The Second Vatican Council emphasised the universal call to holiness, which means that all those who are baptised are called to a life of holiness. 'Religious Life' refers to those men and women who have vowed to give their lives to God by living the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience, and by living in community. This includes monks, nuns and friars.
The Second Vatican Council emphasised the Universal Call to Holiness for all the baptised. This means that everyone who is baptised is called to lead a life which brings them close to God.Consecrated Life or Religious Life is a particular way by which some women and men freely undertake to follow God’s calling. They belong to Religious Communities and live by what are known as the ‘Evangelical Counsels’ of poverty, chastity and obedience.
There is a great variety of ways in which these vows are expressed and there are many Religious Orders and Congregations of men and women in the Church. Individuals who feel drawn to Consecrated Life may discern his or her particular calling by praying and asking for God’s guidance, and by visiting different communities.
From the earliest centuries of Christianity, men and women have felt drawn to become monks or nuns by living the Gospel in community, and are guided by the founders and ‘rules’ of particular congregations. These Religious make solemn vows to belong to a community which becomes their family. Praying together and personal prayer are central to monastic life, and are the basis for all the different works which these men and women undertake.
Down through the centuries, other forms of consecrated life have developed. Men and women Religious reach out to minister to the poor, the sick, the homeless, the young, the elderly, at home and abroad.
Consecrated life is not about ‘giving up’ marriage or the freedom to live as they themselves desire, but it is about embracing God’s call to find ‘life in abundance’ (John 10:10) by living with Jesus in a particular vocation.
Monks and nuns live in community, sharing a common rhythm of prayer and a way of life.
Some are contemplative, focused on prayer, and some are apostolic, focused on mission. Some are enclosed, living apart from the world, and some are not, able to engage with the world around them.
All have in common that they are pursuing a way of life that is close to how Jesus himself lived, reliant on the providence of God the Father.
The Catholic Church speaks of celibacy, the state of abstaining from marriage and sexual relations, this way:
"Christ is the center of all Christian life. The bond with him takes precedence over all other bonds, familial or social. From the very beginning of the Church there have been men and women who have renounced the great good of marriage to follow the Lamb [Jesus] wherever he goes, to be intent on the things of the Lord, to seek to please him, and to go out to meet the Bridegroom who is coming." - Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1618
Monks and nuns take vows of celibacy to give their all to following Jesus and to loving Him above all else. This also enables them to deeply love their neighbour too, particularly if they are apostolic. This kind of love is illustrated in the life of St Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) and her religious community the Missionaries of Charity.
"God is love. He longs for our love also. One form of loving surrender to God is to live as Jesus did - poor, chaste, and obedient. Someone who lives in this way has head, heart, and hands free for God and neighbor." - YOUCAT 145
No, not all monks and nuns live in silence. Silence is a part of any life of prayer, and it has been a part of the monastic tradition for a long time. This is often referred to as contemplative prayer.
"Contemplative prayer is the prayer of the child of God, of the forgiven sinner who agrees to welcome the love by which he is loved and who wants to respond to it by loving even more. But he knows that the love he is returning is poured out by the Spirit in his heart, for everything is grace from God. Contemplative prayer is the poor and humble surrender to the loving will of the Father in ever deeper union with his beloved Son." - Catechism of the Catholic Church 2712
Becoming silent allows us to enter into the presence of God and to hear His voice more clearly. This is at the heart of monastic life and is why religious communities, monasteries or convents are often set apart from the busyness of everyday life, to create a space for silence and prayer.
