Pope Francis celebrates a Vigil Mass on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, which is celebrated as the World Day of Consecrated Life. In his homily, the Pope invites religious men and women to be patient and courageous in order to continue to advance, explore new ways, and respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
By Vatican News staff writer
At the Liturgy for the Presentation of the Lord, Pope Francis focused on Simeon’s words when he “looked forward to the consolation of Israel” (Lk 2:25).
He presented his homily describing Simeon who recognized in the Infant Jesus “the light that came to shine upon the Gentiles:” He was an old man, explained the Pope, who had patiently waited for the fulfillment of the Lord’s promises.
Simeon’s patience
“Let’s take a closer look at Simeon’s patience,” the pope said, “for the rest of his life, he waited, exercising the patience of his heart.”
He noted that “Simeon had learned that God does not come in extraordinary events, but works in the midst of the apparent monotony of our daily lives, in the often boring pace of our activities, in the little things that, working with tenacity and humility, we realize in our efforts to do his will. ”
Simeon, the Pope continued, did not tire, although in his long life there were certainly painful and difficult times, but he did not lose hope: “the flame was still burning strong in his heart.”
Trusting in the Lord’s promise, Pope Francis explained, he did not allow himself to be consumed by regret or a sense of discouragement that may come as we approach the twilight of our lives.
“His hope and expectations found expression in the daily patience of a man who, in spite of all, remained vigilant, until at last ‘his eyes saw the promised salvation,'” he said.
Pope Francis presides over the Mass on the day of prayer for consecrated life
A mirror of God’s patience
The pope continued to notice that Simeon’s patience was a mirror of God’s patience. In fact, through prayer and the history of his people, Simeon had learned to see in the Lord “a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and abundant in steadfast love and faithfulness.”
He reflected on St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, in which the apostle says that patience “leads us to repentance” and quoting from the German priest, author and academician Romano Guardini, who once observed that patience is the way to respond to God. our weakness and giving us the time we need to change, the Pope said that “more than anyone else, the Messiah, Jesus, whom Simeon held in his arms, shows us the patience of God, the merciful Father who calls us further, until our final hour ”.
God, Pope Francis reiterated, does not demand perfection, but always opens 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 tires of waiting for us,” the Pope said, adding that “when we return, he comes in search of us; when we fall, he lifts us to our feet; when we return to him after we lose our way, he is waiting for us with open arms. His love is not weighed in the balance of our human calculations, but it constantly gives us the courage to start again. “
Pope Francis presides over the Mass on the day of prayer for consecrated life
Our patience
Pope Francis then invited consecrated men and women to look at the patience of God and the patience of Simeon as they consider their own lives of consecration.
Patience, he said, does not simply refer to tolerating difficulties or demonstrating a grim determination in the face of difficulties, “it is not a sign of weakness, but the power of the spirit that allows us to“ bear the burden ”of personal and community problems, accept to others as different from ourselves, to persevere in goodness when all seems lost and to continue to move forward even when you are overwhelmed by fatigue and lack of strength.
He pointed to what he called three “settings” in which patience can become concrete:
Personal life
Our personal life, in which the way we responded to the Lord’s call was not always constant due to disappointments, frustrations and feelings of helplessness.
“In our lives as consecrated men and women, it can happen that hope slowly disappears as a result of unfulfilled expectations. We must be patient with ourselves and wait in hope for God’s times and places, for He always remains faithful to His promises. Keeping this in mind can help us get back on track and revive our dreams, rather than giving in to inner sadness and discouragement, ”he said.
“Brothers and sisters,” the Pope urged, “the inner sadness in us consecrated people is like a worm: a worm that eats us from within.” Flee from inner sadness! ”
Community life
A second framework in which patience can become concrete, the Pope continued, is community life.
He said that human relations are not always serene, especially when they involve sharing a project of life or apostolic activity: there are times when conflicts arise and an immediate solution cannot be expected, nor should hasty judgments be made.
Time, the Pope said, must take a step back, keep the peace and wait for a better time to resolve situations in charity and in truth, and urged men and women living in communities to cultivate this kind of mutual patience: “The ability to support, that is, to carry on our shoulders, the life of one of our brothers or sisters, including his weaknesses and shortcomings.”
“Keep in mind that the Lord does not call us to be soloists,” and there are many in the Church that he said, “He calls us to be part of a choir that can sometimes miss a note or two, we must to always try to sing in unison. ”
Our relationship with the world
The third framework described by Pope Francis concerns our relationship with the world.
Recalling how Simeon and Anna valued the hope proclaimed by the prophets, “even if it is slow to be fulfilled and grow in silence in the midst of the infidelities and ruins of our world.”
He said “they did not complain about how wrong things are, but patiently sought the light that shines in the darkness of history” and stressed that “we too need this kind of patience, so as not to fall into the trap of complaint. that “the world no longer listens to us” or “we no longer have vocations”, “these are not easy times” … ”
“It may happen that even if God patiently watches over the land of history and our own hearts, we look forward to it and want to judge everything immediately. In this way, we lose hope, “he said.
Pope Francis presides over the Mass on the day of prayer for consecrated life
Patience helps us to be merciful
Pope Francis concluded his homily by explaining that “patience helps us to be merciful in the way we look at ourselves, our communities and our world.”
He invited consecrated men and women and all believers to never cease to receive the patience of the Holy Ghost, to never cease to treat one another, and to radiate the joy of brotherly life, never cease to patiently offer us our ministry. :
“These are real challenges for our consecrated life: we cannot remain stuck in nostalgia for the past or simply repeat the same old things. We need patience and courage to keep moving forward, to explore new ways, and to respond to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. ”
Never gossip and never lose your sense of humor!
At the end of the Mass, Pope Francis thanked Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life, for welcoming those present.
He mentioned that in this time of pandemic, patience is extremely necessary to move forward “offering our lives to the Lord.”
And referring again to his very pronounced homily dedicated to “patience,” he reflected on how life in a religious community is full of the danger of gossip.
“Please stay away from gossip,” he said, “kill the life of the community!”
The pope acknowledged that sometimes this is not easy, but invited consecrated men and women to “bite their tongues” before gossiping about others: “Bite your tongue, so it will swell and fill your mouth and you will not be able to speak badly! ”
The other piece of advice he had for his religious brothers and sisters was to never lose his sense of humor: “It helps us so much. He is 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 do, 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 bear the pain in the face of lack of vocations: have courage, the Lord is great, the Lord loves us. Let’s follow the Lord! ”
World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life was established in 1997 by Pope St. John Paul II. This holiday is attached to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2. The feast of the World Day for Consecrated Life is transferred next Sunday to highlight the gift of the consecrated persons for the whole Church.
Pope Francis presides over the Mass on the day of prayer for consecrated life