Ad Honorem Immaculatae Conceptionis Mariae Oblatio

78 the blessing bestowed by God, and the matter of fidelity. Further, although not sacramental in its essence, religious consecration is based on Baptism and is deeply rooted in the Eucharistic consecration. Indeed, the Eucharist, where the consecration of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ is accom- plished, is the center of the Church’s sacramental system, and all of the Church’s sacraments are oriented towards it. It is in the theology of the Eucharist that we can most fully discover what the gift, sacrifice and power of God’s transforming grace are. Lastly, an epiclesis is needed – a solemn invocation of the Holy Spirit: His consecrating and unifying power. At this point, it is worth mentioning that the Trinitarian approach to the essence of consecrated life proposed by John Paul II in Vita Consecrata insists on a clear emphasis on the pneumatological dimension . “Jesus is the One whom ‘God anointed ... with the Holy Spirit and with power’ (Acts 10:38), the One ‘whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world’ (Jn 10:36),” (VC 22). The consecration of Christ through the anointing with the Holy Spirit is inseparable from the mission, it is the anointing for mission. As Jesus Himself solemnly emphasized in the temple in Nazareth: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and re- covery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord” (Lk 4:18-19). According to many authors, the understanding of consecration as anointing shows the charismatic dynamism of the consecrated life and its missionary orientation very well. 13 Man’s participation in the mystery of consecration is expressed in a to- tal dedication to God through the profession of the evangelical counsels. This free commitment to Him in all areas of life, as expressed in the vows, implies an extremely radical act of faith. In this way, by emphasizing this extraordinary trust in a loving God, consecration is understood as a liv- ing profession of faith , as if it is the embodiment of faith and the Deca- logue’s first commandment. 14 This vocation is related to the calling of the prophets who were chosen by God to guard faithfulness to the One and Only God. Moreover, this emphasis takes on an important meaning in the 13 See J.C.R. García Paredes, Teologia della vita religiosa , San Paolo, Cinisello Balsamo 2004, pp. 325-354; B. Maggioni, Alle radici della sequela , Ancora, Milano 2010, pp. 9-19. This approach is very significantly emphasized in the theology of the consecrated life in Latin America, see Confederación Latinoamericana de Religiosos, Hacia una vida religiosa latinoamericana. Selec- ción de texos teológicos , Centro de Estudios y Publicaciones, Lima 1984. 14 See G. Uríbarri Bilbao, Portar las marcas de Jesús. Teologia y espiritualidad de la vida consagrada , Desclée De Brouwer, Bilbao 2001, p. 325.