The Witness of a Consecrated Life

One might be tempted to say that these are elementary spiritual truths—and indeed they are—but they are forgotten all the time. Though the Bible and much of the literature of the world are filled with the reminder that nothing in the finite world satisfies the aching of the heart, nevertheless, every generation, it seems, comes to believe the lie. Though it has never worked before, we somehow convince ourselves that this time around, if we just get enough of the world’s goods, we will find joy. Sermons, exhortations, indeed articles like this one, can provide a service to some degree, but the most powerful argument against idolatry is the witness of a life. When we see someone who lives as though only God finally matters, we tend to get it. And this is one of the principal reasons the Church has, from the beginning, encouraged the consecrated life, by which I mean, a life marked by poverty, chastity, and obedience, a life that makes sense only if God exists. This is why it has held up St. Augustine, St. John Chrysostom, St. Antony of the Desert, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Edith Stein, and so many others who have heroically embraced poverty, chastity, and obedience out of total dedication to Christ.