II. Back in 1997, Pope János Pál declared February 2 the World Day of Monks, which has been celebrated every year by the Catholic Church and all its religious orders ever since.
In 1997 II. Pope János Pál officially declared February 2, the Feast of the Candlemas, as World Monks' Day, a celebration of consecrated life. According to the Polish Pope, the purpose of the holiday is to give thanks for the gifts of monastic life and to promote knowledge and love of monasticism. Since then, every February 2, the church celebrates its numerous religious orders, among which the most significant are clearly the Catholic orders. Most of them are based on uniform rules spread internationally, such as the Benedictine, Piarist, and Franciscan orders.
The appearance of the first monastic orders can be dated to the 3rd century AD. Even then, living under strict rules was a part of the way of life, but monasticism in the classical sense did not develop until later. The worldview of the monastic orders, their general as well as their own regulations, quickly took shape. In the course of the first millennium, the observance of the three vows, chastity, obedience and poverty, became accepted in a wide range of orders. The three knots on the belt of the monk's robe also remind us of this.
During the Middle Ages, the already flourishing monasteries also found new tasks. In many cases, it was the monastic orders that tried to alleviate the lack of care of the state and society. Thus, in addition to the religious content, the various social branches of the orders also appeared, there were those who helped the poor, teaching orders, hospital orders dealing with the sick and knightly orders fighting against infidels were also formed.
We have long since left the Middle Ages behind us, but even today many people choose the consecrated life. Around one million men and women around the world choose the consecrated life and strict rules, and on February 2 we celebrate their humble work.
Source: Magyar Hírlap
(Cover image: Világnap.hu )
