So that's why the set part. So, a consecrated religious should not
be looked at as any other woman or a girl, anybody that's the greatest danger,
also taking life the consecration for granted. So, we need to understand the
greatness of it. And then we have the responsibilities. It is actually a life
of complete sharing with Jesus. Every religious has a complete sharing of the life of Jesus. A religious life is a
life of intimacy.
There are a few points I would like to present before you the first
important sign of this intimacy is complete
sharing. So, when you have received this gift, the gift of consecrated
life, the responsibility follows of total sharing of yourself with Jesus. The
first thing complete sharing, we read St. John's Gospel chapter 15, verse 15. I do not call us servants any longer, But
I call you friends. A servant does not know what the master is doing. I call
your friends because All that the Father has revealed to me, I reveal it to you.
A total revelation, a total sharing a complete sharing of himself with us. You
can imagine, Jesus says to us this, I call you friends, because all that the Father
has revealed to me, I reveal to you. So that's the beauty of our call. So,
total, sharing the first thing Ido I
share everything of mine with the Lord. I get the good news, I get the bad
news, who is the first person that I share with? Do I share with my life companion
in Jesus, who has given himself as a gift to me? So that is the first sign of
intimacy.
Second, choice of friendship.
JOHN, Chapter 15, verse 16, the first
part, you did not choose me, but I chose you. Jesus has chosen me as his first
and best friend. Have I chosen now Jesus as my first and best friend? So, I
have to choose, choice of friendship, that shows my intimacy. In my life
situations, that's Jesus becomes my choice. Or sometimes I choose other things other
person's, choose my name, my position, we have to today examine. This is my
great responsibility of choosing Jesus. Every time in every situation, in every
incident in everything, I must choose Jesus as my first and best friend. That's
why the little flower could say, not even an atom of my love belongs to anyone
else, except Jesus saw lifers to become that. So, he should be my first and
best friend.
Thirdly, suffer for the
friend. JOHN, Chapter 15, verse 13, we read, no one has greater love than
this, to lay down one's life for
one's friends, lay down one's life for one's friends. So, Jesus says lay down
his life for me,
who is his
friend? Am I ready to lay down my life for my Jesus? Am I ready to make
sacrifices in my life for my Jesus,
who has laid down his life for me because he loves me? He is ready to suffer
for me. Am I ready similarly, to suffer for Jesus? That's what the life of
intimacy. So, the responsibility as a gift follows
that I must do sacrifice for him because he loves me.
The fourth sign of intimacy, not for possessive friendship. John
chapter 15, verse 16, the second part, you did not choose me, I chose you so
that you may go and bear fruit, the fruit that endures, he has chosen me so
that I may be fruitful, I may go and bear fruit, not for a possessive
friendship, not to cling on to him, but to do the mission. So, the responsibility,
the mission becomes my responsibility. The gift that I have received, that is
Jesus. Now, because of that gift. The mission of Jesus becomes my
responsibility. I have chosen you to go and bear fruit. Mary Magdalene, after
having the apparition of the risen Lord, she wanted to cling on to him, but Jesus says don't cling to me. Go and
tell my brothers do the mission. So that is what the intimacy with Jesus that's
my responsibility. The mission, mission should become my life.
Fifth
the point, friends are of one mind and one heart. JOHN, Chapter 14, verse
21. I read those who have my
commandments, and keep them or those who love me, and those who love me, will
be loved by My Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them. See the
beauty of it, the love relationship. So,friends are of one mind and one heart
as friends of Jesus, as we have received the gift of Jesus as He has become My life companion and as I have
become a consecrated religious for Jesus, I must have the mind and heart of
Jesus.
six to one concern about the
friend. Again, we read St. John's Gospel chapter 14, verses 15 to 17. If
you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, He will
give you another advocate to be with you forever. So, he is so concerned that
he is leaving. So,he has asked the father to give me the spirit, another
advocate, another helper. So, the concern that Jesus has for me, do I have the same concern for the Lord? Am I
concerned about his glory? Am I concerned about his mission? Am I concerned
about his mission? Am I concerned about his church? So, I must show that
concern in my life.
Seventh, the sorrow for separation, again, John's Gospel
chapter 16, verse 16, a little while, and you will know no longer see me. And
again, a little while you will see me. So here Jesus is expressing his intimacy
with these disciples, he is telling them, I am going to go away from you.
He's feeling
that sadness, that separation. What separates us from Jesus? sins separates us
from God. So we must have dread for sin, a consecrated religious should have
fear of sin, dread for sin, because that's what separates us from Jesus, our
life companion.
Eighth happiness in the intimate friendship,
john 15, verse 11, we read, I have said these things to you, so that my joy may
be in you, and that your joy may be complete. He has revealed everything so
that I may remain joyful, that your joy may be complete, how beautiful it is.So,
there is joy in the friendship with Jesus, because he is the source of joy, who
is within me.
And the last
one ninth one, a friend wants to be
always with the one he loves. That is john 14, verse 23.
JOHN 14,
verse 23, Jesus answered him, those who love me will keep my word, and my
Father will love them, and we will come to them and make a home with them.
That's the abiding presence, he always remains with us. And that's what Jesus
for us is the intimacy the responsibilities, today we should look at ourselves
and see what's our life. Looking at the crisis in the religious life, today, it
looks to be the consecrated life loses its relevance. Why because we are losing
our specific identity as a religious as a consecrated person, we are trying to
become like the others. Yes, we should be one with them, but then
our identity should be kept up. Today, the danger today facing the religious
life, we cannot accept it as a gift,
we are not aware of the responsibilities ,because the recruitment, today we are
promoting vocations for what is it to live a life of intimacy with Jesus or as
a labor force, rather than as a vocation. We need personnel to run the
institutions. So, we search for vocations. We need to correct that today. We
have to choose people who are gifted with that gift of Jesus, a life of
intimacy, a life of consecration. We have to promote vocations, to live the
life of Jesus, not to just train to run institutions, not to work not for a
labor force.
Another
danger is we have today become a tendency of sticking to our comfort zones. Do
not want to take any risk, do not want to be out with the people facing the
difficulties, troubles of life facing the challenges of life. We want always to
be secure, safe and comfortable. That's what the religious are looking for. So
basic identity comes from the work that we do the job that we do, the position
that we hold, or our vocation to belong to Jesus This is what today you have to
ask. There is a strong temptation today to relate one's identity to one's
functions. As an educator, as a social worker, as a professor of philosophy, theology, etc. It's raw scripture,
as a counselor, as a doctor, as a lawyer. That’s a great danger among us. Also,
it is a temptation to relate one's identity to these things. These functions
require specializations. But without being the person of moral and spiritual
integrity. These are useless. The
priority that's why Pope Francis was declared in the year of consecrated life,
what did he say? religious be
Christocentric put Christ at the center of your life at the center of your
existence, we
need to have
that once we have that then we will be able to use everything for His glory for
his kingdom, for his mission.
Another
responsibility in the present-day context is that we need to move from the mono culturality to a multicultural
relationship, membership multicultural relationship.
We need to
move out from our parochial and divisive tendencies.
The
recognition of other cultures is required today, respect for cultural diversity
and differences. The promotion of a healthy interaction between cultures,
also in the
congregational collaborations,
collaborative
mission with the church, the parish, the diocese, these are required, these are
our responsibilities, then.
Pope Francis
also calls us to move to the peripheries, not to be closed out in the center,
not to be in the high compound walls with the securities. In Evangelic Gaudium Pope Francis says, I
prefer a church which is bruised, wounded, hurting and dirty because it has
been out on the streets. Rather than I want the church which is bruised, wounded, dirty, rather than a
church which is unhealthy from being confirmed, and from clinging to its own
security. I do not want a church concerned with being at the center. And then
yes by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures. if something
should rightly disturb us, and trouble our consciences, it is the fact that so
many of our brothers and sisters are living without this support, without the
strength without the light without the consolation and bond of friendship with
Jesus without a community of faith to support them without meaning and goal in
life. This is what Pope Francis is saying to us. So today, as we are reflecting
about our religious life, which is a gift, and the responsibility is an unmerited,
free gift of God, we need to be grateful to him thankful to him. And then we
need to be faithful to that call that He has given us. So, the responsibility
of being in intimacy with Jesus. So, let us try our best. Let's bring a
transformation and pray to the Lord, that the Lord may really touch you. Let
him give you a fresh anointing of the Spirit. So that baptized in the spirit
soaked in the spirit, we may become Jesus to all the people. That's what is the
essence of a religious calling. So, let us pray to the Lord for this grace.
Thank you. God bless you.
Bishop Francis
Kalist
