This article is courtesy of New Leader magazine.
By Sr. Teresa Joseph, FMA-
In the present scenario, there is a drastic shift in the way in which the planting and the nurturing of charism is being realized in various religious Congregations. Recently, we witnessed a group of pioneering missionaries and most of them leaving for the missions after having a profound experience of the Founder/Founderess, the first community of Sisters etc.
Today, we have the joy of seeing Sisters from Thailand, Philippines, India, Myanmar, Sudan, etc. humbly and courageously moving forward to take the Good News of Jesus and share it according to the specific Charism of each Congregation making the best of their feminine genius.
Feminine Genius Accompanied by Faith
Consecrated Life becomes a privileged place for the maximum expression of the feminine genius. For an insightful understanding of the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, consecrated women need to make the best use of the feminine genius, docile and open to the working of the Holy Spirit. Genius can take us to a certain peak and will entrust us to faith, a faith that will help to understand even the finest touches of the working of grace in the depth of our being.
Every true mission has its origin and realization in God’s loving design. What is it that made Sts. Teresa of Avila, Thérèse of Lisieux, Faustina of Poland, Edith Stein of Germany, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Alphonsa of Kerala great Saints?
Feminine Genius Forming Precise Styles of Holiness
Consecrated life is a call to follow Jesus Christ more closely. It is in this process that the feminine genius finds creative ways to give life to precise styles of holiness. Christopher West in his inspirational book: Woman: God’s Masterpiece affirms that the vocation of woman is: To be open and receptive to God’s grace so as to give birth to holiness in the world. This has been so true in the lives of so many women saints across the Five Continents.
Pope Francis in his Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete Et Exsultate on the Call to Holiness in Today’s World, affirms the writings of St. John Paul II on the feminine genius, encourages women to cultivate specific style of holiness and above all affirms that: the “’genius of woman’ is seen in feminine styles of holiness, which are an essential means of reflecting God’s holiness in this world”.
Jesus is the New Wine
Jesus is the new wine. Our life becomes a continuous, steady celebration of love. The ever challenging question is: how can we make our very being the new wineskin? Mary made the best of her feminine genius to transform her being into a worthy dwelling place for Jesus, pondered upon His words, pleaded with Him to anticipate the miracle of turning water into wine. She continues to whisper: do whatever He tells you. St. Paul the great Apostle and daring Missionary considered everything else as rubbish for the sake of knowing Christ Jesus.
Developing Feminine Genius Becoming New Wineskins
The new relationship we continue to establish with the living God can be called passing from old wineskins to new. As we continue to admire Mary’s flexibility in preparing her very being as the new wineskin, our feminine genius urges us to embrace the challenge of being flexible and humble imploring the Lord to sustain us with a Spirit of Fervour. Thus to become ever committed to realize together the dream of Pope Francis “of a new missionary era, I am mission, being in a permanent state of mission, I dream of a ‘missionary option’ that is a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything”.
Growing More and More into the Likeness of Jesus
The female saints offer outstanding examples to motivate us to cultivate our feminine genius. St. John Paul II often noted, the women saints are the very embodiment of this “feminine genius” for thorough openness to God and the human person. How inspiring and life giving are the rich heritage gifted by our saints. Colleen Carroll Campbell in her article The Genius of the Women Saints affirms: I found myself turning again and again to the wisdom of the women saints.
Feminine Genius a Call to Surrender
It is the growing awareness of being personally known, loved, called and consecrated (Jer 1:5) by God for a particular mission that makes consecrated woman to set holiness, growing more and more into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ as her topmost priority. Only a consecrated woman who is passionately in love with Jesus can radiate the grandeur of holiness through her very being and operating. St. Edith Stein’s words are so relevant: “This is a serious warning cry: Surrender without reservation to the Lord who has called us. This is required of us so that the face of the earth may be renewed.”