Notes The Church Vocations to Holiness Sections 44 to 48

Answers to questions on page 185

1. What are the three evangelical counsels and how are they applied by different groups in the
Church?

They are: poverty, chastity, and obedience.

Diocesan priests take vows of chastity and obedience to the bishop.

Religious priests, brothers, and sisters, have a vocation to the consecrated life, and take
lifelong vows on poverty, chastity, and obedience.
All Christians are called to follow the evangelical counsels.

Poverty: do not become attached to money and material things; it can become the focus of ones
life. Jesus said, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.

The consecrated life literally does give up the right to individual possessions, promising to share
possessions in common with the community. Their pay goes to the community.

Chastity: Does not deny or suppress our sexuality, but rather ordering it in the right way.

Marital chastity: being faithful to each other in marriage.

Young people: complete abstinence before marriage. You are called to purity of heart, keeping away
from sexual fantasies and pornography.

Transitional Diaconate before priestly Ordination: called to chastity.

Permanent Diaconate: are married men who help the priests in our parishes.

Obedience: All Christians are called to obey Christ; this is the definition of a disciple. We
also have a duty to obey the Churchs Magisterium. The Pope and bishops are the vicars of Christ; they
have been given divine authority from Christ to teach us Gods revealed truth and it is our duty to obey
their teachings just as Jesus was obedient to death, even death on a cross.

Priest promise obedience to the bishop;

Religious, people in consecrated life, promise special obedience to their religious superiors.

2. What is the special mission of all laypeople?

The hierarchys primary role is to provide leadership for the Church.

The laitys primary role is in witnessing to Gods love to the whole world. We are Jesus hands
and feet, voice and ears. We are to help influence the worlds social, political, and economic realities to
reflect Gods will.

3. Describe how the laity shares the prophetic, kingly, and priestly functions of Christ.

Priestly office: (common priesthood) We are united with Jesus in serving the world. We offer
our daily work, family life, and leisure activities as a spiritual sacrifice to the Father. We are to develop a
life of prayer and offer intercessions for the needs of others.

The common priesthood of the laity is different from the ministerial priesthood of priests. Holy
Orders is a sacrament that confers a sacred power for the service of the faithful.

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 Prophetic Office: To be a prophet means to share Gods Word with those hwo need to hear it.
The laity are called to be witnesses to Christ in every circumstance of their lives and with every person they
meet.

Lay people are involved in evangelization; catechists and religious teachers; have a voice on
Catholic television, radio, internet, blogs, etc. and finally we have to right to make our opinions known.

Kingly Office: It starts with self-discipline, to consistently choose what is good and right. It
continues with our commitment to follow Gods call with all our strength and soul for our entire lives. It
means always serving those most in need. We are to lead by example of their moral choices, by
commitment to Gods will in their lives, and by following Christs example of leading through service.
We can also influence political and legislative processes to pass laws that respect the dignity of every life.

We can also serve in parishes in various ways.

4. In what ways is the family the domestic church?

The Christians home is the place where children first hear the Word of God and the call to faith.
We learn how to pray, live a moral life, and serve others. The Christian family is the first and best teacher
of human virtues and Christian charity.

It is easy for family today to neglect spiritual needs. Parents need to remember they are the first to
proclaim the faith to their children. They must teach their children the virtues and set a good example by
their own lifestyle Parent should teach their children to pray and to discover their vocation as a child of
God. Our first duty as Christians is to follow God.

5. Describe how the work of the laity participates in the mission of Christ.

We must do the will of God within our chosen profession work, whether it is as a parent, a nurse, a
lawyer, or a computer programmer.

It is the duty of all Christians to work with their civil authorities to create a society where truth,
freedom, solidarity, and justice rein.

6. What are two things the individual members of a religious order have in common?

Religious orders (sister or brother) make permanent vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
These religious orders must be approved of by the Pope.

Religious orders have their origin in the hermits who went to the desert to follow Christ more
closely. They withdrew from the world for a life of prayer and solitude. Religious life first developed in
Syria and Egypt.

7. What are some of the needs that have been fulfilled by religious orders throughout history?

Dominicans responded to a need for teachers and preachers;

The Franciscans were established due to St. Francis desire to restore a life of simplicity to the
Church. Jesus asked him to rebuild (the faith of) His church.

Jesuits: reform the Catholic Church after the upheaval of the protestant Reformation.

They took a leading role in the evangelization of non-Christian lands including the Far East and
they continue to do missionary work throughout the world.

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8. How does the Liturgy of the Hours help fulfill Pauls admonition to pray without ceasing?

The Hours are designed to make the whole course of the day and night holy by the praise of God.
Priests are required to pray the Hours daily; others can join in as it is the public prayer of the
Church. It is about 7 hours of prayer and includes:
Morning prayers called Lauds and
Evening prayer called Vespers.

9. Define the terms: hermits, consecrated virgins, secular institutes, Third Order, and
Societies of Apostolic Life.

Definitions:

Vow: a free and conscious commitment made to other persons, to the Church or to God.

Celibacy: the state or condition of those who have chosen or taken vows to remain unmarried in
order to devote themselves entirely to the service of the Church and the Kingdom of God.

Chastity: The virtue by which people are able to successfully and healthfully integrate their
sexuality into their total person; recognized as one of the fruits of the Holy Sprit. Also it
is one of the vows of religious life.

Domestic: Relating to household or family.

Domestic church: Another name for the family.

Hermits: A person who lives a solitary life in order to commit himself or herself more fully to
prayer and in some cases to be completely free for service to others.

Monk: Someone who withdraws from ordinary life, and lives alone or in community, in order to
devote oneself to prayer and work in total dedication to God.

Consecrated life: A state of life recognized by the Church in which a person publicly professes vows of
poverty, chastity, and obedience

Consecrated virgins: Example: A lay person, Therese Ivers, who is a canon lawyer in Sioux Falls, SD,
wore a white wedding dress and carried a golden lamp to symbolize Jesus parable of the
wise virgins who keep their lamps ready for the coming of the Bridegroom. She was
given a wedding ring and a volume of the Liturgy of the Hours.

Secular: Relating to worldly concerns; something that is not overly religious.

Institute: An organization devoted to a common cause. Religious orders are a type of religious
institute.

Secular Institutes: are communities of people living consecrated lives but whose daily work is
within the world. Members of secular institutes share annual retreats, meetings, and
daily common prayer.

Charitas Christi: a organization of single Catholic women who desire to follow Christ
more closely while still continuing to work in secular jobs.

St. Catherine of Siena served the Church while remaining in the world.

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Third Order: Associations of laypeople connected to a particular religious order in the Church. They
do not take public vows or chastity, obedience, and poverty. They practice the religious
orders spirituality and are typically involved in assisting with the ministries to which the
order is committed.

Societies of Apostolic Life:

Maryknoll, also called the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, is an apostolic
society dedicated to foreign missions.

Saint Philip Neri: a congregation of priests and lay brothers founded in the late 1500s at
Tome, fostering a greater devotion to prayer preaching and the Sacraments.