Servitium Caritatis

Welcome to part four 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.

After exploring the nature of consecrated life in previous chapters, the late Holy Father spends the third chapter of the exhortation reflecting on how consecrated religious serve as a “Manifestation of God’s Love in the World.” He writes:

In the image of Jesus, the beloved Son “whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world” (Jn 10:36), those whom God calls to follow him are also consecrated and sent into the world to imitate his example and to continue his mission. Fundamentally, this is true of every disciple. In a special way, however, it is true of those who, in the manner that characterizes the consecrated life, are called to follow Christ “more closely,” and to make him the “all” of their lives.

Consecrated persons are on mission “by virtue of their very consecration,” John Paul II writes, and they have the “prophetic task of recalling and serving the divine plan for humanity.” This is made possible through an intimate relationship with God, a solid experience with dialogue in fraternal life, and a deep understanding of the challenges of their time. In other words, there must be a close union between contemplation and action in their lives. 

Sacred Heart Of Jesus, Have Mercy On Us

Today is the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Saint John Paul II was particularly fascinated by the Mystery of the Divine Heart—the gentle and lowly heart of Jesus which poured forth blood and water as a fountain of mercy for us. 

One way to meditate upon the “riches of the Heart of Christ,” is by praying the beautiful litany to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Pray it here today. And perhaps make this prayer a part of your daily devotion, especially during the month of June, which is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

                                                 Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. 

God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father, have mercy on us. 
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mother's womb, have mercy on us.

Join Us For Domestic Church Day

The future of the world and of the Church passes through the family.   

-St. John Paul II

In preparation for the World Meeting of Families, which will take place in Philadelphia this coming September 22 to 25, the Saint John Paul II National Shrine invites families to a Domestic Church Day on Saturday, June 27, 2015. This will be a day of pilgrimage for families in order to strengthen their marriages and grow the bond of their love. It will include a barbecue picnic and lawn games on the beautiful shrine grounds. Priests will be available to hear confessions, and the shrine will hold a unique ceremony during which couples can touch their wedding rings to a first class relic of St. John Paul II. The day will conclude with a vigil Mass in the shrine’s chapel. See our website for more details.

Saint John Paul II, Pray for Us! 

Signum Fraternitatis

Welcome to part three 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.

As we saw in our last post, John Paul II spends much of the first chapter describing the connection between the consecrated life and the life of the Trinity. In the second chapter of the exhortation, he notes how the consecrated life can “be credited with having effectively helped to keep alive in the Church the obligation of fraternity as a form of witness to the Trinity.”

Not only do religious communities witness to the Trinity through their communion with the Church, but they also provide this witness in the different cultures that they find themselves in:

Placed as they are within the world's different societies — societies frequently marked by conflicting passions and interests, seeking unity but uncertain about the ways to attain it — communities of consecrated life, where persons of different ages, languages and cultures meet as brothers and sisters, are signs that dialogue is always possible and that communion can bring differences into harmony.

The Good News inspires “a self-giving love towards everyone,” and that is what consecrated religious witness to when they live in solidarity with others in their own communities. This is true of consecrated life in all of its different forms, and as St. John Paul II writes, it should remain true despite any difficulties that communities face.

The Church Draws Her Life From The Eucharist

"As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (I Cor 11: 26).

With these words St. Paul reminds the Christians of Corinth that the "Lord's Supper" is not only a convivial meeting but also, and above all, the memorial of the redeeming sacrifice of Christ. Those who take part in it, the Apostle explains, are united with the mystery of the death of the Lord, and indeed, "proclaim" him.

Thus, there is a very close relationship between "building the Eucharist" and proclaiming Christ. At the same time, entering into communion with him in the memorial of Easter also means becoming missionaries of the event which that rite actualizes; in a certain sense, it means making it contemporary with every epoch, until the Lord comes again.

Dear brothers and sisters, we are reliving this wonderful reality in today's Solemnity of Corpus Christi, during which the Church does not only celebrate the Eucharist but solemnly bears it in procession, publicly proclaiming that the Sacrifice of Christ is for the salvation of the whole world.

Grateful for this immense gift, her members gather round the Blessed Sacrament, for that is the source and summit of her being and action. Ecclesia de Eucharistia vivit! The Church draws her life from the Eucharist and knows that this truth does not simply express a daily experience of faith, but recapitulates the heart of the mystery in which she consists.

-Homily of Saint John Paul II, Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, 2004

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.

Papal Intentions For June

As the month of June begins, let us remember Pope Francis’s intentions in our prayers.

His universal intention for the month is for immigrants and refugees, that they “may find welcome and respect in the countries to which they come.”

The Holy Father also asks us to pray for vocations, or more specifically, “that the personal encounter with Jesus may arouse in many young people the desire to offer their own lives in priesthood or consecrated life.”

So let us join Pope Francis in praying for immigrants, refugees, and vocations this month.

Saint John Paul II, Pray for Us!