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For the Holiness of the Whole People of God
8. The call to follow Christ with a special
consecration is a gift of the Trinity for Gods Chosen People. Recognizing in
Baptism the common sacramental origin, consecrated men and women share a common
vocation to holiness and to the apostolate with other members of the faithful.
By being signs of this universal vocation they manifest the specific mission of
consecrated life.25
Consecrated women and men have
received a call to a “new and special consecration”,26 for
the good of the Church, which impels them to live a life in imitation of
Christ, the Virgin, and the Apostles with impassioned love.27
In our world this lifestyle stresses the urgency of a prophetic witness which
entails “the affirmation of the primacy
of God and of eternal life, as evidenced in the following and imitation of
the chaste, poor and obedient Christ, who was completely consecrated to the glory
of God and to the love of his brethren”.28
Consecrated persons extend a
persuasive invitation to reflect upon the primacy of grace and to respond to it
through a generous spiritual commitment.29 Despite
widespread secularization, there is a widespread demand for spirituality which
is often expressed as a renewed need for prayer.30 Life's
events, even in their ordinariness, present themselves as challenges which
should be seen in light of conversion. The dedication of consecrated persons to
the service of an evangelical quality of life contributes to the keeping alive in many ways the spiritual
practices among the
Christian
people. Religious communities increasingly
seek to be places for hearing and sharing the Word, for liturgical celebration,
for the teaching of prayer, and for accompaniment through spiritual direction.
Thus, even without realizing it, this help given to others offers mutual
advantages.31
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