States of Life in the Community
“The state of life is not an end in itself, but a means given by the Lord for a single goal which is heaven and holiness.”
Single people
Celibacy is not an intermediate situation, on a tightrope, or, as the world might suggest, an unconsummated and unfinished vocation. What characterizes the single person is their availability to the community and the Kingdom of God. It is not an availability for oneself, or for their well-being or comfort, but for the service of their brothers and sisters.
It is not a life of independence, but of offering oneself to the Lord and to the community. May he or she who lives this vocation (or this path for a time), welcome it not as if they had to endure it, but receive it from God as a particular path of sanctification and fruitfulness. In their stage of life they are already on the way to the Kingdom.
Missionary Families
Couples in the Community live and fully assume their vocation to marriage and family life and are fully part of the community. They live together with their brothers and sisters of other states of life, sharing the same spirituality and same community and missionary life.
It is in the light and according to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that we must consider the vocation of the couple and of the family in the community. Just as consecrated persons live and deepen their own grace, consecrated in virginal celibacy in a New Community, in the breath and light of the Holy Spirit, so also can couples and families “consecrate” their married life in a community, ecclesial and missionary work. This is not new in the history of the Church. Since the early Church, we can find in the Acts of the Apostles examples of couples called to live a particular mission in the life of the first Christian communities.
Consecrated Sisters
The vocation to the consecrated life is to make the baptismal “consecration” even more visible and realizable. In this sense, the consecrated life is, we might say, “something more” of the baptismal life. It is an existence transformed into Christ which cannot be realized if it is not based on a particular call and a special gift of the Spirit. Thus the consecrated person is chosen to become, despite his or her weak humanity, a living and transparent image of the mystery of Christ.
The thirst for the salvation of souls must dwell in the hearts of the consecrated of the Community, because it is one of the purposes of their consecrated life.
Consecrated Brothers and Priests
Being called “Brother” demonstrates this common and fundamental dignity of all believers as children of the same Father. At the same time, it refers to the challenge of being a sign for all of the total gift of self to God and to the Church. In this way, the prophetic activities and missions that a consecrated Brother can develop find their source in the mystery of the Trinity, a mystery which is the very origin and meaning of his vocation.
Their priestly ministries and missionary lives are founded on solid and deep foundations: the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience, lived in a simply and incarnate way, in a life given to the service of the New Evangelization. Missionary priests are called to a solid spiritual life through the daily celebration of Mass, as well as the prayer and meditation of the Liturgy of the Hours. Daily Eucharistic Adoration is one of the pillars of the consecrated life of the priest.
When a person wishes to enter the Community, he or she must:
Have followed the complete formation program during the Sabbatical Year School.
Candidacy: Stage of getting to know the Charism.
Discipleship: First temporary commitment. In this stage, the candidate is called a “disciple” and dives deeper into the Community’s charism in order to correspond to God’s call.
Sons and Daughters: In this stage, the candidate is called “Son” or “Daughter” and leads a community life in all of its demands, in preparation for their definitive commitment.
Definitive (Wholly Given): Formation must lead the Community member to develop a real and authentic responsible obedience, which allows them to be situated as a disciple, accepting and deepening their learning process in all areas of their existence.