{"id":3214,"date":"2025-05-20T11:01:31","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T11:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/?p=3214"},"modified":"2025-05-25T16:03:35","modified_gmt":"2025-05-25T16:03:35","slug":"starting-from-christ-a-renewed-commitment-of-consecrated-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/starting-from-christ-a-renewed-commitment-of-consecrated-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Starting from Christ: a renewed commitment of Consecrated Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250516Xavier1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3215\" srcset=\"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250516Xavier1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250516Xavier1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250516Xavier1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250516Xavier1.jpg 1230w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Father Xabier Larra\u00f1aga Oyarzabal, CMF, during the course in Rome. Photos: Jaime C. Patias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cConsecrated persons can and must start again from Christ because he himself first came to meet them and accompanies them on the journey (cf. Lk 24:13-22). Their life is the proclamation of the primacy of grace [cf. NMI 31]; without Christ they can do nothing [cf. Jn 15:5]; instead they can do everything in him who gives strength\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>By Arlei Pivetta *<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With this motivation, taken from the document \u201cStarting Again from Christ: A Renewed Commitment to Consecrated Life\u201d in the Third Millennium (2002), the Claretian Father, Xavier Larra\u00f1aga Oyarzabal, CMF, consultant of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (CIVCSVA), led a study on May 13 during the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/rome-the-25-years-jubilee-ongoing-formation-course-begins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ongoing formation course<\/a><\/strong> for a group of Jubilee Consolata missionaries gathered in Rome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"P. Xabier Larra\u00f1aga: Vita Consacrata: Ripartire da Cristo\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cYWNxUmP_IY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For the professor at the Institute of Theology of Consecrated Life Claretianum in Rome, &#8220;the first step to follow Christ is to see him as the center of our life.&#8221; This helps us &#8220;to be present in people&#8217;s lives and to know how to listen to them without judging. Knowing how to listen is a gift. Christ taught his apostles to be present, but also, in moments of tiredness, to withdraw to recharge, to be alone, to be able to reflect.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Father Xavier also emphasized that today \u201creligious life has a role and a voice in society, but it is necessary to start from Christ to be a sign of God\u2019s grace in the world. Christ was, is and will always be new. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/living-the-religious-consecration-as-a-consolata-missionary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Religious life embraces the real world,<\/a><\/strong> always renewing itself to continue to be prophetic, in search of Jesus, but not a Jesus outside of history, but incarnate,\u201d he observed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250516Xavier2-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3216\" srcset=\"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250516Xavier2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250516Xavier2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250516Xavier2-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250516Xavier2.jpg 1228w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>To be a sign of universal brotherhood<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reflecting on the Christian vocation, the professor recalled that \u201cbeing baptized is consecrating oneself to a universal vocation, which has no boundaries. And the call to religious life is a sign of universal peace\u201d. According to Father Xavier, \u201cthe sign must be visible, because invisibility is not good\u201d. As an example, he cited a signboard placed inside a room, which may work well, but will not have the desired effect. We must be \u201csigns\u201d that show people the way to reach Jesus. Remembering that Jesus is a mystery that reveals itself throughout history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Read also:<\/strong> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/discernment-on-the-present-of-consecrated-life\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Discernment on the present of Consecrated Life<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/loved-called-and-sent-on-mission-in-the-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Loved, Called and Sent on Mission in the World<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/the-word-of-god-soul-and-guide-of-consecrated-life\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Word of God: soul and guide of consecrated life<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/consecrated-life-current-affairs-and-perspectives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Consecrated Life: Current Affairs and Perspectives<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the challenges of Consecrated Life is feeling safe, which on the one hand is a good thing, but on the other ends up leading to complacency, thinking that there is no need to renew oneself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Father Xavier emphasized that \u201creligious life should be the poetry of the Church.\u201d It should bring joy, because it is in tune with the Spirit of God that animates, strengthens and illuminates. For this reason it is not a stagnant life, but a dynamic one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"575\" src=\"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250516Xavier-1024x575.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250516Xavier-1024x575.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250516Xavier-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250516Xavier-768x431.jpg 768w, https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250516Xavier.jpg 1230w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Another important aspect is the \u201ccoherence between what we say and what we live. It is in coherence that we attract others\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the speaker, the document \u201cStarting Again from Christ\u201d takes up the teaching of the Apostolic Exhortation \u201c<em>Vita Consecrata\u201d <\/em>(1996): \u201cThe Church entrusts to communities of consecrated life the particular task of spreading the spirituality of communion, first of all in their internal life and then in the ecclesial community, and even beyond its boundaries, by opening or continuing a dialogue in charity, especially where today&#8217;s world is torn apart by ethnic hatred or senseless violence.\u201d (VC 51).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Father Xavier Larra\u00f1aga insisted with the group of Jubilee missionaries telling them that \u201cConsecrated Life is called to meet, through the missionary path, with modernity and post-modernity. It has much to give: its inner strength of transcendence and religiosity; the strength of communion and sociality; its impulse of creation and culture, of service and mission\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"584\" src=\"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250516Xavier3-1024x584.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3218\" srcset=\"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250516Xavier3-1024x584.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250516Xavier3-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250516Xavier3-768x438.jpg 768w, https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250516Xavier3.jpg 1165w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Participants during group work to share their experiences<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, he recalled that Pope Francis suggested a different way of being present in the world, with new \u201cdispositions that help to better welcome the message: closeness, openness to dialogue, patience, a cordial welcome that does not condemn\u201d (Evangelii gaudium 165). It is a matter of addressing \u201cthe deepest questions of the heart\u201d (n. 265) and therefore \u201cone must listen a lot\u201d and \u201cshare the life of the people and willingly pay attention to them\u201d (n. 158).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As expected by the course methodology, the participants motivated by the speaker&#8217;s reflections, worked in groups to share their experiences and express their questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"fonte\"><em>* Father Arlei Pivetta, IMC, missionary in Boa Vista, Roraima.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cConsecrated persons can and must start again from Christ because he himself first came to meet them and accompanies them on the journey (cf. Lk 24:13-22). Their life is the proclamation of the primacy of grace [cf. NMI 31]; without Christ they can do nothing [cf. Jn 15:5]; instead they can do everything in him who gives strength\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3215,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,6,8,43,4,16,19,24],"tags":[221,121,265,92],"class_list":["post-3214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-featured","category-featured-news","category-missionary-animation","category-news","category-spirituality","category-training","category-vocational","tag-consecrated-life","tag-consolata-missionaries","tag-g25","tag-ongoing-formation","post_format-post-format-video"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3214"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3223,"href":"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3214\/revisions\/3223"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consolataafrica.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}