“If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor…and come follow me” (Mt 19:21). These are Jesus’ radical words to the rich young man who asked what he must do to have eternal life. Initially, Jesus instructed the young man to obey the commandments. He called him to sell what he has, only after the young man asked what he still lacked. This special call of Jesus continues to echo throughout history to the present day. When I had a sense of this call, I pursued it to the community that I am now a member of, the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word. During my time with this community, particularly during the novitiate, I have become more deeply aware of the greatness of Christ’s love, especially while I prepared to profess the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. In the past year, I learned much about the call and intention of the consecrated life and have received several benefits and graces. These things will aid me as I begin to pursue the perfection of charity in religious life.
Personally, it seems like the Holy Spirit worked very quickly in my life since my conversion to Catholicism. Praise God that I was received into the fullness of the Catholic faith on the vigil of Easter in 2003! I had been raised in a good Christian home and was essentially non-denominational, although not in name. A few years after receiving the Sacraments of Initiation, I sensed that God might be calling me to the priesthood. After discerning with my home diocese, the Capuchins, as well as with this community, I felt strongly drawn to the MFVA’s. I applied, was accepted, entered the postulancy, and ten months later received the habit of a novice. As a novice I was instructed and prepared in the essentials of the consecrated life as it is lived in this fraternity.
If you are wondering why an individual would decide to live as a religious, then you will need to have a grasp of what the religious life is, what the vows are, and to whom the vows are directed. The last point is simple: the vows are directed to God. A religious professes vows, that is, the evangelical counsels in order to perfect and sanctify their love of God and neighbor. You may ask yourself, “Doesn’t everyone have that goal”? I would certainly hope so. However, a religious, by making vows, sacrifices certain goods (property, spouse and children, personal will) in pursuit of a higher good. Religious men and women become witnesses of the life to come. On the one hand, religious communities are dedicated to the salvation of all, whereas married men and women are called to assist each other and their children in the salvation of their souls. Religious communities work towards fostering a good, flourishing fraternal life and each community has a specific mission or apostolate. The apostolate of the MFVA’s is mainly using the modern means (indeed any available means) of social communication to bring the lost sheep into closer union with Christ and his Church. Finally, it’s important to understand what the vows are that religious profess.
Generally, consecrated persons profess the three evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Initially, the vows are taken for one year at a time from 3 to 5 years but are ordered towards making a life-long commitment in the perpetual profession of vows. Some communities may have a fourth vow but that is not the norm. As we know, all of humanity has inherited original sin due to the disobedience of our first parents in the Garden of Eden. With original sin came a tendency or inclination of humanity toward sin. The counsels were given to us by Jesus Christ to help in countering concupiscence due to the fall: “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 Jn 2:16). From scripture, we see that the counsel of poverty can be found in the passage mentioned at the beginning of this article. On a side note, poverty was held in very high esteem by the initial founder of the Franciscans, St. Francis of Assisi. The counsel of chastity is drawn from Our Lord’s teaching to the apostles that some people become eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom (Mt 19:10-12). Last but not least, the counsel of obedience is witnessed in Christ’s consistent example of complete and perfect obedience to his heavenly Father (Mt 26:39, Lk 4:8, Jn 3:16; 5:30, Phil 2:8).
In spite of trials and struggles, I have benefited from my novitiate in several ways. In fact, the difficulties themselves have been to my benefit. Primarily, the contribution to my spiritual life cannot be measured. A regular schedule of Mass, prayer, spiritual reading, time spent before the Blessed Sacrament, and devotion to Our Lady have aided me in becoming more disciplined and focused. Also, very limited exposure to television and radio has significantly reduced the amount of mental noise and has made me more ready to listen to God in the silence of prayer. However, it is not my intent to sound like I belong to an order of contemplative monks. Our community is very much engaged with the world. Of course, like anyone else who prays, I sometimes struggle with attentiveness at prayer and must strive to maintain my recollection. This struggle is part of my personal growth. I have also derived benefits of a more human nature. My exposure to EWTN and the pilgrims who visit have helped me learn about the dynamics of human relations. Although I tend to view things in terms of an ideal, in reality, people very often do not behave that way. We need to be able to relate with others where they are and inspire in them hope (Ps 43:5). The community has assisted me in what I lack and has encouraged me to develop in all areas. Ultimately, the greatest struggles have been related to my self-will. Professing obedience will require dying to myself. However, I know that there is joy and peace in doing God’s will through the vows.
In conclusion, I wish to emphasize that living the consecrated life is only possible with God’s grace. The religious life allows those called to enter deeper into the mystery of Christ’s self-sacrificial love. The love of Christ is one that is greater than feelings and emotions; however it does not exclude them. By making vows, a religious unites himself totally in the love of Christ. Everything he says and does is offered as an act of worship. With trust and abandonment to God and with His assistance, a religious will one day be able to say with St. Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (Gal 2:20).”
Please pray for me and for the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word.
Br. Matthew Mary, MFV
