Hence I considered choosing the evangelical counsels, to which they had been so faithful, as indispensable, lest our words be no more than what I have often noticed about the words of those who proclaim the same truths, namely sounding brass and tinkling cymbals. My consistent thought has always been that our little family should consecrate itself to God and to the service of the Church through the vows of religion.
Rambert, I p. 187
To live in the state of union with Jesus, like his apostles, and to love like them it was necessary to commit themselves to the evangelical counsels, or Gospel models. Traditionally, for the active apostolic groups of religious life, these Gospel ideals were summed up as chastity, poverty and obedience. In other words, to follow Jesus in his way of living a non-exclusive love for all, a simple lifestyle detached from riches and a life lived in obedient openness to the will of God – all for the sake of love of God and neighbour.
A commitment to this way of living would ensure an authenticity in their lifestyle and in the quality and contents of their preaching. A public profession of the vows would ensure that their commitment would not be a mere passing fancy that would wear away with time, but a guiding ideal for life. In this way they would avoid the pitfalls that Paul warned of in I Corinthians 13:
If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
I Corinthians 13: 1-3
“A commitment to this way of living would ensure an authenticity in their lifestyle and in the quality and contents of their preaching. A public profession of the vows would ensure that their commitment would not be a mere passing fancy that would wear away with time, but a guiding ideal for life. ” I understand what Eugene is about here. And Frank’s reflection simply gives voice to what is within me.
“….to follow Jesus in his way of living a non-exclusive love for all, a simple lifestyle detached from riches and a life lived in obedient openness to the will of God – all for the sake of love of God and neighbour.” This is what it is all about, the other is about how I will do it. I wonder how many people want to do just this very thing but we tell them to wait, to think and pray about it. Perhaps we ask them to wait until it’s all thought out and processed and the perfect words are thought up. I am so grateful that God did not decide to wait before telling me how much he loves me. If I had to wait until I was good enough, smoothed out and pretty enough, until all around me agreed that yes I was living the right way and processing it all properly and that I was acceptable in what I wanted- well lets just say I would still be waiting. What is it that we might be so afraid of? Love is at the root of all of this – it started with God and will end (if that is even possible) only with God. We would do well to follow the example of Jesus. And even as I write this I need to ask myself, how have I done this in my life? Have I excluded someone because of some differences? And may God forgive me because I know that I have. What we do unto others……