No. 11 of the decree speaks about
the secular institutes. According to the council their profession of the
evangelical counsels are recognized by the church. Their chief aim should be
charity and they should preserve their secular character.
No. 12, 13, 14
speaks about the three evangelical counsels. First the council speaks
about the Chastity. It is an outstanding gift of grace. Council gives a
definition for chastity; “it is the dedication to the service of god
with an undivided heart”. The religious must have a heart inflamed with
love for God and for all men. In order to observe the chastity the religious
must practice mortification and custody of senses. According to the council
chastity is guarded more securely when true brotherly love flourishes in the
common life of the community. Through this decree the council strictly
prohibits the admittance of a candidate to the vow of chastity unless he has
shown to possess the required psychological and emotional maturity. They must
learn that celibacy binds them to God.
Voluntary Povertyaccording to the
council is an expression of the following of Christ because Christ himself
became poor for our sake. Poverty doesn’t mean starving. It means “trust
ourselves to the providential care of our Father in Heaven”. Council
exhortsthe religious communities to witness the poverty and gladly use their
own goods for supporting poor. Though the religious by professing the vow of
poverty trust fully in the providence of God, the church permits the religious
communities to possess whatever is required for their temporary life and work,
but they should avoid every appearance of luxury, excessive wealth and the
accumulation of goods
Obedience according to the council
means “full surrender of our own will as a sacrifice of ourselves to God”,
and thus the religious are united permanently and securely to God’s Salvific
Will. Council teaches that the superiors hold the place of God and the members
must subject themselves to the superiors. They should humbly obey them. Under
their guidance the members are led to the service of their brothers in Christ.
Council also explains about the duty of the superiors. They should fulfill
their office in a way responsive to God’s Will. They should exercise their
authority out of a spirit of service to the brethren. They should be careful to
respect the liberty of their subjects in matters of sacramental confession.
No.15 explains meaning of the Common
Life. According to the teaching of
the council it is a model of Early Churchwhich was the body of the
believers united in heart and soul. It was love that bound them together in
perfect unity.
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