No, I’m not getting married. I have, however, been thinking about the Scriptural background behind vow taking and vows that I may want to take during my time in Idaho. I wanted to share some of the things I have learned in my study.
Vow-taking in the Old Testament is not uncommon. The most famous type was the Nazarene vow of Numbers 6. Vows are mentioned in the Psalms and the Prophets. They do not disappear, but rather surprisingly reappear in the book of Acts. In Acts 18 and 21, Paul speaks of a personal vow he took and four others who have taken vows which he supports.
As Catholics we think of vows as realities reserved for priests, religious and consecrated. The most famous triad being chastity, poverty and obedience. Interestingly, these three are actually “Johnny-come-latelies” in the history of vow taking among Catholic religious communities. For example, the ancient Benedictine monastic tradition proposed the vows of stability, obedience and conversion of life. I will be embracing these three in my upcoming circumstances as an oblate candidate with The Monastery of the Ascension in Jerome, Idaho.
One of the interesting things I discovered is that the word “vow” has the same root as “devotion” or “devote.” With that in mind, the idea of vow taking is tied to some interesting verses in the New Testament that stand as an invitation to all Christians. For example, the apostles (we all share in the apostolate), were to “devote” (vow) themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4). The early Christian community was especially devoted or “vowed” to the apostle’s teachings, fellowship, the breaking of bread (Eucharist) and prayer (Acts 2:42, see also Acts 1:14). Paul also uses the term in relationship to the life of prayer (see Col. 4:2; Romans 12:12).
One of the Gospel passages that has produced a lot of fruit during my Lectio Divina is Mark 3:9. The traditional English translation doesn’t communicate the power of the Greek. Most translations read, “And he told his disciples to have a boat ready because of the crowd, lest they crush him.” The phrase “have a boat ready” is literally “have a boat devoted or vowed” to Him. It has become a luminous verse for me on prayer. That boat is the space in my life that I carefully prepare, and fiercely guard for Him, against the “crowd” of distractions, thoughts, anxieties, etc. that threaten to crowd Him out of my life.
In addition to the traditional Benedictine promises above, prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4), I am praying about how to devote myself more fully to hospitality (more on this one in a future post). Hospitality is not simply making your home a hostel or throwing dinner parties. I am learning that hospitality is something I carry with me. It is making Christ present in every conversation and carrying Him into every “space” I enter. Hospitality it also at the heart of prayer (showing hospitality to the Mystery of the Trinity like Abraham and Sarah).
