The celebration of the Day of Consecrated Life […] is intended to help the whole Church to value more and more the witness of people who have chosen to follow Christ closely through the practice of the evangelical counsels and, at the same time, to be for consecrated persons a favourable opportunity to renew the intentions and revive the sentiments that must inspire their dedication to the Lord.
John Paul II
Celebrating World Day of Consecrated Life Together: An Invitation to the Congregation’s Missionaries
On the occasion of the upcoming World Day of Consecrated Life on 2 February, we unite in a spirit of gratitude and deep reflection. This day, established by St John Paul II in 1997, is a significant time to value the gift of consecrated life in our Church and throughout the world.
Reflection on Our Vocation
This day offers us the opportunity to reflect on the beauty and importance of our vocation. As members of the Congregation of the Mission, founded by our beloved St. Vincent de Paul, we are called to follow Christ closely, living the evangelical counsels with a renewed commitment. It is a time to revive the sentiments that inspire our donation to the Lord and to renew the resolutions of our vocation.
A Common Commitment for the Church
Consecrated life does not only concern us who have received this special charism, but touches the entire Christian community. Our mission, especially on the threshold of new temporal and spiritual horizons, is fundamental to the life and future of the Church. As St John Paul II wrote in Vita Consecrata, we are called to look to the future with confidence, relying on God’s faithfulness and the power of His grace.
Celebration and Witness
This year, as we celebrate the Day of Consecrated Life, let us reflect on how we can be joyful witnesses of our faith in the different situations of today’s world. Immersed in a rapidly changing world, we must return to the source of our vocation, balance our lives and reaffirm our commitment to consecration.
The Example of Mary in the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
The celebration of this day coincides with the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. Mary, who presents Jesus in the Temple, symbolises our call to offer ourselves completely to God. In her we find the inspiration and the model for our consecration.
A Wishing for Joy and Perseverance
As we approach this special day, let us unite in prayer full of joy and perseverance for our vocation. May the Virgin Mary, who presented the Saviour to the world, guide and sustain us always on our journey.
Prayer of the Consecrated Men and Women
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and our Father
accept the prayer we address to you.
Look kindly upon our desire for good
and help us to live the gift of vocation with passion.
You Father,
who by a gratuitous design of love
call us, in stability or in itinerancy, to seek in the Spirit
Thy face, make us carry within us the memory of Thee: may it be a source of life in solitude and fraternity to be, in the stories of our time, a reflection of Thy love.
Christ, Son of the living God
who walked our roads chaste, poor, obedient,
our companion in silence and listening,
keep in us filial belonging as the source of love.
Make us live the gospel of encounter:
Help us to humanise the earth and create fraternity, bringing together the labours of those who are tired and no longer seek, the joy of those who wait, of those who have sought,
of those who cherish signs of hope.
Holy Spirit, Fire that burns
illuminate our path in the Church and in the world.
Give us the courage to proclaim the Gospel
and the joy of service in the feriality of days.
Open our spirit to the contemplation of beauty.
Keep within us gratitude and awe for creation,
let us recognise the wonders
that you perform in every living thing.
Mary, Mother of the Word
watch over our lives as consecrated men and women,
so that the joy received from the Word
fills our existence and your invitation
to do what the Master says (cf. Jn 2:5),
find us active interpreters in the proclamation of the Kingdom.
Amen!
Pope Francis
Girolamo Grammatico
Office of the Congregation
