"Poustinia"
May peace reign within your walls!
In your homes, peace!” – Psalm 122:7
Whether young or old, married or single, with or without children, Transitus Oblates are to live quietly and honorably in their homes, pursuing the holiness that comes from faithfully fulfilling the duties of their chosen station in life as unto the Lord, and not for men. “And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
The poor, humble, and hidden life of the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, & Joseph), in appearance insignificant, teaches us the great value of actions performed in an ordinary fashion. Holiness does not lie in accomplishing extraordinary works, but in living the life of every day in a holy way. The burden of daily work, the monotony of daily life, and to perform every action with love, offering it to God: this is the normal way in which we can sanctify ourselves.
Oblates are to do their best to make their residence a sanctuary of the Holy Ghost and school of Christian life as a living witness of the domestic expression of the Church (Ecclesia domestica) and of a Christian society (Christendom). “I will walk with blameless heart within my house.” In their homes, Oblates should cultivate the monastic spirit of peace, joy, fraternity, hospitality, fidelity, and respect for life, striving to make of it a sign of a world already renewed in Christ.
Oblates are to establish a proper form and sense of ritual and rhythm to their daily lives without legalism and rigidity. The structure and life of their home should reflect the peace and sanctity of the soul that is in friendship with God, and like the monastery, a perfect balance of order and flexibility. Every home should be, to the best of one’s ability, a hermitage or “house of prayer” from which they are formed and sent forth as lay apostles, and to which they return.Oblates are to order their activities so as to make adequate time for prayer, study, work, leisure, fellowship, apostolic service, and rest, understanding that these are not ends in themselves but the means by which we may attain and offer something this world cannot give––union with God.
Their home life and social life are to be ordered, governed, and formed by the Church’s Liturgical Year, so that each day may be lived in the presence of God, in conversation with Him, where every action is rendered sacred by the benediction which accompanies it. Sundays and all Holy Days are to be faithfully observed, as we are told, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Oblates are encouraged to beautify their homes with sacred images, which serve as holy reminders of their citizenship in the Kingdom of God and their future home with God, the Angels, and the Saints in heaven. They are encouraged to dedicate at least one “sacred space” for daily prayer, study, meditation, silence, contemplation, reflection, and holy conversation, and if possible to enthrone the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts of Jesus and Mary as King and Queen of their home and family with the official Enthronement ceremony according to the directives of the Church. For if Christ cannot reign within our homes, why should we expect Him to reign outside of them? Thus, in all these things, Oblates faithfully profess, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
