Juillet-Septembre 2012.indd - Patriarcat latin de JÃ©rusalem

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Juillet – Août – Septembre 2012 195response to the angel who came to announce to her the birth of a son for her, hadasked: “How shall this be done, since I do not know man?” (Luke 1:34) I am notmarried.The Church looks upon humanity in three spiritual conditions: - the supernatural condition, - the natural condition, - the sub-natural condition. Monasticchastity comes under the first condition which is super natural by means of whichwe become comparable to Christ and the Virgin Mary, some of the apostles, theangels and the saints. In this condition we become comparable to our sisters, thesaintly nuns as led by the Blessed Mother Mary Alphonsine. The blessed marriageis the normal condition for people. It is a sacred mystery of the Church. But, asto the third condition (the sub-natural condition) it comprises all other sexualcomportment.Humanly speaking, it is an act of fiction and insanity to embark on a vow ofchastity in an era where promiscuity and impudence are on the rise, as encouragedand called for and protected by states, institutions, news media and unboundedliberties. The renewed evangelization in a world that tends to forsake God and Hisdesigns for salvation may simply end up being not understood by the world today.It is also probable that some would commend us and express their admiration forour stance and courage.We do realize this clearly as we realize that Christ, before us, has fully consecratedhis life for the Father and was labeled as being mad. In the Lord Jesus, theVirgin Mary, the Blessed Mary Alphonsine and all other saints we have the mostbeautiful example of chastity and sanctity and the possibility of living our virginity.With the help of God , the intercession of our mother founder, our prayers and ourmutual support all would be possible.To maintain our consecration, there needs be a minimum of asceticism anda regulated life, some discipline in food intake, in speech, in thought and in ourrelationship with others. However, the basic condition for the maintenance ofchastity is sedulity in our daily prayers, prayers from a loving heart that longs forGod and acknowledges its weakness and in search of a union with the Almighty andno one else.Vow of PovertyWe want to talk about the vow of poverty at a time where wars are beingwaged and many victims fall for the sake of wealth and petroleum, for possessionand the domination of countries and territories. There are some, also, who selltheir conscience for the sake of increasing their wealth and their investmentshares.
196Jérusalem Bulletin diocésain du Patriarcat latinThe vow of poverty that we shall speak about today is:Firstly a social condition, in other words a monk or a nun are not to possess fundsin banks nor investment shares or other possessions. The monk and the nun are notto possess what others possess nor use the means of possession that others employ.Secondly it is indicative of a moral condition, the nun lives in a simple andsatisfied mode of life, feels the humiliation suffered by the poor and is contentwith the bare minimum. Poverty, initially, has a facet of austerity, which is partand parcel of the spiritual strife that a nun embarks upon on her path to sanctity. Itis a willful divestiture and condescension of worldly affluence, not in contempt ofthe world but for a choice of what is far more superior, in other words, I mean theCreator of the World.We know that when one possesses something he nurtures a relation with hispossession, succumbs to it and gets attached to it. Every individual has an instinctfor possessing. This is the source of selfish behavior and develops the illusion thatmy existence, life and happiness depend upon my wealth. This is how without thinkingI turn to be its slave while it veils from me the face of God, the cause of myconsecration and my ultimate existence. It also veils from me the face of my fellowhuman, the poor, the suffering, the hungry and the homeless. It also veils the face ofmy monastic institution, its good name and its standing in society. God only knowsthe number of those who suffer, are hungry and homeless in our country.The Lord Jesus, admonishes us on this issue more than once: “You cannotserve God and wealth.” (Mt. 6:24). The ultimate poverty was realized by the LordJesus by his incarnation. He gave up his divine glory: “He emptied himself, Hehumbled himself” (Ph. 2:7). Therefore, as a condition for the success of our journeyin this world it is to remain poor: because the nun will be “available” or active inher parish and her school in as much as she is unattached to worldly matters. Realpoverty was that which the early Christian groups experienced as they shared theirwealth with all the faithful and lived as one family. The wealth of the nun dwells inher joining the convent, where all is shared with the others to include happiness anddifficulties.To maintain the spirit of poverty, a nun has to be wary of her natural tendencyto get attached to things available for her use or to positions held particularlyin the question of transfers from parish to parish or from school to school as thoughthe parish or school were registered to her name.Let us remember that because all is shared in a convent, here in our countryor in Europe, often the convent fares better materially than families.
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Juillet-Septembre 2012.indd - Patriarcat latin de JÃ©rusalem

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