Unbounded Generosity

Welcome to the fifth and final part of the Vita Consecrata Series! Thank you for joining us as we finish walking 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 his conclusion for the exhortation, the late Holy Father responds to those who do not understand what the point of consecrated life is in today’s world. He relates their questioning to the Gospel story of the anointing at Bethany:

The precious ointment poured out as a pure act of love, and thus transcending all “utilitarian” considerations, is a sign of unbounded generosity, as expressed in a life spent in loving and serving the Lord, in order to devote oneself to his person and his Mystical Body. From such a life “poured out” without reserve there spreads a fragrance which fills the whole house. The house of God, the Church, today no less than in the past, is adorned and enriched by the presence of the consecrated life. What in people's eyes can seem a waste is, for the individuals captivated in the depths of their heart by the beauty and goodness of the Lord, an obvious response of love, a joyful expression of gratitude for having been admitted in a unique way to the knowledge of the Son and to a sharing in his divine mission in the world.

Consecrated religious reveal “the fatherly face of God and the motherly face of the Church” in the world. They are a gift, one that should be respected, supported through prayer, and encouraged as young people discern their own vocations. Our world needs these “joyful witnesses and prophets of the beneficent power of God’s love,” St. John Paul II writes, and it needs men and women who “are able to sow seeds of peace and fraternity.” 

With prayers to the Holy Trinity and to our Blessed Mother, the late Holy Father ends his exhortation by encouraging consecrated religious to become more like Christ, to whom they belong. As we conclude this series, let us pray for this in the life of those who have given themselves completely to Him. 

Saint John Paul II, in this Year of Consecrated Life, Pray for Us!

Planting the Seed

Earlier this month, one of Blessed John Paul II’s closest collaborators shared a little known story about the late Holy Father. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation of Bishops and former Vatican Secretary of State, shared a story about the first time John Paul II had ever considered the priesthood.

In 1939, Karol Wojtyła was forced to quit college and work in a quarry. Cardinal Re recounted:

There he worked with a miner who set explosives in the mines, and one day the miner told him, ‘I think you would make a great priest.’

…John Paul II told us that until that moment he had never thought of being a priest. He said, that man who I worked with already saw me as a priest…

Leaving his studies for a job in the mines was most likely a source of great sadness for Blessed John Paul II. But this story shows us how Divine Providence works, turning something quite sad into something beautiful for young Karol Wojtyła and eventually, for the whole world.

It also reveals the power our words can have, especially with young men and women who are still searching for their Vocations.