Real-Life Scenarios experienced by Consecrated virgins

Scenario 1:

The local church has  a practice of renewal of vows / commitment  by the extra-ordinary ministers of the Eucharist at a special Mass every year. During one such Mass, the lay ministers are asked to occupy reserved seats in the parish church to increase visibility. There are two religious institutes in the parish ... so the religious Sisters are also asked to  occupy reserved seats for the same reason [although they would not renew any commitment since EM is supposed to be part of their calling ]. The entire parish congregation prays for them.

Question:

Where do you think  a CV should sit .....among the parish congregation, or the lay ministers or among the religious sisters ?

[ This is a real life situation ]

I guess such a situation as described above -is uncommon in the West due to declining numbers of religious. The local circumstances differ from one diocese to another and that's the reason the Church has clearly defined the essentials of the charism and allowed pastoral flexibility regarding externals according to local circumstances.

This is how I would like to respond to Scenario 1

1. Supposing that the CV was consecrated by the bishop in the same parish church a few months ago, the parishioners are aware from the Rite of consecration that she is now living some kind of  new vocation ....that she is a bride of Christ and dedicated to the service of the Church. The Rite clearly mentioned that. The Rite was the ONLY SOURCE for the lay people to get any idea what CV is about.

2. Since CV is a rare vocation, the Church uses the older terminology to define categories -----clergy, religious, laity.

According to Early Church history, CV were a Socio-liturgical category in the Church. They had reserved seats in the church to avoid distraction and help to focus on prayer.  If the consecration of virgins had not been restricted to nuns in monasteries, over the centuries, the tradition would definitely have continued in parishes today, with religious sisters also accompanying consecrated virgins.  So it is clear that the CV should not sit among the parish congregation in this particular Scenario.

3. Since she is a CV and dedicated to serve the Church with motherly love, she is also an EM. She does not have to annually renew any commitment to serve ...like the Lay ministers have to do. Also, she is no more a Lay person. So it is clear that she should not sit among the Lay Ministers in this particular Scenario.

The CV has only two options --either to be absent from the ceremony ----or occupy the pews reserved for religious (all consecrated women are called 'religious' in several countries) who will not renew any commitment ...but will still be prayed over by the parishioners.

Questions to consider:

1. What would best express the identity and vocation of the CV ?

2. What will avoid causing misunderstanding about the Nature [ essence ] of the vocation of CV?

I think if she occupies the pews reserved for religious (consecrated persons according to the mind of the Church, she is giving public witness to her consecrated status and dedication to the service of the Church. If she does not sit among them, she will cause confusion and misunderstanding about the Nature [ essence ] of the vocation of CV to be virgin, bride, and mother.

What does Church tradition say about the witness of CV in the world ?

a. there were CV in early Church whose consecrated status was known only to the Christian community, but they observed discretion among the pagans.

b. there were CV who gave clearly visible public witness to their vocation in the early Church, even embracing martyrdom for doing so among the pagans.

To me it seems the CV in today's world is allowed to live her vocation in discretion in the secular world. But in the church community her vocation needs to be clearly, visibly public. This does not mean that every CV should wear a habit or identifying clothing, or use a title Sister. How she will give public witness, will depend on local circumstances and decided in consultation with the Diocesan bishop.

A CV in today's world is called to publicly give witness to her identity and vocation as virgin, bride, mother. However, she is NOT called to publicly give stress on  her  living or working in the world, to transform the world as a member of a Secular Institute  is called to do.

Her vocation as virgin, bride, and mother is explicit .... she is called to give public witness to this identity.  To do so is the very essence of her vocation and charism.

Her 'living in the world' is in the sense that she does not live in a monastery or convent.....she is not called to explicitly stress or focus her attention on the world in which she lives... in the sense of focusing on transforming the political economic, temporal aspects. It is not a 'necessary' aspect of her vocation.....but as a citizen with civil rights and duties she has to respond to her existential situation in the world as an evangeliser. There cannot be universal rules imposed on CV to be obligated to do so like a member of a Secular Institute would be obligated to do so.

In the Scenario described above, the CV can give publicly visible witness to her vocation simply by occupying the pews reserved for religious (consecrated persons in the mind of the Church).

She also gives public witness to the fact that she is a consecrated person but not a religious, by sitting among them but NOT wearing a habit.

Should Ex-Religious receive the Consecration of Virgins

While both OCV [ Ordo Consecrationis Virginis ] and OPR [Ordo Professionis Religiosae ] have a profession and a prayer of blessing or consecration,

[1] In the OCV what is specific is the charismatic dimension  in the Prayer of Consecration [ ancient Church theology gives greater weight to the element of Consecration rather than the element of Blessing in the solemn prayer said by the bishop ].

She is consecrated mainly by the Church .

[2] In the OPR what is specific is the ascetic dimension in the Profession of vows [ the post Vatican II rite gives greater weight to the element of Blessing rather than on the element of Consecration in the prayer that can be said by a simple priest ].

The consecration happens mainly when he / she professes vows according to the constitution of the Institute.

Some theologians argue that in both OCV and OPR the consecration happens due to the Prayer of consecration/ blessing. [ref. Stillsong hermitage blogsite]

Argument : If this is true, then ex-religious do not need to receive the consecration of virgins because the grace of consecration they had 'supposedly received' during the ceremony of their religious profession [ Post Vatican II rite] would remain in spite of the dispensation from their vows.

So for an Ex-religious who already has the grace she needs to continue living  the evangelical counsels of religious life as an individual, it would be sufficient to renew her vows privately. Or maybe the Church can allow the public profession of vows for Ex-religious by creating another Rite without the Prayer of Blessing or Consecration.

The Holy Spirit in the Consecration of Virgins

In the Catholic Church there are two kinds of blessings for consecrated life: Constitutive and Invocative .     [Read  This  and  This]

1] In the Consecration of  virgins- according to the intention of the Church, once the virgin has made her propositum or resolution, it is by the very words of the Prayer of consecration prayed by the bishop, that the virgin’s body is constituted as sacred [for God] and set apart for the Service of the Church. 

This is according to the theology of liturgy in the early Church.

2] Religious men and women are consecrated by the act of ‘professing’ vows at the hands of the legitimate religious superior with all other canonical requirements like formation, etc., being in place. The prayer of blessing or consecration in a religious profession which can be prayed by a priest- is intended by the Church to be an  Invocative blessing. 

This is according to the theology of St Thomas Aquinas around the 13th century.

The Epiklesis of the prayer  in the rite of Profession of religious mentions:

Send the fire of your Holy Spirit into the heart of this, your daughter, to keep alive within her the holy desire He has given her……………….

 The Epiklesis of the prayer  in the rite of Consecration of virgins  mentions  the Gift of the Holy Spirit [as in the sacrament of Confirmation ]

 Through the gift of your Spirit, Lord,

  give them modesty with right judgment,

 kindness with true wisdom,

  gentleness with strength of character,  

freedom with the grace of chastity.

 Give them the warmth of love,

 to love you above all others.

  Make their lives deserve our praise,

 without seeking to be praised.

 May they give you glory  by holiness of action and purity of heart.

  May they love you and fear you;

 may they love you and serve you.  

I  liked the explanation given  in this link regarding the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit :

 St. Thomas Aquinas says that four of these gifts (wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and counsel) direct the intellect, while the other three gifts (fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord) direct the will toward God.

In some respects, the gifts are similar to the virtues, but a key distinction is that the virtues operate under the impetus of human reason (prompted by grace), whereas the gifts operate under the impetus of the Holy Spirit; the former can be used when one wishes, but the latter operate only when the Holy Spirit wishes. In the case of Fortitude, the gift has, in Latin and English, the same name as a virtue, which it is related to but from which it must be distinguished.

In Summa Theologica II.II, Thomas Aquinas asserts the following correspondences between the seven Capital Virtues and the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit:[11]

        The gift of wisdom corresponds to the virtue of charity.

        The gifts of understanding and knowledge correspond to the virtue of faith.

        The gift of counsel (right judgment) corresponds to the virtue of prudence.

        The gift of fortitude corresponds to the virtue of courage.

        The gift of fear of the Lord corresponds to the virtue of hope.

        The gift of Reverence corresponds to the virtue of justice.

To the virtue of temperance, no Gift is directly assigned; but the gift of fear can be taken as such, since fear drives somebody to restrict himself from forbidden pleasures.

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According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church :

III. THE EFFECTS OF CONFIRMATION
 
1302 It is evident from its celebration that the effect of the sacrament of Confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost.
1303 From this fact, Confirmation brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace:

- it roots us more deeply in the divine filiation which makes us cry, "Abba! Father!";¹¹⁷ [According to Canon law 604 --this is parallel to the consecration of the virgin to God ]
- it unites us more firmly to Christ; [ this is parallel to the mystical espousal of the virgin to Jesus Christ ].
- it increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us; [this is parallel to the dedication of the virgin to the service of the Church ].
- it renders our bond with the Church more perfect;¹¹⁸
- it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross:¹¹⁹
 

Recall then that you have received the spiritual seal, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of holy fear in God's presence. Guard what you have received. God the Father has marked you with his sign; Christ the Lord has confirmed you and has placed his pledge, the Spirit, in your hearts.¹²⁰

 

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The parallels between the Sacraments of initiation, especially the Sacrament of Confirmation and the Consecration of virgins which is a Constitutive Sacramental, indicate that the vocation is  rooted in the sacraments of Initiation and deepens Sacramental grace. Thus the consecrated virgin becomes an eschatological  image of the Church’s Love for Christ, inspiring and animating the vocation to holiness, of every baptized person in the Church.

Meaning of the Virgin Church's First experience of her Spouse

I have noted discussions on my reflections from this post  Here  by another blogger on her own blog [which to me seem out of context ] and wish to elaborate on what I've written regarding the Virgin Church's first experience of her Spouse.

The consecrated virgin is called to be a sign of the CHURCH’s virginity  which  keeps the FAITH whole and entire [Ref : Homily in the Rite ].  This vocation  has its origin in the early Christian community when the Church was young. Her faith was a totally new experience of the Paschal mystery and love of Jesus Christ, her treasure.

This  ancient vocation  is called to be  a reminder even today of the Church’s  new and first experience of the Risen Lord – Jesus Christ who loved the  Church and gave Himself for her salvation on the Cross.

SO WHEN I TAKE THE ANALOGY OF A VIRGIN BEING ABLE TO TREASURE HER FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH HER SPOUSE IN A UNIQUE WAY, it implies the following :

1] The ancient ceremony of the consecration of virgins is the theological locus of  the sacrament of marriage which developed several centuries later  [ Read This  ]

2] According to the rite, the virgin is espoused to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Church teaches that our Lord is truly Human and Divine. The consecration of virgins is also analogous to the Annunciation and Incarnation experienced by the Virgin Mary when the Divine Word was united with her human flesh. An ontological change is said to take place according to some theologians.

3] This can also be understood from a Eucharistic perspective. St Augustine said," Behold who you are, become what you receive ! "

See the previous post   Here

Ephesians 5

31 Scripture says: Because of this a man shall leave his father and mother to be united with his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.

32 This is a very great mystery, and I refer to Christ and the Church.

4] The Church as Bride of Christ was born when Jesus' heart was pierced and blood and water flowed signifying the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist. 

For every Christian, the first experience of being an adopted son / daughter of God the Father and Jesus Christ as ‘Spouse’ occurs through Baptism when  immersed in the Paschal mystery and this is said to be consummated at the reception of Eucharist. Adult converts receive Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil [ RCIA], while cradle catholics receive Confirmation and Eucharist at later age.

In the ceremony of the consecration of virgins, the virgin BECOMES an image of the CHURCH as virgin, bride, and mother. Then onward the experience of the Paschal mystery that is the treasure of the virginal Faith of the entire Church, becomes her own treasure. It is an EASTER Church that shares the faith [kerygmatic experience ].

Over the centuries this virginal faith of the Church has experienced many attacks with her own members watering down the Paschal mystery  through moral relativism, religious relativism, or seeing Jesus merely as a Guru or Self-enlightened one, etc.

He  is THE Chris. He died to save the world, to reconcile all humanity with God the Father.

Christians who give in to moral and religious relativism or dilute the faith  living it in a lukewarm manner, do not give witness as those who treasure the Church's first experience of Christ as Spouse on the Cross. They give in to a form of  Idolatry or adultery.

CONSECRATED VIRGINITY IS CALLED TO BE A SIGN OF THE  VIRGINITY OF FAITH THAT TREASURES THE PASCHAL MYSTERY WHICH IS THE FIRST EXPERIENCE OF THE CHURCH WITH  HER SPOUSE JESUS  THE CHRIST !

5 ] The virginity of  Mary, Mother and first disciple of Jesus Christ, became ‘Christian’ virginity only at the Cross. The Incarnation got its fullest meaning only with the Paschal Mystery. 

Similarly, after the consecration as bride of our Lord Jesus Christ,  that happens during the rite of consecration to a life of virginity, the virgin’s first experience of Jesus as Spouse which happened when she received the Sacraments of Initiation, acquires the fullest meaning. The grace of  Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist are deepened.

She is called to SHARE HER TREASURE, to remind  all  the baptized of their spousal relationship with Jesus Christ, of the virginity of Faith, and to   be a mother through evangelisation and the spiritual growth of the Church.

THE PURPOSE OF CONSECRATED VIRGINITY IN THE CHURCH IS TO BE AN EFFECTIVE SIGN THAT ANIMATES AND INSPIRES CHRISTIANS TO TREASURE  BAPTISM, CONFIRMATION, AND EUCHARIST in their own lives, and to treasure the vocation and call to holiness, of every member of the Church.