Lest You Remain

F ATHER S TANISLAUS P APCZY ˆ SKI ’ S R ELIGIOUS V OWS AS S EEN IN “ I NSPECTIO C ORDIS ” All Christians are His foster children And co-inheritors of the heavenly kingdom; But more specifically religious brothers, Who followed the evangelical counsels... Father Papczy < ski, “ Inspectio cordis” The decision to seek the voice of the Lord, leads the Christian not only to uncovering the teachings contained within the Gospels, but first and foremost, to their total acceptance. This advice is established as much in the words of Christ, as in the example of His own life. 1 And since, as Papczy<ski claims, keeping the evan- gelical counsels is at the same time, fulfilling the same teachings that Jesus Christ left for His chosen disciples, this form of offering is thus, “ very pleasing to God”. Religious brothers, he teaches, through the acceptance of these counsels, aspire to, precisely ( exacte) imitating the life of Christ, and thanks to this, becoming more like Him. 2 The consecration of a person, by the acceptance of the three religious vows, is thus a practical sign of an obligation to the evangelical counsels of: chasti- ty, poverty and obedience. Its consequence is first and foremost, a form of imitat- ing Christ, the perfect model of man, who lived solely by the will of God. It was Christ who totally removed Himself from the world, to live, “in the Father” (cf.: John 14:10) and for the Father. 3 And therefore the call of Father Papczy<ski to a truthful imitation of Christ, is in some sense, a call to a more perfect keeping of these vows. They are what show the twin dimensions of the consecration of a human person: the initiative of the per- son, who offers up (the gift of his own self), accepts and receives the gift, and God’s initiative, as the one who calls the person to these gifts. Both aspects are required 1 Ref: A.Sicari, The Revelation of Evangelical Teaching , trans L.Balter, Com 5 (1985) ch.6 p 9-28 2 Inspectio Cordis, 109-110. Ref; M.Rouche, Birth and Expansion of the Religious Life , trans M.Michalik, Com 5(1985) ch 6, p 30-31. 3 Ref: M. Rouche, Birth and Expansion of the Religious Life , trans M.Michalik, Com 5(1985) ch 6, p 30-31.