Javier Ruiz, Augustinian Recollect.

The Augustinian Recollect Javier Ruiz (Los Arcos, Navarra, Spain, 1952) has been the vicar for consecrated life of the Archdiocese of Chihuahua, Mexico, for two years. Tomorrow, February 2, the Church celebrates the day of consecrated life and we have asked him what religious life brings to our world.

By Javier Ruiz Ancin, Augustinian Recollect

What defines religious life is that it is a particular form of consecration to God through public vows of poverty, chastity and obedience; it also has important characteristics that define its spirituality, such as the fact of promoting communion from and in the community.

In addition, other important characteristics that define its being and work are its evangelical mission; the constant existence of individual, community and liturgical prayer; the promotion of an asceticism based on moderation, austerity or silence; the fact of being a public witness of a deep and personal experience of Christ

To better understand this theological reality of consecrated life, one can read this Vatican document (1983) that describes in depth this ecclesial reality: Essential Elements of the Doctrine of the Church on Religious Life. But beyond this theoretical vision, I offer my most personal reflection.

By living the evangelical counsels, consecrated persons give themselves entirely to the Gospel and prophetically embody the values of the Kingdom of God. In addition to their dedication and service, consecrated persons offer their personal testimony of what a life dedicated to God and to others is like.

Our society often promotes opposing ideals with norms, priorities and lifestyles in which individualistic, materialistic and competitive values predominate… The life of prayer, service, love and a focus on holiness of consecrated persons contributes to showing “another kind of life” that is happy and meaningful.

Without a consecrated life that is present and active, the Church would lose a dimension of its spiritual and social mission. Consecrated persons are witnesses of Christ’s radical love for humanity. It is the seed of a fact that has been proven by history: the profound commitment of consecrated life to the most difficult realities of humanity.

Consecrated persons are on the peripheries with the impoverished, the marginalized, the sick or the excluded. Their preferential option for the vulnerable has led them to missions, hospitals, schools and social projects, to contexts where there is often no hope, where society does not usually look.

Consecrated life keeps alive the missionary zeal of the Church, on the front line of evangelization, especially where the Gospel has not yet been announced or where there is a crisis of faith. It is that Church on the move of which Pope Francis speaks.

Consecrated persons have been pioneers in pastoral renewal, in the promotion of social justice and in responding to the needs of humanity. Attentive to the signs of the times, they address integral ecology, interreligious dialogue, migrations or the promotion of peace. With their dynamism, consecrated persons help the Church to adapt and respond boldly to the challenges of suffering humanity.

Religious men and women embody the Gospel in a way that challenges and enriches the entire Christian community. In times of uncertainty and crisis, their presence is a sign of hope, love and commitment to the Kingdom of God.

But, as in every age, consecrated life faces challenges; Among others, the lack of understanding of its role in the Church or the risk of being treated as a “functional force” rather than as a personal and community vocation. What place should it occupy in the present and in the future? I offer some proposals for reflection:

  • Consecrated life and ecclesial communion: it is not separated from the rest of the Church; on the contrary, it is a concrete expression of communion and dialogue with lay people and clergy, promoting a synodal Church in which each vocation is valued and respected.
  • Consecrated life and prophetic identity: it is a sign of contradiction and a spur to injustice, a voice for the voiceless and a companion for the lonely, an active denunciation of attacks against the vulnerable.
  • Consecrated life and diversity: it is a bridge between cultures and generations. It helps the Church to respond to young people, migrants or the excluded, it fosters a truly universal and inclusive Church against all exclusionary ideologies.

I am convinced that consecrated life, our Augustinian Recollect life, my life as a consecrated person, occupies a space of service, witness and mission in the life of the Church, but is called to deepen its identity as a prophetic sign, a leaven of communion and an evangelizing force.

Its place is not marginal or utilitarian, but central and dynamic. We are in times of change and challenge, so let us be a force of renewal that inspires and helps the whole Church to live more fully its vocation to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth.