Contemporary challenges and expectations of consecrated life Cover Image

Współczesne wyzwania i oczekiwania wobec życia konsekrowanego
Contemporary challenges and expectations of consecrated life

Author(s): Józef Wroceński
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, Theology and Religion, Canon Law / Church Law
Published by: Wyższe Seminarium Misyjne Księży Sercanów
Keywords: życie konsekrowane; wspólnota; rady ewangeliczne; współczesne wyzwania; znaki czasu; świadectwo życia; community; consecrated life; contemporary challenges; evangelical counsels; signs of time;

Summary/Abstract: In his paper, examining the problems experienced by man today, the author seeks answers to the question: what is contemporary consecrated life to look like? What challenges does it face today? What is expected from consecrated persons today, which testimony? In this regard, first, he points to the theological foundations of the religious community, emphasizing that it is a gift from God and at the same time a mystery rooted in the heart of the Holy Trinity, and then he discusses its charismatic dimension. The author thinks that fidelity to one’s consecration according to the charism is an essential element of consecrated life. Among today’s challenges, he first highlights the challenges of the evangelical counsels, and then analyses other contemporary signs of the time, which are a challenge for consecrated persons. Following these analyses, the author emphasizes that personal and community testimony of the life of consecrated persons remains the most important element of the answer to the posed question. Their lives reveal the true face of the love of God and the Church to the world, but never exhaust it. The documents of the Apostolic See place consecrated life in the center of the Church’s activity, thereby assigning it the momentous task of being a visible sign of God’s presence in the world. Those who live a consecrated life become promoters of the true development of the human person. In this sense, consecrated persons have a special share and task in sanctifying the world. They are, therefore, a radical response to the emerging signs of time in each epoch.

  • Issue Year: 32/2017
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 195-221
  • Page Count: 27
  • Language: Polish