Religious life: a radical gift of oneself to God

One of the greatest gifts I have been given by God is my vocation as a woman religious. I came across the following statement this morning that, in part, answers the question: "What does consecrated life signify and contribute to the People of God?" Sister Doris Gottemoeller, RSM, says it so brilliantly: "...that God is worthy of the total gift of oneself" (Horizon, Vol. 36, No. 3, Summer 2011, p. 12). She goes on to quote Pope Paul IV's Evangelica Testificatio (June 29, 1971) where he says that religious life "presents the church 'with [a] privileged witness of a constant seeking for God, of an undivided love for Christ alone, and of an absolute dedication to the growth of His kingdom. Without this sign there would be a danger that the charity which animates the entire church would grow cold, that the salvific paradox of the Gospel would be blunted, and that the 'salt' of faith would lose its savor in a world undergoing secularization'" (#3).

How true for me. I live in a community of like-minded individuals as intent on seeking God above all, especially in our personal poverty as sinners in constant need of conversion and reconciliation with our true selves and with others on this faith journey.God's love for me, and for all of you reading this, is so compelling that my heart burns within me to spread the Good News and build up the Kingdom of love among us. My heart aches when I listen to the daily news and witness the impact of secularism, materialism, and consumerism that dominates our modernistic world. The aggressive pursuit of millions at the expense of the poor of this world is so contrary to the Gospel that striving to live as Jesus lived is a blessing for me beyond words. I hope this is true for you as well!