Saint Catherine of
Siena
When we are
whom we are called to be, we will set the world
ablaze.
-- St. Catherine of Siena
Each state in
life has its special duties; by fulfilling
them one may find happiness in the world as in
solitude; for not all are called to separate
themselves from the society of men.
--St. Nicholas
of Flue
A good vocation
is simply a firm and constant will in which the
person who is called must serve God in the way and
in the places to which almighty God has called him.
--St. Francis
de Sales
It is
constancy that God wants.
-- Venerable Matt Talbot
At last I have
found my vocation. My vocation is love.
--St. Therese
of Lisieux
Detail of "The Crucifixion of Christ" by
Cimabue
(1268-71)
"Repent and believe the Good News!"
Penance means conversion. The Confraternity of
Penitents is a world wide private Catholic
association of the faithful, completely loyal to our
Pope and the Magisterium.
Our Rule of Life has been reviewed by our bishop and
recognized in these words: "this Rule does not
contain anything contrary to our faith; therefore it
may be safely practiced privately by you or by
anyone inclined to do so. . . . His Excellency
is appreciative of your efforts to live and promote
Franciscan spirituality and especially promote the
neglected practice of penance and he wishes you
success" (January 30, 1998).
Members of the Confraternity of Penitents live this
Rule in their own homes, devoted to prayer, penance,
fasting, conversion, and works of mercy modeled on
Jesus Christ and inspired by the lives and teachings
of
St. Francis,
St. Dominic,
St. Therese,
St. Benedict,
St. Augustine,
St. Ignatius,
and all the saints, most especially Mary, the Mother
of God, who lived a life of true penance
(conversion) in perfect union with our Lord.
May Our Lady and all the saints intercede for all
who wish to embrace a life of penance, anywhere in
the world, so that the grace of God will assist them
to obtain every virtue necessary for a life of
holiness and surrender to the Will of God! Amen.
PRAYER OF PENITENTS
"Most High, Glorious God, enlighten the darkness
of my mind, give me right faith, a firm hope and
perfect charity, so that I may always and in all
things act according to Your Holy Will. Amen."
(Saint Francis's prayer before the San Damiano
Crucifix)
MISSION OF PENITENTS
"Go and repair My House
which, as you can see, is falling into ruin." (The
message given to St. Francis in a voice from the San
Damiano Crucifix.)
ACTION OF PENITENTS
To pray for God's
specific direction in one's life so that, through
humbly living our Rule of Life, each penitent may
help to rebuild the house of God by bringing love of
God and neighbor to his or her own corner of the
world.
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Penance AS Vocation
(See also related
article on this
link)
"Prayer and fasting
are our hope, Penance our vocation." So goes a song
often sung during Lent.
The dictionary defines vocation as "a divine call to
the religious life." Does God give such a divine
call only to the unmarried? Is the religious life
possible only to those who live in monasteries,
convents, or rectories? Could penance be a vocation,
not just for Lent but for always? If it so, why
would anyone in his or her right mind embrace such a
vocation?
To say that God can give a vocation only to those
who are unmarried is to limit God and His
Providence. To say that the religious life is not
possible for those who live in the world is to say
that following God with one's whole being is not
possible for the married and for those holding down
jobs in the secular world. While the popular mind
may not recognize a religious vocation as being
possible for those in the world, the Catholic Church
certainly disagrees. From the very beginning, the
Church has recognized and encouraged the laity to
embrace "a divine call to the religious life." In
fact, every lay person is called to live "the
religious life" as a lay person. How else are we to
be converted?
The question really becomes, "What sort of religious
life are laity called to embrace?" The sacraments,
certainly. Chastity according to one's state in
life. Adherence to all ten commandments, in all
their nuances. Unmeasured love for God and for all
people. Finding and serving Jesus in the least of
humanity. If Catholics follow what the Church
teaches, they will be living a religious vocation.
Their faith and behavior will sanctify whatever
state of life God has called them to. They will
become holy.
God has, however, called some people to live in a
more radical way. It shouldn't be the individual's
choice about whether or not to enter religious life
or the seminary. God calls the person to do so.
Those who have heard the call--who have felt God's
prodding--know that their choice was about following
God's choice for them. It involved their free will
to say "no" to what God wanted them to do, much more
than their choosing between getting a PhD in
chemistry or becoming a priest or a religious.
Is it any surprise that God calls some laity to live
in a more spiritually radical way? Maybe they need
the discipline of a more radical life. Maybe they
are to offer up their so-called fanaticism as
prayers for others. Maybe they are to be examples of
self-discipline and sacrifice in a world that
focuses on self-fulfillment, power, and possession.
Maybe they are to show what it means to put God
first, others second, and themselves last instead of
in the reverse order.
Penance means ongoing conversion. Those called to
penance as a vocation are called to witness to the
truth that they, at least, can always improve.
They've never "made it" spiritually. They don't go
around broadcasting what they are doing, but the way
they act is broadcast enough. Lay penitents wear the
"habit" of humility, patience, simplicity, service,
and love, and those virtues ought to make them stand
out just as much as a religious veil or a collar
would. If penitent doesn't seem any different from
others in behavior, he or she isn't embracing the
call to penance.
The vocation to penance is a divine call. You don't
choose to embrace a penitential life. God calls you
to do so. Your choice is whether or not you are
going to listen to Him. Why would anyone embrace a
vocation to penance? Because God wants them to. To
refuse is to say "no" to God. Wise people don't do
that, not because they fear God's judgment but
because they want to "grab all the grace" He wants
to give them. The Rule God calls one to live is that
person's means of grace and sanctification. It's
that person's surest pathway to eternal life because
God set them on that pathway to bring them to
Himself. It's just not wise to tell God that you
have a better plan for your sanctification than He
does.
Many religious Rules of Life for the laity exist.
Some focus on prayer, others on community, others on
poverty, or evangelization, or sanctifying one's
work or family. Each has its own particular charism.
All are penitential to some degree. God calls
certain people to live certain Rules of Life. Why so
many Rules? Because there are so many types of
people. In His great love, God made a way for
everyone to follow Him more closely. What works best
for one person won't work best for another. You can
think of a religious Rule of Life as being similar
to a suit or a dress. One size doesn't fit all
bodies, and one Rule doesn't fit all temperaments.
You buy the clothes that fit you, and you look for
and embrace a Rule that fits you, too.
The Rule for the Confraternity of Penitents focuses
on penance, that is, personal conversion, with the
intention that the penitent will then embrace
whatever else God is calling him or her to--be it
deeper prayer, fostering a more wholesome community,
practicing greater poverty, evangelizing, and/or
bringing God in a new way into the workplace or
family. To live the Rule for the Confraternity of
Penitents is to say "yes" to God's divine call. It
is to say, "I agree to be continually converted by
You, my God, to follow You wherever You lead and to
do whatever You tell me. I'm not going to make any
plans or have any ideas about what You want next
year of me. I am available for whatever it is,
whenever it is, wherever it is, however it is. I am
totally Yours."
A person can embrace this attitude without living
the CFP Rule. But living the Rule makes it easier to
stick to such an attitude because the Rule reminds
you every day that you are to be converted. A
vocation is for always. God does not give a divine
call to live a religious life and then rescind that
call five years later. It is true that many people
enter religious life and then leave. The reasons for
their departure are many. Perhaps they were not
really called. Maybe God wanted them to embrace the
Rule for a time because they were to grown
spiritually through it, but He then intended them to
leave. But everyone is called to a religious
vocation of some sort. The question is not if but
how.
How will you know if penance is your vocation?
Chances are, you won't know unless you begin to
embrace it. Embracing it will teach you this, at
least. That you do have a religious vocation. It may
be to live the CFP Rule. It may be to live another
Rule. It may be to live "your own rule," that is, to
live a faithful, converted life in your own home as
you believe, through prayer, is best for you. The
important point is to pray about your vocation and
then "do whatever God tells you." He does have a
plan for your life. Only when you embrace it will
you be happy. Be certain that, no matter who you
are, you do have a religious vocation. May God show
you its exact nature!
Madeline Pecora
Nugent
Confraternity of Penitents
520 Oliphant Lane
Middletown RI USA
02842-4600
401/849-5421
bspenance@hotmail.com
copenitents@yahoo.com
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