Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 85 No. 1, 2015.
Pregledni rad
Vita consecrata – confessio Trinitatis. The Triune Dimension of a Life Consecrated to God
Marija Pehar
orcid.org/0000-0002-8083-1896
; Katolički bogoslovni fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Vinka Marović
orcid.org/0000-0002-0628-4820
Sažetak
The immediate cause of this article is the Year of the Consecrated Life that has been pronounced in the Church. As part of the anniversary of the conciliar discourse, the Year of the Consecrated Life should be understood as the year of grace, of giving thanks, reflecting, and renewal of witnessing. As such, the Year of the Consecrated Life opens up existential issues of meaning and value of the consecrated life and realistic confrontation with reality that, at least in Europe, more often than not carries a sign of deep internal and external crisis. The starting point of this article is recognition that the consecrated life is, primarily, the life of faith in the radical discipleship of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the crisis of the consecrated life itself, understood as a dividing point and differentiation between the essential and inessential, is seen as not only a sign of times, but as its deeper, almost natural characteristic. If the consecrated life consists of the conscious life with God, then God himself is the permanent crisis – the dividing point of this life – because the consecrated life constantly reminds one of the fragility of one’s own identity and the highness of one’s goal. Hence, the issue of the consecrated life is primarily a theological issue. The second part of this article tries to reflect on this issue as a reflection on the Biblical revelation of God who is love (1 Jn 4:7.16); love within the Triune communion of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit and love that has been spilled on the creation even until the surrender to the death on the Cross. Christian theology recognises this love within the Trinity as a perichoretic communion of the Divine Persons, as mutual permeation, dialogue of love, and the diversity that, precisely because of the inner love, does not come apart in the multiplicity. This love shows all its splendour precisely in the event of the Cross. The Cross is the final and complete revelation of the Triune God as the perfect love; kenosis of the Son in time is the revelation of the eternal kenosis of love. The third part of this article directs this theological reflection back towards the consecrated life by recognising that it is, as the life of faith, called to follow precisely such described rhythm of life and love of the Triune God. Within these given Trinitarian coordinates, the consecrated life is being lived as confessio Trinitatis. This article tries to read the lines of the Trinitarian communion in the consecrated life on the level of sanctification through vows, on the level of common living, and on the level of its mission and proclamation. It does that by analysing two signifi cant post-conciliar documents on the consecrated life: Fraternal Life in Community and Vita Consecrata. The results of a detailed analysis lead to the conclusion that only in the context of the Trinitarian foundation, structure, and direction can the consecrated life, on its communitarian way towards the Mystery of God, be the yeast of life and joy, as well as a prophetic sign to the Church and the world.
Ključne riječi
consecrated life; monasticism; the Holy Trinity; communion; the Year of the Consecrated Life
Hrčak ID:
138500
URI
Datum izdavanja:
30.4.2015.
Posjeta: 1.826 *