Christ, King and Spouse

As we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King (OF) immediately following the Perpetual Profession of Vows of our two Sisters, we reflect gratefully on His Kingship in our lives as His spouses.

Christ is the only reason for the existence of the Religious Life. He lived it first, and first shared it with those He loved dearest, His Apostles. After the Ascension, Our Dear Lord desired to to live continuously the Religious Life of His Incarnation, and thus He issues this special call to chosen souls, asking to be permitted to live His life of poverty, chastity, and obedience in, with, and through them, identifying them with Himself and making them divinely fruitful

The Church defines this life as "the life consecrated through the profession of the evangelical counsels" by public vow (cf CIC 573.1). The profession of public vows fundamental to Religious Life is undertaken in order to attain the end of this life: identification with Christ. The vows are an irreplaceable testament to the sufficiency and desirability of Christ. He, perfectly changeless and all-loving, does not need the vows; we do. They impart stability and incorporate us into a supernatural way of life far beyond our own efforts or imagining. Alice Von Hildebrand writes in The Privilege of Being a Woman, "[I]t is a sign of man's greatness how freely he can deny himself the freedom to change his mind: this is the very essence of vows. 

Each of the vows lived authentically has the ability to heal an area of our person wounded by the fall: "the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life" (1 Jn. 2:16).

Poverty taken by vow re-orders how we regard this world's goods. It enables the soul to weigh their pull as naught in light of the total desirability of Him Who Is. By the vow of Holy Poverty, the soul declares to God that He is indeed immeasurably sufficient; seeing Him, the soul desires nothing else. Poverty, in other words, is the freedom to cling to God with an uncluttered and joyful heart.

The vow of Chastity renders the persistent inclinations of the flesh powerless, not because it removes them, but because it gives the strength of a higher Love. The bride is given possession of the Heart of her Spouse; when she loves with the flaming love of His undivided Heart, she is radically free to love Him as He deserves and all else in Him.

"Christ is my Spouse. He chose me first and His I will be. He made my soul beautiful with the jewels of grace and virtue. ~ St. Agnes

Obedience taken by vow is the soul proclaiming a manifesto of freedom. Freedom is the essential basis of all the vows; without it, a vow simply cannot be. In making the vow of Obedience, the Sister chooses not to change her mind concerning her giving Christ Kingship over her entire being and life, all that she has and is, all that she could be and could do. This decision not to retreat into the citadel of self-will is a decision that has to be repeatedly ratified. The result of daily exercising this freedom is unity with Christ's salvific will and the great happiness of always pleasing His Heart.

Though the Sisters' Perpetual Profession of Vows must have given great joy to the Heart of our King and Spouse and the rejoicing in Heaven was unmarred, our joy was tinged with a note of sorrow in that it was of necessity a private ceremony. The merits of the Sisters' gift of self will bear fruit for the whole Church. Please join us in praying for them!