Pope Francis celebrates a vigil at the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, which is celebrated as the World Day of Consecrated Life. In his sermon, the Pope invites religious men and women to be patient and courageous to continue, explore new avenues, and respond to the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
By Vatican News Staff Writer
At the Mass for the presentation of the Lord, Pope Francis focused on the words of Simeon as he “looked forward to the consolation of Israel” (Lk 2:25).
He introduced his sermon describing Simeon recognizing in the Child Jesus “the light that came to shine upon the Gentiles”: He was an elderly man, explained the Pope, who had patiently waited for the Lord’s promises to be fulfilled.
Simeon’s patience
“Let’s take a closer look at Simeon’s patience,” said the Pope, “he had waited all his life and exercised the patience of the heart.”
He noted that “ Simeon had learned that God does not come in extraordinary events, but works in the midst of the seeming monotony of our daily life, in the often dull rhythm of our activities, in the little things we achieve through tenacity and humility. to work. in our efforts to do his will. “
Simeon, the Pope continued, did not tire, although there had certainly been painful and troubled times in his long life, but he did not lose hope: “the flame was still burning bright in his heart.”
Trusting in the Lord’s promise, Pope Francis explained, he did not allow himself to be consumed by regret or the feeling of despondency that can come as we approach the twilight of our lives.
“His hope and expectation was reflected in the daily patience of a man who remained vigilant despite everything until ‘his eyes finally saw the redemption’ that had been promised,” he said.
Pope Francis presides mass on the day of prayer for a consecrated life
A mirror of God’s own patience
The Pope further noted that Simeon’s patience mirrored God’s own patience. In fact, through prayer and the history of his people, Simeon had learned to see in the Lord “a God who is gracious and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in steadfast love and faithfulness.”
He reflected on Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans in which the apostle says that patience “ leads us to repentance, ” quoting the German priest, author, and academic Romano Guardini, who once noted that patience is God’s way of responding on our weakness and gave us the time we need to change, the Pope said: “More than anyone else, the Messiah, Jesus, who held Simeon in his arms, shows us the patience of God, the merciful Father who keeps calling, until our last hour. “
God, repeated Pope Francis, does not demand perfection, but always opens up new possibilities when everything seems lost, in the desire to open a breach in our hardened hearts.
God never tires of waiting for us
“This is the reason for our hope: that God never tire of waiting for us,” said the Pope, adding that “when we turn away, he comes looking for us; when we fall, he lifts us up; when we Returning to him after we have lost our way, he waits for us with open arms. His love is not weighed in the balance of our human calculations, but inexorably gives us the courage to start over. “
Pope Francis presides mass on the day of prayer for a consecrated life
Our patience
Pope Francis then invited devoted men and women to look at the patience of God and the patience of Simeon as they view their own lives as dedication.
Patience, he said, is not just about tolerating difficulties or showing grim determination when faced with hardship, “it is not a sign of weakness, but the strength of the mind that enables us to lift the burden of personal and to bear community problems, to accept that others are different from ourselves, to endure in goodness when all seems lost, and to carry on even when we are overcome by fatigue and listlessness. “
He pointed to what he called three “institutions” in which patience can be concrete:
Private life
Our personal lives, in which we have responded to the Lord’s calling, have not always been constant because of disappointments, frustrations, and feelings of powerlessness.
“In our lives as devoted men and women, hope can slowly fade due to unfulfilled expectations. We must be patient with ourselves and wait hopefully for God’s own times and places, for he always remains true to his promises. If we remember this, we can retrace our steps and revive our dreams, instead of giving in to inner sadness and discouragement, ”he said.
“Brothers and sisters,” the Pope urged, “inner sorrow in us devoted persons is like a worm — a worm that eats us from within. Flee from inner grief! ‘
Community life
A second setting in which patience can become concrete, the Pope continued, is community life.
He said that human relationships are not always serene, especially when it comes to sharing a life project or apostolic activity: there are times when conflicts arise and no immediate resolution can be expected, nor should rash judgments be made. formed.
The Pope said it takes time to step back, keep the peace and wait for a better time to resolve situations in charity and in truth, and he urged men and women who live in communities to cultivate this kind of mutual patience: “the ability to carry the life of one of our brothers or sisters on our own shoulders, including his or her weaknesses and shortcomings.”
‘Let’s keep in mind that the Lord is not calling us to be soloists,’ and there are many in the church that he said He’s calling us’ to be part of a choir that can sometimes miss a few notes, but should always try to sing in unison. “
Our relationship with the world
The third situation described by Pope Francis concerns our relationship with the world.
Recalling how Simeon and Anna cherished the hope proclaimed by the prophets, “even if it is only slowly being fulfilled and growing quietly amidst the unfaithfulness and ruins of our world.”
He said “they did not complain about how wrong things are, but patiently looked for the light that shone in the darkness of history,” stressing that “we too need that kind of patience, so as not to fall into the trap of that. ‘the world no longer listens to us’, or’ we have no more callings’, ‘these are not easy times’ …’
“It may happen that even as God patiently works the soil of history and our own hearts, we may show ourselves impatiently and want to judge everything immediately. In this way we lose hope, ”he said.
Pope Francis presides mass on the day of the prayer for consecrated life
Patience helps us to be merciful
Pope Francis closed his sermon, explaining that “patience helps us to be merciful in the way we view ourselves, our communities and our world.”
He invited devoted men and women and all believers to never cease to welcome the patience of the Holy Spirit, never to cease to be with one another and to radiate the joy of brotherly life, never to cease to be patient our service:
“These are real challenges to our consecrated life: we cannot dwell on nostalgia for the past or just keep repeating the same old things. We need patience and courage to keep making progress, to explore new avenues, and to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost. ‘
Never gossip or lose your sense of humor!
At the end of the Mass, Pope Francis thanked Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life, for welcoming those in attendance.
He noted that in this time of pandemic, patience is badly needed to move forward ‘offering our lives to the Lord.’
Referring again to his just-pronounced homily dedicated to “patience,” he reflected on how life within a religious community is fraught with the danger of gossip.
“Please remove yourself from gossip,” he said, “it kills community life!”
The Pope acknowledged that this is not easy at times, but invited devoted men and women to “bite their tongues” before gossiping about others: “Bite your tongue so it swells and occupies your mouth and you cannot speak poorly. ! “
The other advice he had in store for his religious brothers and sisters is to never lose their sense of humor: “It helps us so much. It’s the anti-gossip, knowing how to laugh at yourself, at situations, even at others – with a good heart! “
Thank you, the Pope concluded, for what you are doing, thank you for your testimony. Thank you, thank you very much for your difficulties, for the way you carry them and for the way you endure the pain for lack of vocations: have courage, the Lord is great, the Lord loves us. Let’s follow the Lord! “
The World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life was instituted in 1997 by Pope John Paul II. This celebration is connected with the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2. The celebration of World Consecrated Life Day is carried over to the following Sunday to promote the gift of consecrated persons to the entire Church.
Pope Francis presides mass on the day of prayer for a consecrated life