Macierzyństwo duchowe w Kościele a posłuszeństwo na przykładzie osób konsekrowanych

Abstract

Spiritual maternity in the Catholic Church is a kind of spiritual guidance realized on an example of Jesus Christ, attracting people to the communion with One God in Three Persons. In practice it is fulfilled by the Church itself, personalizing Christ, through the mediation of people in grace, and especially the people called and predisposed to it. This refers to people who voluntarily accept it as help in striving at perfection. The prerequisite of the effect of maternity of spiritual guidance of people fulfilling it is submission to the example of their personal life and obedience towards God’s will expressed through it. Monastic obedience, resulting from accepting the obligation (by virtue of a vow or a promise) to observe it as evangelical advice is realized on the example of Jesus Christ and Holy Mary for God’s glory, in the care for personal spiritual perfection, the good of the congregation and for the fulfillment of its charisma in the community of the lay. It is externalized in the relation to the canonically established superior, obliged to the maternal spiritual guidance. It is not only an act rendered to the person delegated by God, but – in a way – to Himself – “we should see Christ himself in each superior and have inner respect and love for her, which makes us listen not for the fear of punishment or for the hope of a prize, but for higher reasons, without any hesitation or excuses, with courage and sincere joy resulting from the fact that we can follow Jesus Christ in this respect whose life’s goal was obedience” The importance of obedience of consecrated people who perform spiritual care both of the people living according to evangelical advice, and in the world is expressed in the words by John Paul II – “As consecrated people, both old and young, you stay faithful to your duties towards God, by building each other and supporting each other [...]. Do not forget that it is just you, in a very special way, who can and should proclaim that you not only belong to Christ but you «have become Christ»” (VC 109). This sentence said by the Holy Father expresses the goal of spiritual care of consecrated people in the Catholic Church, the goal which is christization and deitization of their life.