Ad Honorem Immaculatae Conceptionis Mariae Oblatio

76 the verb “ consecrare ” was meant to exclusively express the acts of God, while human acts were to be rendered by such verbs as “ devovere ,” “ man- cipare ” and “ dedicare .” Furthermore, the Post-Conciliar Theological Com- mittee explained: “Textus novus est: « per eadem vincula divino obsequio intimius consecratur » sub forma passiva , subintelligendum « a Deo ». 7 ” In other words, it is clear that the verb “ consecrare ” used here in its passive voice underlines the primacy of God’s action, the act of His taking a man into His possession, for exclusive service. The verbs “devovere”, “mancipa- re” and “dedicare” express in this context the act of consecration of man, understood as dedication, entrustment of himself into the hands of God, free surrender of oneself to the service of God as a response to God’s call- ing. Therefore, a correct translation of Lumen Gentium No. 44, including the above remarks and reflecting the meaning of the Conciliar teaching on consecration, should read in Polish in the following or similar man- ner: “chrześcijanin [...] jest jeszcze ściślej przez Boga konsekrowany służbie Bożej” [a Christian [...] is even more closely consecrated by God to God’s service].” It is easy to see that the very translations of the Magisterium’s funda- mental teaching on the religious state can cause a lot of confusion. It re- quires caution in quoting them and rather suggests using texts in the orig- inal language. 8 Propositions of a new theological approach Today, the Magisterium of the Church clearly states that the theology of religious consecration is rooted in the theology of the sacrament of Bap- tism. Contemporary reflection on the identity of consecrated persons, the religious in particular, endeavors to express the complexity of the issue in various ways and in different terms and emphasizes the difficulties in for- mulating a comprehensive and exhaustive approach. 9 It presents an abun- 7 Acta Synodalia Sacrosancti Concilii Oecumenici Vaticani II , tom III, cz. VIII: Congrega- tiones generales CXXIII-CXXVII, Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis, Città del Vaticano 1976, s. 131. 8 We find a similar situation with the translation of No. 5 of the Instruction Essential ele- ments, published as editio typica in English. The sentence: “Consecration is the basis of religious life” is translated in Polish as: “Poświęcenie się Bogu, konsekracja jest podstawą życia zakonne- go.” 9 See M. Bevilacqua, La consacrazione religiosa. Prospettive di interpretazione nel Magistero e nella riflessione teologica , in: Congregazione per gli Istituti di Vita Consacrata e le Società di