Ad Honorem Immaculatae Conceptionis Mariae Oblatio

93 prayer, formation, common life, evangelization, etc. (cf. VC 24, 35, 38, 41, 42, 59, 65, 70, 72, 75, 86, 93). The above-analyzed documents do not cover the entirety of the Church’s teaching on the consecrated life, but they can be regarded as basic and demonstrative. Rather than focusing on the theology of consecration and the religious life itself, other accounts focus on its situation in the modern world, on the challenges and problems it faces, and questions it must an- swer. These accounts are often characterized by a beautiful, pictorial lan- guage, a wealth of examples, comparisons and quotations, but their con- tents in terms of the Christological-Passion dimension of the consecration do not exceed the documents presented here (e.g. Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor 9, 21-24, 44; Rejoice 4-6; Contemplate 49-51; Discern 8). An attempt at a summation The following conclusions can be drawn from the above analysis of the selected Church documents: – The fundamental meaning for the Christological and Passion dimen- sion of religious consecration has its being anchored in the sacrament of Baptism, that is, its being immersed in the mystery of Christ’s Death and Resurrection. The documents use various wordings to define the relation- ship between baptism and religious consecration. There are terms such as: fuller, more faithful, with greater freedom, in a special way, to strengthen, to expand, to develop, to bind in an intimate way, having roots, and to ex- press more fully. However, the reference to baptism is present in every doc- ument, regardless of the manner of expressing it. Religious consecration and baptismal consecration are separate consecrations, but they are very closely linked together. – Referring to the liturgical formula, we can say that the consecration takes place “through Christ, with Christ and in Christ.” His person is of central and crucial importance. We follow Him, we imitate His way of life, we are in a deep personal and spousal relationship with Him, we contem- plate His Cross. Of course, the remainder of the formula “in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father” cannot be omitted. Christ does not act alone: the initiative comes from the Father, and the Holy Spirit pours into the human heart the longing for an uncon- ditional response and gives strength and light to impart and persevere in it faithfully, but both the human heart and the action of the Father and the Holy Spirit are oriented toward Christ. The three evangelical counsels, the