I once heard that you don’t become a religious because you are holy, you become a religious to become holy. So I don’t think that God favors those He calls to religious life over those called to married or single life. All vocations are important to the Kingdom of God, and all vocations have the potential to help people grow in holiness.
The statement is true for everyone. This is what the Church calls “the universal call to holiness.” However, religious remain a select group, because God calls very few men and women to this way of life for ther reasons stated before.
There is a feeling among many lay Catholics that they are being cheated or dismissed because the Church has traditionally referred to religious life as the highest possible vocation and it still does refer to it that way. But this must be properly understood. To do so, one must understand the theology of religious life.
Between marriage, single life, priesthood and religious life, the religious life, all of the elements in religious life are found in the Kingdom of Heaven and all those holy elements of the religious life will not come to an end at the end of time, but will continue into eternity. That’s why the Church refers to it as the highest calling or vocation. The lowly sinful person is called to life in the Kingdom of Heaven, beginning on earth.
The married state comes to an end at the death of the partner. There is no priesthood in heaven, because there is no longer a need for anyone to offer the sacrifice, to bless or to absolve from sin. As to the single life, we know from scripture that in heaven men and women are not given in marriage. There is no single state, because there is no individual. In heaven we exist as one body attached to Christ.
Consecrated chastity begins on earth and continues in heaven. The religious does not depend on the relationship with a spouse and children as a means to serve and love God. He/she lives in direct communion with God without the mediating love of a spouse and children. Again, the religious begins to live on earth as we will all live in heaven, a life where God is the only lover and you are the beloved. It is the role of the religious to serve as a sign for the rest of the Church of this reality that is to come for everyone.
Through the vow of poverty the religious gives up the right to ownership not only of material things. The religious gives up ownership of his time, resources, skills and future. All of these are placed at God’s disposal to be used for the sanctification of the Church. Again, the religious is a sign that in the Kingdom we shall have no needs, because living in the presence of the Beatific Vision satisfies every possible need and desire of the soul.
Others cannot do this, because they have other obligations such as spouses, children, and older parents to care for. Married people, single people and secular priests have a moral obligation to care for their biological families. Religious have no biological family. Upon making perpetual vows, the ties between the religious and their biological family change. They are still loved very much and there is contact several times a year. But the religious now joins a new family, his brothers or sisters in community. These become his/her responsibility to care for in sickness and in old age. But he depends totally on God’s providence to provide, unlike the secular man or woman who has retained the rightful ownership to the resources that God has provided to care for his family. The religious does not have such ownership over any resources to care for his brothers and sisters in need. Again, the religious is a sign, like the lilies of the field to which Christ referred. He does not become anxious. He uses what he has to care for his brothers and the rest is up to God. God will provide either in this world or in the next.
Finally, we come to obedience. This is very unique to religious. Married, single and priests do not have this vow. The obedience practiced by married, single and priests has limits. It is an obedience to the will of God in all things. That is absolutely necessary if we are to achieve holiness. But God allows the married, single and priest to retain a degree of self-determination regarding his activities, his work, how he acts, who he befriends and chooses to relate to, where he lives, how he uses his time, when he goes out and comes home, etc. The religious has none of these freedoms. But he has a much greater freedom. By putting his or her life in the hands of the superior his only choice is to say “yes” when he is commanded or directed.
In this manner, the religious proclaims the life of the angels who know only one word in the presence of God, “Amen”. They have no free will. They gave it up. When we enter heaven, we will no longer have free will, but we will not need it. Therefore, it is liberating. The religious proclaims to the world that in heaven, we shall all be free of worries.
In closing, the religious life is an eschatological life. It gives man a glimpse of life in Heaven, while still on earth. When the Church talks about the height of the call to the consecrated life (religious life), this is the height to which she is referring. Those called are to live a way of life, on earth that anticipates life in heaven and proclaims to the world what it will be like. Just as we can see Christ in the Eucharist, we can see heaven in religious life, despite the weaknesses of the religious. It is the life that is eschatological. The religious remains human and sinful and has to work toward holiness.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
