On 1 February 2025, we prayed in St Peter’s Basilica the first Vespers for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, on which the World Day of Consecrated Life is also celebrated, with the Pope and a large number of the faithful, including many religious. In his homily, the Pope referred to the words of the reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (10:7): ‘Behold, I come to do your will, O God’. It expresses Jesus’ willingness to place himself completely in the will of God. In such an attitude, the three vows of consecrated life – poverty, chastity and obedience – can become a light in today’s world. In order to find our way into such an attitude, it is important to return to the origins of our own congregation – not as if we were visiting a museum, but by understanding the example of the founders as an invitation, whose lives were characterised by prayer and adoration.
On Sunday, our two communities celebrated the renewal of our vows together during holy mass. After a statio to light the candles, we went in procession to the chapel of the Procura. In his homily, Fr Airton Dallazen SAC referred to three aspects of the feast: the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, Christ as the light of the faithful and the consecration of our lives rooted in baptism. All this invites us to live our consecration according to St Vincent’s motto ‘Caritas Christi urget nos’ (2 Cor 5:14), in the sense of ‘The agape of Christ urges us’. Our love must go beyond charitable works and show the love of Christ in its selflessness.
After Holy Mass, there was a festive lunch together.
Text: Sr. Adelheid Scheloske, SAC
Photos: Sr. Josephina D’Souza, SAC (5), Sr. Adelheid Scheloske, SAC (1)
