Our Carmel recently had the great joy of celebrating the First Profession of Sr. Talitha of the Trinity! Sr. Talitha has successfully completed the first four years of formation as a Discalced Carmelite: the year of aspirancy, the year of postulancy and the two years of novitiate. During this time, she grew in her understanding of what it means to be a Carmelite in our Community and she believes that God is calling her to give herself to Him in this Carmel. She has taken the step of vowing herself to Him for three years to find out if this is truly where He is calling her. She will have five years in all to make sure before deciding if she is called to take the definite step of pronouncing her solemn vows.
Men and women throughout history, and in all cultures and religions, have vowed themselves to the divine in different ways. As the centuries passed, Christians drawn to this total gift of themselves to God, found that vows of chastity, poverty and obedience presented a good framework for their self-offering. The three vows are all different aspects of the single gift of oneself to God, but each emphasizes a different facet of our human nature. Pondering the different vows one by one can help us to deepen our understanding of the whole gift that we make in religious profession. Let us take a closer look at each of them.
