A Vowed Life

The weeks fly by, and there's lots of grist for the mill.

Popes and archbishops resign and retire, and the church and world continue.

Perhaps the best comment I read about Benedict XVI's resignation is that it keeps the focus on the church, and what is best for the church--having a physically and mentally fit leader is very important.

Obviously some Roman Catholics disagree about retirement versus serving for life; but fitness rings a bell with me. Being physically fit and mentally alert are important for anyone seeking to lead. "Physically fit" doesn't mean running marathons either--some of us like distance running, but I know folks in wheelchairs who could lead anything they wanted to--differently abled and fit as a fiddle.

I have been teaching about the vows to four brothers gathered at one of our friaries in NSW, Australia. We talked about obedience as listening carefully and conforming our lives to God, the Scriptures, our Founders, each other and nature. This last category includes listening to, and caring for, our bodies. I think the Pope's resignation is a wonderful example of the kind of obedience to the body I am talking about.

The other two vows are of course poverty and chastity. Poverty in the sense of trusting each other, living interdependently and humbly. It means recognizing our limits in exerting our will, and living in solidarity with the economically poor. I dont think I have ever used the Pope as a positive example so much before; but here again we have a beautiful example of poverty as humility in the recognition that the future belongs in others' hands.

Chastity, as I am often at pains to point out, is not just about no sex. It is also about self control in speech, showing love and care, patience and kindness: the fruits of the Holy Spirit. We sin against chastity when we say harsh or intemperate things as much as when we break a celibate commitment. To acknowledge honestly and graciously the limitations of life, to manifest gracious acceptance is a kind of chastity which more people might take to heart. Certainly it is a challenge and an invitation to all Christians and me and my brothers as we learn more and more about our vows and the lives we have been called to live.

I wish Benedict XVI a joyful, peaceful retirement.