Vatican Radio REPORT- The World Day for Consecrated Life invites all Catholics to recognize the valuable contribution of consecrated men and women and to pray that “this gift may flourish in the Church,” said a Carmelite prior in an interview with Vatican Radio. The day of prayer is observed each year on 2 February, which is also the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. But parishes and religious communities worldwide have organized diverse activities, masses and prayer events throughout the weekend.
The World Day for Consecrated Life, instituted by Pope John Paul II in 1997, is a time of prayer for those in the Church who have committed to witness to their love for God through the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
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Pope Benedict XVI today presided over Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica in celebration of the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, a feast which also corresponds with the World Day for Consecrated Life.
In his homily, the Holy Father welcomed the consecrated men and women present, reminding them how the Feast of the Presentation “manifests the beauty and virtue of the consecrated life.” During this Feast, he said, we recall “the entrance of Mary into the Temple: the Virgin Mary… carrying in her arms Light Itself, the Word incarnate, Who came to dispel the darkness of the world with the love of God.” The Joy of the consecrated life, the Holy Father continued, is found in the participation in the Cross of Christ. Just as God’s light flows from the pierced heart of Mary, it is through the suffering, sacrifice, and gift of self that consecrated persons live for the love of God, and others, evangelizing by radiating this same light.
SHARED FROM RADIO VATICANA