THEOLOGY OF THE CONSECRATED LIFE IN CONTEMPORARY TIME By

Sr. Mary John Mananzan, OSB

We live in troubled times. Economic, political, socio-cultural issues pose specific and urgent challenges to the Church and to us religious. The response of the Religious to these challenges must inecessarily spring from the mystic-prophetic essence of consecrated life. It is imperative that the Religious combines the two aspects not only theologically but in concrete praxis.

THE –MYSTIC-PROPHETIC DIMENSION OF THE RELIGIOUS LIFE. . 3.1.1.The Mystic is a Prophet in Contemplation

All Religious are all called to be mystics- There seems to be quite a lot of confused notions and outright misconceptions about the word “MYSTIC”. People tend to identify it with visions, stigmata or such extraordinary phenomenon.(maybe this could be termed Mystic with a capital M ). I will be talking about mystic with a small m.) Ronda la Rue defines a mystic as” one who, above all else in life desires to know (not in the intellectual sense of knowing) the deepest Truth of existence “Ursula describes the mystic further: “The story of the Christian mystics is one of an all-consuming, passionate love affair between human beings and God. It speaks of the yearning, a burning desire for the contemplation and presence of the divine..Mystics seek participation in divine life, communion and union with God.This yearning is candle by the fire of divine love itself, which moves the mystics in their search and leads him/her, often arduous journeys, to discover and proclaimed the all-encompassing love of God for humankind “ Some characteristics of the mystic or mystical experience are the following:  1.there is a spiritual journey that leads to a new consciousness—an awakening.

 2. one is alone in embarking on this journey and each one’s experience is unique

 3. one goes through a desert experience (dark night of the soul) that results in a shift of consciousness and overturning of one’s old life patterns

 4. one’s experience is beyond words .

 5.one is aware of an inner space in one’s being whwere one is present to the PRESENCE. This intimacy with God is above all a GIFT

 6. The mystic somehow inspires and transforms others by their lives.

The key elements that make up the atmosphere that enables the mystic to ponder things in her heart are: SILENCE, SOLITUDE, ASCETICISM

SILENCE: The first pre-requisite to a contemplative reflection is silence—not the negative silence of resentment, passive aggression or cowardice but the positive silence of mind, heart, emotions that prepares one heart to hear the voice of God in . This is so important in our world of noise and information overload. Perhaps our convents are oasis of silence but even in these places, even in the midst of physical silence, we can have raging storms in our thoughts and in our emotions. We can be replaying disturbing scenes where our ego was hurt, we can be preparing what we could have answered, what we would do to make revenge, etc. etc. So it must be a silence of one’s whole being.

SOLITUDE It is sometimes necessary to withdraw ourselves from human company to be attentive to what is going on in our own hearts. But we must make a difference between solitude and loneliness. Loneliness is something that happens to us—imposed externally, solitude is our choice. ”Loneliness is a negative state, marked by a sense of isolation. One feels that something is missing. It is possible to be with people and still feel lonely—perhaps the most bitter form of loneliness .Solitude is the state of being alone without being lonely. It is a positive and constructive state of engagement with oneself It is the ideal state of hearing what God is telling us through nature, and through the anguished cry of God’s people.

ASCETICISM

This term has somehow fallen into disrepute because it has been misunderstood as severe or even injurious practices done to the body to attain sanctity. But actually the word “asceticism” comes from the Greek askesis which means practice—bodily exercise usually attributed to athletic training in the Olympic games. The early Christians adopted it to signifiy the practice of the spiritual exercises to strengthen one’s spiritual muscles or to acquire habits of virtue.Genuine mysticism annot exist without some form of asceticism although ascetics need not be mystics. It is necessary for pondering things in one’s heart because the clamor of egoistic interests can easily drown the voice of God. So it is a form of mindfulness and focus.

GENUINE MYSTICISM LEADS TO PROPHECY

In contemplative prayer, according to Merton, we pass through the center of our own being into the very being of God where we see ourselves and our world with a clarity, a simplicity, a truthfulness that is not available in any other way. And it is this view of reality which urges the contemplative to respond concretely to anguished voices she has heard. For the religious, celibate solitude has as its primary purpose the fostering of such contemplation within which the religious participates in the divine perspective from which prophecy arises. Although all religious are called to be prophets the MISSIONARY RELIGIOUS is specially called to prophetic actions.

3.1.2. The Prophet is a Mystic in Actiohn

Like the word “mystic” , the word “prophet” is also largely misunderstood. It does not mean being able to tell the future.It does not mean going about proclaiming the end of the world, etc. According to Fr. Lombardi,: “What is a prophet? What is a prophetic act? Simply put: Stand up, speak out. Use words if necessary. Let Jesus use you to be His instrument to challenge dominant forces .” That's what the prophets of the Bible did-they stood up, spoke out. According to Rev. Slyde Moran, the biblical prophets had three kinds of messages: • Edification: (building up of the people by way instruction in righteousness) • Exhortation: (Warnings and Admonishment to Obey the Lord) • Comfort: (Encouragement to be strong and courageous and to Trust in the Lord) Much of the criticism of the prophets was leveled at the powerful, most often also the religious leaders, who used their power and influence for selfish or sinful purposes a) for their failure to be spiritual leaders). The prophets were a balance to the unrestrained power of the monarchy and the aristocracy.But they also spoke for the weak, the oppressed, the disenfranchised, those who had little voice in shaping their own lives or their own future. The characteristics of prophets are the following:  They have a vision or a sense of calling(they announce the good news)

 They speak out against injustice, bigotry, false religiosity. They disturb the status quo- (they denounce the bad news)

 They act in spite of fear

 They are not “team players” but are usually a voice crying in the wilderness.

 They speak out of love not out of arrogance

 They are usually beheaded physically or symbolically

Now that we have clarified the terms “mystics” and “prophets”, I can go on to say that in my opinion this is the response of the Religious to the challenges that he or she faces .

Religious life is an essentially prophetic movement in the Church. Throughout Church history whenever there was something wrong with the Church, a new religious group would rise up. An example is the foundation of our Benedictine order. The luxury and the degradation of life in the Roman church urged our founder, St. Benedict to drop out from school and society and go to the hills of Subiaco where he founded the Benedictine order that would Christianize the whole of Europe. But congregations of religious women are doubly prophetic because women religious live a life that is a deviation from the usual life of women who are socialized primarily to be wives and mothers. They thus gained the opportunity to be educated. It is no wonder that even in a patriarchal church, religious women like St. Teresa of Avila, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Hildegard of Bingen, Abbess Hilda of Whitby contributed not only to the Church but greatly influenced the society of their times.

This is the heritage of religious women—to exercise their prophetic role in the context of the present time. Pope Francis reminded them of this . During the private audience of the 800 Superiors General after their Triennial Assembly in Rome called by the UISG in May, 2013, Pope Francis admonished them:

• “Chastity for the Kingdom of Heaven shows how affection has its place in mature freedom and becomes a sign of the future world, to make God’s primacy shine forever. But, please, [make it] a ‘fertile’ chastity, which generates spiritual children in the Church. The consecrated are mothers: they must be mothers and not ‘old maids’! • “Forgive me if I talk like this, but this maternity of consecrated life, this fruitfulness, is important! • “May this joy of spiritual fruitfulness animate your existence.

This call to fruitfulness by the Pope is a challenge to religious women to exercise their prophetic role in today’s world. Again taking the cue from the Pope’s concern for specific problems of people , I will discuss here the different areas in today’s world that call for a prophetic response.I would like to focus on four issues: economic injustice, ecological crisis, the woman question, and the quest for a just peace.

1. Economic Injustice

The Pope himself has pointed out the evil of the prevailing economic injustice in the world Religious women must see the link between the struggles of peoples of the Third World with the lifestyle of the affluent. The negative effects of globalization are felt by all not only among the poor in underdeveloped country but in developed countries as well especially— among the people in the inner city, among migrants, among the blacks, among the unemployed, the aged.. There is need of knowing the workings of Transnational Corporations, the policies of the IMF, WB, the GATT, the WTO, and other international bodies. Religious communities have investments. They must know where their money is being used. Religious must be concerned about the corollary effects of economic injustice like the plight of migrant workers, refugees, homeless people , trafficked women and children, etc.

2. The Ecological Crisis

One crucial problem of the world today is the ecological crisis. Overproduction has not only depleted our unrenewable natural resources but it has caused pollution that has taken away people’s livelihood and have caused a lot of infections and diseases.

Logging and mining have caused denudation of forests which not only depleted wood supply, but also have caused erosion which have resulted in flash floods that kill thousands of people in a matter of minutes. The destruction of coral reefs and mangroves and destructive fishing methods like dynamite and cyanide fishing as well as the use of giant fishing trawlers have seriously affected the life-resources that seas once offered to people.

Use of ecologically unfriendly energy fuel like coal and nuclear energy has not only caused pollution but has caused destruction of life and property like in the Chernobyl, Three Mile Islands and the Fukushima incidents.

The global warming that has been the diasastrous effects ecology-unfriendly projects and activities has caused natural diasasters of hitherto unknown proportions: tsunamis, tornadoes, floods, supertyphoons, sinkholes in ever increasing frequency.

If human beings can no longer turn the tide of ecological deterioration we will become extinct as a species.

Do religious women, seriously take the challenge of the ecological crisis? What do they do to conscienticize the students and the people they work with regarding these matters? How do they reconcile their vow of poverty with consumeristic tendencies that have not spared convents ? What concrete projects have they done to return to the earth what have taken from it? What kind of spirituality have they developed to re- establish the human being’s relationship with nature?

3 Women’s Issues

Women religious should be especially touched by the woman question I would like to classify the current issues of women into 3: 1) inequality and discrimination, 2) violence against women, 3) trafficking of women into prostitution, mail order bride trade, and overseas women contract work.

Although the equality of men and women before the law is provided in some constitutions there is no country to my knowledge where there is actual equality of women and men in practice. This may vary in degree from country to country but it is safe to say that in the home, society and the church, women are still second class citizens. The incontestable proof that there is as yet no real equality among men and women anywhere is the prevalence of violence against women. Studies have shown that about 90 percent of violence against women and children happen in their homes. Incest, which has been a taboo topic for ages is now coming out and it points to fathers, brothers, brothers-in- law, cousins, uncles, and even grandfathers as perpetrators. Marital rape was not recognized as such until recently when laws were promulgated penalizing it. Many women are subjected to verbal and psychological and physical abuse by their husbands ranging from insulting words to actual assault and murder . The daily newspapers report cases of rape-murder, and many and varied forms of violence against women and children. In Third World countries, to escape the perennial economic crises, women and children are prostituted. There is no tourism program in Third World countries that does not include prostitution even if those countries consider prostitution illegal. Foreign military bases stationed in a country will occasion the development of prostitution cities around them. There is the phenomenon of so-called mail-order brides, surrogate mothers, victims of the human transplant business. The result is the spread of venereal diseases, AIDS, corruption of children, hole in the wall abortions causing death, unwed pregnancies, fatherless children, etc. etc. and the overall degradation of women. Have religious women ever examined how they might have a role in the perpetuation of the woman question by our system of education and especially by religious education that can justify and perpetuate the discrimination and subordination of women and the entrenching of her stereotyped roles?

I am convinced that women religious should be at the forefront of the women’s movement because they are the group of women who have shown that they can live significant lives without a husband. It is not necessary for them to experience rape or wife-beating to be able to empathize with victims of sexual violence.

How much of convent resources are used to conscienticize women about their situation and to give service to victims of violence?

4.Quest for a Justpeace

The September 11 event and the subsequent US War on terrorism made me feel that there should be a renewed effort for a just peace in our times. This culture of violence and death manifests itself in various forms of violence: economic, racial, political, military, ecological and domestic. That is why the United Nations has declareda decade for the development of a culture of peace and the World Council of churches has likewise launched decade for overcoming violence. By peace, we don’t mean just an absence of war or conflict; we don’t mean an unprincipled peace or peace at all cost. It is the peace of Christ that the world cannot give and is based on truth. Justice, and interconnected well-being both on the personal and societal level. On the personal level, this calls for a personal conversion, reconciliation with one’s fellow human beings, with the planet, and with God. It is an effort to be men and women of peace, to create an oasis of peace wherever one is and to contribute to the development of a culture of peace in the greater society. This latter includes working for economic, justice, empowerment of women, sustainable development, preservation of the environment, political participation of peoples in governance, constructive conflict resolution and interfaith and intercultural dialogues.

V.2015-THE YEAR OF CONSECRATED LIFE

Pope Francis has designated 2015 as the Year of the Consecrated Life. I find it necessary to add to our discussion his expectations of the religious in these times wherever we are in the world.

He delineates 5 expectations:

1. RELIGIOUS SHOULD BE PEOPLE OF JOY

That the old saying will always be true: “Where there are religious, there is joy”. We are called to know and show that God is able to fill our hearts to the brim with happiness; that we need not seek our happiness elsewhere; that the authentic fraternity found in our communities increases our joy; and that our total self-giving in service to the Church, to families and young people, to the elderly and the poor, brings us life-long personal fulfilment.

2. RELIGIOUS SHOULD BE PROPHETS I am counting on you “to wake up the world”, since the distinctive sign of consecrated life is prophecy. As I told the Superiors General: “Radical evangelical living is not only for religious: it is demanded of everyone. But religious follow the Lord in a special way, in a prophetic way.” This is the priority that is needed right now: “to be prophets who witness to how Jesus lived on this earth… a religious must never abandon prophecy” (29 November 2013).

3.RELIGIOUS SHOULD BE “EXPERTS IN COMMUNION”

Men and women religious, like all other consecrated persons, have been called, as I mentioned, “experts in communion”. So I am hoping that the “spirituality of communion”, so emphasized by Saint John Paul II, will become a reality and that you will be in the forefront of responding to “the great challenge facing us” in this new millennium: “to make the Church the home and the school of communion.”[5] I am sure that in this Year you will make every effort to make the ideal of fraternity pursued by your founders and foundresses expand everywhere, like concentric circles.

4.RELIGIOUS SHOULD BE OUTWARD LOOKING AND NOT FOCUSED ON THEMSELVES.

I also expect from you what I have asked all the members of the Church: to come out of yourselves and go forth to the existential peripheries. “Go into all the world”; these were the last words which Jesus spoke to his followers and which he continues to address to us (cf. Mk 16:15). A whole world awaits us: men and women who have lost all hope, families in difficulty, abandoned children, young people without a future, the elderly, sick and abandoned, those who are rich in the world’s goods but impoverished within, men and women looking for a purpose in life, thirsting for the divine…

5.RELIGIOUS MUST ACT ACCORDING TO THE NEEDS OF THE TIMES

. I expect that each form of consecrated life will question what it is that God and people today are asking of them….During this Year no one can feel excused from seriously examining his or her presence in the Church’s life and from responding to the new demands constantly being made on us, to the cry of the poor.

Only by such concern for the needs of the world, and by docility to the promptings of the Spirit, will this Year of Consecrated Life become an authentic kairos, a time rich in God’s grace, a time of transformatioN.

CONCLUSION . With the inspiring example of Pope Francis and his challenge to religious to live a “fruitful celibacy”,there is an urgent call to Religious to regain their first fervor and joyfully embark in spreading a Gospel of Joy and to”heal wounds and warm the hearts of people.” They need to truly live their vow of poverty and share their resources with the poorest of the poor. And amid discouragement and disappointments in their apostolates they are bouyed up hope that springs from God’s unfailing fid