One interesting thing about this journey so far has been telling people I’m exploring religious life (what’s that?), their reactions and their questions. For friends my age without any religious background to speak of, it is particularly baffling. And challenging for me to explain. I try but they just don’t get it. If I want to make the world a better place or work for social justice or work for the church, why don’t I just get a different job? Why on earth would I want to take a vow of poverty … don’t I want to buy a big house? Why would I take a vow of celibacy … don’t I want kids? Why would I take a vow of obedience … don’t I want to think for myself? … Can you tell that I just got back from a social function where I faced this befuddlement? It’s exhausting!
As a pre-candidate for vowed membership with the groovy sisters, I have some "homework" – usually articles or books to read. Recently I watched a video of a lecture given by Timothy Radcliffe, former Master General of the Dominican Order, called "Journey Into the Future." I’ve also got the transcript (although he’s extremely entertaining to watch with his british accent and wicked sense of humor, he’s a good read too.) He frames this discussion pretty well I think:
He helps me understand the problem, which in turn helps in the sense that it keeps me from getting frustrated at my own ability to explain. I can’t even really explain this whole thing to myself … it just seems right. He does go on to give a clue though. The only way I’ll be able to explain is I think is by living it. By following this path where it takes me, hopefully to a life of joy and service that others will see."So our society suffers from a deep crisis of hope. This is not because people are necessarily miserable, but because it has lost the promise of a future. There is only today. So it is now that we must live. Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die. This sort of a society may find it hard to wrap its head around the idea of a vocation which is usque ad mortem. It is full of generous people who care deeply about humanity, and long for a just world. But that is not the same thing as understanding a vocation which may structure and form a whole life. …
So in a society that has lost any sense of a secular vocation, a religious vocation is doubly hard to understand. It is like trying to understand the Eucharist when you have never seen bread. What on earth can ‘the bread of life’ mean if you do not know what ordinary bread is? Even more profoundly, a society which has lost its sense of the future will find it hard to grasp what it means to give one’s whole life to the Lord. What can if possibly mean in the Now Generation to give one’s life away usque ad mortem?"
"In a society that is tempted to despair of the future, then religious life, with our crazy vows, is an expression of our hope for humanity. It says to people, ‘You can find a way of being alive that gives meaning to your whole life and beyond.' … Other vocations, such as marriage, also do this in other ways, but this is not our concern this morning. And at this moment our vocation is called to show what it means to live with hope."
Somehow it helps to hear a former Dominican Master General describe them as "crazy vows" in a positive way. Yes the vowed religious life is crazy and counter cultural. But what’s wrong with that?
4 comments:
if i was where i am now back then i would definitely consider becoming a religious.
(did that make sense?)
it is with great interest and prayers on your behalf that i continue to tag along with you on this journey, in a vicarious way.
i wouldn't answer the why questions with anything other than "why not?"
There's nothing wrong with being countercultural...except that you may cause people to question their priorities and assumptions. What does it mean if someone is buying into the whole consumer mentality and you're willing to walk away from it?
You two touched upon it. The only answer is why not. And no sense denying it's not counter cultural. That's kind of the point.
susan, i assume that the social event you refer to was either my party or our friend j's later that evening. please know that even though our friends ask uncomfortable and sometimes ignorant questions, i know in my heart that once they understand, you will get nothing but support. they're a good crew, just struggling with stuff they don't understand.
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