Homily of Rev Fr Alphonsus Abiodun Olawale CSsR for the celebration of world day for consecrated life
A homily delivered at the World Day for Consecrated Life held at St Leo Otun of Abeokuta Diocese on the First of February, 2020
CONSECRATED LIFE IS A CALL TO AN UNSPEAKABLE AND ABUNDANT JOY
My Lord bishop, Most Rev Peter Olukayode Odetoyinbo, Bishop of Abeokuta Catholic Diocese, the Vicar General, Vicar for Religious, Msgr, Very Rev Frs, Rev Frs, Consecrated persons here present and faithful of Christ, happy feast day to you all.
Refecting on Vita Consecrata (post synodal Apostolic exhortation by St. John Paul II) and Perfectae Caritatis (Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life, Vatican II document on Institutes of Consecrated Life), Consecrated persons refer to women and men are who called by God to let their light shine through the profession of evangelical counsels, vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and also through a life that is dedicated to service and prayer. By devoting themselves to God with undivided hearts, they embrace God’s radical call, leave all things behind and dare to put themselves totally at the service of God and his people. It is a radical gift of self for love of the Lord Jesus and in him, of every member of the human family. Today is an opportunity to appreciate those who have thus consecrated their lives to God.
St. John Paul II, in 1997, called for the promotion of consecrated life. And he chose to institute a world day of celebration to enforce this promotion. He also chose a day as special as the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord.
THE INTENTION FOR ESTABLISHING THE WORLD DAY FOR CONSECRATED LIFE.
It is intended to help the entire church to esteem ever more greatly the witness of those persons who have chosen to follow Christ by means of the practice of the evangelical counsels and, at the same time, is intended to be a suitable occasion for consecrated persons to renew their commitment and rekindle the fervor which should inspire their offering of themselves to the Lord. The mission of the consecrated life concerns not merely those who have received this special charism, but the entire Christian community as St John Paul II posits in Vita Consecrata that the consecrated life is at the very heart of the church as a decisive element for her mission, since it manifests the inner nature of the Christian calling and the striving of the whole church as Bride towards union with her one spouse.
The Holy Father, therefore, renewed the invitation to consecrated persons to look to the future with confidence, relying on the fidelity of God and the power of his grace, who is always able to accomplish new wonders: “you have not only glorious history to remember and to recount, but also a great history still to be accomplished! Look to the future, where the spirit is sending you in order to do even greater things (VC 110).
THE REASONS: THE SAINT GIVES 3 PURPOSES
1. It answers the intimate need to praise the Lord more solemnly and to thank him for the great gift of consecrated life. St Teresa in her autobiography had questioned, “what would become of the world if there were no religious?” the many charisms of consecrated life and edifying fruits enriches and gladdens the church and keep many to be totally given to the cause of the kingdom.
2. To promote a knowledge of and esteem for the consecrated life by the entire People of God. Consecrated life is a closer imitation and an abiding re-enactment in the way of life Jesus embraced and proposed to his disciples.
3. For the consecrated persons directly. They are invited to celebrate together solemnly the marvels which the Lord has accomplished in them, to discover by a more illumined faith the rays of divine beauty spread by the spirit in their way of life, and to acquire a more vivid consciousness of their irreplaceable mission in the church and in the world.
The world day for consecrated life is celebrated on the feast of the presentation of baby Jesus by Mary and Joseph (Luke 2:22). Jesus is the one consecrated by the Father. His presentation is a vivid expression of the offering of one’s life for all those who are called to show forth in the church and in the world, by means of the evangelical counsels, “the characteristic features of Jesus – the chaste, poor and obedient one.” No wonder the opening of this Mass asked God for a grace for us to be presented in like manner.
It was a feast, that demands, purification, under the law of Moses, for a mother until 40 days after childbirth. The specialness of today is fitting for us to make a day of purification for ourselves too. The woman was to present herself to the priests at the Temple and offer sacrifice for her to be purified and her firstborn son to be redeemed. Today is for us to an act of re-presenting ourselves, that God may keep purifying us.
For clarification sake, it is the Jewish Law that automatically excluded anyone who had brushed against mysteries of birth or death from worship. So, the need for the purification. However, Jesus is the Son of God the Father Almighty. This law was not binding on Mary. Nonetheless, for the sake of obedient conformity with the law (a practice that will be obvious in Jesus all through his walking the earth). Mary humbly submitted to the ritual offering, the sacrifice of the poor, according to her economic status. We can easily begin to figure out a Marian – dimension to our vow of poverty, obedience, and chastity is not left out. However, this purification ritual has no parallel in our Christian faith today. The catholic Church holds firmly that no blemish that needs purification is acquired by a woman at childbirth. Let that notion be corrected for those who are confused by it.
Despite that, there are remarkable experiences during the ritual that are worthy of emulation:
1. Venerable old Simeon took the holy baby into his arms. He expressed that that was all for which he had been waiting. He called him a light of revelation to the Gentiles, and glory of the people of God (Luke 2:29 – 33, 38). Is this how we as consecrated persons revere Jesus and celebrate the people to whom we are sent?
2. Likewise, the aged Prophetess Anna, a widow, had been waiting patiently for the one the scriptures call the deliverance of Jerusalem. She spoke brilliantly of the baby. Is Jesus all we long for? Or are there some other things that contest with him?
3. We are called to keep living for the will of God for as long as the old-age of Simeon inspire us.
4. We are called to carry the people of God to whom we are sent jealously, they are siblings of the holy baby. Jesus loves them. He came for them.
5. We are called to live to defend the supremacy of God above all things and all times – what God approves, when, and how he wants it.
6. We are reminded that the Jesus who leads us is the light to the nations, symbolism of the blessed Candle light we carried during the procession (Candlemas). Jesus calls us light of the world. He calls us to follow him, that we may never be in darkness but have the light of life to be able to lead his people to God, their utmost destination (Jn.8:12). St. Sophronius is quoted: Our lighted candle is a sign of the divine splendor of the one who comes to expel dark shadows of evil and to make the whole universe radiant with the brilliance of his eternal light. Our candle also shows how bright our soul should be when we go to meet Christ.
7. He is the glory of the people of God. That is what God wants of every consecrated person
Saint John Paul II entrusted the institution of the day to the maternal protection of Mary, and he hoped for abundant fruits for the holiness and the mission of the church. He also prayed that this special day will heighten in the Christian community an esteem for vocations of special consecration, to stimulate ever more intense prayer for obtaining them from the Lord, that a generous willingness to receive them as a gift could be nurtured.
He concluded with a prayer, that consecrated persons may persevere with joy in their vocation.
Counting now, this is the 23rd edition of this celebration and the Lord continues to fulfil the inspiration he gave to the Saint, the Lord continues to answer his prayer, and the church continues to be more fruitful, more blessed and more a blessing to all her children as she re-presents them to the Lord constantly.
Today is a day of joy and happiness and that is what our consecrated life is expected to be every day. The Holy Father, Pope Francis who had incited the consecrated persons, during the year of consecrated life, to wake the world up also encourages us to be happy while doing it. “the Gospel will not go forward with boring, bitter evangelizers. No, it will only go forward with joyful evangelizers, full of life. Whatever your stories may be, remind yourself of:
• The silent and tender love of St. Joseph the protector of the holy family.
• The strong and constant faith of old Simeon.
• The magnanimously prayerful fidelity of aged Anna.
• And above all, the complete, absolute, and total availability of Mary with her Son in the mystery of salvation.
And keep going forward.
St Alphonsus Maria De Liguori (responding to a young woman’s question on vocation) will say, ‘never stop walking, sooner or later you will reach the journey’s ends’.
Because, there will be moment when your faith will be tested, and you may ask yourself again, if there is something to be happy about, St Alphonsus added for us, a fourth vow. It is called the vow and oath of final perseverance. St Alphonsus never forgets, I hope we don’t too.
Do not drag anything with anyone, concern yourself about the cross of Christ. Anything apart from that (quest for power, status, wealth, positons of authority, acceptance, satisfaction, and so on) can tamper with your joy. Our Lord warns us about superior-ship and inferior-ship syndrome (Mt 20:25), it should not happen among you, you find it only among pagan. Coronavirus, Lassa fever, kidnapping, banditry and all sorts cannot stop us.
Rom 12: 11, never flag in zeal, but be aglow with the Spirt, serve the Lord – with joy and happiness. Rom 8: 33, what will separate you from the love of Christ? What will take the natural joy of consecrated life from you. Yes, in the world, you will find trouble, john 16:33, but Jesus asks us to be of good cheers, for he has overcome he world.
--Pope Francis, WDCL Homily on February 2, 2019"This then is the consecrated life: praise which gives joy to God’s people, prophetic vision that reveals what counts. Consecrated life is not about survival, it is not about preparing ourselves for ars bene moriendi (the art of dying): this is the temptation of our days, in the face of declining vocations. No, it is not about survival, but new life. “But… there are only a few of us…” – it’s about new life. It is a living encounter with the Lord in his people. It is a call to the faithful obedience of daily life and to the unexpected surprises from the Spirit. It is a vision of what we need to embrace in order to experience joy: Jesus"
He has given us the year of the Word of God. Let your consecrated life be constantly filled with hope and joy as you celebrate the Word of life, preaching the Word of God, sanctifying, teaching in our schools, caring for the poor at ‘home’ and the sick in the hospital, and bringing compassion and the love of Christ to those shunned by society; others lead lives of prayer in contemplation for the world.
Always remind yourself of the unspoken joy in the heart of Simeon, Anna, Joseph, Mary, and Our Lord Jesus Christ in our Gospel reading…joy which can never know any bounds.
And we thank our bishop for the enabling environment. Your joy will always be renewed in Jesus.
Fellow consecrated persons, priests of God, dear faithful of Christ, it is a day of thanksgiving, day of prayer, day of renewal of commitment, day of reinvigorating. May the intercession of Mary our Mother of Perpetual Help and St. Joseph continue to gain us constant help and protection as we joyfully live our consecrated Life. Amen. Congratulations dear brothers and sisters. Happy celebrations, and Peace be with you.
Alphonsus Abiodun Olawale CSsR (Rev. Fr)
Parish Priest All Saints Catholic Church, Iju – Onibuku 1st February, 2020.
CONSECRATED LIFE IS A CALL TO AN UNSPEAKABLE AND ABUNDANT JOY
My Lord bishop, Most Rev Peter Olukayode Odetoyinbo, Bishop of Abeokuta Catholic Diocese, the Vicar General, Vicar for Religious, Msgr, Very Rev Frs, Rev Frs, Consecrated persons here present and faithful of Christ, happy feast day to you all.
Refecting on Vita Consecrata (post synodal Apostolic exhortation by St. John Paul II) and Perfectae Caritatis (Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life, Vatican II document on Institutes of Consecrated Life), Consecrated persons refer to women and men are who called by God to let their light shine through the profession of evangelical counsels, vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and also through a life that is dedicated to service and prayer. By devoting themselves to God with undivided hearts, they embrace God’s radical call, leave all things behind and dare to put themselves totally at the service of God and his people. It is a radical gift of self for love of the Lord Jesus and in him, of every member of the human family. Today is an opportunity to appreciate those who have thus consecrated their lives to God.
St. John Paul II, in 1997, called for the promotion of consecrated life. And he chose to institute a world day of celebration to enforce this promotion. He also chose a day as special as the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord.
THE INTENTION FOR ESTABLISHING THE WORLD DAY FOR CONSECRATED LIFE.
It is intended to help the entire church to esteem ever more greatly the witness of those persons who have chosen to follow Christ by means of the practice of the evangelical counsels and, at the same time, is intended to be a suitable occasion for consecrated persons to renew their commitment and rekindle the fervor which should inspire their offering of themselves to the Lord. The mission of the consecrated life concerns not merely those who have received this special charism, but the entire Christian community as St John Paul II posits in Vita Consecrata that the consecrated life is at the very heart of the church as a decisive element for her mission, since it manifests the inner nature of the Christian calling and the striving of the whole church as Bride towards union with her one spouse.
The Holy Father, therefore, renewed the invitation to consecrated persons to look to the future with confidence, relying on the fidelity of God and the power of his grace, who is always able to accomplish new wonders: “you have not only glorious history to remember and to recount, but also a great history still to be accomplished! Look to the future, where the spirit is sending you in order to do even greater things (VC 110).
THE REASONS: THE SAINT GIVES 3 PURPOSES
1. It answers the intimate need to praise the Lord more solemnly and to thank him for the great gift of consecrated life. St Teresa in her autobiography had questioned, “what would become of the world if there were no religious?” the many charisms of consecrated life and edifying fruits enriches and gladdens the church and keep many to be totally given to the cause of the kingdom.
2. To promote a knowledge of and esteem for the consecrated life by the entire People of God. Consecrated life is a closer imitation and an abiding re-enactment in the way of life Jesus embraced and proposed to his disciples.
3. For the consecrated persons directly. They are invited to celebrate together solemnly the marvels which the Lord has accomplished in them, to discover by a more illumined faith the rays of divine beauty spread by the spirit in their way of life, and to acquire a more vivid consciousness of their irreplaceable mission in the church and in the world.
The world day for consecrated life is celebrated on the feast of the presentation of baby Jesus by Mary and Joseph (Luke 2:22). Jesus is the one consecrated by the Father. His presentation is a vivid expression of the offering of one’s life for all those who are called to show forth in the church and in the world, by means of the evangelical counsels, “the characteristic features of Jesus – the chaste, poor and obedient one.” No wonder the opening of this Mass asked God for a grace for us to be presented in like manner.
It was a feast, that demands, purification, under the law of Moses, for a mother until 40 days after childbirth. The specialness of today is fitting for us to make a day of purification for ourselves too. The woman was to present herself to the priests at the Temple and offer sacrifice for her to be purified and her firstborn son to be redeemed. Today is for us to an act of re-presenting ourselves, that God may keep purifying us.
For clarification sake, it is the Jewish Law that automatically excluded anyone who had brushed against mysteries of birth or death from worship. So, the need for the purification. However, Jesus is the Son of God the Father Almighty. This law was not binding on Mary. Nonetheless, for the sake of obedient conformity with the law (a practice that will be obvious in Jesus all through his walking the earth). Mary humbly submitted to the ritual offering, the sacrifice of the poor, according to her economic status. We can easily begin to figure out a Marian – dimension to our vow of poverty, obedience, and chastity is not left out. However, this purification ritual has no parallel in our Christian faith today. The catholic Church holds firmly that no blemish that needs purification is acquired by a woman at childbirth. Let that notion be corrected for those who are confused by it.
Despite that, there are remarkable experiences during the ritual that are worthy of emulation:
1. Venerable old Simeon took the holy baby into his arms. He expressed that that was all for which he had been waiting. He called him a light of revelation to the Gentiles, and glory of the people of God (Luke 2:29 – 33, 38). Is this how we as consecrated persons revere Jesus and celebrate the people to whom we are sent?
2. Likewise, the aged Prophetess Anna, a widow, had been waiting patiently for the one the scriptures call the deliverance of Jerusalem. She spoke brilliantly of the baby. Is Jesus all we long for? Or are there some other things that contest with him?
3. We are called to keep living for the will of God for as long as the old-age of Simeon inspire us.
4. We are called to carry the people of God to whom we are sent jealously, they are siblings of the holy baby. Jesus loves them. He came for them.
5. We are called to live to defend the supremacy of God above all things and all times – what God approves, when, and how he wants it.
6. We are reminded that the Jesus who leads us is the light to the nations, symbolism of the blessed Candle light we carried during the procession (Candlemas). Jesus calls us light of the world. He calls us to follow him, that we may never be in darkness but have the light of life to be able to lead his people to God, their utmost destination (Jn.8:12). St. Sophronius is quoted: Our lighted candle is a sign of the divine splendor of the one who comes to expel dark shadows of evil and to make the whole universe radiant with the brilliance of his eternal light. Our candle also shows how bright our soul should be when we go to meet Christ.
7. He is the glory of the people of God. That is what God wants of every consecrated person
Saint John Paul II entrusted the institution of the day to the maternal protection of Mary, and he hoped for abundant fruits for the holiness and the mission of the church. He also prayed that this special day will heighten in the Christian community an esteem for vocations of special consecration, to stimulate ever more intense prayer for obtaining them from the Lord, that a generous willingness to receive them as a gift could be nurtured.
He concluded with a prayer, that consecrated persons may persevere with joy in their vocation.
Counting now, this is the 23rd edition of this celebration and the Lord continues to fulfil the inspiration he gave to the Saint, the Lord continues to answer his prayer, and the church continues to be more fruitful, more blessed and more a blessing to all her children as she re-presents them to the Lord constantly.
Today is a day of joy and happiness and that is what our consecrated life is expected to be every day. The Holy Father, Pope Francis who had incited the consecrated persons, during the year of consecrated life, to wake the world up also encourages us to be happy while doing it. “the Gospel will not go forward with boring, bitter evangelizers. No, it will only go forward with joyful evangelizers, full of life. Whatever your stories may be, remind yourself of:
• The silent and tender love of St. Joseph the protector of the holy family.
• The strong and constant faith of old Simeon.
• The magnanimously prayerful fidelity of aged Anna.
• And above all, the complete, absolute, and total availability of Mary with her Son in the mystery of salvation.
And keep going forward.
St Alphonsus Maria De Liguori (responding to a young woman’s question on vocation) will say, ‘never stop walking, sooner or later you will reach the journey’s ends’.
Because, there will be moment when your faith will be tested, and you may ask yourself again, if there is something to be happy about, St Alphonsus added for us, a fourth vow. It is called the vow and oath of final perseverance. St Alphonsus never forgets, I hope we don’t too.
Do not drag anything with anyone, concern yourself about the cross of Christ. Anything apart from that (quest for power, status, wealth, positons of authority, acceptance, satisfaction, and so on) can tamper with your joy. Our Lord warns us about superior-ship and inferior-ship syndrome (Mt 20:25), it should not happen among you, you find it only among pagan. Coronavirus, Lassa fever, kidnapping, banditry and all sorts cannot stop us.
Rom 12: 11, never flag in zeal, but be aglow with the Spirt, serve the Lord – with joy and happiness. Rom 8: 33, what will separate you from the love of Christ? What will take the natural joy of consecrated life from you. Yes, in the world, you will find trouble, john 16:33, but Jesus asks us to be of good cheers, for he has overcome he world.
--Pope Francis, WDCL Homily on February 2, 2019"This then is the consecrated life: praise which gives joy to God’s people, prophetic vision that reveals what counts. Consecrated life is not about survival, it is not about preparing ourselves for ars bene moriendi (the art of dying): this is the temptation of our days, in the face of declining vocations. No, it is not about survival, but new life. “But… there are only a few of us…” – it’s about new life. It is a living encounter with the Lord in his people. It is a call to the faithful obedience of daily life and to the unexpected surprises from the Spirit. It is a vision of what we need to embrace in order to experience joy: Jesus"
He has given us the year of the Word of God. Let your consecrated life be constantly filled with hope and joy as you celebrate the Word of life, preaching the Word of God, sanctifying, teaching in our schools, caring for the poor at ‘home’ and the sick in the hospital, and bringing compassion and the love of Christ to those shunned by society; others lead lives of prayer in contemplation for the world.
Always remind yourself of the unspoken joy in the heart of Simeon, Anna, Joseph, Mary, and Our Lord Jesus Christ in our Gospel reading…joy which can never know any bounds.
And we thank our bishop for the enabling environment. Your joy will always be renewed in Jesus.
Fellow consecrated persons, priests of God, dear faithful of Christ, it is a day of thanksgiving, day of prayer, day of renewal of commitment, day of reinvigorating. May the intercession of Mary our Mother of Perpetual Help and St. Joseph continue to gain us constant help and protection as we joyfully live our consecrated Life. Amen. Congratulations dear brothers and sisters. Happy celebrations, and Peace be with you.
Alphonsus Abiodun Olawale CSsR (Rev. Fr)
Parish Priest All Saints Catholic Church, Iju – Onibuku 1st February, 2020.
Comments
Post a Comment