was 22 and graduating from college, I felt this call and so I entered
the Marianite congregation before I
could rationalize or talk my way out
of it!
Most people, when they think
of the vows of poverty, celibacy, and
obedience, tend to see them in terms
of what we can’t do. Simply put, we
have no money of our own, we can’t
get married or date, and someone
else tells us what we can and cannot
do. While I suppose that’s technically
true, if that were all it is about, who
in their right mind would say yes to
such a life? The vows are meant to
free us rather than constrict us so
that we can spend more of our time
and energy building up the kingdom
of God.
The vow of poverty:
Enough is enough
Poverty to me means developing a
healthy practice of using the word
enough. Our society tells us that we
constantly need more, bigger, the
latest, and the best to be happy. The
vow of poverty calls me to live sim-
ply, to be satisfied with what I have,
and to share with others. The vow of
poverty is not so much about being
materially poor but rather avoid-
ing the accrual of things and status,
using in moderation the natural
resources of the world, and follow-
ing the example of Jesus and his first
disciples. While I have everything I
need and lots of things I want, I hope
I have a healthy detachment toward
those things and that neither my
happiness nor my self-worth is de-
pendent on what I do or do not have.
That in itself is a huge freedom!
Vowing poverty, however, is not
without its struggles. For me the
hardest part monetarily is not having
the means to give to people the way
I’d like to. I know that’s my problem
and that people do not expect huge
gifts from me, but I suppose that’s
an area where I still need to develop
acceptance.
Desires to have things and to go
places don’t vanish with religious
profession, and while that could be
considered a struggle of poverty,
I think people in all walks of life
have trouble in those areas from
time to time.
Celibacy: Open your heart
Celibacy is probably the vow that
causes the most consternation and
hesitancy to those considering
vowed life. How can one possibly
live without marriage, sex, and
children and be happy and fulfilled?
Again, if my understanding of the
vow is one-dimensional, I would
never be able to live it. In choosing celibacy, we choose not to marry,
which is very different from saying
we can’t get married, the way most
people describe the vow.
The best way I can explain my
understanding of it is by sharing
some phrases from my Marianite
community’s constitution on the vow
of celibate chastity: “We acknowl-
The vows are meant
to free us rather than
constrict us so that we can
spend more of our time
and energy building up
the kingdom of God.
“
Learn more about #157 at VocationNetwork.org
For more information, contact:
Sr. Nancy Zemcuznikov, O.S.B.
benedicinevocations@gmail.com | 605.882.6651
watertownbenedictines.org
Joyfully
seeking God in Community
