Vow of Chastity in the Order of St. Francis

June 7, 2022 - St. Francis Spiritual Sustenance with the Rev. Dr. Kristofer Lindh-Payne

In this four week video series, Kristofer will be reflecting on the promises he is preparing to make in early June as part of his formation in the Order of St. Francis. In this Profession of Vows, his two-year period of the novitiate will come to an end. You are invited to listen in, as Kristofer discusses the promises we make to God. In today’s reflection, he will share more about his understanding of the Vow of Chastity, how it takes form in this uniquely Anglican/ Episcopal way of being, and explore with you about how this value may have meaning in your own life and ministry as part of St. Francis Episcopal Parish & Community Center. See below for an excerpt on The Vow of Chastity from the website of the Order of St. Francis: https://www.orderofsaintfrancis.org/vocation The Order of Saint Francis: Profession of Vows -- The Vow of Chastity “If they believe all these things, wishing to confess them faithfully and observe them diligently until the end; and if they have no wives, or their wives have entered a convent, or permission has been given to them by authority of their bishop, a vow of chastity having been taken and their wives being of such an age as to avoid suspicion…” (Rule of 1223) Under Christianity, chastity has been practiced in a manner unknown under any other influence. Christian morality seeks to prescribe the right order of relations among human beings. It therefore must direct and control the manner of relationship sustained to each other by soul and body. Chastity is the decision to live with all in love, with respect for each person's integrity. It is not a denial of one's sexuality and capacity for love, but a dedication of the whole self to God: free from indecency or offensiveness and restrained from all excess, in order to be free to love others without trying to possess or control. A Brother should approach all relationships with the respect and dignity that Jesus Christ commands of each of us in that we are His children and that our bodies are a temple unto the Lord. He should be celebate in his relations with others when single and remain chastely monogamous when blessed with a partner or spouse, if so willed by God. Above all else, a brother should love all and practice purity of heart, which is the source of true fraternity. Evangelical poverty demonstrates confidence in the Father, affects interior freedom, and disposes to promote a more just distribution of wealth. A Brother must provide for himself or his family and serve society by means of his work and material goods, and therein lies a particular manner of living evangelical poverty. To understand and achieve it requires a strong personal commitment, the stimulation of the fraternity in prayer and dialogue, communal review of life, attentiveness to the instructions of the Church, and the demands of society. The Brother should pledge himself to reduce his own personal needs so as to be better able to share spiritual and material goods with his fellow brothers and sisters, especially those most in need. He should give thanks to God for the goods he has received, using them as a good steward and not as an owner. He should take a firm position against consumerism and against ideologies and practices which prefer riches over human and religious values and which permit the exploitation of the human person and our environment.