All three traits are found among us religious.
How do we know?
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THIS IS THE 50TH ISSUE OF MAGNET MAGAZINE.
The theme is special: RELIGIOUS LIFE TODAY. To prepare this issue, I asked eleven religious from different backgrounds—whose honesty and judgment I trust—to share what they know from personal experience. Just as mothers know more about raising children than I would by reading books on motherhood, each way of life is known best—in all its stark beauty and ugliness—by those living it. The responses of a Bishop, four Sisters, three Brothers, two Priests and one theology student make up our Cover Story 1.
Their frank feedback is supplemented by other direct witnesses: interview with a provincial who has been involved—and found God—in different ministries earlier; a junior sister highlighting the huge (often untapped)potential of young religious, an experienced formator looking at the viruses threatening religious life; the key role of vision in leaders.
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Is religious life relevant and likely to last? The answer depends on whom you ask. We hardly ever have a fully objective view of anything. We are most influenced by our personal experience and the views of those we most associate with. For a quick look at the past, present and future of this way of life, see Cover Story 2.
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I have no illusions about the superiority of any state of life, or unrealistic expectations from any human group. Every walk of life will have ecstatic enthusiasts, bitter grumblers, and confused seekers. No setting (or “call”) guarantees fulfilment or fruitfulness. But life—any life—is such a lovely, priceless gift, which I receive every day. I don’t want to waste it. I want to build something beautiful with it. Whether I would have done better or worse as a married lay man, I do not know. What I do know—and have seen it repeatedly, and found strong agreement in others—is that we, religious, have many more chances to build a happy life and do good than most married couples have. I am not saying that we are better or our call is superior. I am speaking of opportunities, support systems, and the tremendous investment made in our training.
Rather than waste our life on “grass being greener on the other side of the fence,” or listening to prophets of doom, we can do something beautiful with our life, and with the tremendous opportunities that organized religious life offers. We should, of course, face and correct the negatives in our lives. (As the psychology article this month reminds, life is a messy journey.) But the good far outweighs the bad. What do you think?
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Messy. Meaningful. Beautiful. Tough. Something to struggle through and celebrate—not something to lament.
What is your favourite adjective for life? For religious life? For your personal life? What do you break into more spontaneously—a Magnificat or a Lamentation?
Fr Joe Mannath SDB
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