The Challenges of the Obedience Vow and the Ways to Live Obedience in the Life of Holiness in the World Today

Abstract

Holy Life is Seen as an Encounter with the World. It can be said that monks and nuns are people who are 'not of this world,' yet they live in the midst of the world and are influenced by it, especially in a world that is constantly changing in all aspects of social life. This has strongly impacted their life of solitude and has become a significant challenge for those who embrace this ideal, especially in adhering to the Gospel counsels of Chastity, Poverty, and Obedience through vows or sacred commitments.

Pope John Paul II affirmed, 'The Gospel counsels are a grace from the Holy Trinity. Through this grace, monks and nuns express to the world that God loves and acts in the weakness of human nature, which He calls.' Similarly, the counsel of Obedience, undertaken in the spirit of Faith and Love, follows in the footsteps of Christ, who obeyed until death (Philippians 2:6-11). Monks and nuns live according to the lifestyle of Christ to manifest the eschatological presence of the Kingdom of God. Thus, the virtue of Obedience demands the will of those living the consecrated life to be obedient in love.

Therefore, living the virtue of Obedience poses a considerable challenge for the monastic life. The crisis concerning moral values, ethics, and the risk of eliminating God from life; the tendency to worship materialism, pragmatism, individualism, and so forth, have all directly affected the lives of monks and nuns. Thus, the topic 'The Challenges of the Obedience Vow and the Way to Live the Obedience Vow in Contemporary Consecrated Life' aims to understand and clarify the issues raised. From there, a more comprehensive and profound understanding of this 'special' calling.