Poor Clare Sisters, Galway, Ireland
There are two lady friends of mine, good friends whom I’ve known for many years: Maura and Marina. Both were accountants, with good jobs and a nice lifestyle; great party goers and very popular. Then one day Marina announced to us all that she was going to leave everything and enter the Poor Clare convent, in my hometown. The Poor Clares are a contemplative order, which means they dedicate their lives to prayer. They don’t leave the convent, except for things like visits to the doctor, or to vote. Otherwise they spend the rest of their lives in the convent praying for all of us. People from all over the city and beyond, continually go into them asking them to pray for different intentions. About two years after Marina entered, my friend Maura did the same thing. This meant that they would give up their job and salary, their independence and nice lifestyle and also the chance to get married and have children. Marina’s family were very upset when she decided to do this, even though they were a very religious family themselves. In spite of their faith they found it very hard to accept. It is considered the highest calling in the Church and one of great sacrifice.
Six
year later, Marina made her final profession, taking the vows of poverty,
chastity and obedience. Two years after that, Maura, my other friend, did the
same thing. They will spend the rest of their lives in that convent praying and
interceding for people, helping us by the sacrifice of their lives.
Every time a man is ordained to the priesthood, he also dedicates his life to God and to service of his people. He gives up the chance to be married and have children. He chooses to do this, just like monks and nuns do. They feel called to dedicate their lives to God and they do. People often asked me did I not want to get married. I always say that I would have liked to, as it is the most natural desire, but the call to the priesthood was stronger and persistent. 28 years later, in spite of all the ups and downs, I am extremely grateful that God called me this way. I couldn’t imagine a greater privilege on earth.
St. Patrick's College Chapel, Maynooth, Ireland.
Over 12,000 priests have been ordained here.
It’s
not only people who go into Religious life who do this, many other friends of
mine who are married have also changed the direction of their lives and begun
to live more closely to God, trying to give time each day to prayer and to
living out the faith that they believe in as I know many of you here do as well.
People make a conscious effort to live by the Gospel we believe in and this
happens all the time.
Why
did my two friends decide to leave everything and spend the rest of their lives
in a convent? Many people consider it a total waste of a life. The Church says
it is the highest calling that God can give to anyone, but what makes someone
want to do this, or to become a priest, or to really try to live out their
faith?
The
answer is that they have found the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price
that Jesus talks about. They have recognized that it is worth everything and so
they have given everything for it. It is what Jesus often calls ‘The kingdom of
heaven’. In other words, it is the discovery, or realization that God is real
and that what Jesus has told us about God, is true. It is as if this suddenly
clicks into place and they can see it and it makes sense. They realize that God
isn’t just an optional extra, but that God is at the center and we are a part
of his world. We are the optional extra. We are the ones who would not be here
except that God created us. God is at the center of everything and our life
only makes sense in relation to him and in relation to what Jesus told us about
him. Apart from God, our life makes absolutely no sense. To come to know this
is worth everything, because it is the truth and it makes sense of why we exist.
A pearl
Just
because someone finds this treasure, as Jesus calls it, doesn’t mean that they
have to become a priest or Religious. Most people are not called to be priests
or Religious, but to continue on as normal in society, working, having families
and giving witness to the reality of God by the way they live. That’s what most
of you are called to, but the fact that some people are prepared to live a life
dedicated to God, shows the value of what they believe in, of what we believe
in. It testifies to the fact that what we believe in has a greater and more
lasting value than anything we can know in this world. It is a sign that we
believe there is more to come and that it’s worth waiting for, suffering for
and making sacrifices for. That is also one of the ideas of celibacy, or the
vow of chastity. People decide to give up the possibility of marriage, because
they believe in the world to come. It is a sign of our faith in the next world,
because that is how we will be in the next world.
One
religious sect in Jesus time, called the Sadducees, who did not believe in life
after death, tried to catch Jesus out, by asking him who would be married to
whom in the world to come, especially if someone has been married more than
once. Jesus explains that in heaven people don’t marry. They are like the
angels. The primary purpose of marriage is procreation and that no longer
happens in heaven. That doesn’t mean we can’t be with the ones we love, but it
will be in a different way. We will be free in a way that we are not here. We
will no longer have all the psychological baggage that we carry here. Love will
be completely pure.
The
idea of celibacy is that it is a sign of the life that awaits us in heaven. We
begin to live it now. That doesn’t mean it’s easy, but nothing is easy. Every
way of life requires sacrifice, perhaps marriage more than any other way.
Often
when I’m finding it tough going and wondering why I’m a priest or what it’s all
about, I think of my two friends in the Poor Clares and their witness makes me
say yes, it is worth the effort.
The
kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which
a person finds and hides again,
and
out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
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