I sat in a cathedral in Detroit, anticipating the Mass for the Consecration of Virgins Living in the World. Three women were dressed in bridal gowns, ready to dedicate their lives to Jesus by marrying Him. Does this sound a bit odd to you? A virgin. A virgin who gets married. A virgin who gets married and remains a virgin. This virgin is also not the same thing as a nun. Yep, it's odd. One of the virgins at the Mass I attended said that it was definitely a "peculiar" thing. Let's explain what this is exactly. You've heard me talk about nuns. They are religious sisters who take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Typically, a nun is a virgin, and she is called to live a virginal lifestyle. She lives in a community and usually wears a mark that attributes her to a specific community (a habit). Consecrated virgins, however, do not take vows, though they commit themselves to God. A consecrated virgin doesn't live in a community or wear a religious habit because she lives in the world. She does an ordinary job like you and me and often has her own house. She is self-supportive and her virginity is a witness to what we are all called to be: married to God (if married is too scary of a word, just think of it as union with God). As I was watching these virgins become consecrated, I was thinking about myself. What about me? Me. I need to figure out what I'm doing with my life. God--concentrate on me now! My thoughts continued and they had a lot of me's, myself's, and I's. I wasn't really even thinking about the ceremony, I was so caught up in myself. It made me squirmy and I felt very burdened, like I had to solve the problems of the world because the world was all about me. That is when our lovely Jesus said to me, "Hey Jacqueline, this isn't about you." I looked up at the crucifix in the giant cathedral suspended in front of stained glass windows. "You're right," I told Him, and added a "duh". Of course Jesus is right! The whole ceremony changed for me right there! Oh my goodness! This isn't about me. That takes a lot of the pressure off. I'm not the one getting married today. It was the three virgins getting married today and I was blessed to witness the wedding. I felt relieved and joyful. I watched one virgin help another virgin stand up in her long wedding gown. Woah...she was thinking about the other virgin--not herself! These brides knew that the wedding wasn't even about themselves. "What?" You might say, "The wedding wasn't about the brides?" Yep. The wedding wasn't about the brides, but rather it was about the Bride. The Bride of Christ, known as the Church. We are all a part of the Bride of Christ, so this marriage ceremony foreshadowed the wedding that all of us will have when we come into eternal life and are united with Jesus. Pretty cool, huh? I love weddings and most people love weddings as well. We like commitment, ceremony, romance, and beauty. Most of all, we like love. We like a man giving himself totally to a woman and a woman giving herself totally to a man in return. Guess what, all of you who are not married? Jesus gives Himself totally to you on the cross and He is asking you to give yourself totally to Him. Guess what, married couples (including priests and religious)? Your spouse is called to give him/herself totally to you, as Jesus gives Himself totally to you. And you are called to give yourself totally to your spouse, and in doing so, give yourself totally to Jesus. Widows and widowers: you know the godly love between man and woman and you get to testify to others the great love that you know.
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AuthorJacqueline St. Clare: I spent six months in a cloistered convent, and now I'm a college student! Archives
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