On October 17, the Sisters of the María Rosa Molas Province participated in the webinar “Awakening Our Consecrated Vocation through Care and Prophecy,” led by Fr. Gonzalo, a Missionary Son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The gathering was an invitation to broaden our perspective and contemplate the reality of Consecrated Life from God’s perspective, learning to discover new signs of life and hope amid present circumstances. As the title itself anticipated, the proposal invited the Sisters to awaken from weariness and inertia, recovering a prophetic vision of consecrated vocation.
The reflection was inspired by Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter to Consecrated People from 2014–2015: “I expect you to wake up the world,” recalling that prophecy is an essential characteristic of Consecrated Life.
A clock showing different times
One of the first resources used was the metaphor of the clocks of Consecrated Life. Before interpreting what is happening in our own concrete reality, it is necessary to broaden our perspective and ask what is happening to Consecrated Life throughout the world.
The world map of a clock helped participants understand that there is not just one “hour” for Consecrated Life. Each geographical, cultural, and ecclesial context experiences different realities. Therefore, it is important not to fall into the temptation of considering what happens in our local context as necessarily representing the general situation.
Throughout the gathering, different “hours” of the clock were explored, each illuminated by a specific biblical text. The reflection led to a fundamental conviction: all the hours belong to God. In each one there are signs of light and darkness, and in all of them we can discover and give thanks for God’s presence.
Therefore, there is no reason for despair. Even in moments of decline, fragility, or uncertainty, the eyes of faith are called to recognize the signs of life that God continues to bring forth.
Numbers are not the ultimate criterion
Statistics concerning the presence of religious women, religious men, consecrated women and men in the Church helped participants better understand the dynamics of decline and expansion in Consecrated Life in different contexts.
Knowing these figures is important because cycles of growth and decline influence our attitudes and the way we face the present. However, statistics are not the ultimate criterion of authenticity or fidelity.
Beyond the numbers, the fundamental question is how we are living our vocation and what God is asking of us in the particular hour we are called to live.
From this perspective, the Sisters were invited to undertake a personal discernment exercise based on three questions:
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What time does the clock of Consecrated Life show in the context where you live?
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What are three indicators that best describe that hour?
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What are the main challenges presented by that hour?
Discerning before interpreting
Another important aspect of the gathering was the need to discern the different ways in which we can interpret the reality of Consecrated Life. Faced with the same situation, we may adopt moral, historical, or existential interpretations, or recognize that sometimes we are simply distracted from what is happening.
The invitation, therefore, was not to react automatically to reality, but to stop, contemplate it, and ask what God is saying through it. It means moving from a perspective marked only by weariness or concern toward one capable of discovering possibilities, calls, and signs of life.
From inertia to Exodus
In the final part of the gathering, the proposal of undertaking seven spiritual journeys was presented as an application of everything that had been reflected upon and as a prophetic rereading of Consecrated Life.
To live a Consecrated Life that is awake, centered, and prophetic, we need to set out on a journey. It is not simply a matter of organizing a “Synod,” but of living an Exodus: leaving our own land, privileges, securities, and comforts in order to walk together toward what God is showing us.
This journey invites us to experience synodality not simply as a concept, but as the concrete experience of walking together, leaving ourselves behind, and opening ourselves to encounter. A journey that ultimately leads to the symposium, the shared table, the banquet, and the Eucharist: the place where those who have journeyed together gather, share the bread, and celebrate the life they have received.
The webinar concluded with a call to awaken our consecrated vocation, recover a broad and faith-filled perspective on reality, and embrace the challenges of our time with hope. An awakened Consecrated Life does not ignore the hours of darkness, but knows how to recognize that, in each one, God remains present and continues to open paths of life.