In religious life we respond in a particular way to the Christian vocation of realizing the fullness of love. We are called to follow Christ in the power of the Spirit into a chaste life, which Christ lived and which he himself keeps alive in the Church through the Gospel. Our vow of chastity is our personal response to that call.

By our vow of chastity, we forego marriage and live as celibates. However, our sacrifice of the deep values of family life and marriage is only the inverse side of a positive and joyful choice of a way of life. Our dedication to the proclamation of the Kingdom and the realization of brotherhood under God calls for a life of chastity, which opens us totally to others in love and friendship. Thus chastity is directed to generosity made real in sharing a life of Christian love and concern for all. Living chastely in this way is a source of human happiness. Hence, we must continually take care that our fellowship is in actual fact an opportunity for each brother to grow to maturity and personal fulfillment among people. Conversely, the chaste life will be supported and encouraged by those human relationships which constitute the joy and gladness of our existence.

In accepting chastity as our way towards love, we wish to strive for a spontaneous, cheerful forgetfulness of self and a willingness to bear the suffering and burdens without which love cannot come to fulfillment. We realize that the Cross is the embodiment of a life lived in that love which goes forth to embrace the whole world. To be a brother to all people is to live under the sign of the Crucified One.

Chastity therefore should not alienate us from the world, but rather must set us free to live in total availability in and for the world. As we live in this world of ours and collaborate in building a richer and more meaningful human community, we testify through our chaste life that God is the one true origin of all human love and community, and that He is the One alone who one day shall be all in all.

Text from Crosier General Constitutions
Illustration is from The Deventer Gradual, a 16th century illuminated Crosier prayer book.