Holy Rose Garden - Little Thoughts from God's Meadow: Holy Orders
by Mother Eliora
Holy Orders are God's wonderful gift to all, who have accepted His calling and who are preparing or are ready to give their vows to serve God in Christ's spiritual church. We serve Him either in voluntary blessed celibacy or in holy matrimony, accordingly to God's will. St Paul formulated it in 1 Timothy 3:2, 12, and Titus 1:6
and John Donne preached extensively on the subject, too, and lived his words. It is wonderful to be able to draw on God's love that He perfected in His beloved Son, His Most Precious Holy Rose, through sinlessness and perpetual holiness and sainthood. Whenever we are anxious, doubting or hesitant in going the next step we need only ever to listen to Jesus' voice and we will know, where to go. There is no real crossroad, as Christ's path is always clear - but most of the time we must follow His voice blindly without seeing, where His path is leading us, as He grounds us with every single step. His living word manifests in us, when we pass through every single gate leading ever closer home to God by serving His wishes and commandments only that we hear in our hearts. We must listen and act upon His instructions no matter the cost as God only ever entrusts us as much as He knows we are able to carry as our cross. In religious life we are asked to go even more extra-miles than others, and we must lead by example and live a holy life in the world, which is not exactly easy in the global Sodom and Gomorrha of our days but
Jesus is with us every moment of our lives and makes sure we stay pure and are not being stabbed in the back by God's enemies' knives, as He sees all and hears all and takes everybody up on their responsibility - as we are His beloved holy family.
Vestments and habits of the religious are of highly symbolic significance but they must also not become tools of pride and enforced authority. Christ was robbed of all His clothes in the end, all dignity was taken from Him, and we must from all people detach ourselves from any vanity but put on our clothes with utmost humility and with a heart that serves God and His children selflessly. When we are known in our neighbourhood as 'the nun' or as 'Father' even in plain clothes, then we have achieved for a moment in time that those with eyes to see and ears to hear have recognized that we try our best to lead a holy life. A habit or vestment filled with a proud or corrupted heart is blasphemy, and so, we leave it to our brothers and sisters to serve God with the unique habit of the Order of the Holy Rose or just on special occasions as we must radiate God's love and light foremost - that is our garment. And with a silent smile or sympathy and understanding in our eyes we are dressed perfectly at all times to be recognized silently in the dark as God's little light, and that is His true might.
Holy Orders are God's wonderful gift to all, who have accepted His calling and who are preparing or are ready to give their vows to serve God in Christ's spiritual church. We serve Him either in voluntary blessed celibacy or in holy matrimony, accordingly to God's will. St Paul formulated it in 1 Timothy 3:2, 12, and Titus 1:6
and John Donne preached extensively on the subject, too, and lived his words. It is wonderful to be able to draw on God's love that He perfected in His beloved Son, His Most Precious Holy Rose, through sinlessness and perpetual holiness and sainthood. Whenever we are anxious, doubting or hesitant in going the next step we need only ever to listen to Jesus' voice and we will know, where to go. There is no real crossroad, as Christ's path is always clear - but most of the time we must follow His voice blindly without seeing, where His path is leading us, as He grounds us with every single step. His living word manifests in us, when we pass through every single gate leading ever closer home to God by serving His wishes and commandments only that we hear in our hearts. We must listen and act upon His instructions no matter the cost as God only ever entrusts us as much as He knows we are able to carry as our cross. In religious life we are asked to go even more extra-miles than others, and we must lead by example and live a holy life in the world, which is not exactly easy in the global Sodom and Gomorrha of our days but
Jesus is with us every moment of our lives and makes sure we stay pure and are not being stabbed in the back by God's enemies' knives, as He sees all and hears all and takes everybody up on their responsibility - as we are His beloved holy family.
Vestments and habits of the religious are of highly symbolic significance but they must also not become tools of pride and enforced authority. Christ was robbed of all His clothes in the end, all dignity was taken from Him, and we must from all people detach ourselves from any vanity but put on our clothes with utmost humility and with a heart that serves God and His children selflessly. When we are known in our neighbourhood as 'the nun' or as 'Father' even in plain clothes, then we have achieved for a moment in time that those with eyes to see and ears to hear have recognized that we try our best to lead a holy life. A habit or vestment filled with a proud or corrupted heart is blasphemy, and so, we leave it to our brothers and sisters to serve God with the unique habit of the Order of the Holy Rose or just on special occasions as we must radiate God's love and light foremost - that is our garment. And with a silent smile or sympathy and understanding in our eyes we are dressed perfectly at all times to be recognized silently in the dark as God's little light, and that is His true might.
God bless you!
Mother Eliora,
M.S. OHR
ORDER OF THE HOLY ROSE,
A Catholic order in the Angl.-Catholic tradition
in affiliation with Bishop Ralph Napierski in union
with the RCC
