We read the following in Vita Consecrata, Blessed John Paul II’s document on religious life:
The Consecrated Life, deeply rooted in
the example and teaching of Christ the Lord, is a gift of God the Father to his
Church through the Holy Spirit. By the profession of the evangelical counsels, the
characteristic features of Jesus— the chaste, poor and obedient one— are made
constantly visible in the midst of the world, and the eyes of the faithful
are directed toward the mystery of the Kingdom of God already at work in
history, even as it awaits its full realization in heaven.
In every age there have been men and
women who, obedient to the Father's call and to the prompting of the Spirit, have
chosen this special way of following Christ in order to devote themselves to
him with an undivided heart. Like the Apostles, they too have left
everything behind in order to be with Christ and to put themselves, as he did,
at the service of God and their brothers and sisters. In this way, through the
many charisms of spiritual and apostolic life bestowed on them by the Holy Spirit, they
have helped to make the mystery and mission of the Church shine forth, and in
doing so have contributed to the renewal of society.
We pray that we may be faithful to our Father's call and follow the Lord Jesus moment by moment with an undivided heart.
