Marian Helper Fall 2015

16 M arian H elper • F all 2015 • marian.org entirely emptied so as to be filled with the fullness of God. Poverty is emptying oneself in the hope of being filled by God. The vow of poverty is, therefore, something that frees the heart from all that acts as a false substitute for God. Poverty is the ability to freely let go of all that is unnecessary in my life so as to focus the heart’s desire to “possess” the most valuable “Possession” of all: God himself in our lives. Poverty frees us from searching for happiness where it cannot be found (i.e., in material or spiritual possessions). Poverty points us, in hope, to our one true happiness: God. Through our vow of poverty, we seek to imitate Mary who was the perfect example of the anawim of the Old Testament, a people bowed down, faithful amidst suffering, rooted in the Lord, wholly dependent upon God the Father who made their cause his own. We are called to follow Mary’s perfect example. Poverty frees one from the anxiety and concern for obtaining material and spiritual goods. Poverty allows one to wait in the emptiness, confident that God will fill us with good things as we need them. This poverty, then, is the poverty of a child, free to play with joy, knowing that the Father provides for all his needs. P overty, chastity, and obedience. Before God, family, friends, and fellow Marians, t hree men recently professed these three vows that undergird the consecrated life. They were ordained to the Sacred Priesthood during the Church’s special Year of Consecrated Life, w hich concludes on Feb. 2, 2016. Pope Francis called for this special year in order to deepen our awareness of conse- crated life — a life chosen freely in response to the call of Christ to serve his Church and his world. What do these ancient vows mean to these modern Marians? T hree new priests I t’s been said that we have “God-shaped” holes in our hearts that can be filled only by God himself. Each person, therefore, has an innate desire for God, but because of sinful desires, we often settle for substitutes. We are truly happy only when we possess God, but in order to possess God, we must be purified of sin and all that leads us to it. We must — like Christ — be T hree ancient vows By Fr. Thaddaeus Lancton, MIC Ordained May 30 Poverty