Confessio Trinitatis

Welcome to part two of the Vita Consecrata Series! Thank you for joining us as we walk through Saint John Paul II’s reflection on what the consecrated life is and what role it plays in the Church and in the world.

In the first chapter of the exhortation, the late Holy Father reflects on “The Origins of the Consecrated Life in the Mystery of Christ and of the Trinity.” He first notes the unique and sacred connection that consecrated religious have with the Transfiguration:

All are equally called to follow Christ, to discover in him the ultimate meaning of their lives.... But those who are called to the consecrated life have a special experience of the light which shines forth from the Incarnate Word. For the profession of the evangelical counsels makes them a kind of sign and prophetic statement for the community of the brethren and for the world.

Just like the Apostles who were present on Mount Tabor, consecrated religious share in a “special grace of intimacy,” which makes possible the demands of total self-giving and shapes them as tangible signs of God’s divine love.

The source of this grace lies in the Holy Trinity. As St. John Paul II says, “they are in fact an expression of the love of the Son for the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit.” The chastity of consecrated religious reflects the infinite love between the three Divine Persons. Poverty according to the example of Christ is “an expression of that total gift of self which the three Divine Persons make to one another.” And obedience reflects the harmony between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

It is at the foot of the Cross that consecrated religious receive this Trinitarian love, and it is here that they gather their mission to live radically as eschatological signs. In hope, St. John Paul II says that, “this mission is to remind their other brothers and sisters to keep their eyes fixed on the peace which is to come, and to strive for the definitive happiness found in God.”

There are many different forms of consecrated life, but all share their origins in the mystery of the Trinity, and all are made to be beacons of hope in this world of unrest. Let us thank the Lord for the men and women who have given their lives to this mission, and let us pray that more young people are open to this call. 

Saint John Paul II, Pray for Us!