Chastity

Loving God with an undivided heart

Religious chastity is a gift of divine grace given to some, so we can completely unite ourselves to God alone, with an undivided heart.

We seek the guidance of Our Mother, to live this vow of Chastity, because she is the greatest example of purity, hence we seek to model her chaste purity with all our hearts, so we can love Jesus the way she did.

Furthermore the vow of chastity frees the Sisters and Brothers to give themselves completely to the service of God like the Apostles,  to go out and bring the good news to the world.

Poverty

Detachment from things of this world to be dependant on God

Like the early Church communities in the Gospel, we Religious put all our goods in common, equally sharing material goods such as clothing and furniture.

Furthermore like the Holy Family, we seek to trust in our Heavenly Father for all things, knowing that even the birds of the air have nests to rest their heads.

Mary brought Jesus into the world in poverty. Hence, we ask Mary to teach us how to detach from the things of the world, in order to be dependent on God, and be identified as Christ’s poor for “though He was rich, Jesus Christ became poor for your sake” (2 Cor 8: 9).

We also seek the spiritual poverty of Christ, who “did not deem equality with God as something to be sought, but rather emptied Himself becoming a slave to men” (Phil 2: 6-7). Thus, we seek to lay down our lives, emptying ourselves in order to become rich in Him and like St Paul we want to ‘consider everything rubbish, but knowing our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Phil 3: 8).

Finally,  Peter said to the beggar, “Silver and gold I have none but graces I have plenty”(Cf. Acts 3: 6). We seek to be rich like Peter, trusting in God and not one’s own strength in order to be fully open to the richness of God’s graces.

Obedience

Seeking to die to self and be one in heart and mind

We Sisters and Brothers follow the example of Mary who was the model of receptivity to God’s grace; we desire to imitate her docility to the Holy Spirit, not relying on our own strength, knowing that obedience is a gift from God.

We seek to lay down our lives and humbly follow the way of Christ, always seeking the will of the Father, hence emptying ourselves to become conformed to Christ’s nature and transformed into the likeness of the Son, “so that it is no longer I that live but Christ that lives in me” (Phil 2:5-11).

We long for this learned obedience so that God may create for us pure hearts and make us one in unity, thus receiving a steadfast spirit within us (Ps 51:17, 10). Therefore, we will no longer live for ourselves, but for the good of the community, as one body, to do the will of the Father.

Charity

Responding to Christ’s call of love

 The Sisters and Brothers choose a fourth vow of charity, because Jesus asked us to love and said, “Love one another as I have loved you. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13: 34-35).  Love is not only for our own salvation but is also central to the evangelisation and salvation of others because it witnesses to the power of God (Perfectae Caritatis, 6). Love is particularly needed in the evangelisation of parishes and mission.

Saint Therese of Lisieux said, “Love …is the glue that unites the body and is the key to vocation”. Love is the only thing we bring to heaven, it is eternal! It is through love that we become great in the eyes of God.