In the fullness of time, God wills to reveal Himself to humanity so that man may enter into an intimate relationship with Him. God’s revelation culminates in the life, death, and resurrection of his only Son, Jesus Christ. Christ tells us, “this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40). By humbling himself to become man, dying on the cross, and rising on the third day, Christ reveals the merciful love of the Father who “wills everyone to be saved and come to knowledge of the truth” (1Tim. 2:4).
As Guardians of the Divine Will, we draw the entirety of our lives into the loving dialogue between God and man through our commitment to purity, consecration, and mission. We make it our priority to offer our entire lives towards the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation for all men and women. We are missionaries seeking to renew, fortify, and boldly contend for true masculinity in our world today. By consecrating every situation in our daily lives to God’s will, we seek to offer ourselves to Him as pure men of God, continually discerning His will for us, in order to bring the light of Christ to illuminate every inch of darkness in our own lives and in the world in which we live.
Purity: We will strive to be men pure of heart, mind, soul, and intention so that all our thoughts, words, and actions may participate in the purity of God’s plan for us. We will respect our bodies as temples of God by refraining from and denouncing sexual impurity, all forms of lust, excessive smoking and drinking, or under age drinking, that we may follow St. Paul’s exhortation:
“to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourself to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).
Striving to purify not only our bodies but our minds, we rid ourselves of pride, jealousy, foul language, and hate so that, in the words of Christ, we may “love one another, even as I have loved you” (John 13:34). We will also be men marked by the deepest respect for all women. We will be true Guardians of women’s dignity through both our external actions and our internal disposition. We will stand as protectors of all human life and defend the dignity of every human being. As true brothers, we will hold each other responsible for our actions and help one another overcome the current struggles in our lives. Our constant commitment to purity will give us the proper predisposition so as to be able to consecrate every thought, word, and deed to God’s will.
Consecration: At the heart of our consecration is an ever-growing relationship with God. In order to participate in God’s plan of salvation for our entire lives, and in response to God’s call to live always in His love, we seek to consecrate every moment of our daily lives to the Father. Following the words of St. Paul, “Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God,” we offer God everything we do throughout our days, requesting that God use our every thought, word, and action to bring ourselves, our friends, families and all people to eternal life (Philippians 4:6). Through the daily consecration of our lives to God’s perfect will, we strive to “live in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10). Our consecration allows us to always remain in the Lord’s presence, constantly aware of our vocation to work for the salvation of souls. We are then strengthened to consecrate every circumstance, regardless of whether or not the final outcome is clear. Offering all that we do, whether studies, athletics, friendships, relationships, music, or art, enables us to live rich, full human lives, ever in the context of God’s love and salvific work. We remember whenever we use our gifts that God has given them to us so we can serve Him and glorify His name through them. By doing this, we also discover the role that our gifts have in God’s plan for our lives. Learning how to live fully consecrated lives, we will become men who are able to go out into the world to be effective witnesses in our families, workplaces, and parishes.
Mission: We take on a strong missionary character as true Guardians of God’s will for the modern world. Seeking to follow Christ’s example, we will fully enter into contemporary culture in order to translate the Gospel into relevant and comprehensible terms for modern society. In doing so, we embrace what is good and untwist what has been distorted in today’s culture. We commit ourselves to “seek the Kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and ordering them according to the plan of God” (Lumen Gentium 31, Christifideles Laici 9). The consecration of our gifts and talents empowers us to use every single moment of our lives as an opportunity to reveal the beauty of virtue and the ugliness of sin to the world. By means of a joyful witness to the power of the Gospel, we seek to evangelize society and bring light to the darkness that surrounds us. Following St. Paul’s exhortation, we will “stand fast with [our] loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate…to quench the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:14, 16). Through our consecration, studying Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, Church documents, living a sacramental life, and being committed to personal prayer, we grow in our relationship with Christ. From the abundant overflow of life spilling from this relationship, we draw the strength to reveal to others our loving dialogue with our God. Compelled by the truth, we will go forth boldly into the world, fulfilling Christ’s prayer: “As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth” (John 17: 18-19).
Our Goal: Following the example of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, Blessed Pope John Paul II, and St. John Bosco, we vow to offer our daily circumstances, talents, and abilities for God’s glory in the modern world. Following Christ’s exhortation on the cross to take Mary as our Mother, we look to Mary as our own Guardian and follow her example as the first guardian of the Incarnate Word of God (cf. John 19:26-27). As we grow in a radical daily walk with Christ, we will draw strength from our brotherhood, encouraging one another to “stand firm in the Lord” (Philippians 4:1). Through our devotion to purity, consecration, and mission, we pledge our entire lives to the Lord. As Guardians of the Divine Will, we embrace the words of St. Paul: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and then the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9).
“Verso L’alto”-Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
