Vita Consecrata Video Series

The first video in the series, Vita Consecrata – 1 of 10 – Introduction to Consecrated Life and the Evangelical Counsels, highlights passages from #1 and #16b of Vita Consecrata.

We would like to present this ten-part series of short videos highlighting selections from Vita Consecrata, Pope John Paul II’s 1996 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “On the Consecrated Life and its Mission in the Church and in the World.”

Transcript of Vita Consecrata – 1 of 10 – Introduction to Consecrated Life and the Evangelical Counsels:

From Vita Consecrata © 1996 – Libreria Editrice Vaticana

1. The Consecrated Life, deeply rooted in the example and teaching of Christ the Lord, is a gift of God the Father to his Church through the Holy Spirit.

(00:14) By the profession of the evangelical counsels the characteristic features of Jesus — the chaste, poor and obedient one — are made constantly “visible” in the midst of the world and the eyes of the faithful are directed towards the mystery of the Kingdom of God already at work in history, even as it awaits its full realization in heaven.

(00:34)In every age there have been men and women who, obedient to the Father’s call and to the prompting of the Spirit, have chosen this special way of following Christ, in order to devote themselves to him with an “undivided” heart (cf. 1 Cor 7:34). Like the Apostles, they too have left everything behind in order to be with Christ and to put themselves, as he did, at the service of God and their brothers and sisters. In this way, through the many charisms of spiritual and apostolic life bestowed on them by the Holy Spirit, they have helped to make the mystery and mission of the Church shine forth, and in doing so have contributed to the renewal of society.

16b. (00:58)By professing the evangelical counsels, consecrated persons not only make Christ the whole meaning of their lives but strive to reproduce in themselves, as far as possible, “that form of life which he, as the Son of God, accepted in entering this world.”

(01:13) By embracing chastity, they make their own the pure love of Christ and proclaim to the world that he is the Only-Begotten Son who is one with the Father (cf. Jn 10:30, 14:11).

(01:23) By imitating Christ’s poverty, they profess that he is the Son who receives everything from the Father, and gives everything back to the Father in love (cf. Jn 17:7, 10).

(01:31) By accepting, through the sacrifice of their own freedom, the mystery of Christ’s filial obedience, they profess that he is infinitely beloved and loving, as the One who delights only in the will of the Father (cf. Jn 4:34), to whom he is perfectly united and on whom he depends for everything.

(01:48) By this profound “configuration” to the mystery of Christ, the consecrated life brings about in a special way that confessio Trinitatis which is the mark of all Christian life; it acknowledges with wonder the sublime beauty of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and bears joyful witness to his loving concern for every human being.

The second video in the series, Vita Consecrata – 2 of 10 – The Trinity and the Evangelical Counsels, highlights passages from #21 of Vita Consecrata.

We would like to present this ten-part series of short videos highlighting selections from Vita Consecrata, Pope John Paul II’s 1996 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “On the Consecrated Life and its Mission in the Church and in the World.”

Transcript of Vita Consecrata – 2 of 10 – The Trinity and the Evangelical Counsels  (2:40)

From Vita Consecrata, #21 © 1996 – Libreria Editrice Vaticana

21. The deepest meaning of the evangelical counsels is revealed when they are viewed in relation to the Holy Trinity, the source of holiness. They are in fact an expression of the love of the Son for the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit. By practicing the evangelical counsels, the consecrated person lives with particular intensity the Trinitarian and Christological dimension which marks the whole of Christian life.

(00:28)The chastity of celibates and virgins, as a manifestation of dedication to God with an undivided heart (cf. 1 Cor 7:32-34), is a reflection of the infinite love which links the three Divine Persons in the mysterious depths of the life of the Trinity, the love to which the Incarnate Word bears witness even to the point of giving his life, the love “poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Rom 5:5), which evokes a response of total love for God and the brethren.

Poverty proclaims that God is man’s only real treasure. (00:56) When poverty is lived according to the example of Christ who, “though he was rich … became poor” (2 Cor 8:9), it becomes an expression of that total gift of self which the three Divine Persons make to one another. This gift overflows into creation and is fully revealed in the Incarnation of the Word and in his redemptive death.

(1:15) Obedience, practiced in imitation of Christ, whose food was to do the Father’s will (cf. Jn 4:34), shows the liberating beauty of a dependence which is not servile but filial, marked by a deep sense of responsibility and animated by mutual trust, which is a reflection in history of the loving harmony between the three Divine Persons.

(1:35) The consecrated life is thus called constantly to deepen the gift of the evangelical counsels with a love which grows ever more genuine and strong in the Trinitarian dimension: love for Christ, which leads to closeness with him; love for the Holy Spirit, who opens our hearts to his inspiration; love for the Father, the first origin and supreme goal of the consecrated life.  The consecrated life thus becomes a confession and a sign of the Trinity, whose mystery is held up to the Church as the model and source of every form of Christian life.

(2:11) Even fraternal life, whereby consecrated persons strive to live in Christ with “one heart and soul” (Acts 4:32), is put forward as an eloquent witness to the Trinity. It proclaims the Father, who desires to make all of humanity one family. It proclaims the Incarnate Son, who gathers the redeemed into unity, pointing the way by his example, his prayer, his words and above all his death, which is the source of reconciliation for a divided and scattered humanity. It proclaims the Holy Spirit as the principle of unity in the Church, wherein he ceaselessly raises up spiritual families and fraternal communities.

The third video in the series, Vita Consecrata – 3 of 10 – Why Profess Religious Vows?, highlights passages from #87 of Vita Consecrata.

We would like to present this ten-part series of short videos highlighting selections from Vita Consecrata, Pope John Paul II’s 1996 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “On the Consecrated Life and its Mission in the Church and in the World.”

Transcript of Vita Consecrata – 3 of 10 – Why Profess Religious Vows?

From Vita Consecrata, #87 © 1996 – Libreria Editrice Vaticana

87. The prophetic task of the consecrated life is brought into play by three major challenges addressed to the Church herself: they are the same challenges as ever, posed in new ways, and perhaps more radically, by contemporary society, at least in some parts of the world.

(00:19) These challenges relate directly to the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience, impelling the Church, and consecrated persons in particular, to clarify and testify to the profound anthropological significance of the counsels. The decision to follow the counsels, far from involving an impoverishment of truly human values, leads instead to their transformation.

(00:42) The evangelical counsels should not be considered as a denial of the values inherent in sexuality, in the legitimate desire to possess material goods or to make decisions for oneself. Insofar as these inclinations are based on nature, they are good in themselves. Human beings, however, weakened as they are by original sin, run the risk of acting on them in a way which transgresses the moral norms.

(1:06) The profession of chastity, poverty and obedience is a warning not to underestimate the wound of original sin and, while affirming the value of created goods, it relativizes them by pointing to God as the absolute good.

(1:20)Thus, while those who follow the evangelical counsels seek holiness for themselves, they propose, so to speak, a spiritual “therapy” for humanity, because they reject the idolatry of anything created and in a certain way they make visible the living God. The consecrated life, especially in difficult times, is a blessing for human life and for the life of the Church.

The fourth video in the series, Vita Consecrata – 4 of 10 – What is the Vow of Chastity?, highlights passages from #88 of Vita Consecrata.

We would like to present a ten-part series of short videos highlighting selections from Vita Consecrata, Pope John Paul II’s 1996 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “On the Consecrated Life and its Mission in the Church and in the World.”

Transcript of Vita Consecrata – 4 of 10 – What is the Vow of Chastity?

From Vita Consecrata, #88 © 1996 – Libreria Editrice Vaticana

88. The first challenge is that of a hedonistic culture which separates sexuality from all objective moral norms, often treating it as a mere diversion and a consumer good and, with the complicity of the means of social communication, justifying a kind of idolatry of the sexual instinct. The consequences of this are before everyone’s eyes: transgressions of every kind, with resulting psychic and moral suffering on the part of individuals and families.

(00:30)The reply of the consecrated life is above all in the joyful living of perfect chastity, as a witness to the power of God’s love manifested in the weakness of the human condition. The consecrated person attests that what many have believed impossible becomes, with the Lord’s grace, possible and truly liberating.

(00:48)Yes, in Christ it is possible to love God with all one’s heart, putting him above every other love, and thus to love every creature with the freedom of God!

(00:58)This testimony is more necessary than ever today, precisely because it is so little understood by our world. It is offered to everyone — young people, engaged couples, husbands and wives and Christian families — in order to show that the power of God’s love can accomplish great things precisely within the context of human love. It is a witness which also meets a growing need for interior honesty in human relationships.

(1:24)The consecrated life must present to today’s world examples of chastity lived by men and women who show balance, self-mastery, an enterprising spirit, and psychological and affective maturity.

(1:37)Thanks to this witness, human love is offered a stable point of reference: the pure love which consecrated persons draw from the contemplation of Trinitarian love, revealed to us in Christ.

(1:48) Precisely because they are immersed in this mystery, consecrated persons feel themselves capable of a radical and universal love, which gives them the strength for the self-mastery and discipline necessary in order not to fall under the domination of the senses and instincts. Consecrated chastity thus appears as a joyful and liberating experience.

(2:09) Enlightened by faith in the Risen Lord and by the prospect of the new heavens and the new earth (cf. Rev 21:1), it offers a priceless incentive in the task of educating to that chastity which corresponds to other states of life as well.

The fifth video in the series, Vita Consecrata – 5 of 10 – What is the Vow of Poverty?, highlights passages from #89 of Vita Consecrata.

We would like to present this ten-part series of short videos highlighting selections from Vita Consecrata, Pope John Paul II’s 1996 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “On the Consecrated Life and its Mission in the Church and in the World.”

Transcript of Vita Consecrata – 5 of 10 – What is the Vow of Poverty?

From Vita Consecrata, #89 © 1996 – Libreria Editrice Vaticana

89. Another challenge today is that of a materialism which craves possessions, heedless of the needs and sufferings of the weakest, and lacking any concern for the balance of natural resources.

(00:15) The reply of the consecrated life is found in the profession of evangelical poverty, which can be lived in different ways and is often expressed in an active involvement in the promotion of solidarity and charity.

(00:27) How many Institutes devote themselves to education, training and professional formation, preparing young people and those no longer young to become builders of their own future! How many consecrated persons give themselves without reserve in the service of the most disadvantaged people on earth! How many of them work to train future educators and leaders of society, so that they in turn will be committed to eliminating structures of oppression and to promoting projects of solidarity for the benefit of the poor!

(00:57) Consecrated persons fight to overcome hunger and its causes; they inspire the activities of voluntary associations and humanitarian organizations; and they work with public and private bodies to promote a fair distribution of international aid.

(1:12) Nations truly owe a great deal to these enterprising agents of charity, whose tireless generosity has contributed and continues to contribute greatly to making the world more human.

The sixth video in the series, Vita Consecrata – 6 of 10 – What is the Vow of Obedience?, highlights passages from #91 of Vita Consecrata.

We would like to present this ten-part series of short videos highlighting selections from Vita Consecrata, Pope John Paul II’s 1996 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “On the Consecrated Life and its Mission in the Church and in the World.”

Transcript of Vita Consecrata – 6 of 10 – What is the Vow of Obedience?

From Vita Consecrata (1996) © 1996 – Libreria Editrice Vaticana

91. The third challenge comes from those notions of freedom which separate this fundamental human good from its essential relationship to the truth and to moral norms.  In effect, the promotion of freedom is a genuine value, closely connected with respect for the human person. But who does not see the aberrant consequences of injustice and even violence, in the life of individuals and of peoples, to which the distorted use of freedom leads?

(00:30) An effective response to this situation is the obedience which marks the consecrated life. In an especially vigorous way this obedience re-proposes the obedience of Christ to the Father and, taking this mystery as its point of departure, testifies that there is no contradiction between obedience and freedom.

(00:48) Indeed, the Son’s attitude discloses the mystery of human freedom as the path of obedience to the Father’s will, and the mystery of obedience as the path to the gradual conquest of true freedom. It is precisely this mystery which consecrated persons wish to acknowledge by this particular vow.

(1:07) By obedience they intend to show their awareness of being children of the Father, as a result of which they wish to take the Father’s will as their daily bread (cf. Jn 4:34), as their rock, their joy, their shield and their fortress (cf. Ps 18:2).

(1:20) Thus they show that they are growing in the full truth about themselves, remaining in touch with the source of their existence and therefore offering this most consoling message: “The lovers of your law have great peace; they never stumble” (Ps 118:165).

The seventh video in the series, Vita Consecrata – 7 of 10 – The Vows and Community Life, highlights passages from #91 of Vita Consecrata.

We would like to present this ten-part series of short videos highlighting selections from Vita Consecrata, Pope John Paul II’s 1996 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “On the Consecrated Life and its Mission in the Church and in the World.”

Transcript of Vita Consecrata – 7 of 10 – The Vows and Community Life

From Vita Consecrata © 1996 – Libreria Editrice Vaticana

92. This testimony of consecration takes on special meaning in religious life because of the community dimension which marks it. The fraternal life is the privileged place in which to discern and accept God’s will, and to walk together with one mind and heart. Obedience, enlivened by charity, unites the members of an Institute in the same witness and the same mission, while respecting the diversity of gifts and individual personalities.

(00:30) In community life which is inspired by the Holy Spirit, each individual engages in a fruitful dialogue with the others in order to discover the Father’s will. At the same time, together they recognize in the one who presides an expression of the fatherhood of God and the exercise of authority received from God, at the service of discernment and communion.

(00:51) Life in community is thus the particular sign, before the Church and society, of the bond which comes from the same call and the common desire — notwithstanding differences of race and origin, language and culture — to be obedient to that call.

(1:07) Contrary to the spirit of discord and division, authority and obedience shine like a sign of that unique fatherhood which comes from God, of the brotherhood born of the Spirit, of the interior freedom of those who put their trust in God, despite the human limitations of those who represent him.

(1:24) Through this obedience, which some people make their rule of life, the happiness promised by Jesus to “those who hear the word of God and keep it” (Lk 11:28) is experienced and proclaimed for the good of all. Moreover, those who obey have the guarantee of truly taking part in the mission, of following the Lord and not pursuing their own desires or wishes. In this way we can know that we are guided by the Spirit of the Lord, and sustained, even in the midst of great hardships, by his steadfast hand (cf. Acts 20:22-23).

The eighth video in the series,  Vita Consecrata – 8 of 10 – Unbounded Generosity and the Call to Young People, highlights passages from #104 and #106 of Vita Consecrata.

We would like to present this ten-part series of short videos highlighting selections from Vita Consecrata, Pope John Paul II’s 1996 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “On the Consecrated Life and its Mission in the Church and in the World.”

Transcript of Vita Consecrata – 8 of 10 – Unbounded Generosity and the Call to Young People

From Vita Consecrata, #104 and #106 © 1996 – Libreria Editrice Vaticana

104. Many people today are puzzled and ask: What is the point of the consecrated life? Why embrace this kind of life, when there are so many urgent needs in the areas of charity and of evangelization itself, to which one can respond even without assuming the particular commitments of the consecrated life? Is the consecrated life not a kind of “waste” of human energies which might be used more efficiently for a greater good, for the benefit of humanity and the Church?

(00:28) These questions are asked more frequently in our day, as a consequence of a utilitarian and technocratic culture which is inclined to assess the importance of things and even of people in relation to their immediate “usefulness”. But such questions have always existed, as is eloquently demonstrated by the Gospel episode of the anointing at Bethany: “Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment” (Jn 12:3). When Judas, using the needs of the poor as an excuse, complained about such waste, Jesus replied: “Let her alone!” (Jn 12:7).This is the perennially valid response to the question which many people, even in good faith, are asking about the relevance of the consecrated life: Could one not invest one’s life in a more efficient and reasonable way for the betterment of society? This is how Jesus replies: “Let her alone!”

(1:25) Those who have been given the priceless gift of following the Lord Jesus more closely consider it obvious that he can and must be loved with an undivided heart, that one can devote to him one’s whole life, and not merely certain actions or occasional moments or activities. 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.

(2:13) 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.”If any of God’s children were to know and taste divine love, the uncreated God, the incarnate God, the God who endured suffering, the God who is the supreme good, they would give themselves completely to him, they would withdraw not only from other creatures but even from their very selves, and with all their being would love this God of love, to the point of being completely transformed into the God-man, who is the supreme Beloved”.

(2:58) 106. To you, young people, I say: if you hear the Lord’s call, do not reject it! Dare to become part of the great movements of holiness which renowned saints have launched in their following of Christ. Cultivate the ideals proper to your age, but readily accept God’s plan for you if he invites you to seek holiness in the consecrated life. Admire all God’s works in the world, but be ready to fix your eyes on the things destined never to pass away.

(3:25) The Third Millennium awaits the contribution of the faith and creativity of great numbers of young consecrated persons, that the world may be made more peaceful and able to welcome God and, in him, all his sons and daughters.

The ninth video in the series, Vita Consecrata – 9 of 10 – To Families, highlights passages from #107 of Vita Consecrata.

We would like to present this ten-part series of short videos highlighting selections from Vita Consecrata, Pope John Paul II’s 1996 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “On the Consecrated Life and its Mission in the Church and in the World.”

Transcript of Vita Consecrata – 9 of 10 – To Families (#107):

From Vita Consecrata © 1996 – Libreria Editrice Vaticana

107. I address you, Christian families. Parents, give thanks to the Lord if he has called one of your children to the consecrated life. It is to be considered a great honor — as it always has been — that the Lord should look upon a family and choose to invite one of its members to set out on the path of the evangelical counsels! Cherish the desire to give the Lord one of your children so that God’s love can spread in the world. What fruit of conjugal love could be more beautiful than this?

We must remember that if parents do not live the values of the Gospel, the young man or woman will find it very difficult to discern the calling, to understand the need for the sacrifices which must be faced, and to appreciate the beauty of the goal to be achieved.

For, it is in the family that young people have their first experience of Gospel values and of the love which gives itself to God and to others. They also need to be trained in the responsible use of their own freedom, so that they will be prepared to live, as their vocation demands, in accordance with the loftiest spiritual realities.

I pray that you, Christian families, united with the Lord through prayer and the sacramental life, will create homes where vocations are welcomed.

The tenth and final video in the series, Vita Consecrata – 10 of 10 – Closing Prayer to Mary, highlights passages from #112 of Vita Consecrata.  Uniting ourselves to the words of Pope John Paul II, we wish to consecrate this apostolate to Mary, Mother of our Vocations.  Our Lady of Lujan, pray for us!

We would like to present this ten-part series of short videos highlighting selections from Vita Consecrata, Pope John Paul II’s 1996 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “On the Consecrated Life and its Mission in the Church and in the World.”

Transcript of Vita Consecrata – 10 of 10 – Closing Prayer to Mary:

From Vita Consecrata (1996) © 1996 – Libreria Editrice Vaticana

112. Mary, image of the Church, the Bride without spot or wrinkle, which by imitating you “preserves with virginal purity an integral faith, a firm hope and a sincere charity”, sustain consecrated persons on their journey towards the sole and eternal Blessedness.

(00:21) To you, Virgin of the Visitation, do we entrust them, that they may go forth to meet human needs, to bring help, but above all to bring Jesus. Teach them to proclaim the mighty things which the Lord accomplishes in the world, that all peoples may extol the greatness of his name.

(00:37) Support them in their work for the poor, the hungry, those without hope, the little ones and all who seek your Son with a sincere heart.  To you, our Mother, who desire the spiritual and apostolic renewal of your sons and daughters in a response of love and complete dedication to Christ, we address our confident prayer.

(00:58) You who did the will of the Father, ever ready in obedience, courageous in poverty and receptive in fruitful virginity, obtain from your divine Son that all who have received the gift of following him in the consecrated life may be enabled to bear witness to that gift by their transfigured lives, as they joyfully make their way with all their brothers and sisters towards our heavenly homeland and the light which will never grow dim.  We ask you this, that in everyone and in everything glory, adoration and love may be given to the Most High Lord of all things, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.