Since a year I’ve been struggling
to rediscover the Identity and Mission of the Order of Virgins in the Catholic
Church. All over the world, in different countries and cultures, the vocation
to consecrated virginity [ Canon 604] is understood and lived in a variety of
ways. However, as I’ve written in a
previous post Here ----this Rite of Consecration is perhaps being misused for reasons which have
no strict relation to its distinct Charism.
It is true that Charisms are a
gift for the Christian community. But
what role does an ancient charism have in today’s world ? Did the Second
Vatican Council do the right thing by reviving
the rite ? Has the original charism associated with this vocation also
been revived according to the intention
of its founder who is Jesus Christ Himself ? Can OCV become outdated and irrelevant ? These
are some questions I’ve been asking
through the previous posts. [Readers
please note that the ideas expressed in
the posts are my own and based on prayer
and searching for the truth. We need to
reflect on them with discernment
and possibly with sharing of opinions, healthy debate if necessary.
This will help to refine the ideas and
conform them to God’s will in the ongoing
search].
Today I wish to share my
reflections on OCV from the perspective
of it being the Archetype of the Sacrament of Matrimony. In Early Christianity, there was no specific Rite of Sacramental marriage.
The local customs were followed. As mentioned in the writings of St
Paul , virginity for the sake of the
Kingdom had a strongly eschatological
dimension and considered a somewhat
better choice compared to marriage. The passage of time proved that the
Second Coming of Christ did not
happen as expected. The Church is aware
of the Presence of Christ in the community of the baptised [ the middle coming]. Yet the Final coming
of Christ is a mystery. We do not know the dates and time
set by the Father in Heaven. We pray for His Kingdom to come here on Earth through His Will being done. We are supposed
to be pilgrims on the road less
travelled.
Read : History of marriage
Why is it said that consecrated virgins are an eschatological image of the heavenly
bride and the life to come when the Church will at last be fully united with
Christ her bridegroom ? Doesn’t it
sound like mythologizing the
relationship of Christians with Christ ? What is the purpose of such Imagery? Sometimes I feel really disillusioned, especially in the context of the
sexual abuse of consecrated/ religious women by clergy in some parts of the world, the imagery of consecrated virgin as bride of Christ is often to be blamed. We need to read the
signs of the times, maybe be willing to
demythologize the charism of OCV while retaining its truth, while also avoiding the abuse of
the rite as a mere ceremony by women in
other vocations to consecrated living.
This painful search has often made me go back to the origin
of this charism - to
the wound on the Sacred Heart of its founder Jesus Christ on the Cross
where the Church was born as His
bride. It is an ancient tradition of belief. The Charism
of consecrated virginity from this perspective is the Identity and Charism of the Universal
Church herself. It may be linked with Tradition with the big ‘T’. It is not
Religious Life which is based on the traditions with a small ‘t’ of the various founders
with their unique charisms.
As St. Cyprian Bishop of Carthage
(Africa), martyr of the 2 nd century stated: "There is no pot of gold or
silver as precious as a virginal body. A bride of Christ, is that ancient
alliance, all gilded inside and out, in which rests the divine law. "
What is the relevance of the
saying of the Fathers of the Church
about the vocation – for today’s world ? I have struggled with this question.
Consecrated virginity embodies the essence of the whole Church . Yet it seems
to me that the ancient Rite of
Consecration of virgins is actually an
archetype of the Sacrament of Matrimony. The charisms of the two vocations overlap each other, enrich each other. This
can also be seen in the ‘Prayer of consecration’ in the Rite for virgins.
The Catechism of the catholic church
states :
1601 "The matrimonial
covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership
of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses
and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized
persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament." Read Catechism
Ideally it is consecrated
virginity that should enrich the vocation of sacramental marriage since the former is the marriage of Jesus Christ with His body
the Church. But due to lack of understanding of the vocation in today’s world, there is much that consecrated
virgins can learn from the theology of the sacrament of matrimony.
There
have been various forms / rites for the celebration of marriage in
the Church since 2000 yrs. According to
theology of marriage in the Latin Rite church, the spouses are the ministers
of the sacrament [ grace ] to each other. The proper intention / consent is very important for the validity of the
marriage. In the Eastern Rite churches, marriage is not valid without the nuptial blessing by a priest.
The Church has
no formal definition in this regard for the Rite of consecration to a
life of virginity which is actually a marriage with Christ. There are various theologies about this Rite. However Tradition has been
constant irrespective of the various cultures in which this Rite has been celebrated, regarding the importance of the Propositum
/ the ‘Prayer of Consecration’ / a special Blessing
at the end of the Eucharist.
According to the theology of the
Sacrament of marriage in the Latin rite
catholic Church, what is important is
the exchange of consent by the couple
since they are the ministers of the sacramental grace to each other. Defect in consent [ explicit or implicit ] can create doubts about the validity of the
marriage. However in the Rite of consecration of virgins, although it
is also a Rite of marriage between
Christ and the virgin, it is not a 'sacrament' of the love between Christ and the
Church, but it is a 'Fact.' The virgin cannot be a minister of sacramental grace to Christ. Hence although the Propositum or Renewal of Intention is important, it is not the central element
of the Rite. What is truly important is
the Prayer of Consecration by a Bishop
who is aware that this is the
central element of the rite and has the
intention to consecrate according to the mind of the Church.
In the vocation of marriage, the spouses co operate with God for the procreation of children. Similarly
in the consecration of a virgin, the
Bishop plays the role of God the
Father and blesses and consecrates the
union between Christ and the virgin who
symbolizes the Church, so that she can be fruitful in service of the Church community.
For any virgin preparing for Consecration it is important for her, the bishop and the community present –
to understand what is happening.
- Some understand the Rite as similar to the profession of Religious . They take private vows to embrace the evangelical counsels for some time before the public ceremony in which their private vows [ resolution / intention they have formed in their hearts ] are consecrated by the bishop through the ministry of the Church.
- Some understand the Rite according to the theology of the Annunciation. The words in the Prayer of Consecration – which is a constitutive sacramental - bring about an ontological change in the person of the virgin perhaps similar to transformation of bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
Whatever the approach to the
understanding of the Rite, to benefit
from its empowerment and grace, it is indeed important for
each one to be aware of their roles
and have the correct intentions
according to the mind of the Church, throughout the rite. Otherwise,
there can be doubts regarding the validity of the consecrations of many
CVs around the world since this
vocation is little understood almost
everywhere !
More reflections on this vocation as an archetype of the Sacrament of marriage - in some other posts.
